1. Home
  2. |Insights
  3. |Summary of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stimulus Legislation

Summary of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Stimulus Legislation

Client Alert | 1 min read | 03.27.20

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a $2 trillion stimulus package, was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives by a voice vote on March 27, 2020 despite opposition from certain Republican members who were seeking a roll call vote. The package was approved unanimously by the U.S. Senate with a vote of 96-0 on March 25, 2020. It is the third coronavirus emergency response bill considered this month in Congress, which passed the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act on March 6 and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act on March 18.

The CARES Act was first drafted by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), though after significant resistance from Senate Democrats, the final bill text was principally negotiated by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The broad stimulus package is viewed as a compromise and includes:

  • Federal grants, loans, and other assistance for small businesses and other businesses disproportionately affected by the coronavirus outbreak
  • Additional funding for hospitals and doctors as they brace for continued and increased pressure on their workforce and systems
  • Direct financial assistance to individual taxpayers
  • An expansion of unemployment insurance

The following PDF provides a summary of the key provisions included in the Act.

Insights

Client Alert | 4 min read | 05.01.26

Federal Court Blocks Trump Administration Policies Restricting Wind and Solar Permitting

A coalition of regional clean energy trade associations — including RENEW Northeast, Alliance for Clean Energy New York, Southern Renewable Energy Association, and Interwest Energy Alliance — along with the Green Energy Consumers Alliance (GECA), filed suit in December 2025 against the Department of the Interior (DOI), the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and the Army Corps of Engineers. The complaint alleged that five agency actions, issued in response to a series of executive orders and presidential memoranda beginning on January 20, 2025, violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) by arbitrarily halting or restricting federal permitting for wind and solar energy projects. Plaintiffs sought a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of these policies while the litigation proceeds. See Renew Northeast, et al. v. U.S. Dep’t of Interior, et al., No. 25-cv-13961-DJC,  (D. Mass. Apr. 21, 2026) ECF Dkt. 89....