February 3, 2021

Call your Senators – Urge that they vote to fund President Biden’s Stimulus and COVID Relief Package – The American Rescue Plan.

As he promised before the inauguration, PresidentBiden has proposed a significant pandemic relief package that will help the American people and the economy after the third and seemingly deadliest wave of COVID-19. The American Rescue Plan has a price tag of $1.9 trillion and the first part focuses on three critical areas: vaccine distribution and expanded testing, aid to workers and their families, and support to small businesses and communities. A second part, to be introduced later this month, aims to stimulate the economy, addresses unemployment, infrastructure repair, climate change and racial equity,

GOP PLAN INADEQUATE – Republicans are pushing back with a much smaller package of relief at $600 billion. It provides dramatically less help and does little to address the long-standing and dire needs of millions of families, plus it fails to jump-start our weakened economy.

WOMEN BEAR THE BRUNT – Every element in the president’s plan is critically needed if we are to bring the pandemic under control, help families survive and reboot the economy. More than 10 million persons are out of work and many more have given up looking for work. We know that women have taken the brunt of the joblessness; hundreds of thousands – perhaps more than one million — having been forced to quit their jobs to help their children with virtual schoolwork.

MILLIONS MORE IN POVERTY – Nearly eight million persons fell unto poverty since the pandemic began — more than two million are children. They are joining the 34 million who have been documented living at or below the federal poverty level. This tragic situation could have been averted had the Republicans agreed to an earlier, more adequate relief package in late 2020.

VACCINATING IS KEY -The vaccine roll-out, as poorly conceived by the former administration, needs vastly more funding to improve vaccine distribution, conduct more testing, and provide emergency paid leave. In addition, schools would receive funding to help them prepare for students and teachers returning to in-person classes – protections that teachers are demanding before they can return.[BA1] 

 IN BRIEF, here’s what President Biden calls for:

  • Direct payments of $1,400 to most Americans, bringing the total relief to $2,000, including December’s $600 payment
  • Increasing the federal, per-week unemployment benefit to $400 and extending it through the end of September
  • Increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour
  • Extending the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums until the end of September
  • $350 billion in state and local government aid
  • $170 billion for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education
  • $50 billion toward Covid-19 testing
  • $20 billion toward a national vaccine program in partnership with states, localities and tribes
  • Making the Child Tax Credit fully refundable for the year and increasing the credit to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for a child under age 6)

ACTION NEEDED:  We need your help to contact both of your senators, urging them to support  President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.

YOUR MESSAGE:

Senator___________, my name is__________ and I am a voting resident of your state.  We are facing the most serious set of challenges the nation has faced in modern times. I urge you to vote for the AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.

  • Tens of millions of Americans are in dire circumstances, having lost their jobs, gone into debt and are struggling to feed their families.
  • Our schools, teachers and students remain without the critical resources they need to return to school safely.
  • Families have accumulated significant debt due to their inability to pay rent or mortgages and utility bills.
  • Jobs and public services need a boost and without significant investment our economy will not begin to recover.
  • To gain a speedy recovery and save hundreds of thousands of lives, we must greatly increase funding to accelerate COVID vaccinations and testing.
  • The Republican plan does not begin to meet all of these critical needs.

I URGE YOU TO VOTE FOR THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN.

Go to your senators’ websites and send a message. Or CALL: The Capitol Switchboard is 202-224-3121.

The Senate directory is, https://www.senate.gov/senators/index.htm                   


 [BA1]This is not about vaccination.