President Donald Trump signed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on Wednesday, sending over $100 billion in aid to Americans suffering economically from the spread of the Chinese virus.
The president did not sign the bill publicly, as the White House sent a statement from Trump notifying his approval of the legislation.
“The Act makes emergency supplemental appropriations and other changes to law to help the Nation respond to the coronavirus outbreak,” Trump said in his statement.
The bill negotiated between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin offers emergency paid sick leave, child care leave, as well as expanded unemployment benefits. It also allows Medicaid funding for free coronavirus testing and additional funds for food assistance programs.
The bill passed 90-8 in the Senate on Wednesday afternoon after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell urged Republicans to support the bill despite concerns from Republican senators.
“This is a time for urgent bipartisan action, and in this case, I do not believe we should let perfection be the enemy of something that will help even a subset of workers,” McConnell said.
The Senate is currently drafting another massive spending bill to rescue the economy, send money directly to Americans, and bolster businesses facing ruin after the virus sparked economic shutdown.
The White House requested over $1 trillion in funding, as the Senate continues to draft and negotiate the bill as quickly as possible.
“We are going to move here at warp speed for the Senate, which almost never does anything quickly,” McConnell said to reporters on Wednesday.
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