Under normal circumstances, we would lambast our elected officials for pushing through a 5,593-page piece of funding legislation before anyone really had time to read it. Confusion abounds regarding what is actually in the total $2.3 trillion package, only $900 billion of which is COVID relief. The details of that $900 billion are well recorded: $600 stimulus checks, $300 enhanced unemployment benefits, $82 billion for education, $285 billion to revive the Paycheck Protection Program, $10 billion for the child care industry, somewhere between $27 billion and $69 billion for public health measures (including purchasing and distributing vaccines and test-and-trace programs), money for broadband access and infrastructure, an extended eviction moratorium and funds for food insecurity programs and agriculture. If the omnibus bill hadn’t been signed by President Trump Sunday, the nation would have faced a government shutdown Tuesday. And that’s about all we know for sure.
Because at this point, it becomes unclear what is part of the COVID package and what is part of the remaining $1.4 trillion government funding omnibus bill. And everyone from President Trump to the most reputable news sources seem confused.
It’s been nearly impossible to find a comprehensive list of the complete legislation. We spent hours comparing news articles from a variety of sources, trying to figure out what exactly is covered by that $2.3 trillion. The Washington Post and The New York Post report there’s $1.4 million in there somewhere for Trump’s border wall. The Associated Press and The New York Times agree that it contains a ban on surprise medical billing and regulates hydrofluorocarbons, as well as allocating funds for renewable energy. The AP, Washington Post and CBS News all say the bill includes a 100% tax write off for business meals (the “three-martini-lunch”). The Hill, Fox News and the AP all report the bill Trump signed into law included millions in foreign aid that Trump wants cut, but that was requested by his White House. And then there’s Trump’s final middle finger to his own party, which muddled everything more: A demand for $2,000 stimulus checks that the House happily voted to approve but that is stalled in the Senate. (Reps. Alex Mooney and Carol Miller voted against the increased stimulus.)
It’s all a mess. And we’re kind of a mess, too. On the one hand, the stimulus package is long overdue. In a lot of ways, it’s not enough, but it’s better than nothing. The rest of the bill had to be passed to keep the government from shutting down. We’re already facing an economic recession; we don’t need to add government employees to the unemployment lines.
On the other hand, Congress rammed through a massive spending bill and no one really knows what’s in it. We’re pretty sure there’s something in there that designates the New River Gorge as a national park and something else that establishes two new Smithsonian museums — one dedicated to women and the other to the Latinx community. The lack of transparency is disconcerting. We have no clue what else is hiding in those 5,593 pages that has become law without our knowledge.
At the end of the day, it seems like everyone got a little something; no one got what they actually wanted; and we have no idea if anyone got what they needed.
