On December 21, 2020, Congress passed the “Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021,” the omnibus spending bill for the fiscal year that began October 1. The bipartisan bill, which is over 5,000 pages long, is the fifth phase of legislation aimed at fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigating the related economic harm for families, workers and businesses.
Among other things, it includes $600 stimulus checks for most Americans. After holding up the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill for nearly a week and urging Congress to increase the amount of stimulus checks to $2,000, President Trump on December 27 signed off on the package.