International

The House overwhelmingly passed a $8 billion emergency spending package to respond to growing cases linked to the coronavirus illness domestically and abroad.

The vote was 415-2. The Senate is expected to take up the bill by the end of the week and send it to President Trump's desk.

A bipartisan group of members and staff for the appropriations panels in both the House and Senate unveiled the legislation on Wednesday after several days of talks. They released details of the plan, which will boost funding for testing of the virus and lower costs for related medical treatments.

Although partisan disagreements on providing affordable access to treatment slowed down negotiations in recent days, members said putting politics aside finally provided the breakthrough they needed to reach a deal.