U.S. House to pass nearly $500 billion more in
coronavirus relief
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[April 23, 2020] By
Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hundreds of members
of the U.S. House of Representatives will gather in Washington on
Thursday to pass a $484 billion coronavirus relief bill, bringing the
unprecedented total of funds approved for the crisis to nearly $3
trillion.
The measure is expected to be approved with solid bipartisan support in
the Democratic-led House, but opposition by some members of both parties
forced legislators to return to Washington despite stay-at-home orders
intended to control the spread of the virus.
The Republican-led Senate passed the legislation on Tuesday, so approval
by the House will send it the White House, where President Donald Trump
has promised to quickly sign it into law.
The bill - which would be the fourth passed to address the crisis -
provides funds to small businesses and hospitals struggling with the
economic toll of a pandemic that has killed more than 45,000 Americans
and put more than 22 million out of work.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2020/Apr/23/images/ads/current/hartsburggrain_sda_2019.png)
Congress passed the last coronavirus relief bill, worth more than $2
trillion, in March.
Some Democrats are unhappy that the latest bill omits financial help for
state and local governments reeling from the impact of lost revenue.
Some Republicans are unhappy that so much government spending has been
approved so quickly.
Trump has said he supports more funding for states, and has promised to
back it in future legislation after fellow Republicans refused to
include it in the current relief package.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested in a radio
interview on Wednesday that states could go bankrupt, but said later he
did not want states to use federal funds for anything unrelated to the
coronavirus.
'CONGRESS IS ESSENTIAL'
Echoing Trump, many Republicans also want the country - including
Congress - to reopen more quickly than in the several more weeks
recommended in many states.
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![](../images/042320pics/busine13.jpg)
The U.S. Capitol Building as seen ahead of a vote on the coronavirus
(COVID-19) relief bill on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March
25, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner
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"Congress is essential. The American public needs to see that we are working.
The American public has to understand that we can do it in a safe manner so
states and others can begin to open as well," House Republican leader Kevin
McCarthy said Wednesday at a news conference outside the Capitol.
House members from both parties said they were willing to risk travel to ensure
that the legislation passed, some posting selfies on social media from airplanes
on which passengers seemed outnumbered by crew.
"People who feel they can vote should be encouraged to vote. Those that don't
are not being pushed," said Democratic Representative Pete Aguilar, one of a few
party "whips" responsible for making sure floor votes occur without a hitch.
Aguilar spoke to Reuters on Tuesday upon landing in Washington from a "pretty
empty" flight from Los Angeles.
The House will also vote on a select committee to study the reaction to the
coronavirus outbreak. Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed away,
however, from voting on a measure to allow members to cast proxy votes on
colleagues' behalf.
Instead of pushing through the vote-by-proxy measure, Pelosi told Democrats she
and McCarthy would have a bipartisan group of House lawmakers review remote
voting by proxy.
Congress has not met in regular session since last month, and is in recess until
at least May 4 because of the coronavirus.
House Republicans had opposed the proxy vote plan, saying there are already
measures in place to ensure Congress can act in an emergency.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle and Richard Cowan; Editing by Peter Cooney)
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