The U.S. House of Representatives is moving swiftly to pass laws assisting individual Americans and business firms cushion the negative impacts on their incomes caused by the raging COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic, which still has to peak, is already inflicting massive damage on the U.S. economy and is triggering a rising number of layoffs.
On Saturday, the House overwhelmingly passed a coronavirus aid package for U.S. citizens that provides free testing and paid sick leave in a bid to limit the pain inflicted on employees by the pandemic. Also on Saturday, the House is said to be considering the swift passage of a hefty bailout package aimed at helping industries such as airlines and cruise ships hit hard by COVID-19.
A bipartisan vote of 363 to 40 saw the Democratic-controlled House pass a multi-billion dollar package that will expand safety-net programs to help Americans who will lose their jobs in the weeks to come to the coronavirus-induced economic slowdown that has seen a massive drop in consumer spending as people refuse to go out and spend. The 40 votes against the bill were cast by Republicans.
The approved 110-page bill will provide two weeks of paid sick and family leave for people affected by the coronavirus. Businesses will also get a tax credit to help cover the expense. Employees will be able to take up to three months of unpaid leave if they are quarantined or need to take care of sick family members.
The bill will further expand safety-net programs that help people survive economic downturns. Among these at-risk people are home-bound seniors and low-income schoolchildren that will lose access to free breakfast and lunch once their schools are shuttered.
The bill will bolster unemployment assistance and the "food stamps" program that helps 34 million low-income people buy groceries. More significantly, it will suspend a new Trump administration restriction to be imposed on April 1 that will cut off food-stamp benefits for 700,000 childless adults that don't work.
Federal support for Medicaid will also be increased. This boost will give states a cushion to fund the low-income health insurance program Trump has repeatedly tried to kill. Republicans, who champion the rich and corporations, refused to support the call by Democrats for a permanent paid sick-leave benefit for the third of U.S. employees that will lose wages when they stay home due to illness.
President Donald Trump said he supported the Democrat's package, increasing the change it will pass the Republican-controlled Senate this week.
Pelosi said the House will begin work next week on another round of legislation to assist hard-hit industries and the broader economy. The Trump administration has confirmed it will ask the House to enact a third coronavirus bill aimed at helping industries such as airlines badly hit by the pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said there's "bipartisan support" for some for economic relief. The Trump administration wants to support the airline industry because of the key role they play in the U.S. economy.
"Airlines are the most obvious because we have a unique circumstance where we've shut down travel, and these are of strategic importance to us, but I appreciate there's many industries that are impacted by this -- and I would also say that there many individuals," said Mnuchin.
Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Airlines, told employees on Friday the company is in discussions with the White House and Congress regarding the support they can provide to help it through this period. "I'm optimistic we will receive their support," he said. "That said, the form and value is unpredictable, and we can't put our company's future at risk waiting on aid from our government."
