Biden’s American Rescue Plan spends roughly $400 billion on direct COVID relief. The rest appears to expand welfare, put the federal government in charge where they weren’t before, and basically bail out states, cities, and local governments. People of color get priority throughout. It’s also called a stimulus but without opening up businesses, one must wonder how that will happen. Click the links and read the rundown for yourself. We still can’t find a copy of the actual bill.
It would seem like it would be better to follow the science and let businesses and schools re-open.
The White House has a general rundown of the Plan which we summarized below.
The Summary
Included are an increase in vaccination centers, testing, and tracing, hiring of more healthcare workers, $1400 checks to Americans, increase in health services for communities of color, and support for small businesses owned by people of color. It will give support to essential workers, including people here illegally.
The administration will track different strains which they do now and provide emergency relief using the Guardsmen. They will invest in therapies and protect people of color, immigrants, and low-wage workers who put their lives on the line each day.
The president’s plan will provide $11 billion for the world, including funding to support the international health and humanitarian response.
Schools at all levels will get $170 billion, and another $130 billion will go to open schools safely. Another $35 billion goes to higher education, some of it for more government financial assistance [loans they won’t have to pay off?].
Emergency paid leave for 106 million Americans. It will expand medical, sick, and family leave. It will eliminate exemptions for businesses to provide healthcare if they have fewer than 50 employees. Federal workers will also get emergency sick leave.
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Reimburse employers with under 500 employees, and reimburse state and local governments for the cost of leaves.
Extend and expand unemployment. Financial assistance for those whose unemployment benefits run out and for those who don’t qualify.
Fully fund states’ short-time compensation programs and additional weeks of benefits.
Help people keep a roof over their heads. [Just open up!] And there’s $30 billion for renters and landlords. Also, $5 billion is to be set aside for emergency assistance to help secure housing for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
$13 billion to expand food welfare programs. Billions for other extensions. Invest $3 billion to help women, infants, and children get the food they need. Partner with restaurants to deliver food — more millions or billions. Drop requirement for state’s to match SNAP. Provide U.S. Territories with $1 billion in additional nutrition assistance for their residents.
Raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour. Call on employers to provide hazard pay. Expand access to high-quality, affordable child care. Create an emergency $25 billion fund for child care in addition. Expand child care assistance and increase tax credits [includes people who don’t pay any taxes].
Expand medical coverage for low-income workers. Expand access to behavioral health services, veterans, to combat gender-based violence.
All of this is available to people here illegally.
Funding for struggling communities in the billions. Billions for Black- and Brown-owned small businesses, and those in hard-hit industries like restaurants, hotels, and the arts, have suffered disproportionately.
Provide grants to more than 1 million of the hardest hit small businesses.
Leverage $35 billion in government funds into $175 billion in additional small business lending and investment. With a $35 billion investment in successful state, local, tribal, and non-profit small business financing programs.
$350 billion in emergency funding for state, local, and territorial governments to ensure that they are in a position to keep front line public workers on the job and paid, while also effectively distributing the vaccine, scaling testing, reopening schools, and maintaining other vital services. The president is also calling on Congress to allocate $3 billion of this funding to the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
Protect the future of public transit [includes wasteful systems like the MTA and AMTRAK].
Modernize federal information technology to protect against future cyber attacks.
A billion here, a billion there, and soon you have $1.9 trillion with much of it in bailouts and hung increases in our welfare system, which will likely become permanent.
There’s more here.
ADDITIONALLY
Kyle Griffin is reporting: New: Schumer and Pelosi have filed a joint budget resolution for Fiscal Year 2021 “that gives Congress an additional legislative tool to pass the urgently-needed bipartisan COVID relief legislation that enacts President Biden’s comprehensive American Rescue Plan.”
We don’t know what that is yet.
Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell reached a power-sharing agreement which gives Schumer control of all the committees.
Great work Mitch!
Biden is fully on board with passing it without one Republican vote.
Sen. Chuck Schumer: “Joe Biden is totally on board with using reconciliation.” pic.twitter.com/PWtRociPkM
— The Hill (@thehill) February 3, 2021
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