On Wednesday, March 10 the House passed the $1.9 trillion Covid Relief Bill. The bill was passed without a single Republican vote in favor of the bill. The vote was 220 for and 211 against with all but one Democrat voting for the bill. President Biden signed the bill this afternoon which will send payments of up to $1,400 to eligible Americans. Ineligible Americans include a single person making more than $80,000 a year or a couple making over $160,000 a year. Eligibility will be based on Americans’ most recent filed tax returns. This bill will also put about $20 billion into Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing and distribution, and along with about $50 billion into testing and contact tracing. The plan also adds $25 billion in rental and utility assistance and also $10 billion for mortgage aid. About $350 billion in relief will go to state, local, and tribal governments. More than $120 billion will be sent to k-12 schools and nearly $30 billion in aid will be sent to restaurants. The bill will include an expansion of subsidies and other provisions to help Americans afford health insurance.

The $1,400 stimulus checks could be in people’s bank accounts within a few days. On the other hand, the extension of federal unemployment benefits, the enhanced child tax credit, and more generous Affordable Care Act subsidies could take weeks or months to arrive.