President-elect Joe Biden makes first victory speech

U-S COVID-19 Relief Bill Passes In Congress

Jason Wellwood March 10, 2021 3:10 pm Last Updated on July 2, 2025 6:06 am

Americans are set to receive financial relief to deal with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion bill cleared the House of Representatives hurdle by a 220-211 margin Wednesday.

The package now heads to the Commander In Chief’s desk to be signed into law, which according to White House spokesperson Jen Psaki will happen on Friday.

The bill includes…

$1,400 one-off direct payments
Weekly jobless benefits of $300 extending until September
$350 billion to state and local governments
$130 billion to school reopening
$49 billion for expanded COVID-19 testing and research
$14 billion for vaccine distribution

A proposal to raise the national minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour did not make it into the final version of the bill.

Jason Wellwood

Originally from southern Ontario, Jason found his way here and fell in love with the community and music scene of Thunder Bay over twenty years ago. In between various stints on radio, television and writing, Jason is a dad, a partner and (some would consider) a zoo keeper (seriously, he has a LOT of pets).

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