WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress rushed to limit the financial damage of the coronavirus pandemic, with the Senate preparing to vote on a $105 billion-plus aid package on Wednesday and President Donald Trump promoting a third, $1 trillion strategy.
U.S. Senate Bulk Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) descends down an escalator ahead of a series of votes on response for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 18,2020 REUTERS/Tom Brenner
The Republican-controlled Senate is expected to vote on a proposal passed by your house of Representatives that boosts safety-net programs and offers totally free screening for the highly infectious coronavirus, which has killed at least 118 people throughout the United States.
The Democratic-controlled House passed the plan by an overwhelming bipartisan margin on Saturday. The specific expense has not been tallied, but the Joint Committee on Tax approximated that simply authorized leave and family leave provisions alone would cost $105 billion.
Lawmakers are likewise attempting to craft another emergency stimulus package that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated on Tuesday could cost $1.3 trillion. The Treasury Department flowed a memo on Wednesday with some of the proposed details.
The file called for $300 billion for small businesses, $50 billion for loans for cash-strapped airlines, and $150 bil