As of March 6, 2021 8:36 p.m.
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The US Senate voted with a wafer-thin majority for President Biden’s trillion-dollar Corona aid package. Before that, there were a number of changes that the House of Representatives has yet to approve.
After the US House of Representatives, the Senate also passed a bill for further corona aid with a volume of 1.9 trillion dollars (1.59 trillion euros). Due to changes to the original bill, the House of Representatives will have to revisit the draft before President Joe Biden can sign it.
Since its Democrats only have a small majority in the Senate – the vote was 50 to 49 – the Republicans were able to push through compromises in the Congress Chamber. So far it is unclear whether the Democratic-dominated House of Representatives will accept them. Biden himself finally signaled his approval. It is expected that there will be another vote on the amended draft in the coming week.
The package passed the Senate with a narrow majority – no Republican voted for it.
Bild: AP
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“It’s been a long day, a long night, a long year, but a new day has begun and will tell the American people that help is on the way,” Senate Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer said before the final vote . The package will “help more people more” than anything US federal governments have done in the past few decades.
A total of six trillion dollars in aid
If the package of this volume is passed, total federal corona aid in the United States would add up to around six trillion dollars (five trillion euros) within a year. The scope of the package of measures corresponds to almost ten percent of US economic output. Biden wants to use the package to stimulate the economy and create millions of new jobs. Among other things, it provides direct payments for most taxpayers of $ 1,400. There should also be financial aid for coronavirus tests, the vaccination campaign, school openings and additional support for the unemployed.
“It will make such a big difference to so many people,” said Biden after the vote. The package will mobilize urgently needed help for the unemployed and families. “This plan puts us on the path to defeat the virus.” Republicans, on the other hand, described the measures as lavish spending on Democratic liberal allies who ignore recent signs of recovery.
Time is of the essence
Biden hopes to get the law into effect with his signature before mid-March. Otherwise, the extended and increased unemployment benefits for millions of Americans would expire on March 14th. Unemployment benefits, which are often very low in the US, are now to be increased by $ 300 a week through September. There was still a dispute about this point until the end. Biden was aiming for $ 400 a week. A Democrat, Joe Manchin, blocked that.
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