Senate passes Biden’s relief bill, including $1,400 checks
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Senate on Saturday narrowly passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package after a floor vote.
Biden praised the passage of the “historic” bill in the Senate and said, "The bottom line is this. This plan puts us on a path to beating the virus, this plan gives those families who are struggling the most the help and the breathing room they need to get through this moment."
The package includes direct payments of up to $1,400 for most Americans, extended emergency unemployment benefits for 11 million Americans, and vast piles of spending for Covid-19 vaccines and testing, states and cities, schools and ailing industries, along with tax breaks to help lower-earning people, families with children and consumers buying health insurance.
Passage on a 50-49 vote came after the Senate voted all night on a mountain of amendments. Nearly all were from Republicans and were rejected. Many of the rejected GOP amendments were either attempts to force Democrats to cast politically awkward votes or for Republicans to demonstrate their zeal for issues that appeal to their voters.
"We can tell the American people, help is on the way," said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Citing the country's desire to resume normalcy, he added, "Our job right now is to help our country get from this stormy present to that hopeful future."
The bill will now head back over to the U.S. House, where several changes implemented by the Senate will need final approval next week so lawmakers can send it to Biden for his signature.
The huge package is Biden’s biggest early priority, which he says is crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and its economic doldrums.
Saturday's vote was also a crucial political moment for Biden and Democrats, who needed nothing short of party unanimity in a 50-50 Senate they run because of Vice President Kamala Harris' tie-breaking vote. They also have a a slim 10-vote edge in the House. On Saturday, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, was absent for the vote.
The package faced solid opposition from Republicans, who call the package a wasteful spending spree for Democrats' liberal allies that ignores recent indications that the pandemic and the economy could be turning the corner.
"The Senate has never spent $2 trillion in a more haphazard way," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Of Democrats, he said, "Their top priority wasn't pandemic relief. It was their Washington wish list."
The measure follows five earlier ones totaling about $4 trillion that Congress has enacted since last spring and comes amid signs of a potential turnaround.
Vaccine supplies are growing, deaths and caseloads have eased but remain frighteningly high, and hiring was surprisingly strong last month, though the economy remains 10 million jobs smaller than its pre-pandemic levels.
Under the Senate bill, $300 weekly emergency unemployment checks — on top of regular state benefits — would be renewed, with a final payment made Oct. 6. There would also be tax breaks on some of those payments, helping people the pandemic abruptly tossed out of jobs and risked tax penalties on the benefits.
The House's relief bill, largely similar to the Senate's, provided $400 weekly benefits through August. The current $300 per week payments expire March 14, and Democrats want the bill on Biden's desk by then to avert a lapse.
Republicans have asserted that higher jobless benefits discourage people from returning to work, a rationale most Democrats and many economists reject.
The Senate bill also restricts eligibility for the $1,400 stimulus checks that will go to most Americans. That amount would be gradually reduced until, under the Senate bill, it reaches zero for people earning $80,000 and couples making $160,000. Those amounts were higher in the House version.
