Republicans and Democrats linked arms early Saturday morning and pushed a massive coronavirus relief package through the House, calling it a down payment on the kinds of assistance Americans are going to need as the epidemic sweeps the country,
The bill now heads to the Senate where GOP leaders said they’ll study it over the weekend, with an eye toward votes next week.
House lawmakers brushed aside worries about the price tag and voted on the bill without knowing a cost, saying the virus is an unprecedented threat that must be dealt with no matter what the damage to the budget.
The new bill has the government pick up the tab for coronavirus testing, pumps money into food assistance and unemployment programs and pays for sick leave so those who contract COVID-19, or who have to take off to care for someone who did, will be compensated.
“Democrats worked tirelessly with the Trump administration and with Republicans in the House and Senate to ensure this is a truly bipartisan bill,” said House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer.
Mr. Trump also praised the bipartisanship.
“Good teamwork between Republicans & Democrats,” he said on Twitter. “Bill really pulled together. Nice to see!”
House members voted just after midnight on Saturday, capping a few days of feverish negotiations. The House had first been slated to vote Thursday, and then Friday, on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s version of a bill.
But she negotiated changes with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, and the final result won overwhelming support from both sides, 363-40. Every Democrat who voted backed the bill, while the “No” votes came from conservative Republicans. The chamber’s lone independent voted “present.”
More than two dozen lawmakers missed the vote, including several who are in self-quarantine after coming into contact with someone who later tested positive for the virus.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said he expects the bill will have wide support in his chamber, too.
But first the Senate must figure out how to get beyond a surveillance bill that’s the pending business on the floor.
The emergency virus bill does not include President Trump’s demand for a payroll tax cut, nor other economic stimulus measures.
Mrs. Pelosi said they’ll look at stimulus measures in a future bill, which won’t be as rushed as this one.
The bill that did pass focuses on addressing needs amid massive public institution closures.
A major selling point of the bill was getting food out into communities for children who rely on free meals at schools, which have been shuttered for weeks to try to control virus spread. The bill also suspends work requirements for those who apply for food stamps, and pumps money into state Medicaid programs, so they can handle an influx of patients.
All sides agreed the biggest aspect of the bill was promoting testing, so public health officials can get a better sense for the extent of the virus.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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