WASHINGTON – A vote on President Biden’s big-spending $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package could happen by the end of next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday.
With the impeachment lawsuit of former President Donald Trump, Congress now turns its attention to Biden’s “American Rescue Plan,” which includes another round of $ 1,400 for eligible Americans and other provisions to boost federal unemployment. is.
Democrats have decided to spoil the package through Congress, using a rare tactic called “budget cohesion” that would allow them to circumvent any Republican disagreements and pass by a simple majority vote.
Separate committees have given details of the package, including a possible $ 15 minimum wage increase, before it is presented on the House floor.
Pelosi told reporters at his weekly briefing on Thursday, “We will have to go to the rules committee to vote on it next weekend.”
“I think we have staffed 24/7 to ensure that we stay on time with the American rescue plan, the Biden plan,” he said.
The mega package is Biden’s first legislative battle as president and the singular focus of his administration that refused to publicly weigh on Trump’s impeachment trial in the Senate.
Biden and his cabinet members have urged lawmakers to “go big” on another round of coronovirus relief to aid the country’s faltering economy after a year of mandatory lockdowns.
But many Republicans, who presented their own $ 600 billion counterproposal, believe that such a large stimulus bill is not needed and will only add to the national debt balloon.
Biden has also faced dissent from several liberal members of the Democratic Party, including West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who has called for more targeted stimulus investigations.
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