More than ten months into the pandemic, we still lack necessary testing capacity and are suffering from shortages of supplies like basic protective equipment for those on the front lines. Meanwhile, Americans are waiting to get their vaccines, even while doses are sitting on shelves. A new strain of the virus that is even more contagious is appearing in communities across the country. The pandemic is raging, with record high infection and death rates. Mount a national vaccination program, contain COVID-19, and safely reopen schools In the coming weeks, President Biden will lay out his economic recovery plan to invest in America, create millions of additional good-paying jobs, combat the climate crisis, and build back better than before. This legislative package is needed now to address the immediate crises. Congress should act expeditiously to help working families, communities, and small businesses persevere through the pandemic. President Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan is ambitious, but achievable, and will rescue the American economy and start beating the virus. This is an urgent national security issue that cannot wait.
RELIEF BILL UPGRADE
In addition to addressing the public health and economic crises head on, the President’s plan will provide emergency funding to upgrade federal information technology infrastructure and address the recent breaches of federal government data systems.
While Congress’s bipartisan action in December was a step in the right direction, it was only a down payment. President Biden is laying out 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. 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.
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 housing insecurity. And the pandemic has shined a light on the persistence of racial injustice in our healthcare system and our economy. From big cities to small towns, too many Americans are barely scraping by, or not scraping by at all. More than 20 million Americans have contracted COVID-19, and at least 370,000 have died. The COVID-19 pandemic and the corresponding economic crisis are devastating families across the country. Emergency Legislative Package to Fund Vaccinations, Provide Immediate, Direct Relief to Families Bearing the Brunt of the COVID-19 Crisis, and Support Struggling Communities