« Critics say my plan is too big. That it costs $1.9 trillion. They say that’s too much, » President Joe Biden said. « Let me ask them: What would they have me cut? What would they have me leave out? »
House Democrats released on Friday the full text of their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, which includes a minimum wage increase and another round of direct cash payments for qualifying Americans. « This reconciliation bill is the next step toward implementing the American Rescue Plan and finally changing the direction of these crises, » House Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth said in a statement. Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat, added, « We are in a race against time, and aggressive, bold action is needed before our nation is permanently scarred by the human and economic costs of inaction. We have the plan and the fiscal space, we have the American people behind us, and now we have the bill to get it done. » The bill also includes $350 billion in state and local government relief, an extension of $400 federal unemployment benefits, additional money for small businesses, and funding to help reopen schools and for vaccine distribution, among other measures.
