US Congress reaches deal on $900 billion COVID-19 relief package
Top congressional leaders have announced the first new aid in months to boost the pandemic-hit US economy. The legislation is expected to have enough votes to pass Congress.
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US lawmakers have reached a deal to finalize a $900-billion (€735-billion) economic relief package that would deliver long-overdue help to businesses and individuals hit by the pandemic, top congressional leaders said Sunday. We ve agreed to a package of nearly $900 billion. It is packed with targeted policies to help struggling Americans who have already waited too long, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said in a statement.
(Reuters)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. congressional leaders reached agreement on Sunday on a $900 billion package to provide the first new aid in months to an economy and individuals battered by the surging coronavirus pandemic, with votes likely on Monday.
The package would be the second-largest economic stimulus in U.S. history, following a $2.3 trillion aid bill passed in March. It comes as the pandemic accelerates, infecting more than 214,000 people in the country each day. More than 317,000 Americans have already died.
“At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor, following months of contentious debate.
After months of negotiations, legislators in the United States have agreed on a long-awaited COVID-19 relief bill that will boost unemployment payments and aid to small businesses.
The Senate’s top Republican and Democrat said on Sunday they had reached an agreement on a nearly $900bn package, a deal that would be the second-largest economic stimulus in US history, following a $2.3 trillion aid bill passed in March.
“At long last, we have the bipartisan breakthrough the country has needed,” Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor.
“More help is on the way,” he added.
The agreement would establish a temporary $300 per week supplemental jobless benefit and a $600 direct stimulus payment to most Americans, along with a new round of subsidies for hard-hit businesses and money for schools, healthcare providers and tenant facing eviction.
Congress Reaches Deal on Nearly $1 Trillion Covid-19 Relief Bill chron.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chron.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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