The U.S. Senate has passed a budget resolution to approve Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 million (£ 1.4 million) Covid-19 aid package in the coming weeks without Republican support.
Vice President Kamala Harris broke a 50/50 tie by voting in favor of the democratic measure, which sends it to the House of Representatives for final approval. It was the first time Harris, in her role as Senate president, voted a tiebreaker after being sworn in as the first female vice president on Jan. 20.
The House approved its own budget measure on Wednesday. Congress can now work to draft a bill that can be passed by a simple majority in both houses, controlled by Democrats. Mid-March has been suggested as a likely date by which the measure could be passed, a point at which increased unemployment benefits will expire if Congress fails to act.
The vote was held Friday at 5:30 a.m. at the end of a marathon debate session in the Senate, known among senators as “vote-to-branch,” a procedure by which they can theoretically offer unlimited amendments.
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Biden is scheduled to meet with Democratic House leaders and committee chairs in the early hours of Friday morning to discuss Covid’s economic stimulus, and is expected to make public comments on progress at a news conference. 11.45am EST (1645 GMT).
There was dissent from Republicans in the Senate overnight, mostly over plans for a $ 15 federal minimum wage. Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst proposed an amendment to “prohibit raising the federal minimum wage during a global pandemic,” which was carried out by a voice vote.
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said he still intended to support the move: “We need to end the famine crisis in Iowa and the United States.”
He outlined plans to achieve a salary increase, gradually over five years, included in a budget reconciliation bill. Currently, the federal minimum wage is $ 7.25 per hour and has not increased since 2009.
In a tweet after the vote, Sanders said: “Today, with the approval of this budget resolution to provide relief to our working families, we have the opportunity not only to address the pandemic and economic collapse: we have the opportunity to give hope to the northern people -American and restore faith in our government. “
During the debate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “This is not the time for billions of dollars more to make perpetual closures and economic decline a little more enjoyable. Despite real needs, “Despite all the talks on bipartisan unity, Democrats in Congress are moving forward. They are using this false budget to prepare the table through their $ 1.9 trillion draft.”
The proposed $ 1.9 trillion relief package would be used to accelerate Covid-19 vaccines nationwide. Other funds would extend special unemployment benefits that expire at the end of March and pay people directly to help them pay bills and stimulate the economy. Democrats also want to send money to state and local governments facing the worst health crisis in decades.