Your Evening Briefing: Biden Notches First Victory With Massive Pandemic Rescue Plan

U.S. President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Covid-19 relief bill cleared its last hurdle Wednesday, with the House passing the final version. Biden plans to sign the legislation, his first major victory, on Friday. Included in the package: $160 billion for vaccine and testing programs, $360 billion in state aid, $25 billion to help restaurants, $170 billion to reopen schools, and yes, $1,400 checks for eligible Americans. A study from the Tax Policy Center found incomes of the lowest fifth of earners will jump 20%, the highest among income groups. While it’s a political victory for Biden and the razor-thin Democratic majority in Congress, the partisan vitriol over the bill foreshadows difficulty enacting the multi-trillion dollar, longer-term economic program Biden wants next. Not one Republican in Congress voted in favor of the Covid rescue bill, having attacked it as too expensive. Democrats were happy to point out the $1.5 trillion tax overhaul Republicans passed in 2017 that largely benefitted corporations and the rich. —Margaret Sutherlin

Bloomberg is tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines while mapping the pandemic globally and across America.