WASHINGTON – The Senate approved its largest emergency aid package in modern history that will offer $2 trillion to help Americans, hospitals and businesses weather the effects of the coronavirus. The vote late Wednesday night was 96-0.

The bill will now go to the House for approval before it’s sent to President Donald Trump for his signature.

House Majority Leader, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced that the House will vote on the $2 trillion bill Friday, and that they will convene at 9 a.m.

"We expect the bill to pass by voice vote," he said.

Among the provisions offered in the measure are one-time $1,200 checks to individuals, $367 billion in loans and grants to small businesses, over $130 billion for hospitals and community health centers and financial help to airlines and other industries hit hard by the virus.

Read the bill::Full text of the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill

The massive package aims to offer a financial lifeline to Americans and businesses that are hurting while also offering reassurance to the markets, which have seen some of its worst days in decades due to the virus’ impacts on the economy. Already, COVID-19 has killed more than 1,000 people in the U.S. and infected more than 68,500. Efforts to mitigate its spread has left businesses closed and many Americans out of work.

The emergency aid package is the third Congress has taken up to offset the effects of the virus. Wednesday’s vote capped off days of tense, round-the-clock negotiations between the Trump administration and leaders of the House and Senate.

– Christal Hayes

Senate votes down GOP-led objection to unemployment boost, allowing bill to move forward

The Senate voted down an amendment introduced by a group of Republicans opposing the structure of the unemployment provisions in the coronavirus stimulus bill that would provide a boost of $600 per week to recipients of unemployment benefits for four months. The Wednesday night vote was 48-48, with 60 yes votes needed to pass.

Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Rick Scott of Florida, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina had argued the provision would be an incentive for people not to work because they might in some cases receive more per hour to be unemployed than they would in their jobs.

Republican senators speaking on the floor Wednesday night said they are “for this bill” but that the provision can create a “Pandora’s box for our economy.”

Senate Democrats pushed back saying workers such as those in the health care field are unlikely to leave their jobs to collect unemployment.

Earlier on Wednesday during the White House coronavirus press briefing, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushed back on the objections, saying “We wanted to have enhanced unemployment insurance.”

“This was the only way we could assure that the money gets out quickly in a fair way,” Mnuchin said.

– Jeanine Santucci and Savannah Behrmann

Pence pledges ‘full coordination’ with states on medical supply purchases

Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday the Trump administration is looking into reports that some states are unable to purchase protective medical equipment from the private market because the federal government is buying up supplies.

“We want to partner with every governor and make sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing in terms of acquiring resources,” Pence said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear complained Tuesday that his state had been in line to buy protective equipment from a private vendor but that the Federal Emergency Management Agency swooped in and bought the materials instead. Beshear said that is complicating the states’ response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Pence said he spoke Wednesday with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer who reported the same problem. “We’re looking into those matters,” he said.

While the administration wants to make sure FEMA is able to buy as much of the equipment as possible, “as we work with the supply chain, we want to have full coordination with the states,” he said.

– Michael Collins

Defense Secretary Mark Esper orders 60-day travel halt for all U.S. troops

Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Wednesday ordered a halt to travel for 60 days for all U.S. troops, their families and civilian employee to limit the spread of coronavirus, the Pentagon announced.

The move will affect 90,000 troops scheduled for deployment. Travel to training exercises will be eliminated as well, eroding troops' combat skills and readiness to fight.

Exceptions will be made for medical purposes and for those aboard ships that are deployed for 14 days. In addition, it will not affect the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, the Defense Department reported its first case of COVID-19 within the Pentagon itself, the massive office building and military headquarters.

A Marine stationed there tested positive on March 24. He is isolated at home where an immediate family member had showed symptoms. A team cleaned his workspace and is investigating to determine the contacts he had at the Pentagon.

