WASHINGTON – The Senate on Saturday passed a $ 1.9 billion coronavirus relief package and ended a marathon overnight session after Democrats resolved internal clashes that threatened to derail President Joe Biden’s highest legislative priority.
The sweeping legislation includes $ 1,400 stimulus checks, $ 300 a week of summer unemployment benefits, a child allowance of up to $ 3,600 for one year, $ 350 billion for state aid, $ 34 billion to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and $ 14 billion for vaccine distribution.
The final vote was 50-49 according to party lines, and every Republican voted “no.” This comes after Democrats repeated some of the Republican amendments by 50-49 votes to avoid disrupting the delicate agreement between progressive and moderate senators.
Before it can be signed by Biden, the legislation must be passed by the House again because the Senate has approved its version, which the Democrats approved last Saturday, according to the parties.
The vote was a critical early test by Chuck Schumer, the leader of the Senate majority, to keep all 50 Democrats united behind key legislation, even though he was an ideological and regionally diverse caucus.
“We are not going to make the same mistake we made after the last economic downtown, when Congress did too little to help the country recover, and locked us in a long, slow, painful recovery,” Schumer said. , DN.Y., said before the vote. “We are not going to be afraid of big challenges.”
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., Blasted the Democrats for following a biased approach, saying that the United States economy “will come back and mostly not because of this bill – in fact in some ways. notwithstanding this bill. “
The legislation would be a victory for Biden, who campaigned primarily for president to bring Covid-19 under control and revive a shattered economy. The package also includes many progressive priorities, although others have been forced such as a minimum wage increase to $ 15 per hour.
The absence of Senator Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, due to an emergency in the family prevented Vice President Kamala Harris from having to break a tie in the 50-50 chamber, which she had to do to enable the Senate to to start the debate on the bill. .
The Senate’s changes to the plan passed by the House include reducing unemployment benefits to $ 300 (from $ 400 in the Home Account) and extending it to Sept. 6. The Senate limits eligibility for $ 1,400 checks by making payments to those earning $ 80,000, or $ 160,000 for couples. And the bill subsidizes 100 percent of COBRA insurance coverage for unemployed Americans, up from 85 percent in the House version.
The Senate also approved some modest and non-controversial amendments proposed by both parties before the final version was adopted.
The Senate appears ready to begin the lengthy process known as a vote-a-rama on Friday morning. But then the Democratic leadership took a break to settle a last-minute dispute over unemployment benefits and keep Senator Joe Manchin, DW.Va., on board after he was ready to join the Republicans and the determination to change, a step that would be alienating progressive.
As a result, the Democrats dragged out the first vote of the day for 11 hours and 50 minutes, setting a new record for the longest Senate vote.
Eventually, Manchin agreed to support a provision backed by other Democrats, which also allows the first $ 10,200 of the unemployment benefits not to be taxable on income up to $ 150,000.
“The president has made it clear that by the end of May we will have enough vaccines for every American, and I am confident that the economic recovery will follow,” Manchin said. “We have reached a compromise that will allow the economy to bounce back quickly, but also protect those who receive unemployment benefits from next year’s unexpected tax bill.”
Biden was in contact with Manchin during the negotiations on the compromise on the unemployment benefits, a source familiar with the discussions said.
Carol E. Lee, Kelly O’Donnell, Frank Thorp V and Julie Tsirkin contributed.