The House approved a massive $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, advancing President Joe Biden’s top agenda item and providing more resources to schools and businesses, boosting funding for vaccinations and testing, and granting financial relief to Americans across the country. Democrats passed the measure early Saturday morning in a party-line vote, with Republicans united against the bill calling for slimmer, more-targeted relief in smaller amounts for struggling Americans. All but two Democrats supported the bill in the 219-212 vote, and no Republicans backed the package. Reps. Kurt Schrader, (D-Oregon), and Jared Golden, (D-Maine), voted against the legislation. The Senate is expected to take up the legislation this week, after the chamber’s parliamentarian ruled that Democrats could not include a $15 minimum wage in the proposal over budgetary concerns. House Democrats kept the provision in their version of the legislation, which will be taken up again before Congress can send it to the White House for Biden’s signature by the middle of March, when federal unemployment benefits expire. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) will bring the package to the floor as soon as Wednesday. The Senate version will include changes suggested by the parliamentarian, including removal of the $15 minimum wage. That begins 20 hours of debate and at the end of those 20 hours, the Senate will begin their second vote-a-rama likely pushing final Senate passage to Friday morning.
For today, the House meets at 12 p.m. for morning hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes are not expected until 6:30 p.m. at which time the House will consider the Rule for H.R. 1 – For the People Act of 2021 and H.R. 1280 – George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021. The For the People Act would improve access to the ballot box by creating automatic voter registration across the country, and by ensuring that individuals who have completed felony sentences have their full voting rights restored. The bill will also expand early voting and enhance absentee voting by simplifying voting by mail. The bill also commits Congress to deliver full congressional voting rights and self-government for the residents of the District of Columbia, through statehood and prohibits voter roll purges and ends partisan gerrymandering to prevent politicians from picking their voters. Republicans have argued such a decision to advocate for D.C. statehood is a political move to ensure two permanently Democratic U.S. Senate seats in what is an approximately nine-to-one Democrat-to-Republican jurisdiction and have perpetually fought against DC statehood.
The Senate convenes at 3 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. the Senate will vote on the nomination of Miguel Cardona to be Education secretary and on the motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to be Commerce secretary.
President Joe Biden will meet virtually with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador this afternoon. Mr. Biden is expected to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, cracking down on drug trafficking and collaborating on economic opportunities with one of Washington’s largest trading partners, according to a White House fact sheet. Both Presidents had previously spoken on January 23rd to review bilateral cooperation on a range of bilateral and regional issues, particularly regional migration.
