House Approves $3 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill, Will Include New Round Of Payments And More

With the leadership of #NancyPelosi, the House of Representatives have passed the $3 trillion bill for COVID-19 relief despite opposition from #Trump and Senate Republicans.

What was once considered “dead on arrival” has now been approved by a vote of 208-199. Fourteen Democrats voted against it, and one Republican voted for it, according to CNN. The bill made history as the largest relief package in U.S. history, which includes funding for state and local governments, coronavirus testing, and another distribution of payments to Americans. This time around, the rules for the $1,200 have changed a bit, but for the good. Single filers would still get $1,200 and $2,400 for joint filers, but filers would also be eligible for $1,200 per dependent, but filers can only claim three dependents for the money, according to Vox. 

In addition to getting the bill passed, Democrats also approved remote voting by proxy and blocked GOP’s push to ban undocumented immigrants from receiving stimulus checks. The new relief bill will also include a $200 billion “heroes fund,” which will provide medical workers with hazard pay, and  $175 billion will go towards rent and mortgage. 

That’s not all the bill will also extend unemployment $600-per-week federal boost in unemployment insurance payments through January 2021, the New York Post reports. Currently, the boost continues through July. Ten billion will fund boosts in food stamps, a $25 billion bailout for the Postal Service, $3.6 billion for state elections offices, and $5.5 billion for providing more high-speed internet to libraries and homes, according to the outlet. Health insurance programs and the Census will also get a piece of the new bill. 

Even if you’ve already got tons of money, the bill plans to relieve wealthy residents of high taxes by taking away the $10,000 cap on the federal State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction for 2020 and 2021, reports the New York Post. The bill will also allow banks to work with cannabis in states that have legalized its use. While this all may be great, the bill will have to go through the GOP-led Senate, which has already planned to deny the legislation.