The House of Representatives of the United States Congress has approved this Saturday the 1.9 trillion dollar stimulus package proposed by the White House to alleviate the devastating economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic in the country, and whose result in the Senate it seems uncertain.
The approval has been obtained by 219 votes in favor and 212 against, with the nuance that two Democratic representatives, Jared Golden, of Maine, and Kurt Schrader, of Oregon, have joined the Republicans against the proposal.
Once in the Senate, Democrats anticipate a negotiation process with Republicans to amend certain aspects of the proposal. Once completed, they will send it back to the lower house for ratification.
The White House intends to resolve the procedures before March 14, the date on which the last batch of unemployment benefits given to Americans affected by the economic crisis expires.
US President Joe Biden wants to use this package of measures to stimulate the economy and create millions of new jobs. Among other things, he foresees direct payments to private households, financing measures for coronavirus tests and for the distribution of vaccines, as well as additional aid for the unemployed.
The House vote culminates a week in which the death toll from coronavirus in the United States has reached half a million and in which President Biden has warned the nation not to become complacent.
