
Small businesses face $2 billion cut from Covid-19 relief fund
CNN
Congress is considering taking back some of the money it authorized last year for a small business aid program in order to pay for new Covid-19 vaccines, testing and therapeutics. A bipartisan deal proposes taking about $2 billion from a $10 billion small business program that hasn't disbursed any funds yet.
The Biden administration asked Congress to provide more money weeks ago, warning that funds are needed to continue fighting Covid-19. But lawmakers have disagreed on how to pay for the request. Senate Republicans have insisted any new funding be fully offset by repurposing money from Covid-19 relief legislation that Congress previously passed.
A bipartisan deal reached in the Senate earlier this month would fully offset the $10 billion legislation by reallocating a variety of Covid-19 relief funds that were previously authorized by Congress but have not yet been spent.