WASHINGTON -- After intense debate, the U.S. House on Friday passed a $2.2 trillion federal coronavirus relief package and rushed it to President Donald Trump, which he signed into law.

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Lawmakers in the House passed the bill, officially called the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, just after 1 p.m. Friday. Trump signed it several hours later.

The measure tosses a life preserver to a U.S. economy and health care system left flailing by the coronavirus pandemic, which has sickened more than 100,000 in the U.S. and left more than 1,500 dead, according to a Johns Hopkins tally of infections. Worldwide, the virus has sickened more than 590,000 and killed 27,000, Johns Hopkins says.

“I do think this bill is a good first step, but I know we are already working on bill number four to address COVID-19, so there will be more coming," Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy of Orlando said.

The House approval came after hours of contentious debate and a delay tactic by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who drew the anger of fellow conservatives and President Donald Trump. Massie took to Twitter to suggest he'd require a quorum of lawmakers — some 216 lawmakers — to be present and voting. But the House managed to proceed with a voice vote.

After Friday's vote, the House went into recess and is not expected back until 3 p.m. Tuesday, March 31. The Senate is adjourned until April 20.

Small business owners hope for quick lifeline

For Thomas Ward, who owns Pig Floyd’s Urban Barbakoa in the Orlando area, every day that Americans are urged to stay indoors impacts his business.

"Obviously, it’s a cash flow situation, and if the cash isn’t coming in, we are going to have to close and wait it out," Ward said.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, he says he’s lost 50% to 60% of his business and has been forced to close one of his locations. 

"We want to try to keep the majority of the staff that we can, we’ve had to cut down," he said.

The $2 trillion stimulus package could potentially help small businesses like Ward’s that have fewer than 500 employees. The bill would allow banks to lend directly to businesses, and those loans would be backed by the Small Business Administration.

Under certain conditions, the loans could be completely forgiven, if companies use the cash to keep their workers employed or if used for basic expenses such as payroll, rent, and utility payments. 

The bill also waives some typical SBA loan requirements: Business owners won’t have to provide personal guarantees or use all of their available assets as collateral. There will be no fees, and interest rates are capped at 4 percent. 

But Ward is skeptical about the prospect of receiving a loan from a private lender.

"Banks typically are very scared of the restaurant business as a whole. They are high-risk investments. If you go to a bank right now, before this, it was even hard to get money, so imagine now," he said.

Getting the money into the hands of business owners may not be instantaneous after President Donald Trump signs the bill. Some bank branches are closed except for drive-thru service, and social distancing could complicate how quickly paperwork can be completed. The SBA will need to sign off and give final approval, and that could take two weeks. 

For small business owners around the country, delays could be the difference between survival or shutting their doors for good.  

"I have a time frame of maybe a month. It’s a tough situation to be in and we are obviously trying to make the best of it," Ward said.

Trump invokes Defense Production Act on GM

Later Thursday, Trump invoked the Defense Production Act in the latest federal response to the coronavirus.

He ordered General Motors to accept and prioritize federal contracts for ventilators. The automaker announced earlier in the day it was partnering with Ventec Life Services to begin manufacturing ventilators at a plant in Indiana.

Several governors have said their states are facing shortages of the life-saving medical equipment and pushed for the federal government to use the DPA to increase manufacturing.

"Today, I signed a Presidential Memorandum directing the Secretary of Health and Human Services to use any and all authority available under the Defense Production Act to require General Motors to accept, perform, and prioritize Federal contracts for ventilators," a statement from the White House said. "Our negotiations with GM regarding its ability to supply ventilators have been productive, but our fight against the virus is too urgent to allow the give-and-take of the contracting process to continue to run its normal course."

At a press conference Friday evening, Trump announced that Peter Navarro, now Director of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, had been appointed National Defense Production Act Coordinator, working with the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services on equipment production.

The president also authorized the Department of Defense and Homeland Security to activate ready reserve components of the Armed Forces, including retirees.

During the press conference, he also added Boeing will be producing and donating thousands of face shields a week. Boeing also reportedly offered the use of their largest cargo planes to deliver heavy equipment and large quantities of supplies