While the bill clears the decks for the incoming Biden administration by wrapping up the fiscal 2021 budget process, it leaves Democrats ready to push for more stimulus after the Jan. 20 inauguration. Many of the aid provisions will expire in the first quarter of next year, so additional relief could be needed by March
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said that the $900 billion relief bill is just a first step, and vowed to make another package the top priority in the new Congress. That effort is likely to include a push for infrastructure spending, which has bipartisan appeal, but is already facing skepticism from Republicans, with Mnuchin saying Monday that this week’s measure is likely the last aid bill needed to address the pandemic.
Critical to the outlook will be whether Democrats manage to win the two Georgia runoff elections for the Senate on Jan. 5 -- giving them control of both chambers of Congress.
“I think we are going to have a much easier time than we had with a Republican president and a Republican Senate” said Pelosi.
However, even if Democrats defeat the two Republican incumbents in Georgia, Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, the Senate would be split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would cast a tie-breaking vote. Meanwhile, because of Democratic losses in the November election, Pelosi will be working with a narrower majority.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.