House close on pandemic relief

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrats edged a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package to the brink of House passage late Friday, even as party leaders sought to assure agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage.

A virtual party-line House vote was expected on the sweeping measure, which embodies President Joe Biden’s plan to send cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19. Passage would send the measure to the Senate, where Democrats may try resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues.

Democrats said that the stillfaltering economy and the halfmillion American lives lost demanded quick, decisive action and that GOP lawmakers were out of step with a public largely views the bill favorably.

“I am a happy camper tonight,” said Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. “This is what America needs. Republicans, you ought to be a part of this. But if you’re not, we’re going without you.”

Republicans said the bill is too expensive, spends money too slowly to quickly reopen schools, is laden with gifts to Democratic constituencies like labor unions and funnels funds to struggling pension systems and other projects irrelevant to battling the pandemic.

That divide is making the fight a showdown over which party voters will reward for heaping more federal spending to combat the coronavirus and revive the economy atop the $4 trillion approved last year.

The battle is also emerging as an early test of Biden’s ability to hold together his party’s fragile congressional majorities — just 10 votes in the House and an evenly divided 50-50 Senate.