Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act
Congress moves to cancel unused COVID relief money and require it be used for deficit reduction
A bill to rescind unused COVID funding and reduce the deficit.
Stalled
No legislative action in over 90 days.
Legislative Progress
Key Points
- This bill would cancel (“take back”) any leftover, uncommitted money from several major COVID relief laws passed in 2020–2021.
- It targets only money that has not been promised or set aside yet, which could shrink the pool of funding some programs were expecting to use later.
- The bill lets the President block the cut for specific programs if, within 60 days after the bill becomes law, the President sends Congress a national security waiver notice.
- Any money taken back would stay in the Treasury’s general fund and could only be used to reduce the federal deficit, not for new programs.
Impact Analysis
Personal Impact
How this policy affects specific groups of people
Milestones
Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 266.
The bill is now on the schedule for the full chamber to consider. It's in line for debate and a vote.
Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Introduced in Senate
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
Related News
5 articles
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Unveils Bill To Save Taxpayers Billions Over Unused, Misused COVID Funds
Covers Ernst’s proposal to rescind unobligated COVID funds and direct the savings toward taxpayers/deficit reduction, citing GAO’s estimate of remaining balances.
EXCLUSIVE: Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst Unveils Bill To Save Taxpayers Billions Over Unused, Misused COVID Funds
Syndicated version of a report on Ernst’s Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act (S.3166), focusing on rescinding unspent COVID stimulus funds and comparing it with a prior rescissions package.
Senate Bill Seeks to Reclaim Unused Funds from COVID-Related Programs
Explains the Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act’s intent to reclaim unobligated COVID funds across multiple relief laws and summarizes the argument for returning funds to reduce debt.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
A bill to rescind unused COVID funding and reduce the deficit.
Data Sources
Sponsor
Cosponsors
(3)Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.