Washington - The US House of
Representatives on Friday narrowly approved a $3 trillion bill
crafted by Democrats to provide more aid for battling the
coronavirus and stimulating a faltering economy rocked by the
pandemic.
By a vote of 208-199 Democrats won passage of a bill that
Republican leaders, who control the Senate, have vowed to block
despite some Republican support for provisions aimed at helping
state and local governments.
Republican President Donald Trump has promised a veto if it
were to reach his desk.
However, the Democrats' measure could trigger a new round of
negotiations with congressional Republicans and Trump, who have
been talking about the need for new business liability
protections in the age of coronavirus or additional tax cuts.
Democrats oppose both of those ideas.
Following the vote, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer
announced that May 27-28 would be set aside for voting on some
sort of coronavirus-related bill if one is ready by then.
He provided no details on the contents of such a bill.
The US economy has suffered a devastating blow from the
coronavirus outbreak. Some 36.5 million people - or more than
one in five workers - in the United States have filed for
unemployment since the crisis began.
The 1,800-page relief bill passed on Friday, called the
Heroes Act, would extend to all corners of the US economy. It
includes $500 billion in aid to struggling state governments,
another round of direct payments to individuals and families to
help stimulate the economy, and hazard pay for healthcare
workers and others on the front line of the pandemic.
"Many of them have risked their lives to save lives and many
of them may lose their jobs" as state and local government
revenues plummet during the crisis, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
said during a day-long debate.
The No. 2 Republican, Steve Scalise, urged the House to
defeat the huge bill, calling it a "socialist giveaway" and
blaming China, where the coronavirus emerged late last year, for
the suffering brought by the pandemic.
Passage of the bill came as the United States has recorded
more than 85,000 deaths from Covid-19, the respiratory disease
caused by the novel coronavirus. The number of US coronavirus
cases and deaths far outpace any other country.
Meanwhile, US Capitol officials announced that tourists
and other visitors will not be allowed into the massive complex
until June 9, instead of the previously announced May 16.
Since March, Congress and the Trump administration have
collaborated on four coronavirus bills totaling about $3
billion, passing them with overwhelming bipartisan support.
This fifth bill, however, failed to attract Republican
backing in the House except for Representative Peter King of New
York, an epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak.
As Democrats and Republicans sparred over the bill and its
cost, the rhetoric sometimes became rancorous.
Democratic Representative Tim Ryan rattled off the
destructive impact of a pandemic that has left millions
unemployed, families unable to pay their rents and food banks
struggling to meet growing demands.
"The Republican Party says 'we don't have any money to help
ya.' Are you kidding me?" he shouted across the aisle in the
House chamber that divides the two parties.
Earlier on Friday the House also approved a change in its
rules to allow members to temporarily cast their votes by proxy
during the crisis if Pelosi deems it necessary.
The Democratic initiative, which was opposed by Republicans,
marked an historic shift for Congress, which had never before
allowed lawmakers to cast votes from anywhere but the House
chamber.
It came as Congress struggled to function amid the pandemic,
with members mainly sheltering at home in an effort to help stop
the spread of the virus.
Under the new proxy-voting rules, House members could cast
votes from remote locations.
Friday's votes brought about 400 House members back to
Washington for only the third time since late March.
The session was governed by social distancing and other
protective measures so the House does not become a breeding
ground for the illness it is trying to contain. Many House
members wore masks and some donned surgical gloves.