December 21, 2020 at 11:29 am With Congress agreeing to a new $900 billion COVID-19 relief package, local leaders in Washington state have stopped short of praising it as a permanent solution to the financial and economic devastation brought on by the pandemic. “Make no mistake — this package can only be considered a down-payment on the relief needed to fully recover from this pandemic,” Gov. Jay Inslee said Sunday. The package revives the Paycheck Protection Program, allocates $30 billion toward vaccine distribution efforts, $82 billion for schools, colleges, and universities, $25 billion in rental assistance, and $166 billion to distribute $600 direct payments to Americans making up to $75,000 and couples pulling in up to $150,000.