Another Stimulus Check On The Way? A Look At The House Democrats' $3 Trillion HEROES Act

The Democratic-majority House of Representatives on Friday passed the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES), the largest relief package in U.S. history. The legislation passed in a 208-199 vote, with the bill meeting opposition from conservative Republicans along with some moderate and progressive Democrats.

Republicans have characterized the bill as a liberal wishlist, while Democrats have said the legislation is a necessity to help Americans amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis. The unprecedented bill spans more than 1,800 pages.

Rep. Peter T. King, R-N.Y., was the sole GOP lawmaker to vote in favor of the bill.

The 14 Democrats voted against the bill were Cindy Axne of Iowa, Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Abby Finkenauer of Iowa, Jared Golden of Maine, Kendra Horn of Oklahoma, Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania, Elaine Luria of Virginia, Ben McAdams of Utah, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Xochitl Torres Small of New Mexico, Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Pramila Jayapal of Washington.

The legislation would create a $200 billion "Heroes Fund" that would boost the pay of essential workers. Certain employers would be able to apply for grants that would allow them to provide $13 in additional hourly pay for essential workers. Several House Democrats wrote a letter to congressional leadership last month urging hazard pay for these workers, with Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, also floating the idea. The bill would also give $850 million for states to provide child and family care for essential workers.

The legislation would provide $500 billion in direct assistance to state governments in financial trouble due to the virus. Meanwhile, $375 billion would be given to local governments, $20 billion to tribal governments and $20 billion to U.S. territories.

The HEROES Act would extend the additional $600 a week unemployment benefit until January 2021. Student loan borrowers in dire financial straits could also have part of their loans forgiven. Originally, the legislation would have forgiven up to $10,000 in student loan debt for most Americans, with the Congressional Budget Office estimating this would cost $250 billion to $300 billion. Democrats ultimately backtracked on the idea due to the high price tag.

Most Americans would also receive an additional $1,200 stimulus check under the legislation. $100 billion would be given to low-income renters to help them avoid eviction, while $50 million would be given to farmers.

The legislation would provide $25 billion to the U.S. postal service, a frequent target of President Trump. An additional $3.6 billion would be given to states to assist them with election preparedness and security.

Tax March Executive Director Maura Quint released the following statement in support of the bill but also with some caution.

"Congress must understand that the job is not done. This bill still falls short on key ‘Dos and Don’ts’ to provide the full relief that American families deserve. It lifts the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions, which is nothing more than a giveaway to the rich. It also lacks any substantial oversight of Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s $500 billion corporate slush fund," Quint said.

"This crisis is one of the greatest that our country, and the world, has ever faced. More than 36 million Americans are now out of work, nearly 1.5 million have been infected by the coronavirus, and more than 85,000 Americans have died. We can weather this storm and emerge from it stronger, but only if we center the American people in our relief efforts, not corporations and the wealthy.”

The U.S. has the most cases of coronavirus in the world. As of Saturday at 10:15 a.m. ET, there are 1,444,870 cases in the U.S., with the domestic death toll at 87,595.