– Tom Vanden Brook

Fauci: DIY masks only recommended in 'desperate situations'

Amid a widespread shortage of N-95 masks and and a scarce supply of loose-fitting surgical masks, many Americans who are stuck at home have taken to sewing and assembling masks of out of spare or recycled fabric. But these masks are only recommended in "desperate situations," according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the country's leading infectious disease doctor and a member of the coronavirus task force,

"You would only recommend that under desperate situations if you don't have any masks," he told reporters on whether health care workers on the front lines of the pandemic would benefit from using the homemade masks.

Health experts have warned why it may block the spread of some germs, DIY masks are not designed to block the spread of the coronavirus. But health care workers continue to report a dire shortage of personal protective equipment, including masks, hospital gowns and respirators as they continue to combat the rapid spread of COVID-19.

Fauci told reporters Wednesday he didn't see a need for DIY masks because there is a "significant inflow of masks" that will soon be available. President Donald Trump earlier said through FEMA the federal government was in the process of shipping 9.4 million N-95 masks and 20 million surgical masks.

Health officials across the country have called on contractors, nail salons and other businesses to donate any supply of gloves or masks they may have while some retail companies including Gap, Canada Goose and Joann Fabrics have begun manufacturing medical gear.

– Courtney Subramanian and Michael Collins

Pelosi says House members could vote by proxy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday that House members will get at least 24 hours notice before having to vote on the historic stimulus package – and they can do so by proxy if a lawmaker objects to passing it by voice vote.

“If someone calls for a recorded vote, then we would have a process whereby my members could vote by proxy,” Pelosi told the PBS Newshour.

While a “large number” of House members want to vote in person, she said, not everyone will be able to.

She ruled out remote voting because it poses “constitutional, technological and security” challenges.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said Wednesday he would rather pass the package by voice vote than unanimous consent so lawmakers could put statements in the congressional record to make clear their views.

“We have members who are quarantined. Members who are battling the virus. Members in New York City who cannot travel here,” McCarthy told reporters at a news conference Wednesday.

House leadership on both sides of the aisle have been talking with members throughout the day to go over the details of the bill, hoping to allow easy passage of the historic bill.

– Maureen Groppe, Christal Hays and Nicholas Wu

Trump: 'I didn't have a big problem' with Kennedy Center funding

Trump defended offering $25 million for Washington’s John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a noteworthy statement that came after Republicans spent more than a day attacking Democrats for asking for the funds.

“The Kennedy Center has suffered greatly because nobody can go there, it’s essentially closed,” Trump said, noting that it was a Democratic request and was part of the compromises between Democrats and Republicans. “I mean this thing has been devastating to it,” the president added of the virus, “so I didn’t have a big problem with it.”

- Christal Hayes

Mnuchin defends unemployment provisions in relief bill

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin pushed back Wednesday on objections from some Republican senators that the pending coronavirus relief bill provides too much money for unemployment benefits.

“We wanted to have enhanced unemployment insurance,” Mnuchin told reporters. “This was the only way we could assure that the money gets out quickly in a fair way.”

Mnuchin declined to comment on criticism from several senators, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close ally of Trump’s, that a $600 boost in unemployment benefits included in the bill could allow people to make more money with unemployment insurance than they would in their current job, incentivizing them not to work. Graham had earlier in the day said he hoped the provision was a “drafting error.”

Mnuchin said the system couldn't be designed quickly to customize it for Americans with different pay. He dismissed the criticism and expressed optimism for a speedy approval by Congress.

"Our expectation is this bill passes tonight and gets to the House tomorrow," he said.

– John Fritze and Michael Collins

Last-minute drama leaves Senate vote on $2 trillion package in the air

Lawmakers’ concerns about some provisions in a monumental emergency aid package to help Americans and businesses reeling due to the coronavirus has left a vote on the $2 trillion bill up in the air.

A group of Republican senators, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to raise objections to the structure of the unemployment insurance provisions in the coronavirus stimulus bill.

They argued the current language, with a $600 boost in unemployment benefits, could allow people to make more money with unemployment insurance than they would in their current job, and thus boost unemployment numbers nationally.

A Republican Senate aide said the $600 figure was a compromise between getting the assistance out quickly and trying to make up the difference between average wages and average weekly unemployment benefits.

