
The House is set for a historic down payment on Biden's legacy
CNN
At any other time, the imminent House passage of a gargantuan $1.9 trillion bill that addresses many of the foundational goals of a new presidency would be regarded as a smashing victory for a White House only six weeks into a first term.
Yet the extreme circumstances of a pandemic, an ex-President's impeachment trial and a partisan split over the contents of the legislation have so far tended to obscure the Covid relief plan's significance. The bill, which the House of Representatives is expected to pass Friday with Democratic votes, has the symbolic weight and financial power to define what Biden hopes will be the post-pandemic period as it aims to quell the virus and trigger a rebound from the economic ruin in its wake. That remains true despite the Senate parliamentarian ruling Thursday that a provision raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour infringes the budgetary process known as reconciliation that Democrats plan to use to pass the package with a simple majority. The decision was a blow to progressives but could ease Democratic divisions over the package and make it easier to pass.More Related News