Congress passes Biden’s Covid-19 stimulus bill

President Biden is delivering remarks after his $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan was passed by the House of Representatives. The President is hosting vaccine makers now at the White House.

Biden is set to sign the bill into law on Friday afternoon.

“A vaccinated American is the only way to beat the pandemic, get the economy back on track, and for us to get back our lives and our loved ones. That’s why the American Rescue Plan was so critical,” Biden said.

Biden thanked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other lawmakers for passing the bill.

Read more about what is in the relief bill here and use our calculator to see if you qualify for a stimulus check.

Watch more:

Video Ad Feedback

ed655561-0748-44e2-89e9-1c597805f4ef.mp4

01:51 - Source: cnn

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer just signed the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill on Capitol Hill to officially send the legislation to the White House.

In remarks, Pelosi thanked President Biden and several other lawmakers in both the House and Senate.

“President Biden’s vision and his determination were so apparent to the American people and the reason why this legislation enjoys this support of 75% of the American people in a strong bipartisan way across the country,” Pelosi said. “We thank him for his leadership and also for his contribution to the substance of the legislation as well as his signature when that comes.”

President Biden plans to sign the bill into law on Friday afternoon at the White House.

Schumer also thanked Democrats in both chambers for working together to pass the legislation.

“What do we say to America? Help is on the way. Help is on the way. You’ll receive $1,400 checks by the end of March,” he said.

The Senate leader called the bill “one of the most consequential pieces of legislation we have passed in decades.”

“So this is a wonderful day for America,” Schumer said.  “This is one of the most consequential pieces of legislation we have passed in decades, and you know what we can show America, that we can get things done to make their lives better, and we will continue to do that through the rest of this session. Help is on the way.”

Hear full remarks from Rep. Pelosi and Sen. Schumer:

Video Ad Feedback

c45efa27-8a46-4260-b984-99dd7b0a3c33.mp4

08:10 - Source: cnn

Travelers walk through in Salt Lake City International Airport, Tuesday, March 9, in Salt Lake City.

Airlines are applauding the house passage of the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, which is expected to save 27,000 airline workers from furloughs that were slated to start in just weeks.

In January, United Airlines sent warnings of possible April 1 furloughs to 14,000 employees. A week later, American Airlines told 13,000 employees that they would be furloughed without more federal help. The bill provides a second extension of the Payroll Support Program, which airlines and unions call critical to keeping workers on the job.

President Biden is expected to sign the bill into law Friday, according to the White House.

American Airlines says once that happens, its workers will receive pay and benefits through Sept. 30, 2021. 

“Congress has saved thousands of airline jobs, preserved the livelihoods of our hard-working team members and helped position the industry to play a central role in the nation’s recovery from COVID-19,” an American Airlines statement said.

In a statement, Sara Nelson of the Association of Flight Attendants said the bill will keep aviation workers receiving paychecks and healthcare through September “so we’re in place to meet demand as vaccinations are readily available and travel returns to the skies.”

Just moments after the House passed the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill on Wednesday, White House Covid-19 senior adviser Andy Slavitt said that the legislation will help the nation through the next stages of the pandemic.

President Joe Biden plans to sign the bill into law on Friday afternoon at the White House.

“Not that Covid-19 is over, but we will now have the resources to support Americans through the next stages,” Slavitt said.

When asked whether he suspects the United States will need another relief bill before the end of the pandemic, Slavitt said he couldn’t “predict the future” and the pandemic has had “plenty of surprises.”

The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to approve a $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan, a top legislative priority for President Biden. The President is expected to sign the bill into law later this week.

Much of the legislation mirrors the plan laid out by Biden in January. But lawmakers did make three notable changes – narrowing eligibility for the stimulus checks, trimming the federal boost to unemployment benefits and nixing an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Here’s what is in the bill:

Read a more detailed breakdown here.

President Biden praised the passage of the American Rescue Plan moments after it passed the House on Wednesday and vowed to sign it on Friday.

“On Friday, I look forward to signing the American Rescue Plan into law at the White House – a people’s law at the people’s house,” Biden said.

The President thanked “all the members who voted for it, especially Speaker Pelosi, the finest and most capable speaker in the history of our nation.”

