Congress reaches bipartisan $8 billion spending deal to fight coronavirus


Bipartisan negotiators from the House and Senate agreed to an $8.3 billion emergency spending package to fight COVID-19 on Wednesday.
The bill includes close to $7.8 billion for the federal agencies managing the coronavirus, which is more than the White House originally proposed, The New York Times reports. Another $500 million will go to Medicare providers to offer telehealth services to elderly patients at their homes, as older people are more likely to contract the virus.
The House is reportedly planning to vote on the bill later Wednesday, per the Times. The deal will then have to pass the Senate and get President Trump's signature before going into effect.
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The U.S. counted at least 130 COVID-19 infections across 16 states as of Wednesday. Nine people in the U.S. with the virus have died.
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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.
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