Libraries are getting $200 million in stimulus funds. Here’s why Tucked into the massive $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill signed by President Joe Biden on Thursday is about $200 million for public libraries. It’s one of the reasons Republicans have criticized the bill, which they argue is too big and includes funding for things that have nothing to do with fighting Covid or the resulting economic crisis. The final bill passed on a party-line vote, without any Republican support in the House or the Senate. But librarians say they’ve come to the rescue for those hit the hardest by the pandemic, becoming the only way many without internet access are able to get their kids online for school — or access medical services, make vaccine appointments or register for federal aid like stimulus checks and unemployment benefits.