The US Congress has approved a 1.9 trillion dollar (£1.3 trillion) Covid-19 relief Bill. Republican lawmakers opposed the package as bloated, crammed with liberal policies and not taking heed of signs the pandemic crisis is easing. Most noticeable to many Americans are provisions to provide up to 1,400 dollar (£1,000) direct payments this year to most adults and extend 300 dollar (£216) per week emergency unemployment benefits into early September. Congratulations to the Biden Administration and to the American people on a COVID relief bill that will improve the lives of families across the country. The most painful of these was dropping the US house-approved federal minimum-wage increase to 15 dollars per hour by 2025.

Source: Irish Independent March 10, 2021 19:18 UTC