WASHINGTON (AP) – The Senate passed a measure on Friday that would allow Democrats to impose on President Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan on the House, without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tiebreaker vote, her first.
House Democrats applauded after Harris announced the 51-50 vote at around 5:30 am. The action came after an exhaustive session that lasted all night, where senators voted on amendments that could define the contours of the eventual aid bill COVID-19.
The budget now returns to the House, where it will likely be approved again on Friday to reflect the changes made by the Senate. Final approval will unlock the next phase of drafting the virus relief bill, with the work split between several Congressional committees.
The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer DN.Y., called the approval of the resolution “the first big step to put our country back on the road to recovery”.
Following a fast track, the goal for Democrats is to have COVID relief approved by March, when extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic aids expire. It is an aggressive schedule that will test the ability of the new government and Congress to deliver on promises. This means approving the measure in the House quickly so that it returns to the Senate.
“Next week, we will be drafting legislation to create a path for the final approval of the American Biden Rescue Plan, so that we can finish our work before the end of February,” wrote House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a letter on Friday to colleagues.
Pressure for stimuli comes amid new signs of a weakening US economy. Employers created just 49,000 jobs in January, after cutting 227,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said on Friday. Restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and even the healthcare industry laid off employees last month, with state and local governments also laying off non-school employees.
The unemployment rate fell from 6.7% to 6.3%, but there was a drop in the number of people who were working or looking for a job, a sign that some people are leaving the labor market. The US economy is 9.9 million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic level.
Biden, who has met with lawmakers in the past few days to discuss the package, will speak on Friday at the White House with the chairmen of House committees, who will draft the bill according to the budget process known as “reconciliation”.
Biden also plans to comment on the economy on Friday, while maintaining pressure on Congress to “act grandly” in his aid package.
With an increasing number of virus deaths and a tense economy, the president’s goal is to get relief from COVID-19 approved by March, when extra unemployment benefits and other pandemic aid measures expire. Money is at stake for the distribution of vaccines, direct payments to families, the reopening of schools 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 “high-income taxpayers”. But the move, led by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, is basically symbolic and not mandatory and does not specify at what level a person qualifies as a higher income.
The Senate session marathon brought test votes on several Democratic priorities, including a $ 15 minimum wage. The Senate by verbal vote adopted an amendment from Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who objected to raising the salary during the pandemic. Ernst said that a salary increase at this time would be “devastating” for small businesses.
None of the budget amendments are binding on Democrats as they work out their COVID plan, but approving a pay rise can be difficult. Even if a $ 15 salary may face procedural challenges in the final bill, approval will require the support of all Democrats in the 50-50 Senate, which can be a difficult task.
Senator Bernie Sanders, a vocal advocate for the pay rise, has promised to move forward. “We need to end the hunger wage crisis,” he said.