$1.9 Trillion Covid-19 Bill Finally Wins Approval in House

One of the largest economic stimulus measures in American history was given final approval by the US House of Representatives this week as President Biden secured his first major victory in office, managing to push through the comprehensive $1.9 trillion Covid-19 bill after months of negotiation.

The relief measure provides $400 billion directly to the public in the form of $1,400 direct payments to most Americans, as well as $350 billion in aid to state and local governments.

An expansion of the child tax credit is also included in the bill, in addition to an increase in funding for vaccine distribution. Economic forecasters have predicted the bill will supercharge the US economic recovery from the horror of the past 12 months.

“Help is here,” Biden wrote in a tweet after the vote. The White House said he plans to sign the bill on Friday.

“This is a historic day. It is the beginning of the end of the great COVID depression,” Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky said.

The Democratic-controlled chamber passed the bill by a vote of 220-211 as weeks of partisan debate and wrangling in Congress resulted in absolutely zero Republican support on the day.

Democrats described the historic legislation as a crucial response to the pandemic that has so far killed over half a million Americans and thrown millions more out of work.

“With today’s expected passage of the Rescue Plan, I can announce that the president will sign the bill at the White House on Friday afternoon,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said at the latest press conference, sharing details of the Covid-19 relief bill.

“We’ve spent a lot of time, of course, from the podium, talking about the mechanics of how a bill becomes a law and I know there’s lots of interest in what comes next.

“So once it’s passed, the bill texts will be rechecked, printed and signed by the appropriate leaders in the House and Senate. The House clerks will then deliver it to the White House for the president’s signature. We expect that delivery to happen sometime tomorrow, and then the president will sign it on Friday. We, of course, are moving full speed ahead on the implementation of the bill, because we know the American people need help and need it as soon as possible.”

A large number of Republicans have criticized the measure, brandishing it too costly and complaining that is packed with wasteful progressive priorities. They claimed the worst phase of the health crisis has passed and the economy was already headed for a rebound.

“It’s the wrong plan at the wrong time for so many wrong reasons,” Republican Representative Jason Smith said.

Despite the continuing pushback from Republicans, Democrats predicted before the final passage that their counterparts would use the benefits of the bill to gain credit with constituents, even though not one Republican vote was counted for it.

Indeed, Republican Senator Roger Wicker wrote on Twitter: “This funding will ensure small businesses can survive the pandemic by helping to adapt their operations and keep their employees on the payroll.”

“We are also working on looking ahead to implementation, I wanted to make sure you all saw Secretary Yellen’s speech before the National League of Cities yesterday, promising to get aid out to state and local governments,” Psaki continued at the press conference.

“Obviously, this is a key component of the package and one that will help keep cops, firefighters, local officials in their jobs. They are looking for ways to maximize, of course, the impact of every dollar.

“That’s exactly what the president did when he served as the point person on the implementation of the Recovery Act in 2009, partnering with mayors, governors and other officials to get help to them quickly, and in a way that kept waste fraud and abuse to two tenths of 1%. So he knows directly that the passage and signing of the bill is just the beginning, and he plans to appoint somebody to run point on implementation. I don’t have any personnel announcements today, but that will certainly be part of our path moving forward.

“Also, today, as you know, the president will join the CEO’s of Johnson & Johnson and Merck to discuss their historic partnership that will produce more life-saving vaccines for Americans and the world. President Biden will also announce that he’s directing Jeff Zients, our COVID coordinator, and an HHS team to procure an additional 100 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

“He’s doing this because, in a wartime effort, which is what we consider this, we need maximum flexibility, we want to be oversupplied and over-prepared. There’s also a chance that we’ll encounter an unexpected challenge on new need in our vaccination and we’re preparing for just that. The president will also discuss the meeting he’s having today during his remarks, and he’ll also address, of course, the passage of the Rescue Plan during those remarks as well.”