House Democrats on Friday unveiled the final version of their $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill.
In the past few weeks, Democrat-led House committees have been workshopping their priorities for the first relief bill of the Biden administration. The House Budget Committee has since combined the provisions into one massive bill, dubbed the American Rescue Plan of 2021. It contains many measures Democrats have been talking about for weeks, including:
- $1,400 stimulus checks for any adult making $75,000 or less per year
- A framework to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, and hike it from $7.25 to $9.50 as soon as the bill is passed
- Extending a $400/week unemployment boost through Aug. 29
- $10 billion in funding for small businesses
- A $3,000 Child Tax Credit — $3,600 for children under six
- $219 billion for states, territories, and tribal governments to patch budget shortfalls during the pandemic
- $6 billion for indigenous health care
The committee will take a vote on the bill Monday, and it's expected to face the whole House next week. Because Democrats raised the relief bill as part of a Budget Reconciliation, they'll only need a simple majority in the House and Senate to pass it. Still, Sen. Kirsten Synema (D-Ariz.) remains a possible holdup for the bill over her opposition to the minimum wage hike.