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The US Senate has approved a budget resolution for President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package by a vote of 51-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris casting the tie-breaking vote. The move came hours later after the House passed the Senate-amended budget plan by a vote of 219-209. The budget resolution doesn’t have the force of law but paves the way for Democrats to move forward on a subsequent COVID-19 relief bill that can bypass a filibuster in the Senate. It also potentially affects the timeline to send the third wave of stimulus checks out faster. The New York Times reported that senators agreed to block tax increases on small businesses and to create a fund that provides grants for restaurants impacted by the pandemic. A marathon legislative event was among the amendments during the session.

There was also bipartisan support to restrict $1,400 direct payments in Biden’s stimulus package from going to Americans with high incomes, though the amendment didn’t specify what income level would be considered too high for a $1,400 stimulus check. It could signal trouble for part of Biden’s stimulus package, which calls for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2025. With the budget resolution passed in the House, committees will now use it as a blueprint to build Biden’s bill, which is expected to come up for a vote later this month or in early March. US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “Hopefully in a two-week period of time, we will send something over to the Senate. We hope to be able to put vaccines in people’s arms; money in people’s pockets; children safely in schools; and workers in their jobs”.

It is noteworthy that new legislation from Senator Mark Warner would make changes to Section 230, which shields social media companies from liability for content published by users of their platforms. Loosened legal immunities could expose the companies to more lawsuits over what’s posted on their sites. Virginia Democrat Warner introduced the “Safe Tech Act” bill to the Senate on Friday. It is known as the Safeguarding Against Fraud, Exploitation, Threats, Extremism, and Consumer Harms Act. The bill would change the protections that social media companies have under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Some potential changes include; holding platforms accountable for ads and other paid content that scams vulnerable consumers, letting victims seek out legal action when the platform is used to cause harm, and upholding civil rights protections.