Congress Has Approved $3 Trillion For Coronavirus Relief So Far. Here's A Breakdown
Congress has authorized roughly $3 trillion in coronavirus relief in four separate measures over the last two months. These bills attempt to protect the American economy from long-term harm caused by stay-at-home orders and respond to the overall impact of the virus.
The House is preparing to vote on a Democrats-only bill to spend another $3 trillion. Republicans have rejected the proposal, known as the HEROES Act, and are calling for a pause on new aid. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says the latest legislation is her starting point for any new negotiations.
In several cases, Congress voted on the relief spending with little time to review the proposals and without an official cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. But now CBO has released estimates showing that the costs of some programs are expected to outpace early projections — driving up the total cost of the bills.
These long-term expenses will be added on top of recent projections from the CBO that the U.S. deficit would be more than $3.7 trillion in 2020.
NPR reviewed data and estimates reported by the CBO to break down how
