Dubai, United Arab Emirates (CNN) – The US Congress voted Monday evening to approve a $ 900 billion economic stimulus package to counter the long-term coronavirus.
The support package promises to speed up vaccine distribution and provide much-needed aid to small businesses hit hard by the pandemic, Americans who have lost their jobs during the economic turmoil, and health care workers on the front lines of the crisis.
The White House said President Donald Trump will sign the legislation once he gets to his office.
The latest release of the aid package came after congressional leaders announced Sunday night that they had finally reached an agreement after days of contentious negotiations that created uncertainty over whether a deal could be reached at all or whether the talks would collapse.
The stimulus package, negotiated on a two-party basis, was merged with a massive $ 1.4 trillion government spending bill to fund federal agencies for the new fiscal year into a 5,593-page bill.
The package will include direct payments of up to $ 600 per adult, enhanced unemployment benefits of $ 300 per week, approximately $ 284 billion in Salary Protection Program loans, $ 25 billion in rental aid, extended eviction moratoriums, and $ 82 billion in schools and colleges.
“We can finally announce what our nation has needed to hear for a very long time: more aid is on the way,” Congressional Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday evening announcing the package.
