US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives at the Capitol ahead of an expected vote on another $480 billion to be use to support the economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic (WIN MCNAMEE)<\/i><\/p>\n
Washington (AFP) – Donning masks and keeping an unaccustomed distance from each other, lawmakers of the US House of Representatives convened Thursday to vote on another half-trillion dollars to prop up the virus-battered US economy. <\/p>\n
More than 200 representatives were expected to attend the session after weeks away from Washington, returning to earmark fresh funds for devastated small businesses, overwhelmed hospitals, and a ramp-up of testing nationwide during the pandemic. <\/p>\n
The $480 billion bill was passed by the Senate on Tuesday, and President Donald Trump has made clear he is ready to sign off on it.<\/p>\n
“I urge the House to pass the bill, and they’ll be voting on it, I imagine, very soon,” Trump said Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Rather than crowd the chamber for speeches and comments, the lawmakers were allowed in a handful at a time to speak before the vote. The others were instructed to wait in their offices and view the action on television until summoned to vote.<\/p>\n
When a vote comes, the legislators will only be permitted to enter the chamber a few at a time. Normally they cluster and chat freely in the chamber as votes are tallied.<\/p>\n
“Members should use extreme care and deliberation when making the determination to travel to Washington,” the House sergeant at arms advised.<\/p>\n
House Democratic leaders expected more than 215 of the 435 members to attend, ensuring a quorum to put the bill through.<\/p>\n
They are expected to vote first on a bill to create a committee to investigate the government’s response to the epidemic in the United States. <\/p>\n
Then the chamber will undergo a 30 minute sterilization before members move on to a vote on the stimulus bill.<\/p>\n
The job-saving measure, which passed the Senate by unanimous consent after more than a week of negotiations between Democrats, Republicans and the White House, is the government’s latest massive cash infusion to prop up a collapsing economy.<\/p>\n
The latest tranche would include $320 billion in small business funding, plus $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion to expand coronavirus testing.<\/p>\n
It also provides $60 billion in disaster recovery loans and grants.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 outbreak has killed nearly 47,000 Americans and left some 26 million people jobless.<\/p>\n
Disclaimer:<\/b> Validity of the above story is for 7 Days from original date of publishing. Source: AFP.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi arrives at the Capitol ahead of an expected vote on another $480 billion to be use to support the economy battered by the coronavirus pandemic (WIN MCNAMEE) Washington (AFP) – Donning masks and keeping an unaccustomed distance from each other, lawmakers of the US House of Representatives convened…<\/p>\n