Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Matt Cartwright (PA-08) today voted to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319) to crush COVID-19 and ensure Americans’ economic wellbeing. The bill now advances to the Senate.
“The American Rescue Plan is about getting shots in arms, money in pockets, kids back in school, and people back to work. This is how we crush this pandemic and put our economy back on the road to recovery,” Cartwright said. “We worked quickly in the House to pass this much needed bill because we can’t afford to keep the American people waiting. With relief from the December coronavirus compromise ending soon, the Senate should act fast to pass the American Rescue Plan and send it to the President’s desk as soon as possible.”
BACKGROUND ON THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN
The American Rescue Plan is a comprehensive approach to fighting COVID-19 and supporting American workers and families who are struggling economically with:
- Shots in arms
- Money in pockets,
- Kids back in school, and
- People back to work.
Shots in arms
The American Rescue Plan invests $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 and invest in high-quality treatments.
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; lower health care costs to help families stay covered in the pandemic; and give 27 million workers a raise by raising the federal minimum wage.
Kids back in school
The American Rescue Plan makes nearly $130 billion available to State Education Departments immediately so they can:
- Get schools open safely,
- Keep schools open safely, and
- Make up for lost learning time.
- Superintendents, schools boards, the PTA and other school groups have told Congress they need the American Rescue Plan and we are listening to them.
- The American Rescue Plan also provides resources for higher education, Head Start and childcare facilities.
People back to work
- The American Rescue Plan will provide critical support to help the hardest-hit small businesses keep their doors open with $15 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), 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 frontline 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.