Graham said he hoped the Senate would amend the provision to prevent people from making more money from unemployment benefits than they would in their current job.

"I'd like to vote on that, I think, hopefully the body can come together,” he said.

After the group balked about the provisions to reporters and asked for changes, which were the product of negotiations and something Democrats touted as one of their accomplishments in the bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., threatened to hold up the bill and ask for strong measures on $500 billion being offered to help companies. He said he would drop his objections if Republicans did the same.

“Unless these Republican Senators drop their objections, I am prepared to put a hold on this bill until stronger conditions are imposed on the $500 billion corporate welfare fund,” the presidential candidate said. “In my view, it would be an outrage to prevent working-class Americans to receive the emergency unemployment assistance included in this legislation.”

The back-and-forth has left a planned vote on the package murky as final text on the bill — the largest emergency aid package in history — has yet to be released. Senate leaders have said they planned to vote today on the legislation.

While Sanders’ threat appeared to be an attempt to halt further objections and get the bill quickly passed in the chamber, it does not appear to have worked.

On Sean Hannity's radio show, Graham showed no signs of backing down and said “the reason I know I’m right is that Bernie Sanders has just threatened me.”

During a Wednesday evening press briefing, President Trump urged Congress to quickly pass the stimulus bill and get it to his desk.

"I will sign it immediately," he said.

- Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu

Senate outlines $1,200 cash assistance in massive coronavirus bill

Senate leaders released more of its toplines on a $2 trillion emergency package to help Americans and businesses hurt by the coronavirus, a historic bill the body hopes to pass later today.

Senate negotiators released the broad takeaways on the bill’s tax, health, and education policy items, which includes offering checks to Americans, bolstering unemployment insurance, and allowing students to defer loan payments.

Though final bill text has yet to be released, much of the bill is expected to be unchanged before it is voted on by the Senate. After approving the bill, it will head to the House for a vote and then the president’s desk.

Here are some of the key items included in this portion of the bill:

$1,200 cash assistance for individuals, $2,400 for married couples and $500 for each eligible child. This money is available for all U.S. residents with an income up to $75,000, including those with no income or who depend on social security.

A tax credit for some small businesses for 50% of wages paid to employees during the coronavirus crisis.

Boosting Medicare payments for hospitals that treat coronavirus patients by 20% and hospitals can request accelerated payments from Medicare.

Expands telehealth access.

Lifts Medicare sequester, which would have cut Medicare payments by 2% and eliminates Medicare Part B cost-sharing for coronavirus vaccine.

Provides permanent liability protection for manufacturers of personal respiratory protective equipment, such as masks and respirators, in the event of a public health emergency, to incentivize production and distribution.

Directs the National Academies to study supply chain shortages of equipment like masks and ventilators.

$1.3 billion in additional funding for Community Health Centers.

Allows students to defer loan payments for six months and keep Pell Grants.

Allow federal testing rules to be waived for K-12 students.

- Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu

Senate releases some provisions in $2 trillion emergency package

Senate leaders released some of the toplines in a massive $2 trillion emergency package to help counter the effects of the coronavirus on American life, offering $1,200 checks to adult individuals and a financial lifeline to businesses and industries reeling from the rapidly expanding virus.

The full text of the bill has yet to be released but the Senate is planning to vote on soon. The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee released the details of what is included in one area of the massive bill and how $330 billion would be used.

Here are some of the top provisions laid out:

$150 billion for hospitals and medical centers to handle surging caseloads.

More than $25 billion for food stamps and other food assistance programs and $9.5 billion to the Department of Agriculture to support agricultural producers.

$10.5 billion for the Department of Defense, including $1.4 billion for deployments of the National Guard and$ 1 billion for the Defense Production Act to help the fast-track production of needed medical supplies to combat the coronavirus.

$5 billion is provided for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to enable nearly 1,240 states, counties, and cities to rapidly respond to COVID-19 and the economic and housing impacts caused by it.

$45 billion for FEMA Disaster Relief Fund and another $4.3 billion for the Centers for Disease Control.

