U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi wields her gavel ahead of the final passage in the House of Representatives of U.S. President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus disease (COVID-19) relief bill
(Picture: Reuters)The US Congress has approved a $1.9 trillion (£1.3 trillion) Covid-19 relief Bill seven weeks after Joe Biden entered the White House.
It gives direct payments of up to $1,400 dollars (£1,000) to most adults and also extends $300 emergency unemployment benefits until early September.
The plan was approved by the House of Representatives by 220 votes to 211 with no Republicans voting for it.
It will now head back to Mr Biden who is expected to sign it into law on Friday.
House speaker Nancy Pelosi, who belongs to Mr Biden’s Democratic Party, said: “It’s a remarkable, historic, transformative piece of legislation which goes a very long way to crushing the virus and solving our economic crisis.”
It has been opposed by Republicans who say it is a bloated big government measure that is not needed as the pandemic shows signs of easing.
The bill also includes tax credits for childcare as well as targeted relief aimed at renters and billions of pounds for the Covid vaccine program.
A recent poll found 70% of Americans back the plan but Republican Steve Scalise of Louisiana said: “It’s not focused on Covid relief. It’s focused on pushing more of the far-left agenda.”
The bill was passed after compromise between the Democrat’s moderate and progressive wings including a u-turn on a plan to increase the minimum wage - a decision described as “infuriating” by Pramila Jayapal, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
But she called the overall Bill “incredibly bold”, adding: “It hits all of our progressive priorities - putting money in people’s pockets, shots in arms, unemployment insurance, child care, schools.”
