The House approved a $2.2 trillion economic relief measure on Friday, sending to President Trump’s desk a federal aid package of historic size and scope that responds to the drastic health and economic consequences caused by the coronavirus.
The measure passed by voice vote after lawmakers defeated a move by Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Republican, that would have required at least 216 lawmakers to appear in the chamber and take a roll-call vote.
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Massie opposed the scope and cost of the bill, which, when coupled with additional federal lending authority, he said was “not a good deal” and would equate to providing $17,000 per citizen. “If this bill is so great for America, why not allow a vote on it?” Massie tweeted.
Massie was outnumbered by dozens of lawmakers who came to the House floor to urge passage of the measure, and faced public criticisms from President Trump, who supports the bill and called Massie “a third-rate grandstander.” Lawmakers gathered in the chamber and viewing galleries above in order to block Massie from winning the required support of one-fifth of those present to uphold his call for a recorded vote.
Party leaders had to summon 216 lawmakers to the floor and gallery in order to constitute a quorum and defeat Massie’s roll call demand. Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, had to eat up floor time as they waited for lawmakers to arrive.
“Come on, my colleagues, to the gallery,” she said as she praised the legislation in a lengthy floor speech.
Pelosi followed dozens of lawmakers who mostly stood in support of the massive bill.
“This is the biggest economic and health crisis the country has ever faced,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, said during a House floor debate that imposed social distancing rules, mandatory hand sanitizing, and limited access to the chamber. “This is the biggest governmental response the country has ever seen to rescue people, the economy, and our healthcare system. It is necessary.”
The bill provides $1,200 in direct cash payments to many individuals, expanded unemployment insurance, aid to small businesses, and loans to help large companies, including the airlines, to 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, and now that it has won approval in the House, Trump is expected to sign it into law quickly.
The unprecedented cost and scope of the bill drew criticism from fiscal conservatives, who pointed to spending in the measure they believe is unrelated to the coronavirus emergency.
The House Freedom Caucus issued a statement declaring that it had put forward its own economic relief proposal, but the group stopped short of attempting to block passage of the measure on the floor.
“The vote we take today may be the most monumental vote during our tenure in Congress,” Rep. Andy Biggs, an Arizona Republican and chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said in a House floor speech. “The amount of money we’re committing is in itself epic.”
Biggs pointed to funding allocated for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, public broadcasting, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Education Department, among other groups that received millions of dollars in aid.
“These may be worthy or not, but they certainly have no place in an economic relief package,” Biggs said.
The package prompted criticism from liberal Democrats, who protested the inclusion of $500 billion in loans for the airlines, hotels, and other major industries that employ millions of people but have started laying off workers due to the stalled economy.
The big companies must pay back the loans, and the legislation will install an oversight board appointed by Congress and an inspector general to monitor the program.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat and leading House liberal, condemned the massive loan program. She said the bill provided “crumbs” for workers.
“The option is to let them suffer for nothing or allow this greed to contribute to the largest income inequality in our future,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “There should be shame for what was fought for in this bill and the choices we have to make.”
The massive spending measure is the third federal aid bill passed by Congress this month to respond to the coronavirus outbreak.
Earlier this month, lawmakers passed an $8.3 billion measure and a $103 billion package to help workers, healthcare facilities, and small businesses, including the provision of free testing for the virus.
The House and Senate now stand adjourned for regular business for the foreseeable future but will hold “pro forma” sessions. The Senate is not scheduled to return for business until April 20.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, said she is beginning to draft a fourth round of federal aid that would expand family leave, provide more aid to states and local governments, increase food stamp payments, and help bolster pension funds.