Biden’s signature will not appear on the stimulus checks slated to be sent to Americans as part of the relief package, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

Physical stimulus checks sent to American households last year included a note on the bottom left with then-President Trump’s name. Individuals receiving electronic stimulus payments also received a letter signed by the President.

Psaki said during Tuesday’s White House press briefing that Biden didn’t think the inclusion of his signature on the payments “was a priority or a necessary step. His focus was on getting them out as quickly as possible.”

A third round of stimulus payments is expected to be on the way later this month.

The payments are included in the sweeping $1.9 trillion Covid relief package that was approved in the House today. The checks are worth up to $1,400 per person, including dependents.

So a couple with two children could receive up to $5,600. Unlike prior rounds, families will now receive the additional money for adult dependents over the age of 17.

The income thresholds will be based on a taxpayer’s most recent return. If they’ve already filed a 2020 return by the time the payment is sent, the IRS will base eligibility on their 2020 adjusted gross income. If not, it will be based on the 2019 return or the information submitted through an online portal set up last year for people who don’t usually file tax returns.

Use our calculator below to see what you can expect to get:

The House just voted to approve the Covid-19 relief bill, paving the way for President Biden to sign his top legislative priority into law.

House Democrats passed the legislation on a party line vote of 220-211. No Republicans voted in favor. One Democrat voted against the bill: Rep. Jared Golden of Maine.

White te House press secretary Jen Psaki said today that Biden will sign the bill on Friday afternoon at the White House.

Passage of the bill marks the first major legislative achievement of the new administration and a Congress that is now under full Democratic control, with narrow majorities in the House and Senate.

Key features of the package include:

What happens next: Psaki said, “The bill text will be rechecked, printed, and signed by the appropriate leaders in the House and Senate.” The House clerks will then deliver the bill to the White House for the President’s signature.

After Biden signs the bill, the turnaround time — between it being a more than 600-page bill and money in people’s pockets — could be relatively quick.

People could start seeing the $1,400 stimulus payments hit their bank accounts within days of Biden signing the bill.

The payments do not all go out at once. Those whose bank information is on file with the IRS would likely get the money first, because it would be directly deposited into their accounts. Others may receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the ma

Watch Gloria Borger’s analysis below:

Video Ad Feedback

e833a9c2-d676-418a-81ee-8114e6be8428.mp4

01:30 - Source: cnn

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said President Biden plans to appoint someone to lead the implementation of his coronavirus relief legislation, similar to the role he played in 2009. 

“We are also looking ahead to implementation,” Psaki said during Wednesday’s news briefing, telling reporters about Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’s recent speech on aid to state and local governments. “They are looking for ways to maximize, of course, the impact of every dollar.”

As the House takes a final vote on the package right now, Psaki said the President knows that the passage and signing of the bill is just the beginning.

“I don’t have any personnel announcements today but that will certainly be part of our path moving forward,” Psaki added.

Rep. Jared Golden is seen during a hearing in the Rayburn Building on March 6, 2019.

Rep. Jared Golden of Maine is the first and likely only Democrat to vote “no” on the Covid-19 relief package. This was expected.

Golden released a statement on his decision:

He continued: “I know there are people who will continue to need assistance getting through the final stages of this pandemic, which is why I have argued that Congress should have addressed their needs with a targeted bill that extends unemployment benefits, funds vaccine distribution, and increases investments in our public health infrastructure.”  

President Joe Biden speaks during an event in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 8.

President Biden will sign the $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill, his first major legislative victory, into law on Friday at the White House.

The House is currently voting on the package, where it is expected to be approved.

Once passed by the House, Psaki said, “The bill text will be rechecked, printed, and signed by the appropriate leaders in the House and Senate. The House clerks will then deliver it to the White House for the President’s signature,” with that delivery expected “sometime tomorrow.”

The administration, Psaki noted, is “moving full speed ahead on the implementation bill,” citing urgency for the American people.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks on the House floor in Washington, DC, on March 10.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the vote on the Covid-19 bill is of “tremendous consequence,” describing the legislation as one of the most “transformative” bills she has seen during her time in Congress.

