President Joe Biden scored his first legislative win.
The president signed into law the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, called the “American Rescue Plan,” on Thursday afternoon.
He will hold a signing event at the White House on Friday, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country,” Biden said.
The bill includes $400 billion for direct payments to Americans, $350 billion for aid to state and local governments, $56 billion for childcare, $48 billion for small-business aid, $109 billion for public health, and more.
Payments of $1,400 per person will be spent to Americans who earn less than $80,000 annually or couples who earn less than $160,000.
Because Congress enrolled the bill more quickly than we anticipated, the President will sign the American Rescue Plan into law today within the hour. @VP will join him in the oval. And tomorrow they will holding a signing event here @WhiteHouse.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) March 11, 2021
When the House of Representatives passed the bill on Wednesday, it was deemed by Democrats a “historic day” and “the beginning of the end of the great COVID depression.”
However, it received push back from Republicans, who said it is “the wrong plan at the wrong time for so many wrong reasons.”
This comes as the U.S. continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden will give his first prime-time address at 8 p.m. EST on Thursday, marking the one-year anniversary of the coronavirus lockdown.