| Folks,
I’ve consistently said throughout the course of the past year that the American people have never shied away from being able to deal with the truth.
From big cities to small towns, too many Americans are barely scraping by, or not scraping by at all. The need to act is clear in the lines at food banks, the small businesses that are closed or closing, and the growing number of Americans experiencing homelessness. After nearly a year of the public health crisis, our nation remains in this dark winter of the pandemic and facing a deep economic crisis.
So I want to reiterate something: My first 100 days won’t end COVID-19, but we can slow the spread, save lives, and get back to our lives with our loved ones.
Today, I am proud to share my American Rescue Plan with you, the first step of an aggressive, two-step plan for rescue, from the depths of this crisis, and recovery, by investing in America, creating millions of additional good-paying jobs, combatting the climate crisis, advancing racial equity, and building back better than before.
Our emergency legislative package will take bold action to change the course of the pandemic, build a bridge towards economic recovery, and cut child poverty in half.
Here are a few highlights: - Mount a national vaccination program, contain COVID-19, and safely reopen schools, including by setting up community vaccination sites nationwide, scaling up testing and tracing, eliminating supply shortage problems, investing in high-quality treatments, providing paid sick leave to contain the spread of the virus, addressing health disparities, and making targeted investments to meet our goal of safely re-opening a majority of K-8 schools in the first 100 days.
- Deliver immediate relief to working families bearing the brunt of this crisis by sending $1,400 per-person checks to households across America, providing direct housing and nutrition assistance, expanding access to safe and reliable childcare and affordable healthcare, increasing the minimum wage, extending unemployment insurance, and giving families with kids and childless workers an emergency boost this year.
- Support communities that are struggling in the wake of COVID-19 by providing support for the hardest-hit small businesses, and protecting the jobs of the first responders, transit workers, and other essential workers we depend on.
I know this year has been difficult for us all. I’d love if you would share with me how COVID-19 has affected you and how this relief plan would impact your life. It is evidently clear that beating back this virus and reviving our economy are intertwined. We are in a race against time, and absent additional government assistance, the economic and public health crises could worsen in the months ahead. Schools will not be able to safely reopen, and vaccinations will remain far too slow.
Together, I know that we can combat this virus by investing in America. And in the coming weeks, I’ll lay out in greater detail my economic recovery plan to invest in America, create millions of additional good-paying jobs, and build back better than before.
Remember, this is just the start. We will execute a whole-of-government effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
Thank you for reading. Mask up, and stay safe.
President-elect Joe Biden |
