The leader of the Democratic majority in the US Senate Chuck Schumer was confident on Tuesday about the adoption, probably this week, of the stimulus plan wanted by Joe Biden, which will then have to be submitted to a final vote in the House of representatives.
Read also: Joe Biden urges the Senate to adopt his vast stimulus plan "quickly"
"We will begin tomorrow (Wednesday) the examination of the American rescue plan" supposed to redress the world's largest economy, hit by the pandemic. "And we will have enough votes to adopt it,"
he said at a press conference.
The Democratic-controlled House on Saturday approved a $ 1.9 trillion plan, which included a hike in the federal hourly minimum wage.
The version discussed this week in the Senate will not include this increase, for a question of rules governing budget texts.
Democratic senators have not yet announced whether they will make any further changes to the text.
A vote could take place as early as Thursday and all expect the Senate to have a long night of debate and votes on amendments.
"We will fight against"
Influential Republican minority leader Mitch McConnell is firmly opposed to the text, and again urged his troops on Tuesday to vote against it.
"This is an extremely expensive proposal, largely unrelated to the problem"
of the pandemic, he said at a press conference.
“We are going to fight against it,” he warned.
Democrats have a very narrow majority in the upper house, with 50 senators versus 50 Republicans.
In the event of a tie, Vice-President Kamala Harris has one vote to decide the vote.
After the Senate vote, the harmonized text will have to go back to the House for a final vote.
Democrats want to adopt the text before March 14, when the payment of extended unemployment benefits in a previous aid plan ceases.
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