Nancy Pelosi says the US House of Representatives will be “completely ready” to pass Joe Biden’s $1.9tn coronavirus relief bill by February 1, underscoring Democrats’ desire to push through the stimulus package as soon as possible.
Speaking a day after Mr Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president, Ms Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, told reporters on Capitol Hill that the lower chamber’s lawmakers would iron out details of the relief bill in committees next week.
That would allow them to be “completely ready to go to the floor” when the full chamber is in session in the first week of February, she said.
Ms Pelosi added: “It is what the people need, what the country needs to crush the virus, put money in the pockets of the American people and honour our heroes.”
The number of Americans actively collecting state jobless benefits was 5.1m as of January 9, according to Department of Labor data released on Thursday.
Mr Biden has made passing the coronavirus relief package a priority for his first 100 days in the White House. The bill — which includes $1,400 direct payments to American adults, beefed-up unemployment insurance and a $15-an-hour minimum wage — will need to pass the House and Senate, which are both controlled by the Democrats, before being sent to Mr Biden’s desk to be signed into law.
But Democrats expect the package to face significant obstacles given the party’s narrow margins in both chambers of Congress. While the legislation is likely to pass the House, the Senate, which is now split 50-50, will prove tougher.
Under arcane “filibuster” rules, the bill will need to be backed by at least 10 Republican senators in order to become law.
Alternatively, parts of the legislation could be pushed through with a simple majority using a process called budget reconciliation, although that loophole can only be exploited once during a fiscal year and only be applied to policies relating to taxation and government spending.
Wrangling over the stimulus package on Capitol Hill comes amid uncertainty over the timing of Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.
Mr Trump was impeached by the House last week for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol but Ms Pelosi has yet to send the article to the Senate to trigger a trial. On Thursday, she sidestepped questions about when she would send the article.
It remains unclear whether the Senate will hold a trial at the same time as debating a stimulus package, amid concerns it could interfere with Democrats’ legislative agenda.
Later on Thursday, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate minority leader, suggested a timeline that would result in Mr Trump going on trial in mid-February. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate majority leader, said he was considering the proposal.
The stimulus debate highlights the limitations Congress could place on Mr Biden’s ambitions. The president will need to satisfy the demands of progressive Democrats in both the House and Senate while also appeasing centrists in both his own party and across the political aisle.
Lisa Murkowski, a Republican senator from Alaska who is likely to be a crucial swing vote, said on Wednesday that the Biden administration had already reached out to her about the economic relief bill.
But other Republican moderates, including Maine’s Susan Collins and Utah’s Mitt Romney, expressed scepticism. Ms Collins said the bill was “premature” given that Congress passed a separate $900bn economic relief package last month. Mr Romney said he was “not looking for a new programme in the immediate future”.
Big business groups have largely backed Mr Biden’s calls for further stimulus and accelerated distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.
Neil Bradley, executive vice-president of the US Chamber of Commerce, said on Thursday that the group “applauds” the new president’s proposals, adding: “America must return to health before we can restore economic growth and get the 10m Americans who lost their jobs in the last year back to work.”
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January 22, 2021 at 06:43AM
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House Democrats ‘ready’ for quick vote on $1.9tn Covid stimulus bill - Financial Times
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