Hoyer expects coronavirus bill as soon as Wednesday, urges lawmakers to stay until it's done

close

Video

Federal Reserve makes unprecedented interest rate cut in response to coronavirus

Cheryl Casone and Robert Wolf discuss the Federal Reserve's largest emergency interest rate cut since the financial crisis in an effort to contain the economic fallout from coronavirus

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he expects a vote on legislation as soon as Wednesday that would appropriate roughly $8 billion to address the coronavirus that has infected patients around the globe.

Hoyer said Tuesday that the House should not leave this week until they approve a coronavirus spending bill.

ARIZONA BEGINS IN-HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TESTING IN BID TO SPEED DIAGNOSES

"Coronavirus is front and center for all of our attention," Hoyer said. "I anticipate having a bill on the floor tomorrow, maybe Thursday ... I told members it was doubtful we would leave unless we pass the coronavirus supplemental."

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also stressed the need to put politics aside and get something done.

"This attacks everyone," McCarthy said at a Tuesday press briefing. "It is not a partisan issue."

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed confidence that Congress will "come together with a bipartisan, bicameral package."

DENVER DEMOCRAT FACES BACKLASH AFTER TWEETING 'SOLIDARITY' FOR SPREADING CORONAVIRUS AT TRUMP RALLIES

The Federal Reserve also took action, cutting its benchmark interest rate by a sizable half-percentage point Tuesday in an effort to support the economy in the face of the spreading coronavirus.

Chairman Jerome Powell said at a news conference that the virus “will surely weigh on economic activity both here and abroad for some time.”

House legislation introduced by Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis., addressed supply chain problems by allowing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to examine the sources of medical products and provide more in case of shortages.

"With the continued spread of the coronavirus resulting in numerous deaths in the United States, it is imperative that we provide the FDA with tools they need to better prepare for responses and shortages in medical supplies," Pocan said in a statement. Gallagher asserted that U.S. "overreliance on products made in China doesn’t just threaten our medical supply chains. It threatens public health."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

This comes after Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced similar legislation in the Senate Feb. 27 following reports of drug shortages due to the outbreak in China.

"The coronavirus outbreak in China has highlighted severe and longstanding weaknesses in our medical supply chain. This is more than unfortunate; it’s a danger to public health," Hawley said. Our health officials need to know the extent of our reliance on Chinese production so they can take all necessary action to protect Americans. This legislation will give us the information we need to better secure our supply chain and ensure that Americans have uninterrupted access to life-saving drugs and medical devices.

Fox News' Gillian Turner and The Associated Press contributed to this report.