Congress nears agreement on COVID-19 economic aid bill; US working to secure more vaccine
Congressional negotiators closed in Wednesday on a $900 billion COVID-19 relief package that would deliver additional “paycheck protection” subsidies to businesses, $300 per week jobless checks, and $600 or so stimulus payments to most Americans.
The long-delayed measure was coming together as Capitol Hill combatants finally fashioned difficult compromises, often at the expense of more ambitious Democratic wishes for the legislation, to complete the second major relief package of the pandemic.
It’s the first significant legislative response to the pandemic since the landmark CARES Act in March, which delivered $1.8 trillion in aid and more generous jobless benefits and direct payments to individuals. Since then, Democrats have repeatedly called for ambitious further federal steps to provide relief and battle the pandemic, while Republicans have sought to more fully reopen the economy and to avoid padding the government’s $27 trillion debt.
In other developments:
- U.S. officials say they’re actively negotiating for additional purchases of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine after passing up a chance to lock in a contract this summer since it was still unclear how well the shots would work.
- The first COVID-19 vaccinations are underway at U.S. nursing homes, where the coronavirus has killed more than 110,000 people — about a third of American fatalities from the disease.
- As COVID-19 vaccinations roll out to more and more people, health authorities are keeping close watch for any unexpected side effects. In the U.S., vaccine recipients are supposed to hang around after the injection in case signs of an allergy appear and they need immediate treatment.
- The viral pandemic upended economies in the United States and across the world — transforming how people work, travel, eat, shop and congregate.
- On Thursday, a government advisory panel will consider whether to endorse emergency use of a second vaccine, this one made by Moderna.
- Tyson Foods says it has fired seven top managers at its largest pork plant after an independent investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would test positive for the coronavirus.
- Twitter said Wednesday that it will begin removing misinformation about COVID-19 vaccinations from its site.
- Prisons nationwide have been hit hard by COVID-19 but most states don’t have inmates near the front of the line for initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine.
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