Despite several obstacles, President Biden’s stimulus plan was successfully shepherded through both chambers of Congress using the tricky budget reconciliation process and was officially signed into law on March 11, 2021. At $1.9 trillion, the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act is slightly smaller than the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, but is larger than the $920 billion Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (the Act) passed at the end of the last year. The ARP Act follows the general contours of the previous stimulus legislation in that it provides Recovery Rebate payments to individuals, expanded and extended unemployment benefits, and loans and grants for eligible business. However, the tax portions of the ARP Act bear some notable differences from the previous stimulus plans. These differences are discussed in depth below.
