Budget office puts virus relief bill cost at $1.8 trillion

The massive coronavirus relief bill passed virtually unanimously by Congress last month is estimated at costing taxpayers $1.8 trillion — slightly less than the $2.2 trillion informally projected at the time by the White House.The CBO report comes as Washington is manuevering over replenishing a popular “paycheck protection” program with another $250 billion.Most of the federal deficit impacts of the $1.8 trillion coronavirus relief act would come in the 2020 budget year ending