On the 50th day of President Joe Biden’s administration, the House is poised to send the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill to President Biden for his signature, providing an economic boost that will last long after $1,400 stimulus checks start arriving in Americans’ accounts and mailboxes this month. With four days until supplemental unemployment benefits begin running out, House Democratic leaders are planning for passage Wednesday after the House voted 219-210 along party lines to advance the measure to a final debate and vote. No Republicans voted yes, and just one Democrat voted no. While a Republican congresswoman delayed the schedule, the final vote is still expected this afternoon. The Senate passed the bill, which includes $160 billion for vaccine and testing programs, $170 billion to help schools open and more than $360 billion in aid for state, local and territorial governments on Saturday in a 50-49 party-line vote and the House is also expected to pass it without Republican backing. In a new CNN poll, 61% of Americans support the economic relief bill and several key provisions of the bill are even more popular. A broad majority of Americans (85%) say they support policies in the bill that would provide larger tax credits for families and make them easier for low-income households to claim, including majorities across party lines. President Biden appears well on his way to checking off key goals for his first 100 days in office. He has quickly unraveled key policies of his predecessor by way of executive action, the country has administered tens of millions of vaccine doses, and major school systems are set to return to in-person learning over the next month.
When the Senate convenes today, it will resume consideration of Marcia Fudge’s nomination to lead HUD. Vice President Kamala Harris plans to hold a virtual swearing in ceremony for her at 5 p.m. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs met at 9:45 a.m. to consider the nomination of Shalanda Young to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. And then at 2:30 p.m., the Senate Budget Committee will separately have a committee markup to vote on Young’s nomination. At 2:15 p.m., the Senate will proceed to two roll call votes on nominations: confirmation of Merrick Garland’s nomination to be attorney general and a motion to invoke cloture on Michael Regan’s nomination to be Environmental Protection Agency administrator. If cloture is invoked, the Senate will vote on Regan’s confirmation at about 5:45 p.m. The Senate is also expected to confirm Judge Merrick Garland as attorney general on Wednesday, five years after he was blocked from consideration as former President Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court. Garland’s nomination is expected to be approved with bipartisan support. The Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced his nomination with a vote of 15 to 7, with four Republicans joining every Democrat in supporting Garland. Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was instrumental in preventing Garland from receiving confirmation hearings in 2016, has said he will support Garland’s nomination. Thirteen members of Biden’s Cabinet have been confirmed so far this year, but that number is expected to increase to 16 by the end of the week. That brings this Congress close to the 18 Cabinet nominees confirmed under former President Trump during the same time period and equal to the 16 under former President Barack Obama in the equivalent timeframe.
Later today, the House will also begin Consideration of H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 and H.R. 1446 the Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021. The Democratic-led House last Congress passed the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, aimed at strengthening background checks for gun purchases, in February 2019. The bill never was never brought up by then Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) for a vote in the GOP-controlled Senate.
President Biden is expected to meet with the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Merck this afternoon at the White House The president is expected to announce the purchase of 100 million additional doses of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine. The two competitors are joining together to boost the production of the vaccine. Merck had previously been working on two of its vaccine candidates but stopped that work after early clinical trial data showed a poor immune response.
