Senator Tammy Duckworth Responds To My Letter RE: President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan

WKR

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Lombard, IL 60148

Dear William,

Thank you for contacting me about President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan. I appreciate you taking the time to make me aware of your concerns during the deadly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which has tragically killed more than 450,000 Americans.

Since his inauguration, President Biden has prioritized getting the COVID-19 public health crisis under control and working directly with Congress to deliver swift and robust relief to the American people. Over the course of this pandemic, communities nationwide have faced innumerable obstacles in weathering this unprecedented public health and economic crisis. I supported passage of the five previous bipartisan COVID-19 relief packages that provided a total of $4 trillion in assistance, including billions to help laid off workers receive an additional $600 per week in enhanced Federal pandemic unemployment insurance, provide forgivable loans to small businesses, prevent mass layoffs in critical transportation industries and distribute direct stimulus payments that to date, have totaled $1,800 per eligible adult.  

However, our job is far from complete. The harsh reality is that COVID-19 persists in our daily lives, in part due to the harmful politicization of commonsense public health actions, such as wearing a mask, and the inefficient vaccine rollout. The failure to get the deadly pandemic under control throughout 2020 has inflicted economic harm, particularly on specific industries that rely on heavy foot traffic and are not able to comply with social distancing guidelines. Even in regions that have moved aggressively, in some cases against the advice of public health experts, to allow businesses to resume operations, robust recovery has not necessarily followed. Of course, this is to be expected during a deadly pandemic that has made consumers wary of activities that carry an elevated risk of COVID-19 transmission, such as crowding into a theater or dining indoors.    

That is why I strongly support drastically strengthening our financial assistance to the most hard-hit small businesses, industries and workforces. As we move forward, Congress and President Biden must take bold and decisive action to make sure our healthcare facilities, small businesses, State, local and tribal governments and workers nationwide have the support and resources they need to not only rebound from this crisis but build back better for the future. I am confident that President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will do just that. This comprehensive proposal would allocate $20 billion to create a national vaccine distribution program and $50 billion to scale up our COVID-19 testing capabilities. It would also dedicate $170 billion to reopen K-12 schools, colleges and universities and provide $350 billion to State, local and tribal governments struggling to support first-responders and frontline workers.

In addition, this plan would provide additional relief directly to American workers and families through an additional third round of $1,400 stimulus payments for eligible individuals and $400 weekly Federal enhanced unemployment benefits. Importantly, this proposal includes provisions which would increase the Federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 and expand emergency paid leave to more than 100 million Americans who currently do not have it. Senate Democrats are also committed to making sure the final package includes a version of the RESTAURANTS Act to help independent restaurants and enhancements that build on the progress we made in passing the Save Our Stages Act. The bottom line is that the American Rescue Plan adopts the proper comprehensive approach to combating this deadly virus and provides targeted assistance to our healthcare facilities, small businesses and individuals who need it most.

As your Senator, I have always demanded that any emergency response and recovery legislation must bolster our health system and economy and put workers—not corporations—first. I firmly believe that the American Rescue Plan embodies that mission and if passed, this proposal would represent a monumental step forward in overcoming this unprecedented crisis. Please be assured I will keep your thoughts on the American Rescue Plan in mind as Congress develops future COVID-19 relief packages.

Thank you again for contacting me on this important issue. If you would like more information on my work in the Senate, please visit my website at www.duckworth.senate.gov. You can access my voting record and see what I am doing to address today’s most important issues. I hope that you will continue to share your views and opinions with me and let me know whenever I may be of assistance to you.

Sincerely,

Tammy Duckworth
United States Senator