Washington – The Senate approved the president of Biden $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package Saturday, more than 24 hours after opening the debate on the bill. A grueling process of amendments, known as the “branch vote,” was stalled for nearly 12 hours Friday due to disagreements in the Democratic caucus over an unemployment insurance benefit.
The final vote was 50-49, with all Democrats voting in favor of the bill and all Republicans voting against. The passage of the bill received acclaim and applause from Democrats, celebrating the passage of one of Mr. Biden’s top priorities. Vice President Kamala Harris did not need to visit the Capitol to break any ties, as Republican Party Sen. Dan Sullivan left on Friday due to a family emergency.
Democrats won a round of victory after the bill passed, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters after the vote that “it’s a big day for this country.” Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders called the bill “the most important piece of legislation to benefit working families in this country’s modern history.”
President Biden dubbed the plan “historic” during a Saturday speech.
“For over a year the American people were told they were alone,” he said, and later added, “This nation has suffered too much for too long, and everything in this package is designed to relieve. suffering and meeting the most urgent needs of the nation. “
The president noted that 85% of U.S. households will soon receive direct payments of $ 1,400 per person and that a “typical middle-class family of four” will get $ 5,600. “That means the mortgage can be paid. That means keeping your health insurance. You have a big difference in so many lives in this country,” he said.
Senator Debbie Stabenow said passing the bill was an emotional moment for Democrats.
“People on the ground, in our caucus, were almost like tears in their eyes. I mean, I felt it,” Stabenow said.
The House will vote on the amended legislation on Tuesday, after the House passed a slightly different version of the bill last week. If approved by the House, it will go to the Biden counter for signature. Schumer expressed confidence that the version of the bill in the Senate would pass in the House.
“They feel like us, we have to do it,” he said.
Economic assistance legislation is widely popular, as recent polls show that most Americans support it, particularly the provision it provides. $ 1,400 in direct checks to winners under $ 75,000. Senate Democrats reached an agreement limit eligibility for those who receive direct checks earlier this week. Other provisions in the bill include additional weekly benefits of $ 300 per job through Sept. 6, a child allowance of up to $ 3,600 per family, $ 350 billion in state and local government grants, and $ 14 billion. for the distribution of vaccines.
Biden thanked the American people for their “overwhelming bipartisan support” for the package, without which “this would not have happened,” he said.
The final vote came after an arduous “vote-to-branch,” in which the Senate debated, examined and voted on 39 amendments over a 25-hour period. The process was initially delayed by a blockade involving Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia moderate who has become a critical actor in the uniformly divided Senate.
On Friday evening, Senate Democrats reached an agreement accepted by Manchin, after holding a lengthy meeting with Schumer. The commitment amendment extended the additional unemployment insurance benefits until Sept. 6, making the first $ 10,200 of unemployment insurance benefits non-taxable for households with incomes below $ 150,000. and extends tax rules on excess business loss limitations through 2026
The compromise amendment was passed by a vote of 50 to 49 shortly after 1 p.m. It was almost identical to an amendment proposed under an agreement reached Friday morning by progressives and moderates, with the only change in the income limit for non-taxable profits.
Biden stressed during his speech Saturday that the deal expanded assistance to the eleven million Americans who lost their jobs because of the pandemic and whose benefits “were about to expire,” he said.
Manchin has taken on a powerful role in the caucus because it is one of the decisive votes in a uniformly divided Senate. Democrats have 50 seats, which means there is no room for dissent in the ranks: losing the support of a single senator means losing the general vote. Earlier Friday, Manchin appeared to be leaning in support of an amendment introduced by GOP Senator Rob Portman that would have cut unemployment benefit from $ 400 to $ 300 and extended it until June.
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The “vote-a-rama” initially began Friday morning with a failed vote on an amendment proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders that would have raised the federal minimum wage. But the vote remained open even after all senators had voted, preventing the next amendment from being considered and allowing Democrats to work behind the scenes to convince Manchin to support his modification of the insurance benefit. ‘atur.
