Third stimulus check approved as revised relief bill passes House - when will Biden sign?

The US House of Representatives has voted to approve a revised version of a $1.9tn coronavirus stimulus bill that includes a round of stimulus checks of up to $1,400.

Revised stimulus package passes House in 220-211 vote

The relief package was passed almost entirely along party lines in a 220-211 vote in the Democrat-held House on Wednesday, with no Republicans supporting the bill.

Jared Golden, who was one of two centrist Democrats who opposed the bill when it passed the House in its original form at the end of February, again voted against the package.

Golden was the only Democrat who did not support the bill in Wednesday’s vote, despite frustration among progressive members of the party over the changes made to the version of the stimulus bill that got through the Senate in a 50-49 vote on Saturday.

Changes to bill in Senate: stimulus-check eligibility narrowed, benefits boost reduced…

Amid opposition from more moderate Senate Democrats over the cost of sending out a third stimulus check to as many Americans as in the two previous rounds of direct payments, eligibility for the scheme was narrowed in the bill passed by the upper house.

Although the income eligibility cap for the full check of $1,400 was kept at $75,000 for individuals and $150,000 for couples, the original bill's final phase-out limit of $100,000/$200,000 was reduced to $80,000/$160,000.

Led by West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, centrist Senate Democrats also secured a reduction in the bill’s proposed $400 weekly unemployment-benefits supplement, which will now be $300.

No minimum-wage hike in final bill

Meanwhile, a national minimum-wage increase to $15 an hour was also stripped from the version of the bill sent from the House to the Senate.

This came after the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth Macdonough, ruled that the measure could not be passed under the rules of 'budgetary reconciliation', the process used by the Democrats to push the stimulus package through the Senate with a simple majority, rather than a filibuster-proof 60 votes.

Biden to sign stimulus bill on Friday

Having passed both houses of Congress, the stimulus package will now be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. The White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters on on Wednesday that Biden will sign the bill “on Friday afternoon”.

In a press briefing on Monday, Psaki said most qualifying Americans could expect to receive their stimulus check "by the end of the month".

Third stimulus check: latest news

You can follow the latest updates on the third round of stimulus checks with our dedicated live feed.