U.S. President Donald Trump is appealing to both houses of the U.S. Congress to pass the $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at rebooting an economy brought to a standstill by the coronavirus pandemic.
It is the biggest single package to help American citizens and shuttered businesses cope with the ensuing disaster.
The Senate and White House hammered out the details Wednesday after a complex series of negotiations and procedural votes.
While it includes a lot of provisions aimed at relieving the economic stress, the bill's outstanding features include cash payments to individuals and married couples making less than $99,000 a year.
Unemployment benefits are boosted, student loan payments suspended, and the badly hit airline industry will get tens of millions of dollars in help.
The bill specifies that none of Trump's businesses will benefit and no money for the Pentagon can be spent on the border wall.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told reporters that the administration anticipates the stimulus package will keep the economy afloat for three months.
Source : VOA