Biden sees ‘No time to waste’, urges Senate to pass $ 1.9 trillion Covid-19 stimulus package

At the White House on Saturday, Biden said there was “no time to waste” in passing the bill and delivering it to his office, noting that Americans were now closer to receiving more vaccinations, $ 1,400 in relief checks and additional aid contained in the bill.

“If we act quickly, decisively and boldly, we can finally get ahead of this virus, we can finally kick-start our economy,” Biden said. “The people of this country have suffered too much for too long. We must alleviate this suffering. “

Lawmakers will likely amend the legislation before passing it through the Senate, which would send it back to the House to approve the amended bill before it reaches the president’s office. Democrats are rushing to complete the package by March 14, when some types of federal unemployment aid will expire.

The relief plan would improve and expand unemployment benefits, provide $ 350 billion to state and local governments, send $ 1,400 to many Americans, and fund vaccine distribution, among other measures. Congress has passed a series of relief measures since the start of the pandemic, and Democrats say the latest package will help support the country’s return to normalcy.

Republicans have largely aligned against the legislation, calling it too bulky and wasteful – especially its provisions for funding schools and state and local governments – as the economy shows signs of recovery.

“This is not a rescue bill. It takes care of the political allies of the Democrats when it fails to meet the needs of American families, ”said Minority House Leader Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.).

An effort to raise the minimum wage to $ 15 an hour by 2025 as part of the back-up plan has been questioned after a decision by the Senate parliamentarian on Thursday evening. The non-partisan parliamentarian said the effort would not comply with chamber rules for legislation passed through a process called reconciliation – which allows a bill to avoid a possible filibuster and pass with 51 votes. , but requires that it be closely linked to the budget.

The discovery created a political stress test for Democrats, who remained broadly united in the first weeks of Mr. Biden’s tenure.

Progressive lawmakers were quick to call on Democrats to either ignore the parliamentarian’s decision or to abolish filibuster to raise wages, both measures Mr Biden resisted. Senate Democrats, meanwhile, began to devise a way to get companies to raise workers’ pay rates through tax penalties and incentives to comply with Senate reconciliation rules.

Write to Ken Thomas at [email protected]