After another late night session, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an unprecedented $2.2 trillion economic aid package to address the economic and health care impacts of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The historic measure now goes to the U.S. House of Representatives, where House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated it would soon be taken up with strong bipartisan support.
The 880-page Senate bill, the largest relief measure in US. history, steers aid to businesses, workers, and health care systems that are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
Passage was held up by Republican senators who opposed unemployment compensation provisions, arguing that jobless benefits contained in the plan were so generous that they would disincentivize work and encourage layoffs. An amendment to address this concern failed, and the measure passed 96-0.
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