Economists had warned that a stimulus measure of the size discussed on Capitol Hill would fall short of the level of support needed to support the economic recovery, even if the bill overshadowed the roughly $800 billion stimulus package that Congress passed in 2009 to combat the Great Recession. The Democrats, who had abandoned calls for another multi-trillion-dollar package, were already calling on Biden to respond quickly to a much broader aid package. Food aid. The agreement is expected to increase the benefits of food brands (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP). It would also extend the pandemic EBT program to families with children in daycare and support the Special Supplementary Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) so that participants can purchase additional fruits and vegetables. Seniors are also included, with funding for seniors` nutrition services, including Meals on Wheels, and the Supplementary Food Program to provide food boxes for seniors. Yet even as it prepared to pass a follow-up, Congress was at the height of its dysfunction after leaving so little time to complete it that lawmakers faced a series of contortions to get them across the finish line. With more time needed to turn their deal into legislation, both houses had to approve a one-day emergency spending bill — their third temporary extension in the past 10 days — to avoid a government shutdown while closing the deal. Reminder controls. A last-minute push to include stimulus checks was successful. New cheques worth $600 per person (yes, even for children) are included in the new assistance program. As before, cheques will expire for those earning $75,000 ($150,000 for married couples who apply together). According to reports, adult parents – people over the age of 18 – will still not be eligible.

However, people who submit with a person using an ITIN are allowed to collect a check (although the person with the ITIN does not). In addition to all of the above funds, the incentive extended the coronavirus relief fund created by the CARES Act and the Employee Retention Tax Credit. It also offered a special overview of the Income Tax Credit and The Child Tax Credit for Low-Income Individuals, and offered a salary extension for entrepreneurs that allowed federal agencies to reimburse entrepreneurs for the cost of paid leave during the COVID pandemic. The agreement will also extend by one month a moratorium on evictions that is due to expire at the end of the year, two people with knowledge of the matter said. The moratorium will be extended until January, when Democrats believe the new Biden administration can extend it again if necessary. The legislation will also provide about $25 billion in emergency assistance to tenants, people said, though it`s still unclear how that money would be paid. „Once this agreement goes into effect, it won`t be the last word on alleviating Congress,“ said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader who called the deal a „down payment.“ Toomey initially called for a stimulus package to ban the creation of expiring loan programs or something „similar“ in the future. He finally accepted Schumer`s compromise, which departed from banning programs that were „similar“ to those that expire this year, and instead applies more closely to the same programs. CARES Act Corrections/Clarifications on recovery controls. Earlier this year, the House was hoping for language that would replace the term „dependant“ with „eligible dependant“ for the purposes of the first audit of stimulus measures. Other corrections included coding payments to prevent compensation and clarifying that representative recipients could receive cheques.

There is no indication that these corrections/clarifications will be included in the latter aid programme. The bill does not provide direct assistance to state and local governments, a Democratic priority, or liability protection to protect businesses from the coronavirus lawsuits that Republicans had championed. An additional deferral of federal student loan payments is also not included in the deal, Politico`s Michael Stratford reports. People walk past the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., December 16, 2020. – Congress Guide on. [+] On December 16, 2020, they said they were approaching a long-awaited deal on a stimulus package for the U.S. economy, while the Federal Reserve will release updated forecasts for an uncertain outlook.

A national aid programme to support struggling businesses and the unemployed is seen as essential to rebuild the world`s largest economy in the face of a resurgence of Covid-19 infections. .