Updated Mar 11, 2021 - Politics & Policy
What’s in the $1.9 trillion COVID relief bill Biden just signed
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Samuel Corum/Getty Images
President Biden has officially signed the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package passed by Congress, clearing the way for stimulus checks to go out as soon as this weekend.
Why it matters: While Democrats were unable to include some progressive priorities in the bill, like an increase in the minimum wage, the final product is being touted as one of the most consequential anti-poverty bills of the modern era.
The bill includes:
- $1,400 stimulus checks for Americans making less than $75,000 annually and married couples making less than $150,000. Check sizes phase down from there, with a cap of $80,000 for individuals and $160,000 for couples.
- A continuation of the federal $300-per-week supplemental unemployment benefit. Federal income taxes will also be waived on the first $10,200 of 2020 unemployment benefits for households earning less than $150,000.
- An increased child tax credit in 2021 of $3,600 for children up to age 5 and up to $3,000 for ages 6–17.
- $350 billion in state and local aid and $128.6 billion to help K-12 schools reopen.
- $25 billion in aid to restaurants and other food and drinking establishments.
- $19 billion in emergency rental assistance, $100 million to housing counseling programs and $5 billion to help combat homelessness.
- $7.25 billion in funds for Paycheck Protection Program loans for small businesses.
- $7.5 billion in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding for vaccine distribution.
- Increased subsidies for Americans buying health care through the Affordable Care Act.
- An extension of 15% increased federal SNAP benefits through September.
- About $7.2 billion for the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that all students have internet access during remote learning.
Go deeper: America's pandemic relief spending will forever reshape how Washington responds to crises
