US Senate votes to advance Covid relief bill

Washington, March 5 : The US Senate has voted to begin a debate on the $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief package amid Republican opposition, as Democrats hope to send the bill to President Joe Biden’s desk before unemployment benefits expire this month.
On Thursday, the upper chamber approved a procedural step in a 50-50 vote along party line, with Vice President Kamala Harris breaking a tie, reports Xinhua news agency.
Senate Republicans, who have opposed the high price tag of the relief package, could use certain tools to delay a final vote on the bill by hours or even days.
“I just objected to skipping past the reading of the Democrats’ 628-page bill that was just introduced minutes ago,” Republican Senator Ron Johnson tweeted on Thursday afternoon.
“If they’re going to add nearly $2T to the national debt at least we should know what’s in the bill,” Johnson said.
In response, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said that “it’s great Republican Senator Ron Johnson wants to read the American Rescue Plan on the Senate floor, it gives Americans another opportunity to hear what’s in it”.