The US Congress approved and sent the landmark $1.9 COVID 19 relief bill to President Biden.
Boost For President Biden And Democrats; Congress Approves $1.9 Trillion Landmark Bill
Congress, greatly divided over party lines, has approved the $1.9 trillion landmark COVID 19 relief bill. For President Biden and Democrats, this is a victory of legislation. The bill multiplies the government spending over the twin epidemics of coronavirus and economic instability that recently befell the country. The house gave the final bill on Wednesday. The bill was passed by a narrow majority, 220-211 votes. This comes exactly 49 days after Biden took office and four days after the Senate passed the bill. Republicans strongly opposed the bill in both chambers. According to them, the bill was bloated and plagued with too much liberalism. It ignored the signs of the easing crisis.
The president, in a tweet, applauded democratic lawmakers and announced, “Help is here.” He said that he will sign the bill on Friday. The most noticed among its provisions are the direct payments up to $1400 to almost all Americans. The bill also extends the $300 weekly emergency unemployment benefit till September. The law, however, does much more than that. It fulfills the Democrats’ promises during the campaign. It also helps President Biden to ease the impact of the punch the nation is suffering for a year. From then, the Americans led almost a hermit-like life staying indoors to avoid a pandemic that killed over 529,000 people, the population almost of about the population of Wichita, Kansas. It then plunged the nation’s economy into the worst crisis after the great depression.
This day, the country has to decide something of great consequence to the millions of the countrymen. It has the power to restore the livelihood of many, said the House Speaker.
The bill, in fact, is the canvass on which Biden and the Democrats painted their beliefs and programs on. Such programs can benefit millions. They will never be a curse. Spending such a huge amount is definitely a recovery. The measure comes in line with the party’s priorities and top achievers in several ranks. Even with a narrow majority in Congress, the bill’s fate was quite certain. The following three reasons too emboldened the democrats:
- Their complete control over the White House
- Polls showing the increased popularity of President Biden
- The non-caring attitude of the voters towards the country’s soaring debts. None seemed to care about the surge in red ink.
Republicans, in the meantime, seem to remember the overwhelming support they received for the previous COVID 19 relief bill. The then, President Trump had forced the divided parties to negotiate. According to them, setting aside finances for family planning and federal workers taking leave to cope up with COVID 19 and failing to require shuttered schools taking financial assistance to reopen are only Democrats’ goals. According to a member who opposed the bill, it will do great for members of the swamp. But the people see certain issues in the near future. Even then, he hailed the relief package allowed for restaurants. It will help them reopen, he said. He even said that he is not going to vote for the bill just because of certain good things it contains. The bill’s greatest feature is that it is one of the biggest federal initiatives to help low-middle income families in years. The tax credits and other aids the Democrats plan to make permanent. The bill also offers to spend billions for COVID 19 vaccines, school reopenings and numerous other things. All this gives Democrats a chance to declare; they rise up to the demands of the occasion. They deliver results.