House passes Joe Biden’s US$1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package
- The sprawling measure backed by the president now heads to the Senate for consideration next week
- The rescue plan directly provides US$1,400 cheques to most Americans and allots billions of dollars to boost vaccine delivery
The US House passed an enormous, US$1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package early Saturday, hailed by Democrats as a critical step in funnelling new funding toward vaccinations, overburdened local governments, and millions of families devastated by the pandemic.
“After 12 months of death and despair, the American recovery begins tonight,” congressman Brendan Boyle told the House chamber soon before lawmakers approved the package on an rare post-midnight vote of 219 to 212.
No Republicans voted for the bill.
The sharply partisan result comes weeks after Biden’s January 20 inauguration, when he called for unity in the face of a once-in-a-century health crisis.
The package cleared the House despite a major setback for Democrats, when a key Senate official ruled on Thursday that the final version of the bill cannot include a minimum wage hike.