Senate sends $8.3 billion coronavirus spending package to Trump's desk
The Senate has passed a bipartisan $8.3 billion emergency spending package to combat the new COVID-19 coronavirus, sending it to President Trump's desk for his signature.
The coronavirus funding package was easily passed on Thursday in a 96-1 vote, The Associated Press reports. The only no vote came from Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who had been trying to get a foreign aid cut added to the package.
“I support our government's efforts to fight the coronavirus," Paul said after voting no, per NBC News' Kelly O'Donnell. "We also owe it to the American people to do it in a way that avoids piling billions more in debt on their backs."
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This vote comes after the coronavirus death toll in the United States rose to 11, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) declared a state of emergency as the state reported its first death from the virus. The House of Representatives easily passed the coronavirus spending package on Wednesday with just two no votes.
Initially, the White House had proposed $2.5 billion to fight the new coronavirus, but on Wednesday, President Trump called the House's passage of the $8 billion spending bill "great news for our health, our economy, and our nation!"
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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