COVID-19 Relief Funding
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Since March, Congress has passed five COVID-19 relief bills; each passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan votes.
- Congress has already provided $4 trillion for COVID-19 relief.
- Before authorizing additional funding, we must ensure these existing resources are being used effectively to combat the pandemic.
Since March, Congress has taken unprecedented steps to help Americans respond to the coronavirus pandemic.
congress has passed five bipartisan covid-19 relief packages
Each of the five COVID-19 relief bills passed the Senate with overwhelming bipartisan votes.
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Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. Passed Senate on March 5, 2020, by a vote of 96-1.
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Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Passed Senate on March 18, 2020, by a vote of 90-8.
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Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Passed Senate on March 25, 2020, by a vote of 96-0.
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Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. Passed Senate on April 21, 2020, by voice vote.
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The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Passed Senate on December 21, 2020, by a vote of 92-6.
congress has provided trillions in relief
Congress has provided $4 trillion for COVID-19 relief. Congress has targeted important programs to help individuals, families, and businesses that need them the most.
Emergency Supplemental Appropriations
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Over $800 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program to help small businesses
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$113 billion for education, including $68 billion for getting K-12 kids back to school
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$47.6 billion for vaccine and treatment development and procurement
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$8.75 billion for coronavirus vaccine distribution
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$178 billion for the provider relief fund
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$33.4 billion for COVID-19 testing and $2 billion to reimburse providers for tests for people who do not have health care coverage
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$63 billion for transportation, including $39 billion for transit
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$20 billion to support agriculture producers
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$25 for nutrition programs, in addition to a 15% increase for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and increased support for the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program
Mandatory Programs
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Congress provided more than $450 billion in direct payments to Americans in March (up to $1,200 for single filers/$2,400 for joint filers and $500 for each qualifying child) and December (up to $600 for single filers/$1,200 for joint filers and $600 for each qualifying child).
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As of January 23, Congress has spent more than $293 billion on extra weekly federal unemployment benefits, which are on top of other jobless benefits such as regular state benefits. The CARES Act provided an extra weekly benefit of $600 through the end of July. The Consolidated Appropriations Act provides an extra $300 extra weekly benefit from the end of December through mid-March.
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Additionally, as of January 23, Congress has spent more than $83 billion on unemployment compensation for independent contractors, the self-employed, and other workers who normally do not qualify for state benefits.
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billions of dollars in covid-19 relief still left to be spent
It was just a month ago that Congress passed an additional $900 billion in COVID-19 relief. A lot of that money hasn’t even had a chance to be obligated yet. And while some of the funding provided over the last year has been obligated, some of it hasn’t actually been spent yet. Before authorizing additional funding, we must ensure these existing resources are being used effectively to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
LHHS (as of January 22, 2021)
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Of the $68 billion Congress has provided for K-12 schools, states have spent just over $4 billion
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Of the $37 billion Congress has provided for higher education, states have spent just over $11 billion
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Of the $7 billion Congress has provided for the Governor’s Fund, states have spent just over $1 billion
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Of the $13.5 billion Congress has provided for Child Care and Development Block Grant program, only $3.5 billion has been obligated
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CDC has distributed only $3 billion of the $8.75 billion appropriated for vaccine distribution
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For COVID-19 testing, there is still over $14 billion that has not been obligated
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Less than 10% – just over $400 million of the $4.7 billion provided – of the funding for mental health and behavioral health programs has been obligated
THUD (as of January 19, 2021)
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None of the $27 billion provided for the Department of Transportation in December has been obligated
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Less than 75% of the funding provided for community planning and development in the CARES Act has been obligated
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Of the over $1 billion provided for housing programs in the CARES Act in March, more than $200 million remains to be obligated
Ag (as of January 22, 2021)
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Of the $26 billion provided for agriculture and nutrition in December, $24.5 billion has yet to be obligated.
FSGG (as of January 31, 2021)
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Out of $284 billion provided for the Paycheck Protection Program in December, only $73 billion has been obligated
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None of the $20 billion provided for Economic Injury Disaster Loans in December has been obligated yet
VA (as of January 27, 2021)
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Of the $19.6 billion Congress provided the VA, only $8.6 billion has been obligated
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