WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Over the weekend, Congress came to terms on a COVID-19 relief bill. The House is set to vote on this deal in the evening Monday.
“We’ve been working for quite some time to get to this point,” Virginia Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger said.
Spanberger says it’s about time Congress agreed on a bill for the country.
“We are ensuring that relief is available to the American people,” Spanberger said.
The legislation includes $600 direct stimulus check, $300 a week in unemployment benefits, billions for the paycheck protection program, and more.
“We have finally joined together realizing that yes, a deal is better than no deal,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) said.
But now, lawmakers are arguing over who’s responsible for the long delay. Capito says Republicans tried to get ahead of this.
“While I’m glad that an agreement has been reached, we certainly should’ve done this earlier and could have done this earlier,” Capito said.
“It’s actually really deeply disappointing,” Spanberger said.
But Democrats blame Republicans and point to the Heroes Act, which passed the House in May.
“It is terrible it has taken us this long to actually get across the finish line with a negotiated deal,” Spanberger said.
And the discussions around COVID-19 relief do not stop with this bill.
“We need to begin the conversations tomorrow about what’s happening in the economy, what’s happening in the lives of the American people and small business owners,” Spanberger said.
The Biden administration promises more COVID-19 relief will come in the new year.
