The United States Senate on Saturday passed President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan aimed to revive the nation's pandemic-battered economy. The Senate voted 50-49, with no Republicans supporting what would be one of the largest stimulus packages in US history.
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"I promised the American people help was on the way. Today, I can say we've taken one more giant step forward in delivering on that promise," Biden said. "It obviously wasn't easy. It wasn't always pretty. But it was so desperately needed, urgently needed," he said of the plan, which now heads back to the Democratic-led House of Representatives.
The final bill includes $400 billion in one-time payments of $1,400 to most Americans, $300 a week in extended jobless benefits for the 9.5 million people thrown out of work in the crisis, and $350 billion in aid to state and local governments that have seen the pandemic blow a hole in their budgets.
