COVID-19: Overview of FY2020 LHHS Supplemental Appropriations (CRS Report for Congress)
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Release Date |
May 11, 2020 |
Report Number |
R46353 |
Report Type |
Report |
Authors |
Karen E. Lynch, Jessica Tollestrup |
Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
The legislative response to the global pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has included the enactment of laws to provide authorities and supplemental funding to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the pandemic. This report focuses on supplemental FY2020 discretionary appropriations provided to programs and activities traditionally funded by the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill.
As of the date of this report, LHHS supplemental appropriations for COVID-19 response have been provided in four separate supplemental appropriations measures:
Title III, Division A, of the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 (P.L. 116-123), enacted on March 6, 2020, provided approximately $6.4 billion in supplemental LHHS funds.
Title V, Division A, of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA, P.L. 116-127), enacted on March 18, 2020, provided $1.25 billion in supplemental LHHS funds.
Title VIII, Division B, of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act, P.L. 116-136), enacted on March 27, 2020, provided $172.1 billion in supplemental LHHS funds.
Title I, Division B, of the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPHCEA, P.L. 116-139), enacted on April 24, 2020, provided $100 billion in supplemental LHHS funds.
In total, LHHS has received roughly $280 billion in supplemental discretionary appropriations from these COVID-19 response measures. These supplemental funds are in addition to roughly $195 billion in regular FY2020 LHHS discretionary appropriations provided in Division A of P.L. 116-94, the FY2020 omnibus appropriations act containing full-year LHHS appropriations that was enacted on December 20, 2019. Unlike the annual discretionary appropriations, however, these additional funds were designated as an "emergency requirement" and thus were effectively exempted from otherwise applicable budget enforcement requirements (such as the statutory discretionary spending limits). Overall, the COVID-19 supplemental funds have increased FY2020 LHHS discretionary appropriations by approximately 143%.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) received funding in all four COVID-19 supplemental appropriations acts, whereas the Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Education (ED), and entities funded under the "Related Agencies" heading received funding in the third supplemental only. In total, HHS received $248 billion, or 89% of all COVID-19 LHHS supplemental appropriations. ED received the second-largest share at $31 billion, or 11%. DOL and the Related Agencies received approximately 0.1% and 0.2% of the LHHS COVID-19 supplemental funds, respectively.
Summary of FY2020 LHHS Supplemental Appropriations for COVID-19 Response
(Dollars in millions)
P.L. 116-123
(Division A)P.L. 116-127
(Division A)P.L. 116-136
(Division B)P.L. 116-139
(Division B)Total
DOLââ360â360
HHS6,4361,250140,389100,000248,075
EDââ30,925â30,925
Related Agencies
â
â
430
â
430
Total
6,436
1,250
172,104
100,000
279,790
Source: Compiled by CRS from amounts specified in P.L. 116-123 (Title III, Division A), P.L. 116-127 (Title V, Division A), P.L. 116-136 (Title VIII, Division B), and P.L. 116-139 (Title I, Division B). Funds provided in other titles and divisions of these laws are beyond the scope of this report and are excluded from the table. (For instance, the table does not include the $1.320 billion in mandatory funds for the HRSA health centers program provided in Title III, Division A, Section 3211 of P.L. 116-136.) All funds are designated as an emergency requirement. Of the amount shown for P.L. 116-123, $300 million (appropriated to the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund at HHS) is contingent upon future HHS actions.