President Trump signed the $2 trillion economic relief bill on Friday, shortly after it passed in the House of Representatives. The bill is meant to help those who have been hurt by the economic upheaval surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is a very important day. I’ve signed the single biggest economic relief package in American history and, I must say, any other package by the way. It is twice as large as any relief every signed,” the president said during the signing ceremony. “This will deliver urgently needed relief to our nation’s families, workers, and businesses. That’s what this is all about.”
The bill will provide $1,200 in direct cash payments to many people and will increase unemployment insurance, aid to small businesses, and loans to help large companies keep operating during the economic downturn.
The measure cleared Congress after days of bipartisan negotiations and talks with the Trump administration. The Senate passed the measure unanimously on Wednesday before it reached the House, where it was in jeopardy at the 11th hour.
The measure passed in the House by voice vote after lawmakers defeated a move by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, that would have forced at least 216 lawmakers to appear in the chamber and take a roll-call vote. Massie’s move was heavily criticized by members of both parties, while the president called him “third rate” and encouraged the party to kick him out.
