Home ›› 16 May 2020 ›› World Biz
The US House Democrats on Friday (May 15) narrowly approved a $3 trillion bill for coronavirus relief which would include funds for hospitals and health workers and relief for devastated small businesses.
The largest-ever US economic rescue package provides some $1 trillion for state and local governments, another round of cash disbursements to millions of hard-hit American families,
The 1,815-page measure also would extend unemployment and food aid; provide rent and mortgage support for struggling households, and pump billions of dollars into virus testing, tracing operations and treatment.
"We think this is a major investment in the lives of the American people and in the budgets of our states and localities. The American people, more than 36 million of whom have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus catastrophe and related business lockdown, "are suffering so much, in so many ways," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
All but one Republican opposed the bill, along with 14 Democrats, as the measure cleared the House on a vote of 208 to 199.
Many Republicans branded it an exorbitant liberal wish list packed with Democratic priorities like funding for vote-by-mail programs or marijuana studies.
Leaders in the Republican-controlled Senate have said they are opposed to moving swiftly with a new tranche of relief, preferring more time to study how the previous aid measures have helped American communities.
Trump has already signed four pandemic relief measures into law.
They include a $2.2 trillion package in March and a $483 billion measure to pump additional funds into a loan program for hard-hit small businesses.
(Source: NDTV)
