Congressman Brown: "Today, President Biden And Congressional Democrats Have Delivered For The American People. More Help Is On The Way"

Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Congressman Anthony G. Brown (MD-04) praised the final passage of the American Rescue Package. Congressional Democrats and President Biden are prepared to deliver significant assistance to families and communities impacted by the pandemic. The $1.9 trillion bill also provides funding to expand vaccination and testing infrastructure needed to defeat the COVID-19 virus and safely reopen our country.

More than 525,000 Americans have died from the COVID-19 pandemic, including 7,820 Marylanders. Over 18 million Americans are receiving unemployment benefits, nearly 24 million are going hungry with an estimated 12 million children living in households with food insecurity. 40 million Americans cannot afford to pay rent and fear eviction. Our most vulnerable communities are bearing the brunt of these crises with high infections and deaths in communities of color and 80 percent of minority businesses are on the brink of closure.

Help is on the way.

"Today, President Biden and Congressional Democrats have delivered for the American people. More help is on the way. Far too many, families are suffering and worried about keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table. The pandemic has strained working families' finances but in the coming weeks, Americans will receive meaningful relief to help get them back on their feet," said Congressman Brown. "The American Rescue Plan puts defeating this pandemic, supporting families and providing assistance to communities at the forefront of our efforts."

Congressman Brown continued, "We will continue to ramp up vaccinations and testing needed to crush the COVID-19 virus, and ensure our efforts emphasize equity. We will lift-up families struggling with unemployment and cut child poverty in half. We will give our communities the assistance they need to help safely reopen schools and keep the heroes on the frontlines of this pandemic, on the job. As we work toward full recovery, the American Rescue Plan is a significant step forward toward building back better."

Core pillars of the American Rescue Plan include:

Putting Vaccines in Arms: The plan mounts a $20 billion national vaccination program that will help set up community vaccination sites nationwide and address disparities facing communities of color. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan includes $51 billion to expand testing, contract tracing and mitigation needed to defeat the pandemic.

Putting Children Safely Back in School: The plan will make a nearly $130 billion investment in school re-opening and making up for lost learning.

Putting Money in People's Pockets: The plan provides direct assistance to households across America with checks of $1,400 per person as well as direct housing assistance and nutrition assistance for 40 million Americans. The American Rescue Plan extends unemployment insurance so that 18 million American workers can pay their bills. And cuts poverty with an expanded Child Tax Credit supporting 27 million children and an improved Earned Income Tax Credit for more than 17 million low-wage workers.

Putting People Back In Jobs: The plan will provide crucial support for the hardest-hit small businesses, especially those owned by entrepreneurs from racial and ethnic backgrounds that have experienced systemic discrimination, with EIDL grants, expanded PPP eligibility and more. The plan also provides resources to protect the jobs of first responders, frontline public health workers, teachers, transit workers and other essential workers that all Americans depend on.

Supporting our Communities: The American Rescue Plan will support local communities on the frontlines of this pandemic. $350 billion will be set aside for states and localities of every size. These funds will help keep teachers, transit workers, sanitation workers and other public servants on the job while giving local governments the funding they need to build back better. Prince George's County will receive an estimated $176.36 million and Anne Arundel County will receive an estimated $112.34 million.

Source