Huffman, Lieu, Garamendi, Bonamici, Hold Press Conference on American Rescue Plan

House Passed American Rescue Plan Last Week to Crush the COVID-19 Virus and Get the Economy Moving with Shots in Arms, Money in Pockets, Children in Schools, and People in Jobs

March 02, 2021

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Policy and Communications Cochair Ted Lieu (CA-33) and Representatives Jared Huffman (CA-02), John Garamendi (CA-03), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) passed the American Rescue Plan in the House last week to help crush the COVID-19 virus and get the economy moving again with shots in arms, money in pockets, children in schools and people in jobs. Today, the members held a press conference on the urgent need for the Senate to pass the legislation. If you missed the press conference, you can watch a recording here.

The American Rescue Plan will get money in the pockets of Californians with rescue checks of up to $1,400 for individuals. Combined with the $600 down payments enacted in December, these additional checks will finish the job on Democrats’ promise to put $2,000 in Americans’ pockets.
It will also extend pandemic-related unemployment benefits so that 18 million American workers can pay their bills.
And it will help keep people in their homes and apartments with housing assistance; put food on tables with nutrition assistance for 40 million Americans; support 27 million children with an expanded Child Tax Credit and support more than 17 million workers through the Earned Income Tax Credit; and lower health care costs to help families stay covered in the pandemic.

“Our highest needs and priorities are all met by the American Rescue Plan: making sure we can safely reopen schools, getting tens of millions of people vaccinated quickly to crush the pandemic, and then providing that economic lifeline for millions of families out there, people who are out of work, people who are on the verge of evictions and foreclosures, struggling just to put food on the table,” said Congressman Jared Huffman. “The people we serve have waited, I believe, too long for this relief already. So asking our Republican colleagues to join us should not be controversial if our job is serving the people. I hope they’ll do that, but with or without them we have to move this legislation forward right now with no more delays and no more piecemeal proposals.”

"The America Rescue Plan will provide much-needed relief to Americans struggling because of this pandemic. Its economic toll could impact Americans for years if we fail to take bold action. This bill is a triumph because it will help the more than 19 million workers who are unemployed, the 12 million children in our country in food-insecure households and the nearly 40 million Americans who cannot afford to pay rent. It will also help put an end to this virus by getting vaccines into arms and enabling children to return to school safely. I hope that the Senate moves quickly to pass this bill so Americans can get the help they need and deserve,” said Congressman Ted Lieu.

“January 2021 saw the most COVID-19 deaths of any month since the start of the pandemic. There are also 9.8 million fewer jobs in the U.S. than there were right before the start of the pandemic. The aid that the ‘American Rescue Plan’ provides is urgently needed to save lives, jobs, and the wellbeing of our cities, states, and citizens. I won’t rest until the ‘American Rescue Plan’ becomes law and aid is in the American people’s hands,” said Congressman John Garamendi.

Families and individuals in our communities have been pushed to the brink by the pandemic, and they need our support to recover and build back better,” said Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici. “The American Rescue Plan is scaled to meet this tremendous need. The bill includes aid that will provide immediate financial relief, accelerate vaccinations, help schools reopen, increase access to child care, and more.”

THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN: SHOTS IN ARMS, MONEY IN POCKETS, CHILDREN IN SCHOOLS AND PEOPLE IN JOBS

Shots in Arms:

The American Rescue Plan meets and exceeds President Biden’s request to invest $20 billion in a coordinated, nationwide vaccine program to:
Make sure we have enough vaccines for all Americans through research, development, manufacturing, production, and purchase.
Get those vaccines out to all Americans quickly and equitably through community vaccination centers, mobile vaccination units and more.
Improve communication to strengthen confidence in the vaccine and make sure all Americans know when, where and how they can get one.
It will also scale up testing and tracing, address shortages of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies, invest in high-quality treatments, and address health care disparities.

Money in Pockets

The American Rescue Plan provides rescue checks of up to $1,400 for individuals. Combined with the $600 down payments enacted in December, these additional checks fulfill our promise to put $2,000 in Americans’ pockets.
It will also extend pandemic-related unemployment benefits so that 18 million American workers can pay their bills.
It will help keep people in their homes and apartments with housing assistance; put food on tables with nutrition assistance for 40 million Americans; support 27 million children with an expanded Child Tax Credit and support more than 17 million workers through the Earned Income Tax Credit; and lower health care costs to help families stay covered in the pandemic.

Children in Schools

The American Rescue Plan makes nearly $130 billion available to State Education Departments immediately so they can: 1. Get schools open safely, 2. Keep schools open safely, and 3. Make up for lost learning time. Superintendents, schools boards, the PTA and other school groups have told Congress they need the American Rescue Act and we are listening them.
The American Rescue Plan also provides resources for higher education, Head Start and childcare facilities (here).

People in Jobs

The American Rescue Plan will provide crucial support to help the hardest-hit small businesses keep their doors open – especially those owned by entrepreneurs from racial and ethnic backgrounds that have experienced systemic discrimination – with $15 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) grants, expanded Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility and an additional $7.25 billion in funding, $25 billion to revitalize restaurants, food, and beverage establishments, and additional resources to help small and disadvantaged businesses navigate and access COVID relief programs.
The plan also provides crucial resources to protect the jobs of first responders, frontline public health workers, teachers, transit workers and other essential workers, who all Americans depend on. State and local governments have been forced to lay off 1.4 million public servants due to the pandemic.
With the American Rescue Plan, economists estimate that we can bring the economy back to near full employment in a little over 12 months, creating approximately 7.5 million jobs in 2021. Without the American Rescue Plan, CBO estimates it will take at least three years before employment returns to pre-pandemic levels.

The American Rescue Plan passed the House last week and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.

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Congressman Jared Huffman represents California’s 2^nd Congressional District, which spans the North Coast of the state from the Golden Gate Bridge to the Oregon border, and includes Marin, Sonoma, Mendocino, Humboldt, Trinity, and Del Norte counties. He currently serves on the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis. In the 116th Congress, he chairs the Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife. He is the founder of the Congressional Freethought Caucus.

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