WKRN-TV Nashville, Tenn.
Senate sends House coronavirus relief bill to President Trump
by: Jessi Turnure
WASHINTON (NEXSTAR) – The Senate voted Wednesday to send the House coronavirus relief bill to President Trump to sign.
Senators will now continue their work on another plan to support small businesses and give the faltering economy a shot in the arm.
“Every day our country grows more affected by the continued spread of the coronavirus,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, said on the floor. “I will vote to pass their bill.”
The legislation will expand access to free testing, provide $1 billion in food assistance and extend sick leave benefits. That final point caused gridlock among Senate Republicans, like Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-LA.
“You want to make sure the small business stays in business so they have a job when this is all through or the benefits can be paid,” Cassidy said. “We’re trying to strike that balance.”
However, providing Americans with the relief they have been asking for tipped the scale for members, like Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-MS.
“Because we know that there will be a third phase, then we can have some confidence in the second phase,” Hyde-Smith said.
The third relief package could be as much as a trillion dollars and include emergency loans for small businesses, assistance for the airline industry and direct payments to the American people.
The Treasury Department recommends one round of payments in April than one in May based on income and family size.
“It has to be targeted, it has to be temporary, but more so, it has to be to those who are suffering from the economic damages of this virus,” Hyde-Smith said.
Work on the third phase could keep senators in Washington beyond this week, but they promise to stay until it’s done.
“The American people need us right now,” Hyde-Smith said. “But we need good legislation also.”