Biden victory as Congress passes huge Covid relief plan

The US Congress passed Joe Biden’s enormous economic relief package Wednesday, delivering a resounding victory for the president and giving what he called a “fighting chance” to millions of families and businesses suffering during the coronavirus pandemic.

The $1.9 trillion plan, months in the making, is one of the largest US rescue packages ever. It will dramatically impact every aspect of the world’s biggest economy for years to come while protecting and expanding the country’s social safety net.

Democrats say they have met a historic moment of crisis head on, funneling federal dollars into vaccine distribution, stimulus checks of up to $1,400 to most Americans, extended unemployment benefits for millions and an expansion of government funding for health care.

The measure only narrowly passed the House of Representatives by a 220-211 vote, with zero support from Republicans, who accuse Biden of abandoning his Inauguration Day pledge to unify a divided nation.

But as Republicans stood in opposition, progressive and moderate Democrats locked arms and marched the measure across the finish line days before critical unemployment benefits were set to expire.

The bill now heads to the White House, where Biden — who made the American Rescue Plan his top legislative priority — said he will sign the measure into law on Friday.

“This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation — the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going — a fighting chance,” the president said in a post- vote statement.

At a presentation with vaccine makers, Biden went on to call the bill a “historic victory for the American people” and said “there’s a real reason for hope” in beating back the pandemic.