Biden hails ‘giant step’ after backing for stimulus bill
Republicans argued $1.9trn relief bill was too big
THE US Senate has passed President Joe Biden’s $1.9trn (€1.59trn). Covid-19 relief plan in a party-line vote after an all-night session that was delayed repeatedly as the Republican minority tried but failed to push through around three dozen amendments.
The plan passed in a 50-49 vote on Saturday night with the support of every Democrat but no Republicans.
Mr Biden hailed it as “one more giant step forward on delivering on that promise that help is on the way”.
It is one of the largest stimulus bills in US history and gives Mr Biden his first major legislative victory since taking office in January.
The partisan victory was made possible by Democrats winning two Senate seats in Georgia special elections in January, giving them narrow control of the chamber.
The final bill includes $400bn in one-time payments of $1,400 to many Americans, with a phase-out starting for those with annual incomes above $75,000.
It also includes $300 a week in extended jobless benefits for the 9.5 million people who were thrown out of work in the crisis. Democrats agreed to reduce those benefits from $400 a week in order to secure passage in the Senate. They want the bill signed into law before current unemployment benefits expire on March 15.
About $350bn in aid was also set aside for state and local governments that have seen the pandemic blow a hole in their budgets.
House of Representatives Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Twitter that the House will vote tomorrow on the Senate-passed bill.
Democrats broke out in applause amid passage of the bill in the Senate on Saturday and liberal independent Senator Bernie Sanders fist-bumped Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, however, had harsh words about the measure. “The Senate has never spent $2trn in a more haphazard way or through a less rigorous process,” he said.
Republicans had sought a round of aid about one-third the size of Mr Biden’s plan.
Mr McConnell argued that even without this legislation, “2021 is already set to be our comeback year” because of relief bills enacted last year.
The measure comes as an increasing number of states relax restrictions designed to curb the pandemic.
Texas earlier this week allowed most businesses to operate at full capacity, with California saying it would soon allow Disneyland and other theme parks and sports stadiums to reopen at limited capacity.
Disagreements among Democrats over the jobless benefits and the all-night effort by Republicans to amend a bill that polls show is popular with voters illustrated the difficulty Mr Biden will face in pushing other policies through a Senate that Democrats control by the narrowest of majorities.
The chamber set a record for its longest single vote in the modern era – 11 hours and 50 minutes – as Democrats negotiated a compromise on unemployment benefits to satisfy centrists. The House bill also featured a measure to more than double the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which the Senate rejected.
Moderate Democrats had feared that the higher jobless benefits and minimum wage hike would overheat the economy and hurt businesses in rural states.
Asked if the changes would frustrate some Democrats who propelled him to office in the November elections, Mr Biden said: “They’re not frustrated. As Senator Sanders said, this is the most progressive bill since he’s been here.”
One Republican, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, left Washington on Friday night for a family funeral, meaning that Democrats did not need Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote in the normally 50-50 chamber.
The US has yet to replace 9.5 million jobs lost since last year and the White House says this could take years.
Washington got unexpected good news on Friday after data showed employment surged in February, adding 379,000 jobs, significantly higher than many economists expected.