NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the newly-passed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law.
Biden signed the package of legislation, known as the “American Rescue Plan,” in the Oval Office.
Congress passed the sweeping bill — which is set to deliver $1,400 stimulus checks to many Americans — on Wednesday and the Senate signed off on the package over the weekend.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that Biden would sign the bill on Friday, but officials say the bill arrived at the White House earlier than expected, allowing Biden to sign it quickly.
“This historic legislation is about rebuilding the backbone of this country," Biden said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office.
The package includes many initiatives aimed at helping lower- and middle-income families including expanded tax credits over the next year for children, child care and family leave plus spending for renters, feeding programs and people's utility bills.
It also extends emergency unemployment benefits and hundreds of billions for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, schools, state and local governments and ailing industries from airlines to concert halls.
People who received unemployment benefits in 2020 will also receive a tax break.
The aid package, a main priority of the Biden administration, was delayed by negotiations between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans nearly unanimously opposed it as bloated and said it would send money to many who do not need it.
White House officials say that people will start seeing stimulus money in their bank accounts as soon as this weekend.
The bill signing comes as Biden is scheduled to address the nation from the White House at 5 p.m. Thursday, as the U.S. marks one year since the start of the pandemic.
The president said he would “talk about what we’ve been through as a nation this past year, but more importantly, I’m going to talk about what comes next.”
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