The long awaited bill will extend unemployment benefits, increase funding for schools, and boost vaccine distribution, with president Biden set to sign it into law on Friday.
What We Know:
- The House passed the bill on Wednesday with a vote of 220-211, giving Biden his first legislative victory since he took office in January. The Senate revised the original version passed by the House in February, lowering the weekly unemployment benefits. Congress passed the revised version along party lines on Saturday with a vote of 50-49.
- The bill includes $1,400 payments for every individual making up to $75,000 and $2,800 payments to married couples making less than $150,000. In addition, the extra $300 weekly unemployment benefits are slated to continue until Sep. 6th. The bill also increases the Child Tax Credit to $3,600 for children up to five years old and $3,000 for children up to 17.
- Republican lawmakers opposed the bill in both the House and Senate on the belief that the bill included too many unnecessary parts. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the measure “costly, corrupt, and liberal.” According to NBC, Rep. Marjorie Taylor of Georgia moved to adjourn the vote, saying it was a “massive woke progressive bill” that needed to be stopped. NY Rep. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader, disagreed, stating that “it does so much good for so many people. . . .our mission is to show people that the government can actually make their lives better,” said Schumer.
- The 628 page bill is largely focused on helping lower and middle-class families; there are provisions for farmers, student loan borrowers, pensions, and health insurance. The bill will reduce the number of Americans living in poverty from around 44 million to 28 million. However, some progressive initiatives were scrapped, including raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.
After the bill passed in the Senate on Saturday, Biden called it “one more giant step forward” in bringing help to the millions of Americans reeling from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
