Biden hails Senate passage of virus aid bill

United States Senate passed the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill with 50-49 votes on Saturday. However, not a single Republican backed the bill in the Senate or when it initially passed the House.

Washington: U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday hailed the passage of the American Rescue plan by an exhausted Senate.

Lawmakers narrowly approved a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill Saturday as Biden and his Democratic allies notched a victory they called crucial for hoisting the country out of the pandemic and economic doldrums.

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“This nation has suffered too much for much too long,” Biden told reporters at the White House after the vote.

“And everything in this package is designed to relieve the suffering and to meet the most urgent needs of the nation, and put us in a better position to prevail,” the president said.

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Saturday's vote was also a crucial political moment for Biden and Democrats, who need nothing short of party unanimity in a 50-50 Senate they run with Vice President Kamala Harris' tiebreaking vote.

They have a slim 10-vote House edge.

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Not a single Republican backed the bill in the Senate or when it initially passed the House, underscoring the barbed partisan environment that's so far characterizing the early days of Biden's presidency.

AP