CONGRESS, TRUMP OK STIMULUS DEAL
Differences put aside to deal with massive crisis
Help is on the way for millions of Americans, after President Trump signed a massive $2.2 trillion economic rescue package into law Friday for the suddenly unemployed, struggling businesses and overburdened hospitals dealing with the coronavirus pandemic.
“This will deliver urgently needed relief,” Trump said as he signed the bill in the Oval Office Friday afternoon, flanked by Republican lawmakers. He thanked members of both parties for putting Americans “first.”
Earlier in the day, the House gave near-unanimous approval by voice vote after an impassioned session conducted along the social distancing guidelines imposed by the crisis. Many lawmakers sped to Washington to participate — their numbers swollen after a maverick Republican signaled he’d try to force a roll call vote — though dozens of others remained in their home districts.
The Senate had passed the bill unanimously late Wednesday, 96-0.
The bailout comes as tens of thousands of businesses and millions of Americans have faced sudden shutdowns. More than 150,000 people in Massachusetts and 3.3 million nationwide have applied for unemployment benefits this month.
“For now, this gives them
some hope, some liquidity and now we just have to hold our breath and hope we get out of this sometime soon,” said Jon Hurst of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
And Jim Rooney of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce said, “We think it’ll be helpful for both individuals and small businesses. We know more will need to be done but it’s a good step.”
The $2.2 trillion legislation will send payments of $1,200 to many Americans and increase jobless benefits for millions of people thrown out of work as the spread of COVID-19 grinds the economy to a halt. Businesses big and small will get loans, grants and tax breaks. It will send unprecedented billions to states and local governments and into the nation’s health-care system.
“Today we’ve all acknowledged our nation faces an economic and health emergency of historic proportions,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
D-Calif. She said Americans deserve a full-on government response “to address these threats to their lives and their livelihood and they need it now.”
Republicans chided Democratic leaders for delays and provisions they see as extraneous, such as funding for public broadcasting and the arts; Democrats said too many elements are a bailout for corporations that may not need it.
“Democrats tried to extract every pound of flesh they could,” said GOP consultant Ford O’Connell. “But once the House ad the Senate saw the 3.3 million people who filed for unemployment, they quit that real quick.”
The legislation, at more than half the size of the entire $4 trillion annual federal budget, dwarfs prior Washington responses to crises like 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, and natural disasters.
Most people who contract the coronavirus have mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia or death.