House to Vote on Changes Tuesday –

By Glynn Wilson –

In a historic vote of epic proportions that demonstrates the paramount importance of voting and elections in a democracy, Democrats in the Senate voted 50-49 on Saturday to pass President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan for coronavirus pandemic relief without a single Republican vote.

A tie-breaking vote by Vice President Kamala Harris was not required, since Republican Senator Dan Sullivan of Alaska left town on Friday due to a family emergency and so was not available for the vote.

The legislative package, which still must pass the House before it heads to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law, is the first major legislative initiative of his presidency and would inject considerable federal resources into the economy, including direct payments of $1,400 for hundreds of millions of Americans, jobless aid of $300 a week to last through the summer, money for distributing coronavirus vaccines and testing, and relief for states, cities, schools and small businesses struggling still during the ongoing pandemic.

Democrats and the administration are also billing the plan as one of the most ambitious anti-poverty initiates since the Great Society in the mid-1960s, potentially cutting child poverty in half through a generous expansion of tax credits for low-income Americans with children. It also increases subsidies for child care, broadens eligibility for health care under the Affordable Care Act and expands the food stamps program and rental assistance.

Its eye-popping cost is just short of the $2.2 trillion stimulus measure that went into effect last March, just as the debilitating public health pandemic and economic crisis from the coronavirus hit the United States.

While no Republicans in the Senate could see fit to support helping the people in this time of crisis, the plan enjoys wide bipartisan support around the country.

Related: Broad, Bipartisan Support Persists for $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package as Senate Debates Bill

The Democrats were determined to act even without bipartisan support to avoid a lapse in unemployment benefits set to expire on March 14.

Final passage of the legislation came after a grueling 27-hour session in which Democrats beat back dozens of Republican amendments to change the bill, and gained passage by scaling back the jobless aid from $400 a month to $300 to placate moderates in their own ranks, mainly Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who expressed concerns that an overly generous federal payment might prevent some Americans from returning to work and potentially stifling the financial recovery.

The New York Times billed the “marathon session” as historic, featuring “the longest vote in modern Senate history.”

To pass the measure in the Senate, Democrats had to remove an increase in the minimum wage to $15 an hour included in the House bill, and narrow the eligibility for stimulus checks to taxpayers making less than $75,000.

“Still, the pandemic aid bill was one of the most far-reaching federal relief efforts ever to pass Congress, and represented a bid by Mr. Biden to use the power of the government to tackle the pandemic and invigorate the economic recovery by pouring immense amounts of money into initiatives to help low-income Americans and the middle class,” The Times reported.

The legislation provides $14 billion for the distribution of COVID vaccine, $350 billion for state, local and tribal governments, $130 billion to primary and secondary schools, $12 billion to nutrition assistance and money for reopening businesses around the country.

It provides a tax benefit of $300 per child for those age 5 and younger and $250 per child ages 6 to 17. The bill also includes $45 billion in rental, utility and mortgage assistance, $30 billion for transit agencies, and billions more for small businesses and live music and sports venues.

The measure also would provide federal subsidies for people to keep the health insurance they had from work if they lost their jobs.

“This bill will deliver more help to more people than anything the federal government has done in decades,” said Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the majority leader, just before final passage.

Newly empowered with a razor-thin majority in the Senate, Democrats chose to bypass Republican opposition and the risk of a filibuster — which takes 60 votes to break — and pass the legislation using a fast-track process known as budget reconciliation, which only requires a majority vote.

The legislation now goes back to the House, where Speaker Nanci Pelosi has assured the country that she has the votes of her caucus to pass it even with the compromises in the Senate.

House to Vote on Changes Tuesday

House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, a Democrat from Greenbelt, Maryland, announced on Saturday that the House will vote Monday night on the rule laying out terms for the bill’s consideration, and the House will vote Tuesday on the Senate-passed version of the bill.

“The Senate has now passed President Biden’s American Rescue Plan to provide long-awaited relief to Americans suffering from the economic impacts of COVID-19 and to boost our capacity to save lives by ramping up the deployment of testing and vaccines. The help that so many of our people have been waiting for during months of Republican inaction is one step closer,” Hoyer said in a statement.

“On Tuesday, the House will consider the Senate’s amended version of the American Rescue Plan, so that we can send this bill to President Biden for his signature early next week,” he said. “Democrats are delivering on our promise to take action to defeat this virus and provide the assistance the American people need until our economy can reopen safely and fully.”

Last week, the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan to deliver critically needed relief to American families and small businesses, he said.

“Throughout the country, Democrats and Republicans alike broadly support the legislation and want to see it enacted. As the Senate considers the American Rescue Plan, take a look at the advocacy groups, community leaders, and other organizations who strongly support the legislation.”

“After a lifetime of hard work, working people deserve to retire with dignity,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “The provisions included in this package are important steps that will help eligible retirement funds protect the retirement benefits we earned by sacrificing wage increases.”

“On behalf of the more than 4.4 million members of the Alliance for Retired Americans, I am writing in support of the American Rescue Plan,” said Richard J. Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “This legislation provides critical economic relief to millions of Americans, including older adults, first responders, and small businesses. Equally important, it provides states and local communities the funds they need to continue combatting COVID 19 and expedite the COVID-19 vaccine process so that schools and businesses can reopen safely.”

The American Federation of Government Employees said it supported the legislative relief “for the American people and particularly federal and D.C. government workers who have been on the frontlines battling the Coronavirus Pandemic. We strongly support providing emergency paid leave for all federal workers.”

“On behalf of the 1.7 million members of the American Federation of Teachers, I urge you to put partisan politics aside and come together to meet this moment as COVID-19 is ravaging our families, states and schools and solve the monumental challenges before us, by supporting H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021,” said American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten. “The AFT believes that every person in America deserves the freedom to thrive, fueled by opportunity, justice and a voice in our democracy. First and foremost, that requires addressing the coronavirus pandemic. This is a moment to demonstrate that government can be a powerful force for helping people, breathing new life into communities and creating a more just society. This bill will help accomplish this and bring us together to beat the pandemic.”

“We welcome House passage of COVID-19 rescue legislation. Urgent action is needed to strengthen the nation’s public health response and provide assistance to struggling individuals and small businesses,” said Business Roundtable President and CEO Joshua Bolten. “We urge the Senate to work expeditiously to advance bipartisan legislation and ensure that the package focuses on measures to strengthen the public health response and address short-term, emergency needs.”

“Passage of the American Rescue Plan … represents a tremendous step forward in the United States’ fight to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and keep families, unemployed workers, states and local governments, and small businesses whole until we’ve sufficiently contained the virus,” said Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for External Affairs Winnie Stachelberg. “It’s why the American Rescue Plan is supported by bipartisan elected leaders at the state and local level, has earned the support of the business community, and is overwhelmingly popular—earning the support of nearly 3 in 4 Americans, including roughly half of Republicans.”

“The American Rescue Plan addresses many core Teamster policy priorities that are needed to protect and support our members through this crisis and bring our nation toward an economic recover,” said International Brotherhood of Teamsters President James P. Hoffa. “There now appears to be a light at the end of this tunnel, but our nation’s recovery is still fragile. Every piece of the American Rescue Plan is key to building back and building back stronger.”

“The effort to contain COVID-19 requires bold action to ensure economic recovery along with reductions in infection rates,” said United Steel Workers International President Thomas Conway. “The American Rescue Plan recognizes both needs, ensuring that Americans in every part of the country will see relief.”