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Posted: 2021-03-10T19:12:08Z | Updated: 2021-03-10T20:30:32Z

WASHINGTON House Democrats gave final approval Wednesday to the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package, sending the legislation to President Joe Bidens desk for a pit stop before another round of stimulus checks are sent out to most Americans.

The House voted 220-211 on final passage, with one Democrat, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) joining all Republicans in opposition to the bill.

Although Republicans and Democrats were divided along party lines on the legislation, both parties agreed on this much: This round of COVID-19 relief is one of the most progressive packages ever written into law.

The bill includes $1,400 stimulus checks for most Americans, extends $300 weekly unemployment benefits into September, establishes about $10,000 in tax forgiveness for the jobless, increases the child tax credit to roughly $3,000, includes $350 billion in state and local government aid, another $128 billion in funding for schools, $46 billion for contact tracing and testing, $25 billion for rental assistance, $25 billion to help struggling bars and restaurants, and billions more for vaccines, pandemic supplies and other public health measures.

Its the first major legislative achievement for new President Joe Biden, and the final package looks remarkably similar to what Biden proposed in January before he was even inaugurated. Despite razor-thin majorities in both the House and Senate, Democrats got on board with the presidents proposal, delivering a signature achievement that Biden and Democrats can point to during the midterm elections.