SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan, his $1.9 trillion COVID relief and stimulus bill, into law. The wide-ranging and incredibly popular bill contains numerous important measures to combatting COVID-19 and helping the American people build back better from the pandemic, including:
- $1,400 relief checks for most Americans
- Extended unemployment insurance of $300 per week through early September
- Child tax credits of up to $3,600
- More than $15 billion for vaccine distribution
- Roughly $50 billion for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing
- $130 billion to safely reopen schools
- $350 billion in state and local aid
Every DFL member of Congress voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan and every Minnesota Republican voted against it. Republican opposition comes despite the bill’s tremendous popularity among voters across the political spectrum – 75% of American voters and 59% of Republican voters approve of the American Rescue Plan – and despite the roughly $1 billion in local government aid the bill will bring to Minnesota’s Republican-controlled congressional districts.
DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement lauding the American Rescue Act’s Passage:
“President Biden campaigned on uniting the American people in order to defeat the COVID-19 pandemic and build back better and he’s doing exactly that by signing the American Rescue Plan into law. President Biden and congressional Democrats are delivering historic support for COVID-19 testing and vaccination efforts, American families, small businesses, state and local governments, safe school reopenings, and so many more incredibly important initiatives.
“I’m extremely proud of President Biden and Minnesota’s DFL Party members of congress for all they have done to construct and pass a COVID relief bill that achieves so much and has the backing of a bipartisan majority of the American people.
“Is it exceptionally disappointing to see Congressmen Stauber, Fischbach, Emmer, and Hagedorn put the Republican Party’s obstructionist agenda ahead of the will of Republican, Democratic, and Independent voters, a majority of whom all support this COVID relief bill. At least their foolish attempts at blocking COVID relief will not prevent that relief from making its way to the people of Minnesota.
“While we still have not defeated this pandemic entirely, the light at the end of the tunnel has grown considerably more bright toda