The HEROES Act includes about $1.13 trillion of emergency supplemental appropriations to federal agencies, as well as economic assistance to governments at the state, local, tribal, and territorial levels. There would be about $485 billion in safety net spending, including the expansion of unemployment benefits, increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, increased funding utilities payments and job training for low-income individuals, and a 25% increase in aid to disabled veterans. There would be about $435 billion for additional rebates, which would include an additional $1200 stimulus check per individual. There would be about $382 billion for health care, which would include reimbursing health care providers for lost revenue, covering the COBRA premium costs for employees laid off between March 2020 and January 2021, increasing funding for testing and contact tracing, eliminating cost-sharing for coronavirus treatment, and increasing funding for health agencies and centers. Employers would also need to implement infectious disease control panels. There would be about $290 billion to support small businesses and employee retention, with modifications to the Paycheck Protection Program. This would expand employee retention credit, provide credits for employer expenses, extend and expand paid leave, and provide a 90% income credit for self-employed individuals. There would be about $290 billion to reduce income taxes and $191 billion for student loan relief and funding for higher education. There would be about $202 billion for housing-related costs and expenses, including the establishment of a emergency rental assistance fund and a homeowner's assistance fund. Some eviction and foreclosure moratoriums would be expanded as well, being extended for up to another year and expanding the moratorium to cover all renters and homeowners rather than specific cases as previously done in the CARES Act. There would be about $190 billion for hazard pay for essential workers. In addition, there would be $32 billion for communication systems, $48 billion for pensions and retirement relief, $31 billion for agricultural spending, and $-254 billion for a limited business loss deductions.
Status
After the bill's passage in the House, Republicans in the Senate called it "dead on arrival", saying it was "unrealistic" and a "partisan offering". Some progressives also threatened to vote against the bill prior to its passage, saying it did not go far enough, and that any payments to citizens needed to be recurring, additional payroll support for businesses needed to be included, business liability protections had to be limited, as well as that any aid to businesses needed to be targeted more at small- and medium-sized enterprises rather than larger corporations. On July 24, 2020, Senate Majority LeaderMitch McConnell said that he hoped a package could be agreed on "in the next few weeks", with Treasury SecretarySteve Mnuchin saying that there was a "fundamental agreement" on a $1 trillion package, which would include the $1200 stimulus checks, as well payroll tax cuts wanted by some Republicans, and that relief checks would be available by August 2020. On July 27, 2020, McConnell announced the proposal of the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection and Schools Act, a smaller $1 trillion dollar package. The HEALS Act includes increased funding for schools and higher learning institutions, as well as hospitals. The HEALS Act would not provide additional funding for state and local governments short on tax revenue due to shutdowns and business closures, and would also reduce expanded unemployment benefits from $600 per week to $200.
