N Joseph In Washington DC
In a closely watched vote, in the House of Representatives, President Biden achieved a narrow 7 vote majority with 219 votes in favour and 212 votes against his USD 1.9 trillion Relief package Bill “The American Rescue Plan “ which sets out to pay for vaccines, medical supplies, economic relief and financial support for householders, small businesses and local and state governments and institutions. It was surprising to some that on a national issue such as this, which has killed more than 500,000 Americans and thrown millions out of work; the House divided on party lines, showing the deep division that still exits in the USA after the defeat of President Trump.
Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “The American people need to know that their government is there for them,”
Opposing the rescue package, the House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said “It just throws out money without accountability,”.
Making it his topmost priority President Biden spent his first weeks in office tackling the greatest public health crisis in US history.
The Relief package includes a $400-per-week federal unemployment benefit to end of August, $1,400 direct payments to individuals and help for those with rents and home mortgages during the pandemic. The Democrats had hoped to slip into the Bill a US minimum wage of $15.00 per hours from 2026, but this proved too much of a sticking point.
The final act will be in the US Senate where the Bill has to pass before becoming law before mid-March. It is expected that the Vice President Kamala Harris may have to cast her vote to break a tie, with both the Republicans and Democrats controlling 50 seats each.
