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Live stimulus bill updates: House to vote on Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID bill Wednesday

The Democratic-controlled House passed a key procedural measure Tuesday evening setting the stage for the chamber to pass the bill Wednesday morning.

Under the “rule” passed by the House on a 219-210, mostly party-line vote, the House will debate for two hours before voting on the legislation.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., praised the bill as a “lifeline” rather than a “Band-Aid” to address the fallout of the pandemic.

Republicans all opposed the measure. Rep. Yvette Herrell, R-N.M., said Democrats’ legislation would result in “big bailouts for Democratic cities,” referring to its $350 billion in aid for state and local governments.

Democrats expressed confidence Tuesday they would be able to pass the final bill on Wednesday. Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters he was “110% confident” they had the votes to pass the bill even if Republicans opposed its final passage. Democrats cannot afford to lose more than four votes on the final package, assuming all Republicans vote against it.

— Nicholas Wu

Biden’s signature won’t appear on stimulus checks

The latest batch of stimulus checks will look different than the two rounds of direct payments distributed last year: The president’s signature will be missing.

President Joe Biden’s name will not appear on the checks, a departure from last year when the signature of his predecessor, Donald Trump, was included on the payments.

“We are doing everything in our power to expedite the payments and not delay them, which is why the president's name will not appear on the memo line of this round of stimulus checks,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Tuesday.

“This is not about him,” she said. “This is about the American people getting relief.”

Millions of Americans will receive stimulus checks of up to $1,400 under Biden’s COVID-relief package, which is expected to be finalized by the House on Wednesday.

Most Americans will receive the money via direct deposit. Those who don’t will receive either debit cards or paper checks signed by a career official at the Bureau of Fiscal Service, Psaki said.

Trump was widely criticized for adding his signature to the checks, marking the first time the president’s name had appeared on a disbursement by the Internal Revenue Service. Critics said Trump’s decision to include his signature delayed the distribution of money intended to help Americans recover from the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump’s treasury secretary, Steven Mnunchin, said it was his idea to include Trump’s name on the checks.

– Michael Collins

House to vote on Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID bill Wednesday

The House will vote Wednesday on President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office announced Tuesday.

The House had been waiting for the Senate to finalize its version of the bill the chamber passed Saturday. The Rules Committee, a panel setting parameters for debate, is set to meet Tuesday.

Once the House comes back into session at 9 a.m. EST Wednesday, it will vote on final passage of the COVID legislation.

Hoyer praised the bill on a conference call with reporters as an “extraordinary piece of legislation," which will have a “transformative impact” on American lives.

Democrats likely have the votes to pass the bill. Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters Tuesday he was “110% confident” Democrats had the votes even if all Republicans opposed it.

– Nicholas Wu

House poised to begin final debates on COVID stimulus bill

The House of Representatives is poised to pass President Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan with $1,400 checks, billions for vaccines, and funding money to reopen schools as early as Tuesday evening.

The House Rules Committee must first set the parameters for debate, and then the House must vote to approve the rules of debate over the bill. Once the House approves the rules for debate, lawmakers will first debate the bill and then vote on final passage, which could happen late in the night Tuesday.

The Senate passed the bill over the weekend after a marathon session. Once the House has passed the legislation, it will go to Biden for his signature, and then stimulus checks will start to go out in a matter of weeks. Biden said Monday that he would sign the legislation "as soon as I get it."

The House first passed the bill at the end of February. The Senate took it up the next week and made changes to the bill's provisions. The changes mean the House had to pass the bill again. If the House does not make any changes of its own, then the bill can go straight to Biden for his final signature.

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Once the bill is signed into law, $1,400 stimulus checks could start going out in a number of weeks if they follow the same timeline as previous rounds.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday that the Biden administration was still working through the "mechanics" of sending out checks.

– Nicholas Wu and Michael Collins

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live stimulus updates: House to vote on Biden's COVID bill Wednesday