Dems near House OK on relief bill, ponder wage rescue
WASHINGTON — 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 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 flush cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19. Passage would send the measure to the Senate, where Democrats may try to resuscitate their minimum wage push.
Democrats said that the still-faltering economy and the half-million American lives lost demanded quick, decisive action and that GOP lawmakers were out of step with a public that polling shows 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 was too expensive, spent money too slowly to quickly reopen schools, was laden with gifts to Democratic constituencies such as labor unions, and funneled funds to struggling pension systems and other projects irrelevant to battling the pandemic.
“Before we ask future generations to float us another $2 trillion to pay off these liberal promises, let’s at least have the integrity to admit that this really isn’t about COVID,” said Rep. Steve Womack, R-Ark.
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.