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In Brief: House Passes $2 Trillion Virus Rescue Package

March 27

House Passes $2 Trillion Coronavirus Stimulus Package

The House quickly passed a $2 trillion stimulus package in a voice vote after party leaders hustled lawmakers back to the Capitol, rejecting a Republican lawmaker’s effort to delay the measure’s approval and force colleagues go on record in favor or against it.

House Leaders Rush to Get Quorum for Vote on $2 Trillion Rescue Package

House leaders were scrambling to bring back enough legislators to form a quorum to pass a $2 trillion economic rescue package after a Republican lawmaker suggested he might object to holding the vote using a procedure that avoids putting members on the record.

March 25

Senate to Vote Wednesday on $2 Trillion Coronavirus Bill After Landmark Agreement With White House

The Senate plans to vote Wednesday afternoon on a $2 trillion stimulus package that is designed to flood the U.S. economy with money in an effort to stabilize households and businesses that have been floored by the coronavirus outbreak.

Virus Fight at Risk as World’s Medical Glove Capital Struggles With Lockdown

Disposable rubber gloves are indispensable in the global fight against the new coronavirus, yet a month’s lockdown in stricken Malaysia where three of every five gloves are made has upended the supply chain and threatens to hamstring hospitals worldwide.

March 24

U.S. Workers, Businesses Lack Funds to Tide Them Over Until Help Comes

The American economy is in a race against time.

With measures to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus intensifying, the U.S. is embarking on its sharpest downturn since at least the end of World War II. The states where nonessential businesses are shut down, including California, New York and Ohio, account for more than 40% of U.S. gross domestic product.

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March 23

Senate Fails to Advance Coronavirus Rescue Package for Second Day

Senate Democrats blocked a rescue package totaling at least $1.6 trillion from advancing for a second straight day Monday, seeking further changes to GOP-written legislation aimed at easing the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic.

IOC Member Says 2020 Tokyo Olympics Will Be Postponed Because of Coronavirus Pandemic

Veteran International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound told USA Today Sports on Monday afternoon that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

U.S. Lawmakers Fight Over Aid

As debate over a $1.8 trillion relief package raged overnight in Washington, the virus reached into the Senate itself, with one lawmaker testing positive, two more in isolation and growing concern that many others may have been exposed.

Fed Announces Unlimited Bond Purchases in Unprecedented Move to Help U.S. Economy Weather Coronavirus Meltdown

The Federal Reserve announced Monday an unlimited expansion of bond purchasing programs to backstop the U.S. economy, as millions of American households and businesses are getting crushed by the near total shutdown of daily life to fight the coronavirus.

Over the past five days, executives from the largest American clothing brands and department stores have been engaged in urgent late-night phone calls and marathon video conferences in which they game out scenarios for their future in a world with a coronavirus pandemic.

President Trump on Sunday night said that the government would reassess the recommended period for keeping businesses shut and millions of workers at home after this week, amid millions of job losses caused by the efforts to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus.