Obviously there were a billion different programs but most people complain about the PPP, which were intended to go to...you know, paychecks. Paychecks for employees that could no longer work due to government enforced shutdowns.
It's a bit of a different situation.
Ostensibly true but in reality if the business were going to pay their employees anyway, they really could do whatever they want with it. It's free $$$ in the same sense as the student loan forgiveness, yet curiously there is much more criticism on here directed towards the latter.