Speed Reads
the coronavirus crisis
House passes coronavirus spending bill 415 to 2
The House easily passed a bipartisan $8.3 billion emergency spending package to fight COVID-19 on Wednesday, not long after negotiators agreed on the bill's contents. The final count was 415-2.
Two Republican congressmen, Reps. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Ken Buck (R-Colo.), were the holdouts, with Biggs arguing the package was "bloated" and went far beyond President Trump's "reasonable" $2.5 billion request.
The bill will now head to the Senate, where it is also expected to pass quickly and decisively, although Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has said he wants to include an amendment stipulating the money will be made available through cuts to foreign aid.