March 10, 2021 House clears $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 relief bill, 220-211 White House Says President Will Sign Bill on Friday With today's (Wednesday, March 10) 220-211 House vote, the House and Senate have both passed the same version of the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319), clearing the bill for the president's signature. The bill includes modifications but not drastic changes to the $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan outlined by President Biden. The White House announced that the president will sign the bill on Friday (March 12). One Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), voted against the bill, while all House Republicans voted against. The minimum wage increase to $15/hour proposed in the original plan and approved in the original House bill was omitted in the Senate bill after being ruled a violation of budget reconciliation rules. The bill includes provisions on taxes, health care, unemployment benefits, direct payments, state and local funding and other issues. About half of the $1.9 trillion bill comprises revenue provisions that fall under jurisdiction of the congressional tax-writing committees, and over half of that is attributable to direct payments of $1,400 and an advanceable child tax credit expansion that takes the form of periodic payments from the IRS. The tax-writing committees also had jurisdiction over main pillars of the legislation like an extension of pandemic unemployment programs and COBRA subsidies. Attached is a summary of selected provisions and how the bill's funding is roughly allocated. ———————————————
——————————————— American Rescue Plan Act highlights
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