Thank Congress and President Biden for Passing COVID-19 Relief legislation
Published on March 19, 2021 in Advocacy Results, Stable Households
More than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic and the severe economic impact it brought, workers across the country continue to grapple with reduced hours and job loss. Many struggle to pay their bills. Millions of families are behind on rent, and without intervention, risk homelessness. Parents and caregivers worry about how they’ll put food on the table. As our traditional support systems struggle to keep up with the growing demand for services, Congress has taken decisive, meaningful action by passing the American Rescue Plan, a comprehensive COVID-19 relief bill which will provide much-needed support for workers, families, communities and service organizations.
Click here to thank your elected officials for passing the COVID-19 relief package!
COVID-19 is not just a health emergency. It’s also an economic crisis that has left millions struggling to cover basic expenses like food, housing, car payments and medical costs. While our recovery will be a long process, the American Rescue Plan is a huge step forward that will help families and communities get back on their feet by:
- Increasing the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) maximum benefit by 15 percent to help ensure all households in Michigan can continue to put food on the table.
- Providing housing assistance to help renters stay in their homes and emergency assistance for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
- Dedicating funds to support schools that can be used to pay for the costs of distance learning, safe in-person instruction, caring for the physical and mental health of returning students and, most importantly, aid with the learning loss students have suffered.
- Making additional investments in unemployment insurance so people who are out of work due to the pandemic don’t have to worry about losing their homes.
- Expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit so households can keep more of their hard-earned money during this crisis.
- Stabilizing state finances impacted by by the pandemic so states like Michigan that are experiencing revenue shortfalls will not need to make cuts to essential programs and services like education, infrastructure and health care at the worst possible time.
We spend a lot of time encouraging our elected leaders to take specific actions to benefit and strengthen our community. This bill may not be perfect, but many of the priorities we have been advocating for are included in this package. It will go a long way toward helping struggling workers, families, businesses and communities. As important as it is to make our voices heard when we want our leaders to take a specific action, it’s equally important that we acknowledge when they do what is right. Please join us in thanking those who voted in support of the American Rescue Plan Act!