United States: Biden's comprehensive stimulus package passed in House, decisive first step
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, at a press conference just before the vote on Joe Biden's stimulus package, in Washington on February 26, 2021. © AP - J. Scott Applewhite
Text by: RFI Follow
6 min
The American House of Representatives approved this Saturday, February 27, the vast stimulus plan of 1900 billion dollars wanted by Joe Biden thanks to the votes of the Democrats alone.
A first crucial step before its consideration in the Senate where the increase in the minimum wage should be abandoned.
Publicity
Read more
"
The text is approved,
" Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said shortly after two in the morning, to her group's applause.
After hours of debate, the bill was adopted overnight in the lower house by 219 votes, all Democrats, against 212 (including two Democrats), the Republicans denouncing measures too expensive and poorly targeted.
In detail, the Biden plan provides for tens of billions of dollars for the acceleration of the pace of vaccinations and the deployment of tests, but also $ 130 billion to help schools and high schools to reopen despite the pandemic.
New aid checks in the amount of $ 1,400 should be sent to Americans, depending on their income level, and the length of unemployment benefits extended until September 30, 2021.
►
To read also: United States: Joe Biden unveils his stimulus plan of 1.9 billion dollars
No minimum wage clause
Time is running out to support the world's largest economy, hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.
And the new Democratic president initially wanted to see his “
American rescue plan
” adopted in early February.
Faced with the delay, he called on Congress this week to "
move quickly
".
The text will be sent to the Senate next week, where the measure providing for an increase in the minimum income - up to $ 15 per hour, by 2025 - is expected to be withdrawn.
Confident, the Democrats are counting on their tiny majority in the upper house so that it in turn is approved.
The final version of the text will then return to the House, where the Democratic leaders said on Friday they had enough votes for the stimulus plan to be adopted definitively, with or without an increase in the minimum wage.
"
We must approve this plan before March 14
", when the payment of prolonged unemployment benefits in a previous aid plan will cease, warned the majority leader Steny Hoyer.
"
Waste
"
“
After a year of pandemic and economic crisis, Americans need to know that their government is acting for them.
And that, as President Biden said, "help is coming,
" Nancy Pelosi said before the vote.
If we do not implement this aid plan, the results could be catastrophic.
"
Opposite, the Republicans denounced a titanic plan which does “
nothing but throw money down the drain
”.
"
But will it help people get back to work?"
No
, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy accused.
Democrats are so ashamed of all the non-Covid waste of money in this text that they are passing it through the middle of the night
.
"
►
To read also: United States: the big bosses call to support the recovery plan of Joe Biden
The opposition of the guardian of procedures
It is an unknown figure of Congress who had jostled the progress of this massive plan on Thursday evening.
The
guardian of the complex procedures of the Senate, Elizabeth MacDonough
, ruled that the text could not include the increase in the minimum hourly wage enshrined in the bill.
It ruled, as the law authorizes it, that this increase caused the recovery plan to exceed its initial budgetary objective and that it could not therefore be voted as it stood by a simple majority.
This is the so-called
"
reconciliation
" procedure
wanted by the Democrats which allows them to pass a text to a majority vote thanks to Vice-President Kamala Harris.
According to Elizabeth MacDonough, the measure to raise the minimum wage is of such magnitude that it requires a majority of 60 votes out of 100, forcing Democrats to convince at least 9 Republican senators.
"
Inevitable
"
rise
If some progressives were indignant, calling for overstepping the judgment of this "
parliamentarian
", an unelected Congress official, Joe Biden said on Thursday evening that he "
respected
" him.
While announcing that he would attempt to separately advance the increase in the federal minimum wage, currently at $ 7.25 per hour.
A route also anticipated Friday evening by the Democratic leaders of Congress.
"
It is inevitable, in our eyes to all, to achieve the minimum wage of 15 dollars
", hammered Nancy Pelosi in the hemicycle, by promising to work there "
actively
".
Opposition from moderate democrats
The withdrawal of the hike in the minimum wage could ultimately facilitate the adoption of the support plan, as some moderate Democrats were opposed to the measure.
However, with its tiny majority in the Senate, and the Republicans' opposition to the Biden plan, the party imperatively needs unity to pass this project.
Senator Bernie Sanders and other progressive Democrats, however, are studying an alternative to encourage the increase in minimum incomes: to introduce in the broad support plan an amendment creating tax penalties for large companies that pay less than a "
subsistence minimum
".
But moderate Democrats might oppose it.
And the “
parliamentarian
” too.
►
To read also: Headlines: In the United States, the recovery plan is causing differences
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
United States
Joe biden
Coronavirus
Vaccines
On the same subject
Americas Press Review
Headlines: In the United States, the stimulus plan is causing differences
United States: big bosses call for support for Joe Biden's recovery plan
United States: Joe Biden unveils his $ 1.9 trillion stimulus plan