The bill would see direct payments made to most Americans and expand a lending programme for small businesses and inject funds into schools, airlines, transit systems and vaccine programmes.
Congressional Democrats have reached an agreement with Republicans and the White House on an emergency coronavirus relief and omnibus package that delivers urgently needed funds to save the lives and livelihoods of the American people. https://t.co/z9uVKPk9TP
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) December 21, 2020
Democratic and Republican leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate said Sunday they expected the bill to pass with broad support, and the White House said President Donald Trump would sign it into law.
President-elect Joe Biden said he supported the bill and urged Congress to consider further stimulus for him to sign into law after he takes office on 20 January.
“My message to everyone out there struggling right now, help is on the way,” Biden said in a statement.
Second-largest stimulus package
The package would be attached to a larger effort to fund US government activity through September 2021 worth 1.4 trillion dollars (about 1.1 trillion euros).
It would be the second-largest stimulus package in US history, behind the 2.3-trillion-dollar (1.9-trillion-euro) fund that Congress approved to deal with the fallout of the first wave of infection in March.
Millions of people are out of work. Small businesses are closing. People are struggling to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and put food on the table.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 17, 2020
Congress needs to pass a relief package immediately.
The Covid-19 pandemic is accelerating in the United States, infecting well over 200,000 people every day and slowing economic recovery.
The US has the highest official Covid death toll of any country, with more than 317,000 Americans having died after being infected by the coronavirus causing the disease.
What is in the package?
The new bill reprises and expands upon measures of the earlier package, with aid extended to small media, theatres and live music venues.
Unemployed workers would bet an extra 300 dollars (247 euros) per week through march, down from the 600-dollar (493-euro) increase of the first bill.
It would establish a direct 600-dollar stimulus payment to most Americans, also half what the earlier plan issued.
A ban on evictions, due to expire at the end of the year, would be extended to the end of January.
Lawmakers set aside months of gridlock on talks over the package to produce the proposals on Sunday.
(with newswires)