The House is taking a final vote now on the Covid-19 relief bill. Pelosi said she hopes the package is passed in a bipartisan way, to reflect the bipartisan support she says the package has across the country.

The Democratic leader added that, above all, the bill is about American children – ensuring schools are able to open safely, providing economic and food security for families and rental assistance and childcare.

“The Biden American Rescue Plan is about the children. Their health, their education, the economic security of their families,” she said.

Pelosi said the legislation puts money in the pocket of the American people and gives a tax credit to lift children out of poverty.

“How do you say no to lifting children out of poverty?” she said.

“Everything that I mentioned here is related to the coronavirus,” she added.

The House is now voting on the Covid-19 relief bill. This is the final legislative step before the package goes to the White House for President Biden to sign it.

We expect the vote to take about 45 minutes, and lawmakers will vote in groups and not all members will be on the House floor at once. 

The legislation is on track to receive final approval in the chamber after the Senate made a series of revisions to the bill and passed it over the weekend.

Here are key things included in the bill:

Democrats say more government action is needed to shore up the economy, aid in the recovery and deliver relief to Americans who continue to be hurt by the pandemic.

Republicans, however, have criticized the plan as a partisan wish list of liberal agenda items that is not sufficiently targeted, and have so far put up a united front in opposition.

Read more about about the bill here.

The Covid-19 relief bill is expected to get final approval soon in the House after the Senate made a series of revisions to the bill and passed it on Saturday. Once the bill is passed, it will then go to the White House to be signed.

President Biden and congressional Democrats argue that another massive bill is necessary to assist both people in need and the nation at large.

Here’s how Americans could benefit from key features included in the Senate bill:

Who is out of luck? Workers being paid at or just above the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour will not see a boost in pay. The Senate parliamentarian ruled in late February that increasing the hourly threshold to $15 does not meet a strict set of guidelines needed to move forward in the reconciliation process, which would allow Senate Democrats to pass the relief bill with a simple majority and no Republican votes.

Undocumented immigrants who don’t have Social Security numbers remain ineligible for the stimulus check payments. But their spouses and children are eligible as long as they have Social Security numbers. They were excluded from the first round.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer speaks on the House floor in Washington, DC, on March 10.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer – breaking a small House rule to address his remarks to the Chair and not to other members – said that he doesn’t expect any of the Republicans to join Democrats in passing the Covid-19 relief bill. 

Hoyer said only one thing has changed that would alter the bipartisan support garnered by earlier relief bills – the party of the man in the White House.

During the ongoing debate, Republicans have been saying the bill is an expensive, partisan wish list for Democrats.

The $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill that President Biden championed even before taking office is expected to land on his desk shortly after the House passes the legislation.

It could take some time, however, for struggling Americans to see all the benefits.

While the $1,400 stimulus payments could hit people’s bank accounts within days of Biden signing the bill, the extension of federal unemployment benefits as well as the enhanced child tax credit and more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies may take a few weeks — or even a few months — to arrive.

The exact timing would depend on when federal departments can write the guidelines and how long it takes them and state agencies to then implement the new provisions.

When it comes to unemployment benefits, there is little time to waste. More than 11 million Americans are set to start seeing their pandemic unemployment benefits lapse this weekend.

If Biden signs the bill quickly after the House approves the bill, the jobless may see little or no break in payments. But it depends on which state they live in.

The bill passed by the Senate last weekend would continue the existing $300 weekly federal boost and two key pandemic unemployment programs through Sept. 6:

Some states say they expect to be able to continue sending out benefits without pause — as long as they don’t have to make many changes to their unemployment systems.

“If President Biden signs the bill soon and there are no additional program requirements in the bill, we should be able to implement the extensions without any interruption in payments,” said Kersha Cartwright, a spokesperson for Georgia’s Department of Labor. “That is a lot of assumptions, though.”

Read more here.

From left to right, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, and Rep. Jason Smith speak on the House floor in Washington, DC, on March 10.

Members of the House are debating the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill right now. They are expected to take a final vote on the bill soon.

Here is what both sides are saying:

Democrats:

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic caucus chair, says the package is all about helping Americans who are struggling. He said during his remarks on the House floor today that Congress needs to act with urgency.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is a one in a century crisis. It requires once in a century comprehensive, compassionate and continuing congressional response. That is what the American Rescue Plan is all about,” he said.

