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Elodie CUZIN
France Media Agency
The United States “desperately need” these measures to get out of the crisis caused by the pandemic, insists the new president, who has promised to promulgate his vast “American rescue plan” as soon as it is adopted by Congress.
Republicans are fiercely opposed to it, denouncing “far left” measures that go far beyond the fight against the COVID-19 crisis.
But Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, are confident they can pass it in the vote they have scheduled for Wednesday.
“It is a remarkable, historic law, which will lead to a profound transformation and which will make it possible to make great progress in the fight against the virus and to respond to our economic crisis”, underlined the Democratic President of the House, Nancy Pelosi.
A sign of their confidence, several Democratic leaders gave this triumphalist press conference with her… on the eve of the vote.
“Optimists”
The 46e President of the United States, for his part, visited on Tuesday a small company in Washington which benefited from aid adopted under Donald Trump, and which will be extended with the new measures.
Democrats insist that with their version, small family businesses and those run by people from minority backgrounds will receive better support.
“We have made a giant leap” to come to the aid of the Americans, said Joe Biden on Saturday, after the Senate vote on the text of this massive support plan.
“I’m not going to try to hide it. Yes we are very enthusiastic, optimistic and hopeful about what is about to happen, ”his chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted on Tuesday.
A first procedural vote should take place late Tuesday afternoon.
With a narrow majority, Democrats can only afford a handful of defections on Wednesday. However, the changes made to the Senate under pressure from the moderates could raise fears of a progressive rebellion.
But independent Senator Bernie Sanders’ frank and strong support for the negotiated text, in particular, seemed to allay these fears among party leaders.
New Jobs
Constantly recalling the example of the great crisis of 2008, the Democratic President, who was the right-hand man of Barack Obama when they implemented a rescue plan for the American economy in 2009, insists that it is better think much bigger this time to make sure you avoid a relapse.
The world’s largest economy contracted 3.5% last year, its worst year since World War II.
According to experts, the “American bailout” should boost growth.
And according to the White House, this “historic” legislation will create more than 7 million new jobs this year, make health care more affordable, while saving lives thanks to aid for generalized vaccination.
The presidency also says it will halve child poverty.
The plan includes direct aid checks of $ 1,400 per person and dependent child for millions of Americans, and extends exceptional unemployment benefits until September, which were due to expire on March 14.
But for one of the Republican officials in the lower house, Steve Scalise, the Democrats are not focusing on the fight against the epidemic and instead seek to “advance a far-left agenda”, while “pushing the next generation bankrupt with a mountain of debt, ”he accused Tuesday.
This vast plan will be the third adopted by the United States Congress since the start of the pandemic a year ago.
The first, titanic with $ 2.2 trillion, was approved with the support of Republicans and Democrats, and promulgated by Donald Trump in March 2020.
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