The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the $ 1.9 trillion aid program

The U.S. House of Representatives today (Saturday) approved a $ 1.9 trillion incentive package to help with the corona crisis. The proposal will also be put to a vote in the Senate, with the Democrats’ goal being to get more aid before the unemployment benefit plan expires.

Read more in Calcalist:

The aid package is the first major constitutional initiative by the Biden administration. It was approved in the House by a majority of 219 against 212 opponents. Members of the House of Representatives voted in accordance with their party policies, with the exception of two Democrats who voted against the plan along with Republicans. In order for the package to pass in the Senate it is necessary for all Democrats to vote for it.

President Biden President Biden Photo: API

Discussions on approving the Senate aid package will begin next week, and a slightly different version of the proposal will most likely eventually be approved, which will have to be put to a vote again in the House of Representatives.

The package approved by the House of Representatives includes a $ 1,400 grant for adults and children. However, people earning over $ 100,000 will not be eligible for the grant. The package also includes an additional $ 400 a week in unemployment benefits through Aug. 29, as well as an extension of the program that allows millions of more unemployed people to be eligible for unemployment benefits. It also extends the tax benefit to children, which provides families with up to $ 3,600 per child per year, an allocation of $ 20 billion for vaccination distribution programs and $ 50 billion for testing and contact detection of patients, $ 350 billion for local and state aid, $ 25 billion for rent assistance. $ 170 billion to schools and colleges to cover reopening costs and student aid, as well as raising the minimum wage for federal workers to $ 15 an hour. However, this section will probably be repealed in a plan that will go to a vote in the Senate.

According to Democrats, the plan is essential to speed up the pace of vaccine distribution, an essential step in tackling the plague, and helping households in a time when some 19 million people are receiving unemployment benefits. “The time for decisive action has long since passed,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded.

Republicans, on the other hand, oppose the high amount and mostly criticize personal grants and aid to states and local authorities. Kevin McCarthy, the leader of the Republican minority in the House of Representatives, argued that “this is not a package of aid,” but “just throwing money away without taking responsibility.”

Source