Jeffries pointed out that more than 500,000 people have died from the virus and more than 100,000 businesses have closed during the pandemic. He also said the money is needed to help people that are dealing with food insecurity and homelessness, as well as to revive the economy.

“We will build back better for the people. Help is on the way,” Jeffries added.

Other Democrats echoed Jeffries comments, repeating the phrase “help is on the way” several times. They also said the public supports the bill.

Republicans

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said Democrats have not tried to pass a relief plan with bipartisanship, and called the package a “missed opportunity” to focus on the real needs of Americans.

He said the bill will cost taxpayers more than $5,000 each, saying it is one of the most expensive bills in American history.

McCarthy said the American Rescue Plan is “very liberal” and “in both the House and Senate, the only bipartisan vote has been against this.”

Rep. Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, also argued the bill was a “partisan process” and Congress should focus on “timely and targeted relief to support those who need it most.”

“From the very beginning of this process Republicans have been saying that this bailout was never about Covid relief, but rather about Democrats trying to notch some wins for their political base. Appease their allies, rather than help Americans,” Smith said.

Watch Rep. Hakeem Jeffries:

Video Ad Feedback

0694ece6-501d-45c5-b405-89936ed8f3f3.mp4

01:09 - Source: cnn

Watch House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy:

Video Ad Feedback

7be6117e-e1e2-47e3-821d-d9d10306e58d.mp4

01:34 - Source: cnn

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on March 6.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer expressed confidence in the final passage of the Covid-19 relief bill today, describing it as the the “most sweeping federal recovery package in recent history.”

The “House of Representatives is set to approve the American Rescue Plan and send it straight to President Biden’s desk for his signature. Capping a month long effort by Democrats to pass bold Covid relief to defeat the pandemic and boost our economy,” the New York Democrat said.

“Once President Biden signs the bill into law, it will immediately become the most sweeping federal recovery package in recent history,” he continued.

The Senate passed their version of the bill on Saturday. The chamber made some notable changes to the the version initially passed in the House, including narrowing eligibility for stimulus checks, trimming the federal boost to jobless benefits and eliminating an increase in the federal minimum wage.

President Joe Biden speaks from the State Dining Room at the White House on March 6 in Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion rescue plan is getting high marks from business leaders.

Seventy-three percent of the CEOs and business leaders polled during Wednesday’s virtual Yale CEO Caucus support Biden’s American Rescue Plan. That includes 37% who indicated “strong” support for the package.

This suggests the C-Suite is even more supportive of the plan than Americans at large, as a CNN poll released Wednesday showed 61% of the public supports the legislation.

But business leaders are also concerned the Biden plan may be too expensive. Of the leaders polled by Yale, 61% say the $1.9 trillion package goes too far, while just 27% say it is just right.

“But they still like it. There’s a paradox,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, founder of Yale’s Chief Executive Leadership Institute.

Parker, the American Airlines CEO, said there will always be those who think something can be done for less.

“That’s not the bigger point,” he said. “The bigger point is there is broad public support for this bill. And that’s certainly true among those of us that are running airlines.”

Lawmakers are debating the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan now on the House floor. If passed in the chamber, it will then go to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

Key features of the package include:

Action on the bill was briefly stalled when Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called for a motion to adjourn, a move she has repeatedly used to disrupt the floor schedule and that has frustrated even members of her own party.

The final vote on the motion to adjourn failed 149-235, with 40 Republicans voting against the motion.

The final vote on the motion to adjourn failed 149-235, with forty Republicans voting against the motion, and therefore against their own colleague, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

This is the largest number of Republicans to vote against Greene’s motion to adjourn since the Georgia freshman started pulling the move.

This large group of Republicans to vote against Greene’s floor procedural delay underscores the internal rift that CNN’s Manu Raju, Annie Grayer and Ryan Nobles reported yesterday about how some Republicans are frustrated by members of their own party using procedural delays in this way and speaks to the internal struggle the party is facing over how to best leverage their minority.

