Biden signs $1.9T coronavirus relief bill in first major legislative win

President Biden on Thursday signed into law the sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that Democrats muscled through Congress without any Republican support, securing the first biggest legislative win of his presidency. 

Biden's signature caps off a two-month sprint by Democrats to unleash another torrent of federal money intended to bolster the economy's recovery from the pandemic nearly one year after the crisis began.  Democrats have touted the law as one of the most progressive pieces of legislation in history, pointing to some estimates that suggest it will slash poverty by a third this year and potentially cut child poverty in half, and have argued it's needed to revive the virus-battered economy. More than 20 million Americans are collecting some type of jobless aid, and there remain about 9.5 million fewer jobs than there were one year ago, before the crisis began.  But Republicans, none of whom voted for the bill, have blasted the bill as a wasteful spending frenzy that does more to address liberal wishlist items than the dual health and economic crises.