Republicans Willing to Back $500B Stimulus, Menendez Says
Two or three Republican senators are “just about committed” to supporting a $500 billion stimulus bill that would send money to states and counties hammered by the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat.
Menendez, who is cosponsoring the bill with Senator Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana, said the additional GOP senators would be ready to commit to the proposal by the end of this week. And there’s “a lot of momentum” in the House of Representatives, Menendez said at a news conference in Trenton.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, speaking at his own briefing, said he was optimistic that the House would vote this week.
“We need to get the federal government to recognize the situation that state governments face and fund not just corporate America, but fund working Americans — police, firefighters, schoolteachers,” said Cuomo, a Democrat who leads the hardest-hit state. “They have yet to do that to the extent necessary.”
19,710 in U.S.Most new cases today
-14% Change in MSCI World Index of global stocks since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
-1.027 Change in U.S. treasury bond yield since Wuhan lockdown, Jan. 23
-4.8% Global GDP Tracker (annualized), April