WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate approved a measure early Friday that would allow Democrats to implement President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus aid plan through the chamber without the support of the United States. republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris was the first to vote to break the deadlock.
Democrats in the House applauded after Harris announced the 51-550 vote around 5:30 p.m. The action came after a grueling all-night session, where senators voted on amendments that could define the outlines of the eventual COVID-19 aid bill.
Now the budget goes back to the House, where it will likely be re-approved on Friday to reflect the changes made by the Senate. The final passage will unblock the next phase in the drafting of the virus alleviation bill, with work divided among several congressional committees.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., called the passage of the resolution the “first big step in getting our country back on the road to recovery.”
Moving forward on a fast track, the Democrats ’goal is to pass the COVID relief in March, when extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic aid expire. It is an aggressive timeline that will test the ability of the new administration and Congress to deliver on the results. This means that the measure is passed quickly in the House so that it can return to the Senate.
“Next week, we will write legislation to create a path to the final passage of Biden’s American rescue plan, so that we can finish our work before the end of February,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote. in a Friday letter to his colleagues.
The stimulus to the stimulus comes amid new signs of a weakening US economy. Employers added only 49,000 jobs in January, after cutting 227,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. Restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and even the healthcare sector laid off workers last month, and state and local governments also fired non-school employees.
The unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to 6.3%, but there was a decline in the number of people working or looking for work, indicating that some people are leaving the workforce. The U.S. economy is 9.9 million jobs at its pre-pandemic level.
Biden, who has met with lawmakers in recent days to discuss the package, will speak at the White House on Friday with House committee chairmen who will convene the bill according to the budget process known as “reconciliation.”
Biden also plans to make statements on Friday about the economy while keeping pressure on Congress to “act largely” on its relief package.
With an increase in the number of deaths from viruses and economic tension, the president’s goal is to approve the COVID-19 relief in March, when extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic aid measures expire . There is money for vaccine distribution, direct payments to households, school reopening and commercial aid.
The Senate passed a 99-1 amendment that would prevent the $ 1,400 in direct checks from Biden’s proposal from going to “higher-income taxpayers.” But the measure, led by sensational Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Manchin, West Virginia, is ultimately symbolic and non-binding and does not specify at what level a person qualifies as higher income.
The Senate marathon session brought test votes on several Democratic priorities, including a $ 15 minimum wage. The Senate voted by a vote on Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, opposed to raising the salary during the pandemic. Ernst said a pay rise at the moment would be “devastating” for small businesses.
None of the amendments to the budget are binding on Democrats in drafting their COVID plan, but approving a salary increase can be difficult. Even if a $ 15 salary can overcome the procedural challenges of the final bill, the approval will require the support of all 50-50 Senate Democrats, which could be a high order.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal advocate of the pay rise, vowed to move on. “We need to end the hunger wage crisis,” he said.