Another sweeping $3 trillion coronavirus economic relief bill was passed 208-199 by the House on Friday.
The legislation includes nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, a $200 billion fund for hazard pay for essential workers, $75 billion for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing, as well as more direct payments to taxpayers — up to $6,000 per household.
Unlike previous coronavirus legislation, there was no bipartisan collaboration in drafting the bill, causing many to expect it to fail in the GOP-led Senate. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) called it their first offer.
She said Thursday: “We’re putting our offer on the table. We’re open to negotiation.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that lawmakers should wait to see the effects of the other relief bills before approving this one.
“We’re basically assessing what we’ve done already. I’m in constant communication with the White House and if we decide to go forward we’ll go forward together,” McConnell told reporters on Monday. “I don’t think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately. That time could develop, but I don’t think it has yet.”
Fourteen Democrats voted against the measure, while Rep. Pete King (R-New York) crossed party lines to support the measure.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington) said Friday that she would vote against the bill because it did not include her and several other progressive lawmakers’ paycheck guarantee proposal.
Other Democrats who voted against it included Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Virginia); Kendra Horn (D-Oklahoma); Ben McAdams (D-Utah); Joe Cunningham (D-South Carolina); Cindy Axne (D-Iowa); Elaine Luria (D-Virginia) and Haley Stevens (D-Michigan). All are freshman Democrats who come from districts that supported Trump in 2016.
