On the evening of May 15, the U.S. House voted 208-199 to pass a $3 trillion legislative package. H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, would provide states and local governments with nearly $1 trillion that could be used to replace drastic revenue shortfalls. H.R. 6800 also includes several amendments to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was created by the CARES Act.

Despite its passage in the House, the bill is unlikely to be considered in the Republican-led Senate, where it is considered dead on arrival. Senate leadership does not believe it should pass such an expensive bill right now, preferring to monitor the impact of the last coronavirus relief bill, which, among other things, provided additional funding for the PPP, for the time being. The White House has also said the president would veto the House legislation if it reaches his desk in its current form.

While PIA National does not support H.R. 6800, we are continuing to advocate for both short- and long-term solutions, including creation of the COVID-19 Recovery Fund, to the current economic crisis.