US Congress passes budget resolution for Biden's COVID-19 relief plan

The US Congress on Friday (local time) passed a budget resolution, a key procedural step that paves the way for Democrats to pass President Joe Biden's USD 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, without the threat of opposition from Republicans.

According to CNN, the Senate early on Friday morning passed the budget resolution 51-50 on a party-line vote after Vice President Kamala Harris showed up at the Capitol to break the tie. The House passed the resolution later in the day.

The House had already passed the budget measure earlier this week, but because it was amended in the Senate it needed to go back to the House for a final vote.

The resolution's passage in the Senate followed hours of voting on amendments, which largely serve as a way for each party to force the other side on the record about controversial issues. Most of the GOP amendments were defeated in the Senate.

One of the more significant amendments came from a bipartisan group of senators, led by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, that would prevent "upper-income taxpayers" from being eligible to receive USD 1,400 COVID-19 relief checks, reported CNN.

The passing of the resolution sets the stage for Democrats to be able to use a process known as "budget reconciliation" to pass the relief bill on a party-line vote, possibly in late February or March.

Embedded in the budget resolution are reconciliation instructions for multiple congressional committees to formally draft and approve legislation on things like funds for vaccine production and distribution, unemployment insurance, stimulus checks and more.

A Biden aide told CNN on Friday that the Senate's passage of the resolution is a "positive step forward" and that the White House is "looking forward to continued progress to getting assistance to the American people."

Congressional Democrats have also made clear that they think time is of the essence on the proposal, as a deep divergence remains between Biden's USD 1.9 trillion and the USD 618 billion Republican proposal.

( With inputs from ANI )