House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joins other members of Congress to observe a moment of silence on the steps of the Capitol on February 23, 2021 in Washington, DC.
Al Drago | Getty Images
House Democrats plan to pass their $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus control bill on Friday, as lawmakers try to prevent unemployment lines from expiring next month.
“The American people wholeheartedly support this bill, and we are moving forward quickly to get it passed into law,” said D-Md., Majority house leader Steny Hoyer, in a statement on Twitter Tuesday night.
The package includes $ 1,400 direct payments to most Americans, unemployment benefits of $ 400 per week, and an extension of programs that qualify millions of Americans for unemployment insurance. It is also putting $ 20 billion in Covid-19 vaccinations, $ 50 billion in testing, and $ 350 billion in aid from the state, local and tribal governments.
The plan would from now on raise the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025. The provision may not survive in the final bill.
Democrats have gone on to pass the legislation themselves through budget reconciliation, requiring a simple majority in a senate split 50-50 per party. They have argued that they cannot wait to ease the economic pain as they try to strike a deal with the GOP.
Republicans have questioned the need for an additional $ 2 trillion in spending as they point out that vaccinations are moving the country on the path to a wider reopening.
“Much of this bill is a waste or a wish-list of the progressives,” argued House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., During a CNBC “Squawk Box” interview Wednesday morning.
Democrats have pushed for a different aid package as the US ramps up its vaccination efforts. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 44 million people have now received one dose, and nearly 20 million have had two.
While the country has made strides in building immunity, it still records about 71,500 Covid-19 cases and more than 2,000 deaths per day, according to a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 500,000 Americans have since died of the disease.
Since much of the country has economic restrictions to prevent infections, more than 18 million people received unemployment benefits earlier this month. More than 150 CEOs in New York urged approval of the contingency plan on Wednesday, saying “more needs to be done to put the country on the path to a strong and sustainable recovery.”
The Democrats will then take the formal step of bringing the bill through the House Rules Committee and to the packed house on Friday morning. Party leaders aim to send the legislation to the Senate later in the day.
Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., has predicted that the Senate will pass the bill and send it to President Joe Biden by March 14. unemployed, and an increase in the number of benefit weeks formally expiring.
Schumer said on Tuesday that he plans to keep his caucus together as Sens. Joe Manchin, DW.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., Are at a minimum wage of $ 15 an hour. A single Democratic vote against the bill would sink it.
“I pitched today for our entire caucus and I said we need to pass this bill, the American people, the American public are demanding it,” said Schumer. He later held up his cell phone when asked how he runs an evenly distributed senate.
The Senate MP is expected to decide this week whether Congress can push through a minimum wage increase as part of the budget reconciliation process.
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