House expected to approve COVID-19 relief bill, stimulus checks Wednesday
WASHINGTON - The US House is expected to give final approval Wednesday to a pandemic relief plan that sends a $1,400 check to most Americans. It also gives parents at least $3,000 for each child.
Democrats are already taking a victory lap.
Most Americans like getting money from the government, including a majority of Republican voters. So far, though, Republican lawmakers have been united in opposing President Joe Biden's plan to do that, because of everything else attached to it.
"In this $1.9 trillion package -- my taxpayers who manage their finances quite well will be the ones bailing out these poor blue states," said Iowa Senator Joni Ernst.
Actually, Democrats will use the same sort of borrowed money President Donald Trump used to cover his record-breaking deficits even before the pandemic struck.
Biden's plan does send blue state Illinois and its local governments $13.2 billion.
"State and local governments -- this bill, just for example, will keep the trains running in Chicago through 2023," said Illinois Rep. Mike Quigley.
"Vaccinations are up, infections are down, $1400 dollar survival checks are on the way, and that is only the beginning," said New York Rep. Hakeem Jefferies.
A confident White House is already explaining who is first in line for cash later this month.
"So the first batch of payments will go to all taxpayers who provided direct deposit in their 2019 or 2020 returns, followed by taxpayers who didn't provide that information," said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The president plans his first prime time address to the nation Thursday, when he may have already signed his plan into law.