Senate readies for the finish line on Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill

Once it passes the Senate, the legislation will have to go back to the House for final approval before being sent to Biden’s desk for his signature. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has guaranteed the House will pass the Senate’s version of the bill, despite some changes that liberals dislike, including narrowing eligibility for $1,400 relief checks and excluding a $15 minimum wage.

Democrats had been holding out hope that Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) would vote with them, but she did not, despite a handful of last-minute changes that could benefit her state. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had made clear he wanted Republican senators to stay unified against the legislation, and they did.

However, Murkowski told reporters later that she was still examining the final version of the legislation, which was unveiled just moments before Thursday’s vote and could change further during the amendment process.

“I’m going to look and see what’s in it. We already know some of the things that have been pointed out that are clearly not covid-related,” Murkowski said. “But I’m looking at some of the things that will provide a level of relief for a state like Alaska.”

The vote Thursday came after the last-minute negotiations appeared to succeed in locking down support from wavering moderate Democrats — even if no Republicans were immediately convinced. In addition to limiting the relief checks, the legislation includes new limits on a $350 billion pot of state and local aid, setting aside $10 billion of it for infrastructure needs that could include broadband, and including a rule barring cities and states from using any new federal money to pay down pension costs or offset new attempts to cut taxes.

It also includes new provisions to ensure that smaller-population states, like Alaska, would receive adequate funding, and directs increased funding to tourism and outdoor-recreation industries.

As soon as the Senate voted to proceed to the bill, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) insisted on a full reading of the 628-page bill, which commenced immediately and was expected to drag into the early morning hours Friday. Senators normally waive a full reading of legislation but Johnson has described this as part of his plan to resist the legislation. He also…