After nearly 12 hours, the vote on the Sanders amendment closed shortly before 11 p.m., making it the longest vote in modern Senate history. The “vote-to-branch” resumed then shortly before midnight with a vote on the amendment to Portman’s unemployment insurance benefit, which went through a 50-49 vote, with the support of Manchin. However, this amendment will be overturned by the Democratic amendment, which was voted on a few hours later and which Manchin also supported. This commitment modification will be included in the final invoice.
Manchin acknowledged to reporters after the final vote on the bill on Saturday afternoon that the negotiations “took longer than they should have,” but he was pleased with the final bill.
“We’ve got it and we’ve got a better deal,” Manchin said.
The Senate met Friday morning with two hours of debate, followed by a vote on the Sanders amendment, which would have raised the unforeseen minimum wage to $ 15 per hour in 2025 and the sloping minimum wage to 14.75 dollars in seven years. The Senate MP ruled last week that the Senate could not include a provision raising the minimum wage to $ 15 under budget conciliation rules, so Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham raised a case issue challenging the amendment.
Manchin, as well as Democratic Senators Jon Tester, Jeanne Shaheen, Kyrsten Sinema, Chris Coons, Tom Carper and Maggie Hassan, joined Republicans to vote against allowing the provision to be included. Senator Angus King, an independent who is arguing with Democrats, also voted against adding the minimum wage hike to the bill. Manchin and Sinema, in particular, had already expressed opposition to raising the minimum wage to $ 15.
Congress uses the budget reconciliation process to pass the bill, which limits time for debate and allows legislation to be passed by a simple majority, a solution that avoids the 60-vote threshold that most bills require to move forward. in the Senate. If all Democrats supported the final bill, it would happen without any Republican support.
But Republicans are critical of the size of the bill and are frustrated that Democrats are using the reconciliation process, arguing that they are taking a partisan path instead of working through the aisle. Democrats respond that they don’t need to waste time negotiating with Republicans to reach the 60-vote threshold and pass a smaller package.
In retaliation, Republican senators intended the amendment process to be politically painful for Democrats, with mixed results. One such vote was an amendment to prevent undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus checks. During the “vote-a-rama” last month on the budget resolution to establish the reconciliation process, eight Democrats joined all Republicans in voting on the amendment, outraging the progressives. However, when the Senate voted on the amendment on Saturday morning, it failed without any Democratic support.
The Senate passed two amendments by voice vote, one on the education of veterans and one on helping homeless children. The latter amendment was proposed by Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Manchin and will dedicate $ 800 billion in education funding specifically for homeless children. The final amendment considered during the “branch vote” was a bipartisan amendment sponsored by Republican Party Sen. Marco Rubio and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, which extended protections to federal contractors until Sept. 30.
The Senate bill version differs from the House bill in several ways, including the amendments passed Friday and Saturday. Some recently added measures, according to a Democratic Senate aide, include $ 510 million for FEMA and $ 750 million for states and communities affected by job and income loss in the tourism, travel and leisure sectors. outdoor recreation. Another provision allocates funding to education, including $ 1,252 million for evidence-based summer enrichment, $ 1,252 million for extracurricular programs, and $ 3 billion for educational technology. It would also mean a tax exemption on the COVID-19 student loan.
A vote on the motion to proceed with the debate on the legislation took place in an online vote of the party on Thursday afternoon, with Harris breaking the tie between 50 and 50. Although the rules of budget conciliation allow up to 20 hours of debate before the “vote on the branch,” Republicans and Democrats used only two, after Republican Sen. Ron Johnson forced Senate Secretary to read the entire bill aloud. high Thursday evening. The process lasted nearly 11 hours and ended Friday morning. The Senate agreed to meet later Friday morning for a maximum of three hours of debate, but any savings in limiting debate time were quickly lost with the nearly 12-hour delay on the insurance amendment. unemployment.
“The bottom line is this plan puts us on the path to beating this virus,” Biden said Saturday. “This plan provides families who are struggling the most with the help and breathing they need to get through this time. This plan gives small businesses in this country a chance to struggle to survive. And one more thing,” he added. , “this plan is historic.”
Jack Turman and Audrey McNamara contributed.