© 2024 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Donate
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Third COVID-19 Relief Bill Passed The Senate. What Now?

WAMU 88.5 | By Michelle Harven
Published March 5, 2021 at 2:44 PM CST
An ambulance is parked outside the US Capitol Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington as the US Senate finally took up the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package.
An ambulance is parked outside the US Capitol Building on Capitol Hill, in Washington as the US Senate finally took up the $1.9 trillion Covid relief package.

Over the weekend, lawmakers passed the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill. The final vote went entirely along party lines after over 24 hours of debate.

It’s Biden’s first major piece of legislation and is his first big agenda win at a time when the country desperately needs a helping hand. 

It also put the Democrats’ slim Senate majority to the test – with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie just for the bill to be considered in the Senate.

The legislation is now headed over to the House, and with the expiration for unemployment benefits looming, Democrats hope to get it to Biden’s desk soon. 

But what’s in the massive bill? And what will it take for it to pass?

Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5.

Michelle Harven