House approves $1.9T COVID-19 relief in partisan vote

The House on Wednesday approved President Biden‘s sweeping $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package in a starkly partisan 220-211 vote, sending the legislation to the White House and clinching Democrats’ first big legislative victory in the Biden era.

No Republican lawmakers backed the legislation, which will become law as much of the nation marks one year of lockdowns from the COVID-19 era. Just one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (Maine), opposed the measure.

Next steps: Biden has said he will sign the measure as soon as it reaches his desk, with the White House saying he’s expected to sign it on Friday. The president is set to address the nation Thursday evening on the coronavirus pandemic.

More good news: The legislation was approved amid a wave of good news on the economy and the battle against the coronavirus.

After a year of masks and social distancing — and political fights over those restrictions to life — nearly 20 percent of the country’s population has now had at least one dose of a vaccine.

Biden has said the U.S. will have enough vaccine for every U.S. adult by the end of May, and Democrats are hoping the new relief will give them a boost as they seek to show voters they can govern. Polls have shown the measure, which will provide $1,400 checks to millions of qualifying households, is broadly popular.