The newest round of COVID relief is likely dead on arrival as it heads to the Senate.
Late last night the House passed the updated HEROES Act. The $2 trillion dollar bill includes aid for ethanol plants, livestock producers forced to euthanize their animals and an expansion to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
The bill passed by a thin margin with 18 Democrats joining the Republicans voting against it.
One large point of contention, other than the sheer amount of money, is the fact it would offer funds to illegal immigrants. The bill does not have support in the Senate.
One group says that the HEROES Act leaves out rural America--again.
The bill fails to include small businesses with loans through the USDA’s Rural Development Program despite bipartisan support. Advocates say that these business owners should get the same assistance as people who use the Small Business Administration.
The Center for Rural Affairs says that RDP loans grow the economy in small towns.