House nears passage of $1.9T pandemic stimulus package
Democrats edged a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package to the brink of House passage late Friday. A virtual party-line House vote was expected on the sweeping measure. Passage would send the measure to the Senate.
The measure embodies President Joe Biden’s plan to flush cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19.
Democrats said the 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.
Democrats have embraced the overall stimulus package as critical for the economy.
It would provide $1,400 direct payments to individuals earning up to $75,000 a year and couples earning up to $150,000, and expand a weekly federal unemployment benefit, increasing it from $300 to $400 a week and extending it through the end of August.
It also would increase the value of the child tax credit; provide more than $50 billion for vaccine distribution, testing and tracing; and steer nearly $200 billion to primary and secondary schools and $350 billion to state, local and tribal governments.
The legislation, once it clears the House, will head to the Senate, where it is expected to be amended. It would then be sent back to the House a second time for a final vote before going to the White House for Biden’s signature.
House Republicans were expected to oppose the legislation with few exceptions. And although members of their party used the reconciliation process twice in 2017 to steer around Democratic opposition to their highest priorities — once to push through a $1.5 trillion tax cut and once in a failed attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act — they complained that Democrats had cut them out of drafting the stimulus measure.
“This isn’t a relief bill,” said Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the minority leader, at his weekly news conference.
“It takes care of Democrats’ political allies, while it fails to deliver for American families.”
Like several Republicans on Capitol Hill, he sported a “No Pelosi Payout” sticker.
“We already know what is the best stimulus plan out there: It is to fully reopen our economy,” McCarthy said.