DEMS CLEAR PATH FOR BIDEN’S $1.9-TRILLION COVID AID PACKAGE OK

President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies in Congress forged ahead with their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package on Friday as lawmakers approved a budget outline that will allow them to muscle Biden’s plan through in the coming weeks without Republican support, Susan Cornwell and Richard Cowan reported for Reuters on February 6, 2021.

By a party line vote of 219-209, the House of Representatives passed the budget plan, after the Senate approved it in a pre-dawn vote. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote in the Senate for the first time.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted the final COVID-19 relief legislation could pass Congress before March 15, when special unemployment benefits that were added during the pandemic expire.

Meeting at the White House, Biden and top Democrats said they wanted to enact the massive aid package as quickly as possible to beat back a pandemic that has killed more than 450,000 Americans and left millions of jobless.

Biden said he was open to compromise with Republicans as long as they did not slow things down.

“If I have to choose between getting help right now to Americans who are hurting so badly and getting bogged down in a lengthy negotiation ... that’s an easy choice. I’m going to help the American people hurting now,” he said.

Continued weakness in the job market, underscored by data released on Friday, proved the need for aggressive action, Biden said.

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