By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON (AA) - The Senate overwhelmingly passed Wednesday a sweeping bill from the House of Representatives to provide billions of dollars in emergency aid as the U.S. and Americans combat the spread of the new coronavirus.
The Senate's 90-8 vote on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act sends the package to Trump, who is expected to quickly sign off on the measure.
It includes free COVID-19 testing, paid family and sick leave for many Americans who otherwise lack the benefit. It applies to employees who work for companies who have between 50 and 500 employees. Companies below the lower employee threshold can apply for a waiver.
The Joint Committee on Taxation pegged the estimated cost of the package at $105 billion.
Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced his support, but called the Democratic measure imperfect, and said it has "real shortcomings," including the gaps in sick leave coverage and potential financial impacts on small businesses.
"I will vote to pass their bill," McConnell said. "This is a time for urgent bipartisan action, and in this case I do not believe we should let perfection be the enemy of even a subset of workers.
The Senate meanwhile is working on a separate package in tandem with the White House that would include sending funds directly to Americans, as well as other stimulus measures as fears of a recession caused by the outbreak persist.
The stock market has heavily cratered in past weeks as the virus has spread in the U.S. with all three major indices down significantly from their February highs.
Senate Republicans want a vote on that package by next week.