Emergency Rental Assistance Program: 2020 Act vs. 2021 Act

On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, which passed in the U.S. Senate by a narrow 50-49 vote on March 6 and in the U.S. House of Representatives by a 220-211 vote on March 10, signifies the Biden administration's first legislative achievement with the Democratic majority in Congress to expand federal assistance to the American public.

The latest relief package follows the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, which was signed into law in late December. The Appropriations Act established the U.S. Treasury Department’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program, and this latest relief package provides additional funds for the program. The table below shows how the emergency rental assistance stipulations in the two legislative packages compare.