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White House, Congress Agree on $2 Trillion Economic Rescue Bill ... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/03/25/white_house...

White House, Congress

Agree on $2 Trillion
Economic Rescue Bill
By Andrew Taylor, Lisa Mascaro & Jonathan LemireMarch 25, 2020

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House and Senate leaders of both parties announced agreement early
Wednesday on an unprecedented $2 trillion emergency bill to rush sweeping aid to businesses, workers and
a health care system slammed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The urgently needed measure is the largest economic rescue bill in history. It is intended as a weekslong or
monthslong patch for an economy spiraling into recession — or worse — and a nation facing a potentially
ghastly toll.

“To the American people, we say, big help, quick help is

on the way,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer,
D-N.Y., said Wednesday morning on CNN.

Schumer said he expected approval by the Republican-

led Senate later in the day.

That would leave final congressional approval up to the

Democratic-controlled House. In a written statement,
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the bipartisan
agreement “takes us a long way down the road in
meeting the needs of the American people” but she
stopped short of fully endorsing it.

“House Democrats will now review the final provisions and legislative text of the agreement to determine a
course of action,” she said.

House members are scattered around the country and the timetable for votes in that chamber are unclear.

House Democratic and Republican leaders have hoped to clear the measure for President Donald Trump’s
signature by a voice vote without having to call lawmakers back to Washington. But that may prove
challenging, as the bill is sure to be opposed by some conservatives upset at its cost and scope. Ardent
liberals were restless as well.

2 of 3 Top White House aide Eric Ueland announced the agreement in a Capitol hallway shortly after midnight early 9:11 AM
3/25/20,
White House, Congress Agree on $2 Trillion Economic Rescue Bill ... https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2020/03/25/white_house...

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