Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill after voting overnight on amendments [View all]
Source: Washington Post
The Senate approved a $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan on Saturday, as Democrats muscled through a marathon debate -- and overcame dissent from moderates within their own ranks -- to move one step closer to delivering President Biden his first legislative victory. Democrats voted to adopt the bill without any Republican support after a roughly 24-hour, around-the-clock session, though it will now fall to the House to consider the sweeping package once again before it can become law and any of the aid can be dispersed.
The Senate's passage of the measure marked an early win for Biden and his congressional Democratic allies, who had promised in the wake of the 2020 presidential election to authorize a robust package of new coronavirus aid - including another round of one-time checks for families - as one of their first acts.
But a prolonged standoff between centrists and progressives within the Democratic caucus quickly served to illustrate the precarious politics of the party's meager tie-breaking majority in the Senate, where even one holdout can upend Democrats' economic agenda in the early days of Biden's presidency.
The relief measure includes a new round of up-to $1,400 stimulus checks for millions of Americans, $350 billion for cash-strapped cities and states, $130 billion for schools, and other sizable sums for a wide array of programs including food assistance, rental relief and coronavirus vaccine distribution. The bill also authorizes an additional $300-per-week in unemployment payments until early September, trimming the amount that House Democrats initially had approved earlier in the month.
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/03/06/biden-stimulus-covid-relief/
Full headline: Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill after voting overnight on amendments, sends measure back to House
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