Congress on Sunday announced an agreement on a pandemic aid and full-year government spending bill that could put stimulus checks in the pockets of Pasadena residents.
The deal follows months of deadlock. According to details of the deal, the package includes $600 checks for many Americans, with families getting $600 per child.
It was not immediately known when the checks would be sent out.
A new round of help cannot come soon enough for the millions of Americans who have tried to scrape together enough money to afford food and housing during sustained public health restrictions.
“The American people have a great deal to celebrate in this legislation. But, of course, the agreement we reached is far from perfect,” said Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said on Sunday.
The proposal was set to put at least $300 billion into small business assistance, including Paycheck Protection Program loans. It would also add a $300 federal unemployment supplement and temporarily keep in place pandemic-era programs that expanded unemployment insurance eligibility.
Up to 12 million people could have lost unemployment benefits on Dec. 26 if the deal were not reached.
Critical funding will go into the distribution of the two FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines.
The rescue package was also set to send relief to hospitals, many of which have struggled to keep up with a flood of patients infected by the virus. It was also expected to put new money into education and transportation.
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