$11 billion for vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other medical needs which will be spread among several agencies to help discover a cure and treatment options for the virus .

$400 million to help states as they prepare for elections amid the virus.

$45 billion in disaster fund relief for “the immediate needs” of state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. Another $31 billion to help states keep schools and colleges open and operating on-line.

$3 billion to help more than 4.5 million low-income households in HUD-assisted housing to avoid eviction.

Authorizes $350 billion worth of loans to small businesses, some of which will be forgiven later.

$562 million for the Small Business Administration Disaster Loans Program to offer loans to businesses hit and $1.5 billion to the Economic Development Administration to support grants for states and local communities .

$10 billion to be disbursed to airports by the Federal Aviation Administration, $25 billion for local bus and rail systems and another $1 billion to help Amtrak offset its losses.

- Ledge King, Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu

Republican senators raise objections to unemployment insurance provisions

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, several Republican senators raised objections to the structure of the unemployment insurance provisions in the coronavirus stimulus bill.

Sens. Tim Scott of South Carolina, Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Rick Scott of Florida, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said the proposed $600 boost in unemployment benefits could “actually incentivize the severing of the employee-employer relationship."

Calling the provision a “drafting error,” the senators said the unemployment insurance could cause people to make more money with unemployment insurance than they would in their current job.

Graham said on top of South Carolina’s unemployment insurance of about $326 a week, the additional money would bring workers up to the equivalent of $24 an hour.

"I just can't imagine the effect in South Carolina and other places when you realize you're getting $24 an hour on unemployment. So every employer in the state has to compete against a $24 an hour minimum wage.”

Graham said he hoped the Senate would amend the provision to prevent people from making more money from unemployment benefits than they would in their current job.

"I'd like to vote on that, I think, hopefully the body can come together,” he said.

Senate Democrats had touted the unemployment insurance provisions of the bill. Earlier Wednesday, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called them “unemployment insurance on steroids.”

- Nicholas Wu

U.S. doctors push State Dept. to expedite visas for foreign physicians seeking U.S. residency posts

The nation’s most powerful doctors’ association is pressing the State Department to open visa processing for foreign physicians seeking to join U.S. residency programs.

The American Medical Association is also calling on Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to publicly confirm that foreign nationals already working in the U.S. as residents will be able to get their visas renewed, so they can be redeployed as the coronavirus outbreak continues its march across the United States.

On March 20, the State Department announced it would suspend routine visa services at all its embassies and consulates around the world because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The AMA said if those services don’t restart soon, it could exacerbate the stress on the U.S. health care system.

“Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. was already facing a serious shortage of physicians largely due to the growth and aging of the population and the impending retirement of many physicians,” the AMA’s CEO, Dr. James L. Madara, wrote in a letter to Pompeo on Wednesday.

Madara noted that foreign residents serve a critical role in providing health care to Americans – particularly those in rural and other underserved areas that have a high prevalence of chronic disease, such as diabetes. Those conditions could contribute to complications from COVID-19.

There are currently 4,300 medical graduates who have been matched to U.S. residency programs but need immigration services in order to enter and stay in the United States, the AMA says. In addition, there are many foreign residents already here who have recently completed their residencies, and they now need visa services to transfer to underserved areas.

“During this pandemic it is even more critical that our non-U.S. citizen (international medical graduates) have the support they need from the Administration to provide health care to those patients battling COVID-19,” Madara wrote.

The State Department’s press office did not immediately respond to questions about the AMA letter.

In announcing its suspension of routine visa services, the State Department said it is focused on providing emergency and “mission-critical” visa services and has canceled “all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments.”

The State Department has said it cannot provide a specific date for resumption of regular services.

- Deirdre Shesgreen

Senate reaches deal on $2 trillion stimulus bill aimed at coronavirus

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has been touting a key metric in recent days to highlight the speed with which the nation is ramping up its testing for coronavirus. The U.S., Trump has said, is now moving faster on testing than South Korea.

But in making the claim, Trump overlooks a huge piece of context: The United States population is more than six times the size of South Korea’s. On a per capita basis, South Korea is testing far more of its citizens than the U.S.

