House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) attends a press conference on the third day of the Senate impeachment trial of former U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, USA, on February 11, 2021 .
Erin Scott | Reuters
Several House committees have approved parts of the Democrats ’$ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan as the House proceeds to approve the full package later this month.
The forms and media committee advanced a critical part of the legislation Thursday night. It would send $ 1,400 direct to most Americans, extend key unemployment programs through the end of August, and give families up to $ 3,600 a year per child.
Other panels in the House, including the Education and Labor, Financial Services, Transportation and Small Business Committees, have approved parts of the proposal. Under the arduous process of budget reconciliation used by Democrats to pass legislation without Republican votes, the House Budget Committee will combine separate bills into a single package.
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters she believes the House will approve the bailout proposal before the end of the month. The California Democrat is waiting for the bill to reach the Senate and the entire table of President Joe Biden before the lifelines for the unemployed Americans expire on March 14th.
Democrats have said they must act as soon as possible to invest more money in efforts to contain the virus, speed up vaccinations and strengthen Americans struggling to pay for food and housing. With unified but tight control of Congress and the White House, they seem approved to pass a bill instead of taking weeks or months to negotiate a smaller package with the Republican Party.
Republicans have expressed concern about approving another massive spending bill after lawmakers approved a $ 900 billion aid plan in December. A group of Republican senators met with Biden earlier this month and filed a roughly $ 600 billion counter-offer, but Democrats rejected the plan for being too small to deal with the crisis.
Congress waited months to approve the December relief package after the expiration of key unemployment benefits and small business programs last summer. Inaction helped millions of Americans fall into poverty, struggling to pay for food and losing rent payments.
The latest government data show that more than 20 million people receive unemployment benefits.
Democrats still have to overcome obstacles to get the bill through Congress on their own. Not only must they make sure the bill meets Senate budget rules, but they also can’t lose a single Democratic vote in the House evenly divided by party.
The Forms and Means Committee part of the Advanced House plan on Thursday contains much of the overall rescue proposal. It would direct a sum of $ 1,400 to people earning up to $ 75,000 and to couples earning up to $ 150,000.
To allay concerns about the effective direction of the money – which jeopardized the passage of the plan to the Senate – payments would be phased out so that no individual or couple earning more than $ 100,000 or $ 200,000, respectively, would get no check. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., said Thursday that the structure is “right at the stage” of what would support his group.
The bill passed by Ways and Means would increase the federal unemployment supplement from $ 300 a week to the current $ 400 and would run until Aug. 29. the same date.
The plan would also increase attendance at homes with children. Americans would get up to $ 3,600 per child for children under 6 and $ 3,000 per child for children under 18.
The relief would gradually eliminate income of $ 75,000 for individuals and $ 150,000 for couples.
Key provisions in other parts of the legislation would provide $ 20 billion to a national immunization program, $ 170 billion in school spending, including reopening costs, and $ 350 billion in state government grants. , local and tribal. Biden plans to meet with bipartisan governors and mayors on Friday to discuss the bailout package.
Democrats also advanced a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour and Pelosi expects the House to pass the final legislation provision. However, it is unclear whether the proposal will conform to Senate budget rules.
Two Democratic senators – West Virginia’s Joe Manchin and Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema – have also expressed doubts about approving a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour.
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