Congress

Democrats Pass The American Rescue Plan

Written by SK Ashby

Congressional Democrats in the House and Senate have cast the final votes to pass the $1.9 trillion coronavirus spending package also know as the American Rescue Plan.

The House passed the final version of the package by a margin of 220 to 211 without a single Republican vote in support. The measure now heads to President Biden's desk.

The White House says Biden will sign the legislation into law on Friday.

The president, Vice President Kamala Harris and first lady Dr. Jill Biden plan to travel to promote the package once it clears Congress and is signed into law Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. [...]

The American Rescue Plan provides $1,400 direct payments to individuals making up to $75,000 annually, $350 billion in aid to state and local governments and $14 billion for vaccine distribution. The bill also provides $130 billion to elementary, middle and high schools to assist with safe reopening.

It includes an additional $300 billion in weekly jobless benefits through September and an expanded tax credit of up to $3,600 per child, initially distributed in monthly installments. The child tax credit could raise 4 million children out of poverty, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Everyone has things they need that a direct stimulus check will help them afford, but I consider the expanded child tax credit to be a far bigger deal.

Including stimulus checks and the tax credit, a typical, working class family of four with two children could receive nearly $10,000 or more depending on the age of their children and income level. That's a big fucking deal, to quote the president himself.

Republicans have always tried to paint themselves the part of family values, but not a single one of them voted for the biggest effort to reduce child poverty that any of us have ever seen.

Maybe they don't believe the economy needs help. Maybe they're worried Americans are going to use their stimulus checks on things they don't really need; as if it actually makes any economic difference what anyone spends it on (it doesn't). At the end of the day, they all voted against giving more money to families with children.