“We kept hearing about South Korea,” Trump said during his daily White House briefing on Tuesday. “In eight days, we're doing more testing than they've done in eight weeks. That's a tremendous turn.”

Trump is under enormous pressure to expand the availability of tests, and leaders both in Washington and around the world have held up South Korea as a benchmark country for comparison because of their rapid deployment.

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There is no “official” U.S. government count of testing. Trump administration officials have said that’s partly because they didn’t want to slow down availability of the test by imposing uniform reporting requirements. But the COVID Tracking Project website is collecting data from state and local governments and appears to be one of the more reliable sources in the nation on testing data.

The site has counted 367,710 coronavirus tests administered in the U.S. as of Wednesday. South Korea, by comparison, has conducted 357,896 tests, according to public health officials there. Assuming those numbers are accurate, the U.S. has exceeded South Korea in terms of raw tests.

But the huge difference in population adds an important piece of context to those figures. The U.S. population is roughly 332.6 million. South Korea’s is 51.8 million. That means South Korea has tested roughly one in every 144 of its citizens. In the U.S. the per capita testing rate is closer to one in every 900.

- John Fritze and Jennifer Portman

New York’s Gov. Cuomo says stimulus bill falls far short

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday that an approximately $2 trillion assistance package the Senate hopes to quickly approve doesn’t come close to meeting his hard-hit state’s needs.

“It would really be terrible for the state of New York,” Cuomo said at a news conference held as lawmakers were trying to put into legislative language the deal announced in the early morning hours by Senate leaders. “This doesn’t do it.”

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Cuomo said New York would get $3.8 billion when they’re looking at a revenue shortfall of as much as $15 billion and the cost of combating the coronavirus will be several billion dollars.

He pointed to the more generous $17 billion he said the state would have gotten under the assistance package proposed by the House.

“We need the House to make adjustments,” Cuomo said.

- Maureen Groppe

Pompeo blasts China for ‘crazy talk'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo repeatedly used the term “Wuhan virus” to refer to the coronavirus that is spreading across the globe, despite warnings from health experts that the term risks stigmatizing Asian-Americans and concerns the label has incited racist attacks in the U.S.

In a 15-minute news conference, Pompeo never used the official medical term – COVID-19 – for the disease.

Pompeo also lashed out at China again for its handling of the initial outbreak, which began in the city of Wuhan.

“They were the first country to know about the risk to the world from this virus, and they repeatedly delayed sharing that” information with the U.S. and other nations, Pompeo told a handful of reporters gathered at the State Department for Wednesday’s briefing.

Pompeo blasted the Chinese Communist Party for its “disinformation campaign,” noting that a high-level party official has wrongly suggested the U.S. military may have introduced the virus inside China.

“This is crazy talk,” Pompeo said.

Asked about possible U.S. cooperation with China now that the country seems to have recovered from the peak of its outbreak, Pompeo said the Trump administration is willing to work with any country on the global response to the pandemic.

Pompeo’s remarks came after he and other European leaders spoke via videoconference Wednesday morning – a G7 meeting that was originally scheduled to take place in-person in Philadelphia. The G7 foreign ministers held the virtual meeting instead.

- Deirdre Shesgreen

Pentagon: military coronavirus cases jump by 29%

Coronavirus cases among troops, their families and civilian employees climbed Wednesday to 415, the Pentagon reported, a 29% increase from Tuesday's 321 case total.

The coronavirus continues to spread throughout the ranks. Three sailors aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, sailing in the eastern Pacific, were airlifted from the ship after they tested positive for the illness, the Navy said Tuesday. The Roosevelt has more than 5,000 sailors aboard.

On Wednesday, the Pentagon’s top acquisition chief, Ellen Lord, acknowledged in a briefing with reporters that although the alarm sounded on COVID-19 several weeks ago, comprehensive planning in the Defense Department began Friday to ship stockpiles of ventilators and mask and to buy more of them.

