Coronavirus relief The
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) is Division M of the legislation, and Division N contains additional coronavirus provisions. It is a follow-on to such actions as the CARES Act and
Paycheck Protection Program passed in March 2020, and comes after eight months of mostly little progress in negotiations between the different parties and houses of Congress. Many of the negotiations made little progress due to strongly held policy differences being contested. On January 14, the
Congressional Budget Office released its scoring with Division M as $184billion and Division N as $682billion, for a total of $866billion with their breakdowns. The Associated Press' estimates were: • $325billion for small businesses • $284billion in forgivable loans via the Paycheck Protection Program • $20billion for businesses in low-income communities • $15billion for economically endangered live venues, movie theaters and museums • $166billion for a $600 stimulus check, for most Americans with an
adjusted gross income lower than $75,000 • $120billion for an extension of increased federal unemployment benefits ($300 per week until March 14, 2021) • $13billion to increase the monthly
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamp) benefit by 15% through June 30, 2021 • $13billion round of direct payments to the farming and ranching industry, including • About $5billion for payments of $20 per acre for
row crop producers, which (according to an
American Farm Bureau Federation analysis) would go to producers of corn ($1.8billion), soybeans ($1.7billion), wheat ($890million), and cotton ($240million).
Regular appropriations The regular annual
appropriations bills comprise Divisions A through L of the bill, and totals about $1.4trillion. Among these provisions are: • $1.375billion for the
Mexico–United States border wall •
Hyde Amendment, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortions • $23.3billion for
NASA Division C – Defense • $695.9billion for the
U.S. Department of Defense (a decrease of $9.7billion from FY 2020) • $2.3billion for a second
Virginia-class attack submarine, a key priority for certain legislators who have pressed for the construction of two attack subs per year The bill does not include any pay increase for members of Congress. VA appropriations include $10.3 billion for veterans' mental health (including $312 million specifically for suicide prevention),
Division K – State and foreign operations The act appropriated $55.5 billion for the
U.S. Department of State, foreign operations, related programs, and the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds. The act also included funding for the U.S. contribution to the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, a goal of global health advocates. • $2.1 billion for multilateral assistance • $1.66 billion for
USAID operating expenses and USAID Office of Inspector General • $1.3 billion for the
Foreign Military Financing program, including $1.3 billion for Egypt (with disbursement of those funds dependent on certain conditions) • $1 billion for food security and agricultural development • $906 million for the
Millennium Challenge Corporation • $875 million for education (including $100 million for
Global Partnership for Education and $25 million for Education Cannot Wait) • $500million for
missile defense systems for
Israel • $299 million for the
U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Additionally, the appropriations provisions of the bill contain various
policy riders. The addition of such provisions to omnibus spending legislation ("loading up the Christmas tree") is common toward the end of a congressional session. • Incorporation of the Aircraft Certification, Safety and Accountability Act, addressing aircraft safety issues in the wake of
Boeing 737 MAX incidents • Incorporation of the Leonel Rondon Pipeline Safety Act, named after a man killed in the 2018
Merrimack Valley gas explosions; the bill strengthens pipeline safety requirements • Incorporation of the
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, establishing national safety standards for the
horse racing industry, in a bid to combat
horse doping—a subject of scandal in preceding years
Healthcare • A ban on most
surprise medical billing—unexpected, and sometimes large, bills from
out-of-network providers that are charged to patients. The ban, which goes into effect in 2022, will require out-of-network providers to negotiate with insurers to obtain compensation, rather than billing insured patients directly. The ban on surprising billing will apply to physicians, hospitals, and
air ambulances, but does not apply to ground ambulances. The ban on surprise billing had broad public support; a similar provision nearly passed in 2019, but was blocked amid concerns from health providers and the private-equity firms that own many of them. • Reauthorizing funding for
community health centers for three years
Tax provisions • Various "tax extenders" extending expiring tax breaks; • A
tax deduction for corporate meal expenses; inclusion of this provision was pushed by Trump and administration officials, but was criticized by many House Democrats who referred to it as a needless "
three-martini lunch" tax break, as well as by economists across the political spectrum. During negotiations, Democrats ultimately agreed to include the deduction in exchange for Republicans' agreement to the expansion of tax credits for the working poor and low-income families.
Education • increasing the maximum
Pell Grant amount by $150 (bringing it to $6,495) • allowing incarcerated students to receive Pell Grants • Incorporation of the
Tibet Policy and Support Act, directing the establishment of a
U.S. consulate in
Tibet and reaffirming U.S. policy on the
succession or reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, stating that "Interference by the Government of the People's Republic of China or any other government in the process of recognizing a successor or reincarnation of the
14th Dalai Lama and any future Dalai Lamas would represent a clear abuse of the
right to religious freedom of
Tibetan Buddhists and the Tibetan people."
Energy and environmental provisions • A comprehensive update to clean energy research and development programs at the
Department of Energy known as the Energy Act of 2020, authorizing over $35 billion in funding. The legislation is based on the American Energy Innovation Act proposed by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chair
Lisa Murkowski • $10 billion for water projects, such as
coastal protection,
flood control, and environmental projects of the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The legislation, which incorporated language from the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (passed by the House earlier in the session) authorizes a record number of water projects • A phase-out of
hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HFCs), powerful
greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change; the measure will decrease HFC usage by 85% over 15 years, to avert what would otherwise be an additional 0.5 °C of global warming. This aligns with the goals of the
Kigali Amendment of the
Montreal Protocol, which the United States had not ratified at the time of passage. • Extending various energy efficiency tax incentives through 2021 • Making the
179D commercial building tax deduction for improvements to building energy efficiency • Extending, through the end of 2021, the underground and surface-mine coal excise tax, which funds the
Black Lung Disability Trust Fund • Extending, through the end of 2025, the 9-cent-per-barrel
excise tax on crude oil, which funds the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund • Reauthorize the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), of the
U.S. Department of Transportation, for five years. The PHMSA reauthorization was the result of a compromise, and did not include ambitious climate change mitigation and methane-control provisions initially proposed by House Democrats. • Blocked the
greater sage grouse from being listed under the
Endangered Species Act • Limiting oil and gas extraction in the area of
Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico • Small additions to the area of
Saguaro National Park • Redesignation of New River Gorge National River to
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve ==Economic analyses==