Senate Sends $7.8 Billion Virus Bill to Trump for Signature

(Bloomberg) -- The Senate passed a $7.8 billion emergency coronavirus spending bill Thursday, sending it to President Donald Trump, who has called the plan “great news” and is expected to sign it.

The vote was 96-1. The House passed the measure a day earlier on a 415-2 vote.

The bill far exceeds Trump's original request for $1.25 billion in new funds and another $1.25 billion from other government social and health programs. Lawmakers said they expect Congress will have to provide more emergency funding before the virus outbreak subsides.

In addition to the $7.8 billion in new spending, the bill, H.R. 6074, permits Medicare to spend $500 million on telehealth programs for the virus, for a total of $8.3 billion.

The measure would reimburse state and local governments for the cost of preparing for and fighting the virus. It includes $3.1 billion to stockpile medical supplies and $300 million for government purchases of tests, vaccines and therapies to ensure that the poor have access.

Another $1.25 billion will be directed to combating the spread of the virus overseas, and a provision unlocks up to $7 billion in low-interest loans to small businesses affected by the outbreak.

Lawmakers spent much of this week negotiating over how to make a coronavirus vaccine affordable for Americans. The bill seeks to ensure that the federal government pays a fair price for vaccines, and it allows the Health and Human Services secretary to regulate the commercial price. Democrats had initially sought a stricter price cap.

Voting against the measure was Kentucky Republican Rand Paul, who had unsuccessfully pushed an amendment that would cut foreign aid to pay some of the bill's cost. The emergency measure is financed through deficit spending.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Wasson in Washington at ewasson@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Anna Edgerton

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