Meanwhile, the Army ordered the deployment of three combat support hospitals to New York and Washington. The Army’s largest field hospitals have about 250 beds, including some for intensive care. The mobile hospitals are based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Fort Carson, Colorado, and Fort Hood, Texas. Designed to serve as trauma hospitals, they have the capability to function as full-service hospitals for all patient types.

- Tom Vanden Brook

How big is the stimulus package?

At roughly $2 trillion, the measure would be, by far, the largest economic package ever approved by Washington.

It's more than half the size of the $3.5 trillion the federal government expects to collect in taxes this year.

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., on a conference call with reporters, called it the "biggest economic government intervention in the history of the world"

- Ledge King

Schumer: 'odds are high' another stimulus will be needed

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said another bill to counter the effects of the coronavirus is likely, opening the door to another legislative package just hours after senators reached a deal on a $2 trillion stimulus plan early Wednesday.

"I think the odds are high we're going to have to do something again," Schumer said on MSNBC's Morning Joe. "We have to see in the next few weeks what other problems haven't been solved."

"This bill is a good bill," he said, noting "it doesn't have everything I like in it. And there are a few things in it I don't like. But overall, we need it."

- Nicholas Wu

Senate to vote on stimulus package Wednesday

The Senate is scheduled to reconvene at noon Wednesday to begin the process of passing the historic $2 trillion economic rescue package crafted to combat the impacts of coronavirus.

The Senate first will hold a vote to end debate and clear the way for final Senate passage, likely later Wednesday. After its expected passage, the bill will head to the House for a vote there before heading to President Donald Trump for his signature.

The final language is still being crafted but the package includes one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child, $367 billion for small businesses, $500 billion for loans to larger industries, $100 billion for hospitals and the health care system, $600 more per week in unemployment benefits for those out of work.

It’s the third measure and – by far – the largest economic stimulus package expected to emerge from Congress this month to confront a pandemic that has killed more than 800 Americans, infected tens of thousands more, and shuttered large swaths of the U.S. economy.

- Ledyard King

Senators reach $2 trillion stimulus to fight coronavirus impacts

After days of rancorous negotiations, Republican and Democratic senators have reached a deal on a roughly $2 trillion stimulus package to ease the damaging economic effects of the coronavirus outbreak.

About 1:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced the agreement in a speech on the Senate floor along with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

"At last, we have a deal," McConnell said. "After days of intense discussions, the Senate has reached a bipartisan agreement on a historic relief package for this pandemic."

The final language is still being crafted but the package includes:

one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child

$367 billion for small businesses

$500 billion for loans to larger industries

$100 billion for hospitals and health system

$50 billion for protective equipment for health care workers, testing supplies, workforce training, new construction to house patients, and coronavirus medical research.

A $600 increase in the maximum weekly unemployment benefit for four months

$150 billion for a state, local and tribal fund

The creation of a Treasury Department office to oversee the distribution of loans

A tax credit for employers who keep workers on their payroll

A provision that no loans can go to businesses controlled by President Donald Trump, members of his administration, members of Congress or their families

McConnell said it was a "war-time level of investment" that would "rush new resources onto the front lines of our nation’s health care fight" and "inject trillions of dollars of cash into the economy as fast as possible."

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"We're going to pass this legislation later today," he vowed.

"After sleep-deprived nights and marathon negotiating sessions, we have a bipartisan agreement on the largest rescue package in American history," Schumer said. "This is not a moment of celebration but one of necessity. The anguish of the American people – wondering about the future of their health, the health of their loved ones and the economy – necessitates us to do all we can to help them and help our country."

Schumer said while "like all compromises, this bill is far from perfect" it was a significant improvement over the previous version and urged his fellow Democrats to vote for it.

For days, both sides had agreed on the basics of the package: direct payments to Americans, help for small business, a lifeline to large industries, such as airlines, considered vital to the nation’s swift recovery from a shutdown that had paralyzed the world’s largest economy and upended the country’s daily routines.

But a quick compromise proved elusive.

