House passes $484bn coronavirus relief bill for small businesses in bipartisan vote as Democrats launch new investigative panel
The US Congress has passed a nearly $500 billion Covid-19 aid package, as House Democrats voted to set up a panel to look into the administration's handling of the outbreak – a move blasted as “purely political” by the GOP.
The relief bill passed overwhelmingly after hours of debate on Thursday, securing the needed two-thirds majority. The aid package will immediately infuse $321 billion into the Paycheck Protection Program to ensure companies can pay their workers, while providing another $75 billion to hospitals, $60 billion in emergency loans for small businesses and $25 billion set aside for coronavirus testing.
Observing strict safety protocols, the representatives cast their votes in groups of about 60 at a time, with lawmakers waiting in their offices to be called in alphabetical order to avoid potentially spreading the lethal virus around the chamber. Though lawmakers agreed to stand six feet apart to follow social distancing guidelines, a sergeant-at-arms officer was seen asking several lawmakers to create extra space between them, none of whom wore masks.
https://www.rt.com/usa/486723-house-coronavirus-vote-bill/