ALL THE CORONAVIRUS ACTS FROM CONGRESS SO FAR
Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent

Congress has now passed enough coronavirus relief bills that lawmakers and Capitol Hill staff are no longer sure how to number or refer to them all. 

With the intention of helping untangle the trillions of dollars in spending, here is a quick look at exactly what Congress and the president have put in place so far.

In order of passage:

1. The vaccine and emergency spending bill
Full title: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act
Became law: March 6 
Amount: $8.3 billion

This bill got the fewest headlines, but it was the first to tackle coronavirus-related needs. It focused on boosting the health care community’s ability to combat the virus, with funding for vaccine research and drug therapies. The bill also included more than a billion dollars in international aid and some funds for emergency small business loans.

2. The sick leave and food bill
Full title: Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Became law: March 18 
Amount: $192 billion, per the Congressional Budget Office

Less than two weeks after the first coronavirus bill, Congress vastly expanded the scope of its spending. The Families First Act was focused primarily on the immediate needs of struggling workers and communities, including people who became sick themselves and families who had to stay home because of the disease. 

The bill required that businesses with fewer than 500 workers offer these categories of workers paid sick leave. In addition, the Families First Act pumped out food assistance to communities with closed schools, to seniors and to Native American populations.

3. The CARES Act. The sweeping economic rescue bill
Full title: Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act
Became law: March 27
Amount: Estimates range from $1.7 trillion-$2.3 trillion. Total cost may not be known for some time.

The CARES Act is the largest one-time spending bill in modern U.S. history, and possibly all of U.S. history.  

It included the Paycheck Protection Program, which covers eight weeks of payroll for most small businesses; the Economic Stabilization Act, which funds $500 billion in loans and grants for large businesses; and offered a sweeping, temporary expansion and extension of unemployment benefits. Most student loan payments are frozen temporarily because of this bill, which also gave $100 billion to health care providers and $150 billion to state and local governments. And those are just the highlights. 

4. The CARES Act funding fix
Full title: Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
Also known as: CARES Act 2, PPP 2, COVID 3.5 or H.R. 266
Became law: April 24
Amount: $484 billion

This bill does not have a catchy title, or a common nickname (yet). While it is mostly an extension of ideas in the CARES Act, this follow-up bill is a mammoth, historic relief package on its own.

The PPPHCE Act (see what we mean about the name) adds another $320 billion to the small business loan Paycheck Protection Program, $60 billion for emergency small business loans and grants, an additional $75 billion for hospitals and $25 billion for coronavirus testing. 

5. The next bill

Congress is now preparing for the fifth coronavirus act, but there is a significant divide over what it should contain and whether the government should continue to borrow money to pay for its relief packages.

Ideas under debate: up to $500 billion more for states and local governments, an infrastructure bill, rent relief, hazard pay for some frontline COVID-19 workers, increased food aid and money for rural communities, including for rural broadband.

FIVE OVERLOOKED POLITICAL STORIES FROM THE PAST WEEK
By Alex D’Elia, @AlexDEliaNews
Politics production assistant

Maryland prepares for unprecedented test of mail-in voting amid pandemic — April 27. Today is the special election to fill the late Rep. Elijah Cummings’ congressional seat for the remainder of his term. Why it matters: With only three voting centers open in the district, today’s election will be an important test of the mail-in system ahead of the state’s June primary election. — The Washington Post

Bloomberg reverses, offers ex-aides health coverage amid pandemic — April 27. The former Democratic presidential candidate will cover healthcare costs for staffers on his short-lived campaign through November. Why it matters: The move is unlikely to placate staffers with lawsuits against Bloomberg alleging he reneged on a promise to pay their salaries as well as health insurance through November. — POLITICO

To pressure Iran, Pompeo turns to the deal Trump renounced — April 26. Pompeo’s strategy is to claim the U.S. is still a participant state in the Obama-era nuclear accord only to force the restoration of UN sanctions against Iran that were in place before the 2015 accord. Why it matters: The whole thing could result in a confrontation with Iran later this year, in the weeks leading up to the presidential election — The New York Times

Pelosi: Minimum guaranteed income may now be 'worthy of attention' — April 27. As Congress weighs its next round of aid, the speaker of the House expressed openness to the idea of guaranteed income as a way to keep people afloat amid the pandemic. Why it matters: Congressional leadership is recognizing the $2.2 trillion relief package didn’t go far enough, and there’s support for extended assistance on both sides of the aisle. — The Hill

Girl Scouts, sitting on 144,000 unsold cookie boxes, get federal relief in Alaska — April 26. The Girl Scouts, who had to cut their cookie-selling season short due to the coronavirus pandemic, rely on cash from those sales to fund camps and scholarships. Why it matters: Aid from the Paycheck Protection Program means the organization can continue online programs for girls and pay their employees. — Anchorage Daily News


#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kate Grumke, @KGrumke
Politics producer

On this day in 1788, Maryland became the seventh state to ratify the U.S. Constitution.

Our question: Which state was the first?

Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Which U.S. president never met with Queen Elizabeth II?

The answer: Lyndon B. Johnson

Congratulations to our winners: WertheimerJ and Loral Moore!!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your Inbox next week