The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act is a massive investment of the public’s money into the economy, but it provides relatively little guidance on what criteria should inform lending decisions on the part of the government or its agents. In recent years, banks and other lenders have been making making business decisions for social – rather than economic – reasons. In a new policy brief, Brian Knight raises the question of how much discretion will be left to these agents.