US agrees $2 trillion crisis spend

Trump: I will sign it immediately

WASHINGTON: The US Senate yesterday unanimously backed a $2 trillion Bill aimed at helping unemployed workers and industries hurt by the coronavirus epidemic, as well as providing billions of dollars to buy urgently needed medical equipment.

After bitter negotiations, the deeply divided Senate came together and passed the Bill by a 960 vote, which sent the massive stimulus package to the House of Representatives for a vote tomorrow.

President Donald Trump, whose top aides helped negotiate the bipartisan measure, promised to sign it into law as soon as it reaches his desk.

‘‘I will sign it immediately,’’ Trump told reporters yesterday.

The rescue package — which would be the biggest ever passed by Congress — includes a $500 billion fund to help hardhit industries and a comparable amount for direct payments of up to $3000 apiece to millions of US families.

The legislation will also provide $350 billion for smallbusiness loans, $250 billion for expanded unemployment aid and at least $100 billion for hospitals and health systems.

The package is intended to flood the economy with cash in a bid to stem the impact of an intensifying epidemic that has killed more than 900 people in the United States and infected at least 60,000.

Only China and Italy have more coronavirus cases and the World Health Organisation has warned the US looks set to become the epicentre of the global pandemic.

Top aides to Trump and senior senators from both parties announced they had agreed on the unprecedented stimulus Bill after five days of talks.

But it was delayed by criticism from both the Right and Left, pushing the final vote on passage almost another full day.

Several Republican senators had insisted the Bill needed to be changed to ensure laidoff workers would not be paid more in unemployment benefits than they earned on the job.

However, an amendment that would have changed the unemployment provision failed just before the Senate approved the measure.

There had been criticism of the Bill from the most progressive wing of the Democraticled House. Representative Alexandria OcasioCortez called it ‘‘a historic corporate giveaway’’ on Twitter.

However, House leaders hoped the Bill would pass by voice vote , without representatives having to return to Washington. Bringing more than 400 politicians from as far away as Hawaii and Alaska would be difficult because some are in selfquarantine and several states have issued stayathome orders.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hoped the Bill would pass quickly, and that Congress would pass further legislation if necessary to ease the crisis.

Senate leaders noted the historic nature of the challenge, as the country grapples with what the Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called ‘‘a strange and evil disease.’’ — Reuters