Congress Approves Long-Awaited $900 Billion Covid Rescue Package

The US Congress has passed the long-awaited “stimulus package” Covid relief bill and the government’s funding plan

Here are key provisions that will be included as part of the agreement, according to summaries of the legislation released by Democratic and GOP leadership:

• Direct payment checks of up to $600 per adult and child

• Aid for struggling small businesses, including more than $284 billion for forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loans and $15 billion “in dedicated funding for live venues, independent movie theaters, and cultural institutions”

• $300 per week for enhanced unemployment insurance benefits

• $20 billion to buy vaccines and make “the vaccine available at no charge for anyone who needs it” and $8 billion for vaccine distribution

• $20 billion for coronavirus testing efforts

• $25 billion for rental assistance and an eviction moratorium extension

• $82 billion for education providers like schools and colleges, including aid to help reopen classrooms safely and $10 billion for child care assistance

• $429 billion in unused funds provided by the CARES Act for the Federal Reserve’s emergency lending facilities

• $13 billion in increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and child nutrition benefits

• $7 billion to bolster broadband access to help Americans connect remotely during the pandemic

• $45 billion to support transportation services, including $2 billion for airports, $1 billion for Amtrak and $16 billion for “another round of airline employee and contractor payroll support”

• A tax credit “to support employers offering paid sick leave”