Democrat senators celebrated the upper chamber’s passage of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief measure on Saturday, framing it as “just the start of what Congress can do” moving forward.
The Senate passed the controversial $1.9 coronavirus relief bill on party lines Saturday, 50-49. Republican Rep. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) was not present for the vote, traveling home for a family emergency.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) celebrated the measure’s passage as “historic,” labeling it a “powerful” bill that will “make a real difference.”
“This is just the start of what Congress can do for working families. We must raise the minimum wage to $15/hr. We need to invest in infrastructure, k-12 education, and a clean energy economy,” she said, vowing to fight with “every tool in the toolbox to help our families and economy recover”:
I’ve been fighting alongside @SenTinaSmith for a $50 billion child care bailout since April. Great news: the relief bill finally gets us there to help child care providers keep their doors open. Now we need to build a child care system that works for families.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 6, 2021
I’m happy that my bill with @SenatorMenendez to make any student loan forgiveness tax-free was included in the COVID relief bill. This clears the way for President Biden to #CancelStudentDebt without burdening student borrowers with thousands of dollars in unexpected taxes.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) March 6, 2021
“The American Rescue Plan has PASSED, Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) said, stating that Democrats promised more “shots in people’s arms,” money in people’s pockets,” “children in schools,” and “workers in jobs.”
“We’re following through on that promise,” he said:
The American Rescue Plan has PASSED.
Democrats promised:
Shots in people’s arms
Money in people’s pockets
Children in schools
Workers in jobsWe’re following through on that promise.
— Sherrod Brown (@SenSherrodBrown) March 6, 2021
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) described the legislation as “the most significant piece of legislation to benefit working families in the modern history of this country.”
“This package, among many other things, increases direct payments by $1400, extends unemployment benefits, reduces child poverty by half, ensures we are vaccinating as many people as possible, and puts us on a path to safely reopen schools,” he remarked:
As Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, I am proud that we passed the American Rescue Plan, which, in my view, is the most significant piece of legislation to benefit working families in the modern history of this country.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 6, 2021
“We just passed a COVID-19 relief bill that will provide immediate support to Arizona working families and small businesses, help reopen schools safely, get vaccines into peoples’ arms, and get our economy back on track,” Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) said upon the bill’s passing as other Democrat senators celebrated the legislative victory:
We just passed a COVID-19 relief bill that will provide immediate support to Arizona working families and small businesses, help reopen schools safely, get vaccines into peoples’ arms, and get our economy back on track.https://t.co/tPGJ8MC5Td
— Senator Mark Kelly (@SenMarkKelly) March 6, 2021
I just voted YES on the much-needed COVID relief package.
This targeted bill:
✓ Helps ensure every Montanan who wants a vaccine can get one.
✓ Provides direct relief to Montanans in need.
✓ Will help get folks back to work and get our kids safely back in school full-time. pic.twitter.com/RgehGRKe9r— Senator Jon Tester (@SenatorTester) March 6, 2021
People are still struggling in Wisconsin and I am supporting bold legislative action to provide help to Wisconsin families, schools, workers and small businesses. The #AmericanRescuePlan is the support Wisconsin needs right now to get past #COVID19 and move our economy forward.
— Sen. Tammy Baldwin (@SenatorBaldwin) March 6, 2021
The Senate just passed the American Rescue Plan bringing our country one step closer to providing an urgent & historic investment in the health & financial stability of millions around the country, a boost to our small businesses, and a lifeline to state & local governments.
— Sen. Cory Booker (@SenBooker) March 6, 2021
We have no greater responsibility than to put an end to this pandemic and get the economy back on its feet. The American Rescue Plan will get that done. https://t.co/8H49B5u5mL
— Senator Dick Durbin (@SenatorDurbin) March 6, 2021
Fact: 76% of Americans, including 60% of Republicans, support the American Rescue Plan.⁰⁰Fact: Not 1 Republican Senator voted for the bill.⁰⁰Fact: Democrats just approved:⁰⁰👉$1,400 direct payments⁰👉Extended UI benefits⁰👉Rental assistance⁰👉Quicker vaccine distribution
— Tammy Duckworth (@SenDuckworth) March 6, 2021
1/ Today, @SenateDems delivered on our promise to act boldly & swiftly to end this pandemic & send relief to the families, communities & businesses hit hardest by COVID-19. The #AmericanRescuePlan will put us on a path to defeat this virus once & for all. https://t.co/lK9ev7BluK
— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) March 6, 2021
The American Rescue Plan is key to both CT & the country conquering the pandemic & putting America back to work. We listened to the people about what they wanted & extended unemployment benefits, nutrition assistance, housing aid & support for small businesses & countless others.
— Richard Blumenthal (@SenBlumenthal) March 6, 2021
Help is on the way. We just passed an emergency relief package that will deliver for Nevadans and all Americans who are struggling. Read my statement on the passage of the American Rescue Plan⬇️ pic.twitter.com/56F2lKD0XI
— Senator Cortez Masto (@SenCortezMasto) March 6, 2021
We finally passed the COVID-19 relief package.
People need help now, and this bill provides it in the form of stimulus checks, vaccine resources, small business grants, and many other critical programs.
— Senator John Hickenlooper (@SenatorHick) March 6, 2021
We finally passed the COVID-19 relief package.
People need help now, and this bill provides it in the form of stimulus checks, vaccine resources, small business grants, and many other critical programs.
— Senator John Hickenlooper (@SenatorHick) March 6, 2021
Republican lawmakers in both chambers have continued to warn against the bill, contending the vast majority of the measure is devoted to issues unrelated to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
“I want to put up a chart so you can get a good idea of how little the Democrat bill is actually going to fight the virus. Here’s what 91 percent of the bill, trillions of hardworking taxpayers’ money is funding,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told reporters last week:
Nancy Pelosi’s subway, which was increased by another $40 million, but kids are marking the one-year anniversary of not being in school, for a subway just outside her district. That money won’t be held up. Blue state bailouts so they can keep their economy shut down, changing the funding mechanism to reward states that were shut down, Planned Parenthood, universities with massive endowments, Harvard, Harvard with billions of dollars in endowment will get money in this. But to help the children for depression and anxiety, there’s an opportunity to do that. This isn’t a relief bill. It takes care of Democrats’ political allies while it fails to deliver for American families. That is why I’ll be voting no on the Pelosi payoff bill.
Less than nine percent of the House-passed bill, he said, will go toward public health.
Story cited here.