Democrats unleash $ 3 trillion to support economy

Manhattan Central Station, New York during the Covid-19 pandemic, May 12, 2020. REUTERS / Shannon Stapleton

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It is an aid plan for the historic American economy of 3.000 billion dollars which was voted this Friday, May 15 by the elected members of the House of Representatives, majority Democrats. The text should not, however, pass to the Senate where the Republicans are the majority.

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The lower house, with a democratic majority, validated the text by 208 votes for and 199 against. Fourteen Democrats voted against and one Republican voted for it.

Unprecedented in its scale, the plan aims to rescue the economy and millions of Americans hit hard by unemployment. It includes new direct aid, up to $ 6,000 per household, and nearly $ 1,000 billion for states and local communities. This plan also provides financial support for SMEs, research on Covid-19 screening and food aid for the poorest households.

But the text was rejected by Donald Trump and by the Republicans. The head of the Republican majority in the Senate, Mitch McConnell, considered that the Democratic proposal was "not serious at all" and could even not submit the text to the vote of the upper house.

This week Speaker Pelosi published an 1,800-page catalog of left-wing oddities & called it a coronavirus relief bill. It proposes tax hikes on small business, giveaways to blue-state millionaires, checks for illegal immigrants, and diversity detectives for the cannabis industry. pic.twitter.com/deEIYPEMSg

  Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) May 15, 2020

The Republicans believe that we must wait to assess the effects of the 2.2 trillion dollar stimulus plan already adopted at the end of March . A plan already qualified as "historic". A second package of $ 500 billion was also approved in late April.

► Also read: The historic US aid plan for the economy, and after?

In this year of presidential election, the economic issue is at the heart of the campaign. The United States is hit hard by the effects of the coronavirus. Since the sudden cessation of activity in mid-March, more than 36 million people have been without a job.

► Read also : US GDP fell 4.8% in the first quarter 

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  • United States
  • Economic crisis
  • Coronavirus