U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., the United States, Feb. 4, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the chamber, said Saturday that the House will continue to fight for the 15-dollar federal minimum wage, which is expected to face tough tests in the 50-50 split Senate.

"Late last night, in passing the American Rescue Plan, the Congress took a momentous step forward to ensure that, as President (Joe) Biden promised, Help Is On The Way," Pelosi said in a statement, a few hours after the Democrats-held House approved the 1.9-trillion-U.S.-dollar COVID-19 relief package amid unanimous Republican opposition.

The measure, a major legislation for Biden, cleared the lower chamber of Congress early Saturday morning by a vote of 219 to 212, with lawmakers largely voting along party lines.

In the House debate that lasted for over an hour, Republican lawmakers unanimously opposed the giant relief package, calling it a Democratic wish list, arguing that the plan includes provisions that they see as unrelated to the crisis, and that the high price tag could result in unsustainable debt for future generations.

Pelosi, however, noted in her statement that the relief plan is "coronavirus-centric," as it delivers the "decisive action" that families and small businesses demand and need.

"This package puts vaccines in people's arms, puts money in workers' pockets, puts children safely back in school, puts people back in work," said the Democratic leader. "It does so by honoring our heroes with state and local funding."

Biden's 1.9-trillion-dollar rescue plan contains direct payments of 1,400 dollars per person for working families, which is on top of the 600-dollar check in the 900-billion relief package approved in December. It would also boost federal unemployment benefits to 400 dollars per week and extend the measure through the end of September.

The House-approved bill also includes a provision to raise the federal minimum wage to 15 dollars, which would face tough tests in the 50-50 split Senate, where parliamentarians have ruled that the wage increase violates the budget reconciliation process and cannot be included.

"As we send this legislation to the Senate, the House will continue our Fight for 15, which would give 27 million American workers a raise," Pelosi said, noting that the minimum wage increase is a "financial necessity" for American families, an effective stimulus for the economy and a moral imperative for the country.

"We will seek a solution consistent with the Senate rules, and we will do so as soon as possible," she added. "Updates will be ongoing."