Somber Congress delivers nearly $500B more in virus aid

WASHINGTON (AP) Congress has delivered a nearly $500 billion infusion of coronavirus spending, almost unanimously rushing new relief to employers and hospitals buckling under the strain of a pandemic that has claimed almost 50,000 American lives and one in six U.S. jobs.

House lawmakers gathered in Washington for the first time since March 27, adopting stricter social distancing rules while aiming to prove they can do their work despite the COVID-19 crisis.

Easy passage of the measure belies a potentially bumpier path ahead, as battle lines are being formed for much more ambitious legislation that may prove far more difficult to maneuver through Congress.