Among other things, the legislation would boost unemployment insurance, send checks to many Americans and bar President Donald Trump from receiving any aid.
The US Senate overwhelmingly passed a massive $2 trillion stimulus package late Wednesday that’s meant to soften the economic blow of the coronavirus pandemic for American workers and businesses.
The Senate approved the 880-page bill in a unanimous 96-0 vote. The measure would provide billions of dollars in credit for struggling industries, a significant boost to unemployment insurance and direct cash payments to Americans.
As indication of the depth of the nation’s economic woes, new data released on Thursday only hours after the Senate vote showed that more than 3 million Americans filed for unemployment last week.
The massive spike in new jobless claims comes as nationwide lockdowns to halt the spread of the coronavirus pandemic have kept Americans from their workplaces, grinding businesses to a halt and forcing many companies to shutter or to lay off staff. Just 282,000 people filed for unemployment in the previous week, before lockdowns began, according to the Department of Labor.
