$1.9t relief bill OKed in big win for Biden

The US Congress passed Joe Biden's enormous economic relief package on Wednesday, delivering a resounding victory for the president and providing what he called a "fighting chance" to millions of families and businesses suffering badly from the coronavirus pandemic.

The $1.9 trillion plan is one of the largest US rescue packages in history. It will dramatically impact every aspect of the world's biggest economy for years to come.

Democrats say they have met a historic moment of crisis head on, funneling federal dollars into vaccine distribution, stimulus checks of up to $1,400 to most people in the United States, extended unemployment benefits for millions, providing families a tax break for their children, and mandating an expansion of government funding for healthcare.

The measure narrowly passed the House of Representatives by a near party-line 220-211 vote, with zero support from Republicans, who accuse Biden of abandoning his Inauguration Day pledge to unify a divided nation.

As Republicans stood in opposition, progressive and moderate Democrats locked arms and marched the measure across the finish line before critical unemployment benefits were set to expire this weekend.

The bill now heads to the White House, where Biden was expected to sign it into law on Friday.

"This legislation is about giving the backbone of this nation－the essential workers, the working people who built this country, the people who keep this country going－a fighting chance," Biden said in a post-vote statement.

Minutes earlier, loud cheers and applause rose from the floor when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared the measure passed.

"This is a critical moment in our country's history," the leading Democrat said. "Help is on the way－for the people, for the children."

The bill extends eviction and foreclosure moratoriums, pours billions of dollars into state and local governments, provides help for small businesses, increases food aid and sets aside $130 billion for schools to reopen.

But Republican lawmakers attacked what they called the bill's massive cost, saying more than 90 percent does not go to directly combating COVID-19. The disease to date has killed more than 528,000 in the US, the highest tally in the world, and brought the economy to its knees.

'Long laundry list'

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the plan "a long laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic and do not meet the needs of American families".

The Senate's top Republican, Mitch McConnell, savaged the bill as "Democratic overreach in the name of COVID relief".

"This is by far one of the worst pieces of legislation I've seen in the Senate," he said.

The public, including a significant chunk of Republicans, appears to see it very differently, as polls show overwhelming bipartisan support for the bill and non-congressional Republicans backed the measure.

The legislation could have high stakes for both parties. If it succeeds in giving the economy a major boost, the plan could improve Democrats' political fortunes as they attempt to hold their slim majorities in Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.

The last congressional plan to fight the coronavirus was enacted in December. It expanded unemployment payments and extended them through March 14.

That deadline loomed as Biden and Democrats crafted their latest package, but the new measure is set to extend the benefits until early September.

A US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study has found that last year was the deadliest in US history, with COVID-19 helping drive a 15 percent increase in deaths, news portal Politico reported.

More than 3 million people died in the country in 2020, Politico said, adding COVID-19 was the third most common cause of death, behind only heart disease and cancer.

More than 117.3 million people have been infected by the virus globally and 2,605,356 have died thus far, according to the World Health Organization.

Agencies, Xinhua and Ai Heping in New York contributed to this story.