Working for the weekend
| EDITOR'S NOTE
Hello,
March 14 is right around the corner. In fact, it's little more than a week away.
Why is that date important? It's when several key Covid-relief benefits, including enhanced unemployment payments, run out. That's why President Biden and Democrats in Congress set March 14 as a deadline to complete the latest round of Covid relief.
The Senate on Thursday took an important step toward passing Biden's $1.9 trillion plan, clearing the way for debate on the matter. It looks like Democrats, almost certainly with Vice President Harris' tie-breaking vote, will pass it through the chamber by the end of the weekend.
Then, the Democratic-led House will be primed to pass the bill and send it to Biden for his signature by the end of next week. It will mark the president's first major legislative achievement and clear the path for his next priority: a big infrastructure and recovery bill.
The economy is heating up, too. The February jobs number was better than expected. Millions of people are receiving the Covid-19 vaccine every day. States are easing restrictions on consumer activity. It's still too early to feel perfectly safe from the virus, but it feels very much like the country is turning a corner.
Critics of Biden's stimulus and infrastructure plans, though, are concerned that he's spending too much on an economy that might not need as much help as it did a year or six months ago. And the bond market is warning us about inflation.
But as long as the jobs market and the economy remain weaker than they were a year ago, expect Biden to keep pushing ahead with his plans, one razor-thin, party-line vote at a time.
Thoughts? Email Politics Editor Mike Calia at CNBCPolitics@nbcuni.com.
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