The $484 billion interim emergency bill passed by the U.S. Senate on Tuesday includes expanded funding for small businesses and hospitals, and money for coronavirus testing.
What is in the bill for small businesses? How did it change from last time?
The bill refills two exhausted funds for small business aid: the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The bill puts about $310 billion more toward the PPP. The bill also tweaks the fund, amid complaints that some mom-and-pop businesses were crowded out in favor of larger businesses.
What is in the bill for health-care providers and hospitals?
The legislation provides an additional $75 billion to hospitals and health-care providers, whose budgets have been squeezed by the costs of responding to the pandemic and the collapse of other revenue.
How does the bill address coronavirus testing?
The bill provides new funds to ramp up testing across the country and calls for the Trump administration to create a national plan on testing. In the bill, $25 billion will fund manufacturing and purchasing of tests. Of those funds, $11 billion is allocated to states and localities to administer tests and conduct contact tracing, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will receive $1 billion for surveillance measures.
