Biden’s rescue plan clears crucial Senate hurdle
WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Saturday voted to approve a US$1.9 trillion (58 trillion baht) relief package that President Joe Biden vows will revive the country’s pandemic-stricken economy, capping hours of debate, frenzied negotiations and a marathon overnight voting session.
Passed by 50 votes to 49 in a party line vote, the sweeping legislation now heads back to the Democratic-majority House of Representatives, where it is expected to be adopted.
Even without the progressive priority of a minimum wage increase to US$15 an hour, the stimulus bill marks a victory for Democrats as they put their stamp on the recovery from a pandemic that has killed over 500,000 in the United States and hobbled its economy.
“I promised the American people help was on the way,” said Mr Biden in an address after the plan was approved along strict party lines.
“Today, I can say we’ve taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise,” he said. “It obviously wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always pretty. But it was so desperately needed.”
Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer vowed ahead of the vote that “this bill will deliver more help to more people than anything the federal government has done in decades.”
The legislation would send out US$1,400 stimulus checks to most Americans and allocate US$350 billion to state and local governments and US$130 billion to schools.
It would also provide US$49 billion for expanded Covid testing, tracing and research, and US$14 billion for vaccine distribution.
Steny Hoyer, the Democratic majority leader in the House, said the chamber would take up the amended bill on Tuesday, with a view to sending it to Mr Biden for his signature this week.
The huge bill almost fell apart. Senate action was paralysed for more than 10 hours on Friday as Democrats scrambled to retain the support of the party’s most conservative senator, Joe Manchin, who balked at the scale of jobless benefits.
It took a call from Mr Biden himself and several tweaks to prevent Mr Manchin from defecting to the Republicans.
The Manchin drama served to highlight the growing political muscle of moderates in a deadlocked Senate, where a single swing vote could make or break major legislation.
Mr Biden already had to compromise with Democrats urging more fiscal restraint, reportedly agreeing to a narrowing of the income limit for families receiving stimulus checks.
Over a rapid-fire but lengthy series known as a “vote-a-rama”, bleary-eyed senators acted on dozen of amendments, mostly Republican proposals that failed but which forced rival Democrats into casting politically-fraught votes.