Greene’s move is also a big deal not only because a freshman member is doing this but because this is a move that not everyone in the party agrees with and it’s not coming from leadership.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has yet to weigh in publicly about what he thinks about this, and ignored CNN’s Daniella Diaz’s attempt to ask him questions on this moments ago. Rep. Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, and GOP Rep. Liz Cheney told CNN’s Annie Grayer yesterday that while this wasn’t leadership’s doing, they understood the frustration of members that was leading them to do this.

CNN’s Annie Grayer contributed reporting to this post.

The economic relief bill moving rapidly through Congress is broadly popular, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.

The popularity of the bill comes as President Biden’s approval rating tilts positive around 50 days after he took the oath of office.

Here are some key things shown in the poll:

Read more about the poll’s findings here.

More on the poll: The CNN Poll was conducted by SSRS March 3 through 8 among a random national sample of 1,009 adults reached on landlines or cellphones by a live interviewer. Results for the full sample have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond speaks during a roundtable meeting in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 5.

White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond defended the size of President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion rescue plan Wednesday as the appropriate response given the scale of the health crisis. 

“It’s a humongous package. No one is pretending $1.9 trillion is not a lot,” Richmond said during the Yale CEO Caucus.

But Richmond, the former chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, pointed to the enormous challenge in vaccinating 300 million Americans. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” he said. 

Of the CEOs and other business leaders polled during the Yale event, 61% said they think the American Rescue Plan goes too far. 

But Richmond compared the pandemic to the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, speaks on the House floor in Washington, DC, on March 10.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, has called for a motion to adjourn already, a move she has repeatedly used to mess with the floor schedule.

This means that the expected noon ET vote on the Covid-19 relief bill will be pushed back by at least 45 minutes.

We expect voting to begin on the $1.9 trillion dollar package around 12:30 p.m. ET to 1 p.m. ET.  

Greene’s decision to again slow down the floor schedule comes as House Republicans remain engaged in an internal struggle over how to assert their power with their robust minority, with a small contingent of conservative hardliners — like Greene— taking extreme measures to disrupt routine business of the chamber, irritating many of their GOP colleagues who are eager to wage a more focused battle over President Biden’s agenda.

The massive Covid-19 relief bill is expected to get final approval by the House after the Senate made a series of revisions to the bill and passed it over the weekend.

Notable changes made by the Senate include narrowing eligibility for stimulus checks, trimming the federal boost to jobless benefits and eliminating an increase in the federal minimum wage.

The House had previously passed the bill, including the wage hike, at the end of February.

On stimulus checks: The checks will phase out faster than in previous rounds, completely cutting off individuals who earn more than $80,000 a year and married couples earning more than $160,000 — regardless of how many children they have.

The revisions made by the Senate will leave out about seven million families, according to an estimate from the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

But the Senate kept the income thresholds the same for who gets the full payments: individuals earning less than $75,000 a year and married couples earning less than $150,000 will receive $1,400 per person, including children.

On unemployment benefits: The Senate changed the legislation to provide a $300 federal boost to weekly jobless payments and extend two key pandemic unemployment benefits programs through Sept. 6.

The first $10,200 worth of benefits will be tax-free for households with annual incomes of less than $150,000. That marked a significant change from the earlier-passed House bill, which would have provided a $400 weekly enhancement through Aug. 29.

On minimum wage: The effort to hike the minimum wage was removed by the Senate after the parliamentarian, a little known but powerful official, ruled it out of bounds under the reconciliation process that Democrats used to advance the legislation in the chamber with only a simple majority and no Republican support.

The US Capitol is seen on March 10 in Washington, DC.

The House just convened, and lawmakers are expected to take a final vote today to approve President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan. We expect two hours of debate to take place before the vote.

Passage of the bill will mark the first major legislative achievement of the new administration and a Congress that is now under full Democratic control, with narrow majorities in the House and Senate.

Key features of the package include:

The legislation is expected to get final approval by the House after the Senate made a series of revisions to the bill and passed it over the weekend. Democrats say that more government action is needed to shore up the economy, aid in the recovery and deliver relief to Americans who continue to be hurt by the pandemic.

Republicans, however, have criticized the plan as a partisan wish list of liberal agenda items that is not sufficiently targeted, and have so far put up a united front in opposition.

