President Joe Biden will sign his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill into law Friday at the White House, White House press secretary Jen Psaki announced Wednesday.
The Senate passed the relief bill Saturday in a 50-49 vote with no Republican support, and the Democrat-controlled House is expected to pass the bill later Wednesday. The bill provides $1,400 checks to Americans making less than $75,000 a year, provides hundreds of billions in funding for state and local governments, more than $100 billion for reopening schools and additional funding to support small businesses. (RELATED: Vote-A-Rama: Senate Republicans To Force Votes On A Number Of Issues, Including Blocking Stimulus Checks For Illegal Immigrants)
The bill is expected to be delivered to the White House from Congress sometime Thursday. Republicans have staunchly opposed the bill, arguing it is too expensive. Alternative Republican proposals would cost less than $1 trillion, but Biden argued they didn’t go far enough.
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 08: U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on International Women’s Day as Air Force General Jacqueline Van Ovost (L) and Army Lieutenant General Laura Richardson (R) listen during an announcement at the East Room of the White House March 8, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“In this supposed new era of healing leadership, we’re about to watch one party ram through a partisan package on the thinnest of margins. Go figure. Republicans have many ideas to improve this bill. Many ideas. And we’re about to vote on all kinds of amendments in the hopes that some of these ideas make it into the final product,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said before the bill passed through his chamber.
While Biden was unable to secure bipartisan support for the bill, the relief nevertheless represents the fulfillment of campaign promises to prioritize COVID-19 relief after gaining office.
Biden’s only major loss in the bill is the loss of his $15 minimum wage proposal, which the Senate parliamentarian ruled against last week.