The US Senate has adopted a budget scheme that will allow the Democratic party to pass the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill without Republican support.
Vice-President Kamala Harris cast the decisive tie-breaking vote in favour of the plan, which will now be handed over to the House of Representatives for final approval.
The US House previously okayed a budget resolution that allows Congress to pass the bill without Republican support in a 218-212 vote.
The Democrats intend to funnel $1.9 trillion into coronavirus aid - a much heftier sum than the GOP-proposed $618 billion package to tackle the crisis. The bill stipulates $1,400 direct payment to most Americans, with an additional $500 in aid for adult dependents and children.
The United States has experienced the biggest coronavirus crisis, registering the highest number both of infections and deaths from the bug. The pandemic left millions of Americans without a job and resulted in the biggest GDP contraction in decades.
