URGENT-U.S. House approves extension of small business loan program

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved an extension of a $660 billion lending program in an effort to help small businesses that have been hit hard by the coronavirus, renewing a lifeline that had just expired.

The Senate approved the extension on Tuesday. It would keep the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which expired at midnight Tuesday, operating through Aug. 8. The bill, which both chambers passed on a voice vote, now goes to President Donald Trump for signing into law.