President says Senate to revise House aid bill to ‘make it fair for everybody’

In a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump indicated that the Senate is set to revisit an aid package designed to respond to the economic and social stresses caused by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

“We’re looking at that through the Senate,” the president said when asked about potential changes to the House bill. 

The bill, which was approved by the House of Representatives early Saturday morning after nearly a full day of negotiations with the White House, included expanded funding for coronavirus testing and aid for American workers whose livelihoods were impacted by the economic fallout caused by the response to the spread of COVID-19.

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The bill included an expansion of healthcare benefits, social assistance programs for food and medical coverage, and a provision for paid time off for workers impacted by the disease’s spread — but the provision only covered small and medium-sized businesses.

Critics pointed out that the bill left a huge swath of the American workforce without assurances that they would be able to take time off if they, or a family member or loved one, became ill.

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It seems that the Senate will now take up the bill to expand assistance, according to a statement from the president.

“They’re working together very well with the House,” President Trump said. “They’re working to only enhance it and make it better and make it fair for everybody.”