House passes $3 trillion coronavirus relief bill in close vote
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
You are now subscribed
Your newsletter sign-up was successful
The House on Friday passed a $3 trillion coronavirus relief package by a vote of 208-199. The Democrat-crafted HEROES Act will now head to the Republican majority Senate, where — along with the White House — it is expected to face opposition.
The bill contains, among other things, nearly $1 trillion in aid to state and local governments, extending unemployment benefits expansion until January 2021, and another round of $1,200 to individual Americans, including immigrants. The measure removes the previous coronavirus relief bill's requirement of a Social Security number to access the payments.
The bill, pushed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), wasn't looked upon favorably by all Democrats. Some centrists were concerned it had no chance of becoming law, while others in the progressive wing, like Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) felt the package failed "to match the scale" of the crisis. In the end, though, only 14 Democrats voted against the bill, allowing it to narrowly advance.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
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.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was one of the lawmakers who had issues with the package, but ultimately voted yes. "I think there's actual room for expansion in the Senate negotiation, not just contraction," she said. "And honestly, some of the things that Republicans don't like I don't like either. So I think there's even more room there." Read more at NBC News and The Wall Street Journal.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
Trump sues IRS for $10B over tax record leaksSpeed Read The president is claiming ‘reputational and financial harm’ from leaks of his tax information between 2018 and 2020
-
Trump, Senate Democrats reach DHS funding dealSpeed Read The deal will fund most of the government through September and the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks
-
Fed holds rates steady, bucking Trump pressureSpeed Read The Federal Reserve voted to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged
-
Judge slams ICE violations amid growing backlashSpeed Read ‘ICE is not a law unto itself,’ said a federal judge after the agency violated at least 96 court orders
-
Rep. Ilhan Omar attacked with unknown liquidSpeed Read This ‘small agitator isn’t going to intimidate me from doing my work’
-
Democrats pledge Noem impeachment if not firedSpeed Read Trump is publicly defending the Homeland Security secretary
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
