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Ohio’s U.S. Senators Support Federal Aid to Fight Coronavirus
By: Jo Ingles | Statehouse News Bureau
Posted on:
UPDATE: President Trump signed the legislation on Friday.
The U.S. House and Senate passed a bipartisan $8.3 billion emergency bill to help states deal with coronavirus, sending it to the Senate, where it will get support from Ohio’s two Senators.
Republican Sen. Rob Portman says health agencies and states need the money immediately to fight the deadly virus.
“Because there aren’t enough test kits out there, because we need more work on the vaccine, because hospitals in places like Ohio are going to have additional expenses,” Portman says.
Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown says congress must take action on this issue.
“The president has listened far too much to politicians rather than professionals. So congress will take more charge of this. I think that’s a good sign,” Brown says.
The bill passed the House with only two lawmakers voting against it. The Senate has voted 96-1 to pass the coronavirus emergency bill. Only Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against it.