US Congress passes Democrats’ sweeping $1.9 trillion pandemic recovery bill

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The U.S. Congress passed a sweeping bill aimed at battling the coronavirus and nursing a staggered economy back to health, after the House passed the bill in its final form on March 10. U.S. President Joe Biden is staking his presidency on the idea that the government can use his $1.9 trillion (¥200 trillion) coronavirus relief plan to not only stop a pandemic and jobs crisis but also tackle issues of poverty, inequality and more. “When I was elected, I said we were going to get the government out of the business of battling on Twitter and back in the business of delivering for the American people,” Biden said after the bill passed the Senate on March 6. The 628-page bill will provide payments of up to $1,400 (¥152,000) to most Americans. There’s also money for COVID-19 vaccines and testing, aid to state and local governments, help for schools and the airline industry, tax breaks, and subsidies for health insurance, adding up to one of the largest enhancements to the social safety net in decades. (AP) This article was provided by The Japan Times Alpha.