Republican and Democratic leaders in the US Congress said on Sunday, December 20, that they had reached an agreement on a budget package of 900 billion dollars (737 billion euros) to provide the population and businesses with new aid in the face of to the impact of the coronavirus crisis.
Votes on the stimulus plan are expected to take place Monday in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and the Senate, where Republicans are in the majority.
The text must then be submitted to Donald Trump for promulgation.
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A White House spokesman said the Republican president supports the bill and intends to ratify it.
To avoid a shutdown of administrations, the House of Representatives and then the Senate have also approved a text extending for one day federal funding, which was to expire Sunday evening (5 am GMT Monday).
BREAKING: As the American people continue battling the coronavirus this holiday season, they will not be on their own.
Congress has just reached an agreement.
We will pass another rescue package ASAP.
More help is on the way.
- Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) December 20, 2020
"Finally, we have the bipartisan advance that the country needed," Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told senators.
This stimulus package is expected to be one of the largest in US history, after the $ 2.3 trillion budget package voted by Congress last March.
Direct payments to Americans
The deal comes after months of heated debate between Republicans and Democrats, and as the coronavirus epidemic accelerates in the country with more than 214,000 new infections reported daily.
More than 317,000 deaths have already been recorded, the heaviest toll in the world.
Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the text should have enough backing to pass quickly in both houses of Congress.
He added Democrats would push for additional measures after Joe Biden was inaugurated to the White House on January 20.
"This is a floor, not a ceiling, for aid in the face of the coronavirus in 2021," Chuck Schumer told senators.
BREAKING: As the American people continue battling the coronavirus this holiday season, they will not be on their own.
Congress has just reached an agreement.
We will pass another rescue package ASAP.
More help is on the way.
- Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) December 20, 2020
The stimulus package provides direct payments to Americans, including increased unemployment benefits, and billions of dollars in aid to small businesses.
Funds for food assistance and health care are also foreseen.
The parliamentarians said they had overcome the contentious points, in particular the issue of the Federal Reserve's loan program, which had forced the discussions to stretch until the weekend.
Congress would like to succeed in including the stimulus measures in a vast bill, dubbed "omnibus", providing for $ 1.4 trillion in government spending until next September.
With Reuters
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