Democrats pressed for more worker protections, money for states fighting the virus and guarantees that corporations couldn’t use bailout money for stock buybacks and executive bonuses. Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of obstruction for delaying a desperately-needed lifeline for the American economy in order to push what McConnell derided as a "left-wing episode of 'Supermarket Sweep.'"

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Floor votes simply to advance the bill to the Senate floor for a final vote died on two separate occasions. Tempers flared. Patience was short. Both sides accused the other of negotiating in bad faith while the crisis worsened, the number of infection cases climbed, and the stock market continued to tumble.

In addition, the already difficult negotiations were complicated as a handful of senators – all Republicans – couldn’t vote because they had to self-quarantine over exposure to the very virus they were trying to combat.

If the bill passes the full Senate, it will go to the House.

- Ledyard King, Nicholas Wu and William Cummings

94% of Republicans, 27% of Democrats approve of Trump's coronavirus response, poll finds

President Donald Trump's opponents have criticized him for not ramping up the federal response to the COVID-19 outbreak sooner, and for downplaying the threat posed by the new coronavirus into early March. But those criticisms do not appear to be shared by a majority of the American people as 60% of whom approve of Trump's handling of the pandemic, according to a new Gallup poll.

Approval of his response was highest among Republicans at 94%. Sixty percent of independents and 27% of Democrats also gave him good marks on his handling of the crisis. Overall, 38% said they disapproved of his response to the outbreak.

Trump's job approval rating also climbed to 49% from 44% in the previous Gallup poll, which was conducted earlier in March. That tied his previous high with Gallup, which he reached amid his impeachment battle and eventual acquittal. His lowest job approval mark with Gallup was 35%, which he reached in four 2017 polls.

Notably, Trump's approval jumped 8 percentage points among independents and 6 points among Democrats from the previous poll, which Gallup noted was unusual for the politically polarizing president. The polling outfit attributed that climb to a "rally effect" often seen when the nation is in crisis.

"Historically, presidential job approval has increased when the nation is under threat," Gallup said. "Every president from Franklin Roosevelt through George W. Bush saw their approval rating surge at least 10 points after a significant national event of this kind. Bush's 35-point increase after 9/11 is the most notable rally effect on record."

The poll was conducted from March 13-22 from a random sample of 1,020 adults. Its margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.

- William Cummings

Trump attacks Romney after Utah senator tests negative for coronavirus

President Donald Trump greeted reports that Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, tested negative for coronavirus by saying "great news!" – though he then proceeded to trash his political rival in a tweet.

"I am so happy I can barely speak," Trump tweeted. "He may have been a terrible presidential candidate and an even worse U.S. Senator, but he is a RINO, and I like him a lot!"

RINO is slang for "Republican In Name Only."

Romney, the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, was the only Republican lawmaker to vote in favor of an impeachment charge against Trump. Romney has also been frequently critical of the president.

After Romney announced he would go into seclusion amid coronavoirus fears, Trump told reporters Sunday: "Romney is in isolation? Gee, that's too bad."

- David Jackson

Package blocks Trump, other officials' businesses from receiving stimulus money

The Senate Democratic leader says the proposed $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill would prohibit money from going to businesses controlled by President Donald Trump.

Business interests controlled by Vice President Mike Pence, members of Congress, and heads of executive departments are also prohibited "from receiving loans or investments from Treasury programs," said a statement from the office of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

Democrats had demanded such a provision in the bill, saying Trump and his family would seek to benefit from what some called a "slush fund" to be controlled by the Treasury Department. The Trump hotel and resort empire, like others, has been hit hard by the outbreak of coronavirus and the resulting shutdowns across the world.

Senators who negotiated the final proposal told reporters that a $500 billion loan and loan guarantee program would be scrutinized by an independent inspector general and an oversight board.

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Trump was asked Sunday whether his business interests could benefit from the legislation. "I have no idea what they're talking about," he said. "Let's just see what happens."

Trump also noted that his children now control his businesses. Schumer's office said the prohibition on aid also includes "the children, spouses and in-laws."

- David Jackson

Contributing: The Associated Press