The US President Donald Trump signed a sweeping multibillion-dollar emergency aid package Wednesday night that will provide paid sick leave for Americans who are in quarantine, helping a family member who is infected with COVID-19 or have children whose schools have closed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
The bill also offers free testing for coronavirus and boosts unemployment insurance, food assistance and federal funding for Medicaid as part of an ongoing effort by Washington to combat the rapid spread of the pandemic.
"Today, I have signed into law H.R. 6201, the "Families First Coronavirus Response Act" (the "Act")," the president said in a statement. "The Act makes emergency supplemental appropriations and other changes to law to help the Nation respond to the coronavirus outbreak."
Trump noted a provision in the measure that requires the secretary of agriculture to submit a report to Congress that includes legislative recommendations. The president said he would "treat this provision in a manner consistent with Article II, section 3 of the Constitution," which provides him "exclusive authority" to make recommendations to Congress.
The president signed the bill hours after the Senate approved the bill, which was the result of days of negotiations between the White House and Congress.
Two members of Congress test positive for coronavirus
Rep. Ben McAdams, D-Utah, became the second U.S. lawmaker to test positive for COVID-19.
McAdams, 45, said that he started developing mild symptoms on Saturday after returning from Washington, D.C., and immediately began isolating himself after consultation with his doctor.
"On Tuesday, my doctor instructed me to get tested for COVID-19 and following his referral, I went to the local testing clinic for the test," he said in a statement "Today I learned that I tested positive.”
McAdams, the only Democratic member of Utah's congressional delegation, said he will self-quarantine until he knows it is safe: “I'm doing my part as all Americans are doing to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the coronavirus outbreak."
"I urge Utahns to take this seriously and follow the health recommendations we're getting from the CDC and other health experts so that we can recover from this public threat," his statement concludes.
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19, becoming the first known member of Congress to contract the virus.-USA Today
