Overall I am happy there is a stimulus on its way, however, I am very disappointed in what is not included. It doesn’t include any relief for state or local governments. The $300 weekly unemployment benefits is not enough. It should have been at least $600 and should go through June 1, 2021. It didn’t go far enough to help small restaurants who have been devastated.
Here is a good summary of what’s in the stimulus package. It is taken from the Intellingencer.
$286 billion in direct aid, including $600 checks per individua and $300 weekly unemployment benefits. The second stimulus will include $600 direct checks to Americans making less than $75,000 per year and weekly federal unemployment benefits at $300 per week which will run for 11 weeks, through March 14. As for the direct payments, families with children will also be eligible for $600 per child.
$325 billion for small business, the bulk of $284 billion of small-business aid, some $284 billion, will go to forgivable loans as part of the Paycheck Protection Program. Another $15 billion will go to live venues, cultural institutions, and movie theaters.
$82 billion for schools. Most of the spending for schools is divvied up between the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund ($54.3 billion) and the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund ($22.7 billion), programs that provide funding to states to distribute to schools according to local demands. emergency financial-aid grants.
$69 billion for public-health measures, including vaccination and testing. Funding for direct efforts to combat the pandemic include $20 billion for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority — the office within the Department of Health and Human Services — for vaccine procurement and distribution. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also receive $9 billion for the vaccination effort. States will also receive $22 billion for test-and-trace programs.
$45 billion for transportation, including over $ billion for the MTA. The second stimulus will include $15 billion for airline payroll support, $10 billion for state highways, another $2 billion for airports and related businesses, and $1 billion for Amtrak and $14 billion secured for public transit.
$25 billion in rental assistance. These funds can be also be used for rent and utility payments. The measure also extends the CDC eviction moratorium through January 31, 2021. $13 billion from the second stimulus will go toward food-assistance programs, including SNAP benefits. The bill will include another $13 billion in direct payments, buys, and loans to farmers who have taken hits during the pandemic.
A ban on most surprise medical bills. In at least one case, Congress used the massive stimulus bill to address a problem not directly related to the pandemic: surprise medical bills, which have long been a scourge of American health care. The provision begins in 2022, and doesn’t cover ground ambulance trips, which are a frequent source of surprise billing.
And some weird stuff, too. The $900 billion COVID-19 relief measure was tacked onto the $1.4 trillion omnibus spending package, Among the miscellanea is a three martini lunch provision that would allow businesses to temporarily deduct 100 percent of their corporate meal expenses — carry out food as well as sit-down meals — off their federal taxes, compared to the 50 percent that they are usually able to deduct.
• A statemen of policy regarding the succession or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, part of an entire section on Tibet
• The establishment of two new Smithsonian museums
• $2 billion for Space Force
• $35 billion for clean energy research and development
• Giving West Virginia a national park
• Banning the USPS from mailing electronic vaping products.
Several changes in copyright law, including increased penalties for illegal streaming
• The decriminalization of various minor violations, including the transportation of water hyacinths, alligator grass, or water chestnut plants across state lines and the unauthorized use of the Swiss coat of arms, the 4-H Club emblem, the “Smokey Bear” character or name, the “Woodsy Owl” character, name or slogan, or “The Golden Eagle Insignia”
• The requirement of carbon monoxide detectors in public housing
• The establishment of an anati-do[ong program for horse racing, as well as a new racetrack safety program
Stay safe, wash your hands, social distance and wear your mask.
Quote of the Day; “Blind faith in your leaders, or in anything, will get you killed.” Bruce Springsteen