Notable changes made by the Senate include narrowing eligibility for stimulus checks, trimming the federal boost to jobless benefits and eliminating an increase in the federal minimum wage. The House had previously passed the bill, including the wage hike, at the end of February.

Read more about today’s vote here.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki gave an update on when Americans should expect another stimulus payment, telling reporters on Tuesday that the payments are expected to go out starting this month.

Here are specifics from the White House on how Americans will be able to access their upcoming stimulus payment following its expected passage in the House and then President Biden’s anticipated signing of the American Rescue Plan into law:

Psaki said the White House is “not taking anything for granted” as the legislative process plays out but said they’re “pushing through the finish line.”

In the example of a typical family of four with parents making under $150,000 annually, she said that because of the rescue plan, the family should expect $5,600 in direct payments and $2,600 as part of the expanded childcare tax credit.

Read more about the stimulus checks here and see if you qualify to receive a check here. 

A person passes the office of the California Employment Development Department in Sacramento, California, on December 18, 2020.

The House is getting ready to cast its final vote on the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief plan as Democrats push to quickly get the legislation to President Biden’s desk.

An estimated 11.4 million workers will lose their unemployment benefits between mid-March and mid-April unless Congress passes its next coronavirus relief package, a recent study by The Century Foundation found.

Out-of-work Americans will get their last $300 federal weekly boost to jobless payments on March 14. And those in two key pandemic unemployment assistance will start running out of benefits at that time.

About 4 million people in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation programs will see their benefits expire in mid-March, while the payments of another 7.3 million will lapse over the following four weeks, according to a recent report from The Century Foundation.

The two temporary federal programs were created in Congress’ $2 trillion relief package last March and were extended by 11 weeks in the $900 billion relief deal passed in December. The former provides benefits to freelancers, gig workers, independent contractors and certain people affected by the pandemic, while the latter lengthens the duration of payments for those in the traditional state unemployment system.

The Senate bill, which passed Saturday, calls for extending these pandemic unemployment programs — as well as providing a $300 federal weekly enhancement to payments — through Sept. 6. The President’s plan called for continuing benefits through the end of September.

However, even if Biden signs the bill in mid-March, the jobless may experience a temporary disruption in payments. The US Department of Labor must issue guidance on the new law, and many states need some time to reprogram their antiquated systems with the new provisions.

US Representative Hakeem Jeffries, chair of the House Democratic Caucus, speaks during a House Democratic press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 9.

House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries called the Covid-19 relief bill that is due back in the House for a vote on final passage tomorrow “transformative.”

“It’s transformative,” he said. “It will comprehensively and compassionately meet the moment.”

CNN reported yesterday that the House received the Senate bill, and that the chamber is expected to give final passage to the $1.9 trillion relief package this morning.  

When pressed whether Democrats were taking a victory lap too early, and whether he was confident that the bill would clear the House with the Senate’s changes in it, Jeffries was bullish.

If the House passes the bill, it is expected to be signed by President Biden soon after.

The US Capitol is seen in Washington, DC, on March 10.

The Senate passage of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill on Saturday brought the massive legislation one step closer to law. Now the focus returns to the House.

The bill has to go back to the other side of the Capitol, where the House — which already passed its own version of the bill — is scheduled to vote to approve the changes made in the Senate. You can read about those changes here.

The House vote is expected to succeed on a party line, as it did in the Senate, with a narrow Democratic majority.

Only after the House passes the Senate version would it land on Biden’s desk.

What happens next: After that, the turnaround time — between it being a more than 600-page bill and money in people’s pockets — could be relatively quick.

People could start seeing the $1,400 stimulus payments hit their bank accounts within days of Biden signing the bill.

The payments do not go all out at once. Those whose bank information is on file with the IRS would likely get the money first because it would be directly deposited into their accounts. Others may receive paper checks or prepaid debit cards in the mail.

A third round of stimulus payments is expected to be on the way later this month.

The payments are included in a sweeping $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package that was approved by the Senate on Saturday and could be signed by President Biden soon after the House takes a final vote, now expected to be on Wednesday.

About 90% of American households will be eligible, according to an estimate from the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

Here’s what you need to know:

Read more here.