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Despite the unification of Republicans in opposition to the plan, and the adhesion of a Democratic representative to them, the Democratic majority in the House of Representatives managed to approve the plan with 220 votes to 211 against.
When the result of the vote came out, Democrats cheered and applauded inside the room.
On Friday, Biden will unveil the $ 1.9 billion mega plan, a figure equivalent to Italy’s gross domestic product.
“This law constitutes a historic, historic victory for Americans,” Biden said during a speech in Washington about the vaccination campaign, adding that he planned to sign it this week.
In what appears to be a response to Republican criticism, Biden said, “Every element of the US bailout plan is a response to real needs.”
“We are at a critical juncture in the history of our country,” said Speaker of the Democratic Parliament Nancy Pelosi.
On the other hand, the leader of the Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, said it was “one of the worst laws in history” and considered it “a classic example of a bloated Democratic program.”
House Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said the economic recovery plan is just a “priority list for the left” and does not respond to the pandemic.
He stressed that only 9 percent of the plan “is related to the fight against Covid-19.”
The virus has killed 527,000 Americans and caused significant damage to the economy, which last year saw a 3.5 percent contraction.
Experts hope the plan, which enjoys broad support in polls, will boost growth.
“I think we can restore all jobs starting next year,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.
According to the White House, the plan will help create more than seven million new jobs this year, in addition to reducing health care costs and saving lives by supporting the vaccination campaign.
The White House confirms that the plan will cut the child poverty rate in half.
But other economists warn of the risks of higher inflation.
The plan funds Covid-19 vaccines, maintains unemployment benefits for millions of people, increases the value of support checks to $ 1,400 for most Americans, and expands federal funding for the healthcare sector. .
The plan includes the allocation of around $ 15 billion for the vaccination campaign, $ 50 billion for testing and monitoring, and $ 10 billion for the production of vaccines.
The plan also allocates $ 126 billion to help schools reopen despite the pandemic, and $ 350 billion for states and regions.
The plan included raising the minimum wage, but this clause was removed in the Senate, where a conservative Democratic senator lobbied for lower unemployment benefits and check caps.
Observers feared these concessions would lead to protests among progressives, but Democrats of all sects supported the plan.
Independent Senator Bernie Sanders praised the approval of the plan in the Senate on Saturday, calling it “the most important law passed by Congress to help workers in decades.”
Democrats rallied in support of the plan, which no Republicans voted for, which was a setback for Biden’s efforts to reunify the country and overcome divisions.
After the approval of the economic recovery plan, Biden seeks to pass a bill related to US infrastructure, which he hopes will win a greater agreement between the two parties.
