WASHINGTON (AP) – Democrats agreed on Friday to reduce the benefits of emergency unemployment benefits, but extend them for another month, trying to solidify support as the Senate approached a polling marathon for a bill. $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief law.
The deal came as the council worked to approve a final version of the huge package, probably over the weekend, of President Joe Biden’s top legislative priority. This would give the House time to pass the legislation and send it to Biden for signature.
First, the Senate was preparing to vote on a mountain of amendments, mainly from opponents of the Republican Party. Virtually everyone is destined to fail, but they are designed to force Democrats to get politically inappropriate votes.
Among them, however, was a Democratic plan that was supposed to pass, reducing the $ 400 weekly emergency unemployment benefits from the House bill.
Under the agreement, these payments – payable in addition to regular state benefits – would be reduced to $ 300, but would last an additional month until September. Taxes would also be reduced on unemployment insurance. A Senate Democratic aide provided details of the deal on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.
Biden and Senate leaders agreed on Wednesday to maintain the $ 400 top version of the House bill. The reduction to $ 300 seemed to reflect the need to secure support for the overall project, especially for moderate Democrats.
Republicans are attacking the bill as a liberal spending festival that ignores that the growing number of vaccinations and signs of an agitated economy suggest that the two crises are easing.
“Our country is already ready for a resounding recovery,” said Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Partly citing an unexpectedly strong report on job creation. “Democrats have inherited a tide that was already changing.”
Democrats reject this, citing the 10 million jobs the economy lost during the pandemic and countless people still struggling to buy food and pay rent.
“If you just look at a large number, you say, ‘Oh, everything is getting a little better,'” said Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. “It is not for the lower half of America. It is not.”
In an encouraging sign to Biden, a survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 70% of Americans support their treatment of the pandemic, including a notable 44% of Republicans.
Moments after the Senate passed legislation on Thursday, Senator Ron Johnson, R-Wis., Forced city officials to read the entire 628-page measure aloud. The grueling task took 10 hours and 44 minutes for employees and ended shortly after 2 am EST, with Johnson alternately sitting at his desk and walking around the almost empty chamber.
Democratic leaders made more than a dozen late additions to their package On thursday. This reflected the need to cement the unanimous support of all senators – plus Vice President Kamala Harris’ tiebreaker vote – to succeed in the chamber precariously divided by 50-50.
The Senate’s 51-50 vote to start debating the package, with Harris pushing Democrats over the top, underscored how they were navigating the package through Congress with virtually no margin of error. In the Chamber, most of them are scarce 10 votes.
The project, which aims to combat the killer virus and help the recovery of the struggling economy, will provide direct payments of up to $ 1,400. for most Americans. There is also money for vaccines and COVID-19 tests, help for state and local governments, help for schools and the airline industry, tax incentives for low-income people and families with children, and health insurance subsidies.
The new provisions offered attractive items for all types of Democrats. Progressives have found money to boost food programs, federal subsidies for health care for workers who have lost jobs, tax-free student loans and money for public broadcasts and consumer protection investigations.
Moderates gained funds for rural health care, language guaranteeing minimal amounts of money for smaller states and a ban on states receiving aid using unexpected profits to cut taxes. And for everyone, there was money for infrastructure, cultural spaces, start-ups and after-school programs.
The latest changes have left mayor Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., The task of keeping the numerous progressives from her chamber on board. Liberals have already suffered a blow when their number one priority – raising the federal minimum wage to $ 15 an hour included in the House package – was kicked out of the Senate bill for violating house rules and lack of support from moderated.
In another bargain that satisfied moderates, Biden and Senate Democrats agreed on Wednesday to restrict eligibility for direct checks on individuals. The new provision completely eliminates payments of $ 1,400 for individuals who earn at least $ 80,000 and couples who earn $ 160,000, well below the original ceilings.
Congress wants to send the bill to Biden before March 14, when an earlier round of emergency benefits for people who lost their jobs due to the pandemic expires.
Johnson told reporters that he was forcing the bill to be read “to light up this abusive and obscene amount of money. “Schumer on Friday morning praised employees who worked late as” the anonymous heroes of this place “and said of Johnson,” I hope he enjoyed his Thursday night. “
The economic recovery began to stagnate at the end of last year, with the increase in the virus, causing a drop in hiring in recent months. The Labor Department said on Friday that the economy created 379,000 jobs last month, indicating unexpected strength with falling virus cases and consumers increasing spending, but still leaving a long way for the country’s labor market. fully recover.
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that economic growth will exceed 4% this year without Biden’s bailout package. Republicans cite this as evidence that the economy is upward, but Democrats say strong economic stimulus is still needed to prevent a relapse.
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Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Alexandra Jaffe and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.