Washington (AFP)

The US Congress was moving on Tuesday towards the final adoption on Wednesday of the $ 1.9 trillion aid plan wanted by Joe Biden, a central priority at the start of the Democrat's mandate, which should have a considerable impact on growth.

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, in the majority in the House of Representatives, the Democrats are convinced that they will be able to adopt it.

The final vote will take place on Wednesday, a Democratic official told AFP.

The parliamentary shuttle for this vast bill took a considerable time: the text of more than 600 pages, adopted in the Senate Saturday morning after a marathon session, was not transmitted to the House until late morning Tuesday.

A first procedural vote should take place at the end of the day on Tuesday.

But the Democrats, who know that this plan is very popular in the polls, probably preferred to avoid approving it definitively in the wake, in the middle of the night, to wait for the big day Wednesday.

"I'm not going to try to hide it. Yes we're very excited, optimistic, and hopeful about what's about to happen," Joe Biden's chief of staff Ron Klain tweeted on Tuesday. .

The 46th President of the United States was for his part to visit, at midday, 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, declared Saturday, after the Senate vote, Joe Biden, who had made this massive support plan one of his great campaign promises.

- 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.

"The American bailout will lead to a profound transformation," said Hakeem Jeffries, one of the Democratic leaders in the House, on Tuesday.

"It responds comprehensively and compassionately to the impact of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic."

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.

© 2021 AFP