Pelosi, McCarthy stress bipartisanship after House passes coronavirus relief bill

The House passed a coronavirus economic relief bill early Saturday, 363-40-1, after days of negotiations between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The bill includes tens of billions of dollars for paid sick leave, unemployment insurance, and free testing, among other things.

Prior to its passing, President Trump had urged Republicans and Democrats to support the legislation, although all of the "no" votes came from GOP lawmakers, and Rep. Justin Amash (I-Mich.) voted "present."

Still, the support was overwhelmingly bipartisan, something Pelosi stressed as a key factor in a letter to Democratic lawmakers Friday night. "While we could have passed this bill on our own, I believe it was important for us to assure the American people that we can work together to manage this crisis," Pelosi wrote.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), generally not Pelosi's most ardent hype man, offered praise for the speaker and similarly stressed the importance of both parties coming together to face the crisis.

The bill will now head to the Senate, where it is expected to pass next week. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) canceled a planned recess so the upper chamber could vote on the issue. Read more at NBC News and The Washington Post.