News • Opinons • Politics

President Trump, Congress Agree on $2 Trillion Coronavirus Emergency Relief Bill; ‘Unemployment Compensation on Steroids’

President Donald Trump and Congress reached a deal on the terms for a $2 trillion emergency relief bill to address the economic impact of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, early in the morning on Wednesday.

Politico reported:

Lawmakers and the Trump administration reached an agreement on a nearly $2 trillion coronavirus emergency rescue package, a move intended to assist businesses and millions of Americans amid an unprecedented halt in the economy.


The announcement caps five days of tense negotiations between senators and the White House. Both the Senate and House still need to approve the bill before sending it to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The president had sounded an optimistic tone in his briefing for reporters at the White House on Tuesday evening, though Republicans had been scathing in their criticism of Democrats for blocking Senate passage of a relief bill that had been agreed to by the two parties on Sunday.


University president sounds alarm as nearly half of students justify violence to stop ‘hate speech’
Florida puts 77-year-old man to death for deputy’s murder as state closes in on execution record
Pennsylvania Welfare Supervisor Accused of Stealing Thousands in Food Stamps, Trading Them for Crack Cocaine
Trump Announces New Fraud Bounty Program, Nick Shirley First to Cash In
U2 Singer Bono Attacks Christians and Jews Who Support Ending Government Waste, Shuttering USAID
Husband of Democratic Party Chair Charged with Stealing $20 Million from Federal Education Grants
Honduran illegal immigrant charged with assaulting ICE officers with hammer during New Jersey traffic stop
Watch: Abdul El-Sayed Has His Hillary Clinton ‘Hot Sauce in Purse’ Moment in Cringey, Pandering Interview
Democrats Plotting to Use Bitter Ex-Girlfriend to Take Down Elon Musk
Judge Trump called a ‘lunatic’ abruptly backs off demand after showdown with DOJ No. 3
Trump says Ilhan Omar could go to jail or be deported, calls her ‘a disgrace to our country’
Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner’s office faces subpoenas after judicial referral
Declassified Docs Show State Dept.’s Testimony During 2019 Trump Impeachment Was Radically Different from Reality
Reporter’s Notebook: A Democratic majority could expose the limits of the progressive agenda
Ilhan Omar’s daughters show up at scene of DC raid as rumors swirl about embattled rep’s whereabouts

See also  When purity politics runs its course: Even the most strident DSA politicians must learn to compromise

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) had introduced her own version of a relief bill on Monday afternoon, loaded with pork for Democrat special interests and with demands to restructure the voting system to suit her party’s preferences.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) described the terms of the new deal as including “unemployment compensation on steroids” that would reimburse laid-off workers for their lost salaries, and guarantee furloughed workers their full benefits so that businesses could re-open when the coronavirus crisis was over.

There were also provisions for supporting small business, and for a special inspector general to oversee the administration of funds.

A vote must be taken in both houses before the president can sign the legislation. The Senate will reconvene at 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 2,000 points on Tuesday — its largest gain in percentage terms since 1933 — on expectations of a deal, and after statements by the president that the economy might slowly re-open by Easter.

Story cited here.

Share this article:
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter