US Government and Democratic Party Pressure Passage of $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Bill
[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. President Joe Biden urged the swift passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package. Given that the employment data released that day confirmed the sluggish U.S. job market, he argued that money should be quickly injected to revive the economy.
On the 5th (local time), after meeting with Democratic House members including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, President Biden spoke at the White House, saying, "I want to have the support of the Republicans, but they are not willing to go as far as we think we need to go."
He also emphasized, "If I have to choose between immediately helping Americans who have been severely affected and getting bogged down in long negotiations or compromising on a bill that is in crisis, I will help the Americans who are suffering now."
Earlier, Biden reminded reporters that private sector jobs increased by only 6,000 in January, stating, "At this pace, it will take 10 years to reach full employment. This is not an exaggeration."
According to the employment trends released by the Department of Labor that day, U.S. jobs increased by 49,000 in January, falling short of the expected 50,000.
The Hill evaluated Biden’s speech as the strongest signal yet that he intends to use the majority party in Congress to pass the budget without Republican cooperation.
Despite Republican opposition, procedural preparations to pass the relief package with only Democratic support have been completed.
That day, after 15 hours of debate, the Senate passed a resolution allowing the budget to be passed with a simple majority at 5:30 a.m. With the Senate split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans, Vice President Kamala Harris came to the Senate to cast the tie-breaking vote, finalizing the passage.
In the afternoon, the House voted 219 to 209 in favor of a resolution to expedite the budget’s passage. Democratic Representative Jared Golden was the only Democrat to oppose it.
Speaker Pelosi stated to reporters after the White House meeting that she aims to have the budget bill enacted by March 15. In a letter to fellow lawmakers before the vote, Pelosi emphasized, "Defeating the coronavirus and delivering relief to Americans is the most urgent and important task." She also indicated plans to prepare additional relief measures once this budget is passed.
On the other hand, Republicans oppose the bill, expressing concerns about increasing debt if another large-scale budget is deployed after passing nearly $4 trillion in COVID-19 relief last year. Some Republican lawmakers proposed a $600 billion relief package as a compromise, but President Biden and the Democrats clearly rejected it.
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