House passes landmark $1.9T COVID bill, delivers Biden first legislative win
Republicans firmly rejected the legislation as too big
The House of Representatives Wednesday finalized a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill that will head to President Biden‘s desk for his first legislative victory.
The vote was 220 to 211 in the House. No Republicans voted “yes” on the legislation that Democrats say is needed to crush the pandemic, rebuild the economy and to lift children out of poverty.
“The American people have been calling on us to deliver relief and to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., the chair of the House Committee on Education and Labor that helped author the legislation. “Today we come together to send a resounding message that help is on the way.”
The bill means more money in Americans’ pockets is on the horizon. The “American Rescue Plan” calls for $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals earning up to $75,000 and $2,800 checks for couples earning $150,000 or under. Households will receive an additional $1,400 for each dependent child.
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For the unemployed, the legislation extends $300-per-week enhanced federal benefits through Sept. 6 and allows the first $10,200 of jobless benefits to be tax-free to households with incomes under $150,000.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., signs the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, accompanied by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of N.Y., during an enrollment ceremony on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, March 10, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (AP)
And unlike past coronavirus relief bills, this legislation establishes a “child allowance” worth upwards of $300 per month for each child under the age of six, or $3,600 a year. For older children up to age 17, families would get $3,000 a year in the new child tax credit program.
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Democrats dubbed the legislation historic and “transformative.” They said the expanded benefits are targeted to families who suffered the most under the national pandemic that has killed more than 500,000 Americans and will help lift millions of children out of poverty as a result.
“Help is here,” Biden tweeted after the bill’s passage.