US Congress Passes 1.9 Trillion Rescue Package
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) – U.S. President Joe Biden was to sign one of the largest economic rescue packages in American history after Congress approved a sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan.
Wednesday’s 220-211 vote in the House of Representatives was almost entirely along party lines.
The American Rescue Plan authorizes another round of stimulus payments up to $1,400 for most Americans as part of efforts to overcome the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It also extends unemployment aid to millions still out of a job and makes significant tax code changes to benefit families with children.
The bill couples the new pandemic relief with what Democrats view as one of the most robust legislative responses to poverty in a generation. It seeks to assist low-income families who struggled financially long before the coronavirus spread across the nation.
Lawmakers also set aside tens of billions of dollars to fund coronavirus testing, contact tracing, and vaccine deployment. The law aims to deliver Biden’s recent promise to produce enough inoculations for “every adult in America” by the end of May.
And the stimulus bill approves funds to help schools reopen, allow restaurants and businesses to stay afloat, and assist state and local governments to meet their own financial needs.
Republicans claim the plan, whose final cost was estimated at $1.856 trillion, was bloated and unaffordable. “House Democrats have abandoned any pretense of unity,” said Representative Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California and the minority leader. “This isn’t a rescue bill, it isn’t a relief bill. It’s a laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic.”
However, the New York Times newspaper said polls indicate that it has widespread support. It cited a Pew Research Center poll as showing that 70 percent of Americans favor the package.
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