It's not just $500b.
The total federal outlay for the virus is approaching $3 trillion. The question you and
@Digressions need to ask is if there is an upper limit, and if so where?
The governors asking for bailout money is entirely predictable. States are required to balance their budgets, the feds are not. That means the states must set priorities and the feds not so much. I don't think the states asking for these funds is so much about need. Instead it is more about avoiding hard choices about where to spend money.
All levels of government are taking an enormous financial hit though more expenses and less revenue. State and local government needs to step up to the plate and make the important choices. I know from first hand knowledge that there is substantial dead weight in government. Threats to cut front line first responders is BS so long a state and local government keep intact other less important bureaucracies. For example, is it more important for a city to have a fully staffed planning planning department or a police department? Even within law enforcement there is dead weight in the highly-compensated administrative staff. All levels of government have overlapping and duplicative services, not because they are needed, but because they are seen as attracting voters. Examples are all over the place.
Thirty years ago the Grace Commission issued its report on federal government waste and mismanagement. A big part of that was duplicative services across numerous federal agencies. State and local government are the same. Nothing was done to put into effect the Grace Commission recommendations. Instead the deficiencies have gotten much worse in federal, state, and local government.
I'm as much in favor of cops, firefighters and teachers as the next guy. But I am also in favor of business and the economy--which we need to pay the freight of cops, firefighters, and teachers. As I am writing this, I know there are millions of people seeing their savings, retirement funds, college funds, and home equities melt away day by day. I was a smal business person and that could have been me 30 years ago. (It pisses me off no end to see people like Pelosi talking about coping by eating ice cream--she has no clue.) Beyond continuing with essential services, the very first priority of the federal government needs to be to support and preserve the economy which mostly centers around small business and private sector jobs. Without that, nothing else will matter. If, after state and local government has made the choices and done all it could to keep needed front line workers on the job, then I'd be willing to re-look at the issue.
For now, all the governors want is to have the feds bail them out to preserve their
status quo. This pandemic could and should cause all levels of government to focus on essential services and cut the duplication and non-essential services.
End of rant.