U.S. Senate Expected To Discuss $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill
WASHINGTON (KDKA) - The United States Senate could, as soon as today, take up the massive COVID-19 relief bill passed by the House of Representatives over the weekend.
Pennsylvania representatives voted on a party-line, with all Democrats voting for the bill and all Republicans voting no.
The major focus of the package is stimulus money.
Some senators are suggesting that the federal government provide continuous checks until the pandemic ends.
According to CBS News, that's what Senate Democrats want President Joe Biden to do instead of having checks arrive months apart.
They say that financial hardship remains widespread across the country, despite an ongoing recovery. A third of adults continue to struggle to pay their bills while employers have cut jobs.
Meanwhile, Republicans and even some moderate Democrats oppose the checks proposed in the "American Rescue Plan."
"The new administration made a conscious decision to jam us, to do it one party only, take advantage of the reconciliation process to try to achieve a whole lot of other items completely unrelated to COVID-19," claimed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
"The job is not complete, The American Rescue Plan is designed to finish the job, to patch up the holes in our economy and lay a foundation for recovery, to keep struggling businesses and families and workers afloat until brighter days appear on the horizon," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Full coverage of the Senate's discussion of the COVID-19 relief bill can be found on CBS News.