COVID- 19 relief bill so large it took hours to print

WASHINGTON – It may be a few days before President Donald Trump signs the COVID- 19 relief bill into law. For one thing, it hasn’t reached the White House yet.

The $ 900 billion rescue package is going through “enrollment,” the process by which the final bill “is printed on parchment paper, signed by appropriate House and Senate officials, and submitted to the president for signature,” according to the U. S. Senate website. Enrollment of this new law will take some time.

The full bill – which is attached to a $ 1.4 trillion spending plan to fund the federal government through Sept. 30, the end of the fiscal year – runs nearly 5,600 pages long. It took several hours just to print out.

Trump is expected to sign the bill when it gets to his desk.

The legislation will send millions of Americans direct payments and rescue thousands of small businesses struggling to stay open in the pandemic. On Monday, the House passed the measure 359- 53, followed by the Senate with a 92- 6 vote.