The deal before Congress would claw back about $30 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds from federal agencies.
This gives Republicans a major political win, as they have repeatedly pressed the White House for a full accounting of how the COVID-19 pandemic funds have been spent — and have refused to give the administration more money.
What's not totally clear yet is just what the unspent money would have been used for, as the White House has not publicly clarified the specific areas where the cuts will come from.
Public health experts said without more details, it will be tough to say exactly what specific impacts the funding rescissions will have.
What is clear is the relatively small impact the COVID funds have compared with the country's current $925 billion deficit.
Left untouched will be roughly $5 billion in funding to develop next-generation coronavirus vaccines and treatments. There will also be money available to help pay for the uninsured to access those vaccines and treatments on the commercial market.
The legislation also won't impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries. That was a red line for the White House, and the Congressional Budget Office estimated the policy would have resulted in roughly 600,000 people losing health coverage.
But it would tweak existing work rules for the federal food stamp program, as well as on families who use welfare benefits.
The food stamp provision will raise the work requirement age limit from 49 to 54 for people without dependents.
Changes to the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families will require states to ensure that a higher percentage of their welfare beneficiaries are working.
