Tag: Biden American Rescue Plan

Republican attorneys general threaten key element of the $1.9 trillion stimulus

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The GOP officials are asking the Biden administration to clarify a $350 billion program to help cities, counties and states in financial need

Twenty-one Republican state attorneys general on Tuesday threatened to take action against the Biden administration over its new $1.9 trillion coronavirusstimulus law, decrying it for imposing “unprecedented and unconstitutional” limits on their states’ ability to lower taxes.

The letter marks one of the first major political and legal salvos against the relief package since President Biden signed it last week — evincing the sustained Republican opposition that the White House faces as it implements the signature element of the president’s economic policy agenda.

The attorneys general take issue with a $350 billion pot of money set aside under the stimulus, known as the American Rescue Plan, to help cash-strapped cities, counties and states pay for the costs of the pandemic. Congressional lawmakers  Continue reading.

Dems, GOP prep dueling messages on Covid bill

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GETTING THE WORD OUT: One of the most common and simple mantras about politics is people vote by how their pockets feel. Democrats are racing to control the narrative around their Covid relief bill, launching a PR campaign to tell the country it’s turning the corner because of this latest $1.9 trillion package as well as efforts to secure more vaccinations.

This quote from President Joe Biden, who said yesterday that $100 million in checks will be in Americans’ pockets within the next 100 days, encapsulates Dems’ push: “Shots in arms and money in pockets.”

Democrats are making the bet that this major piece of legislation will give them a boost in 2022, when they will be playing defense in an effort to protect their slim majorities in both the House and Senate. Every Democrat supported the bill, except one Dem member in the House, while no Republicans voted for it. And right now, polling is on Dems’ side. A new CNN/SSRS poll released this week finds that 61 percent of Americans favor the coronavirus relief package, while 37 percent oppose it. Continue reading.

Jen Psaki Brilliantly Rips GOP For Their Hypocritical Concern The Relief Bill Will Have On The Deficit

President Joe Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki shut down Republican’s concern for the deficit by hurling a question right back at the GOP for their hypocrisy.

A reporter addressed Psaki at a recent press briefing, saying the GOP argued this was the sixth package and already added to a “deficit that’s already a trillion dollars this year alone.”

The reporter asked:

“What do you say to that criticism, that ultimately this type of a sweeping piece of legislation will be a drag on the economy down the line?”

“Well, I would say to them we’re in the midst of twin crises, from the pandemic to an economic downturn that is impacting tens of millions of people in this country,” she began. Continue reading.

Help is on the Way: The American Rescue Plan Signed Into Law

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When President Biden signed into law the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan (ARP) this week, it was a bold and historic response to a devastating pandemic that – for more than a year – has upended the lives of people in Minnesota and across the country.  The pandemic has taken more than 500,000 lives, strained our public health system, closed schools, and stolen millions of businesses and jobs.  

I strongly supported the American Rescue Plan after hearing from thousands of Minnesotans throughout this past year about the devastating toll the virus has had on their lives.  This new law will arm the nation with important tools to fight the deadly pandemic and deliver badly-needed resources to help restore the nation’s health and economic well-being.  It not only delivers much-needed support for coronavirus testing and vaccines, as well as help for front line health care workers, but also provides assistance for hard-hit families, businesses, farmers, veterans, and Tribal communities.  It will help reopen our schools safely, provide direct support and tax relief to struggling families, and give our states and communities needed resources to build resilience and build back better.

With a growing number of people in Minnesota and across the country getting vaccinated every day, I’m optimistic that this package represents a turning point in our year-long fight to crush the virus and to get Americans back on their feet.

Continue reading “Help is on the Way: The American Rescue Plan Signed Into Law”

‘You voted against it’ trends as GOP tries to take credit for ‘bipartisan relief bill’ passed by Dems only

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Some Republican members of the House and Senate are trying to take credit for elements of the American Rescue Act after refusing to support the bill, prompting social media users to remind them: “YOU VOTED AGAINST IT!” 

That phrase trended on Twitter Sunday after at least four Republican congresspeople tried to convince their constituents they played a role in the broadly-backed $1.9 trillion stimulus package. President Joe Biden signed the bill into law on Thursday. No Republican in either the House or Senate supported the bill.

On Friday, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) took to Twitter to “announce that the Biden Administration has just implemented my bipartisan COVID relief bill.” Despite insisting she was “proud” that her “bipartisan legislation has officially become SBA policy,” Salazar failed to mention that she, herself, voted against the bill. Continue reading.

Biden’s Rescue Plan Restores Veterans’ Aid Cut By Trump

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The $1.9 trillion COVID relief plan signed into law by President Joe Biden on Thursday contains a number of provisions that will provide new help to veterans struggling due to the pandemic.

U.S. veterans have suffered enormously during the pandemic, experts say. A Wounded Warrior Project survey last spring found that more than half reported worse mental health since the establishment of social distancing measures, and, according to an NBC report, the VA’s mental health crisis line received 15% more calls in 2020 than in the previous year.

They are also among those who have experienced unemployment, a housing crisis, and extreme food instability during the pandemic, with some areas seeing food bank demand doubled for the military community in 2020. Continue reading.

Mayors decry partisanship over covid relief, saying city needs are real

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Few provisions in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan have drawn as much partisan opposition as the $350 billion designated for state and local governments. Republicans denounced the funding as a giveaway to mismanaged blue states and cities. But many mayors strongly disagree with that criticism.

“I am a Republican,” said John Giles, mayor of Mesa, Ariz. “I hear what people are saying about the wisdom of borrowing money to finance the relief act. But I can tell you that the consequences of not doing that would be extreme and painful. So I’m disappointed to see this turn into a partisan conversation.”

Giles was speaking by telephone from Mesa and said he could see from his window a long line of cars waiting to receive a 50-pound package of food to help feed their families. He said this has been a weekly scene every Friday for most of the past year. Continue reading.

GOP goes on the attack against Biden relief bill

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Republicans are going on the attack against the newly signed $1.9 trillion coronavirus bill as they scramble to find a messaging foothold against Democrats’ first big win heading into 2022.

GOP lawmakers, who voted in unison against the legislation, are gambling that they’ll be able to tamp down the bill’s popularity in the long run, even as polls have shown it garners broad approval, including from their own voters.

The focus among congressional Republicans is twofold: highlighting provisions they hope will be damaging to Democrats and accusing their political opponents of trying to take credit for an economic recovery Republicans say was set in motion by the Trump administration. Continue reading.

Companies are scaling back layoffs because of Biden’s stimulus package

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Airlines, Amtrak, New York’s MTA cancel or delay thousands of layoffs after passage

Two airline giants said that they would cancel tens of thousands of planned layoffs because of aid earmarked for them in the $1.9 trillion stimulus measure passed by Congress this week, an early sign of job losses averted by the landmark package.

Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, which had warned employees about 14,000 layoffs last month, said in a social media post that Congress’s new funding for airlines would allow the workers to receive their paychecks and health care through September.

American Airlines said it planned to rescind notices it sent last month to 13,000 employees about coming layoffs. Continue reading.

While Republicans Vote No, Their States Win Big In Rescue Plan

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As President Joe Biden signed Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill into law Thursday afternoon, Republicans falsely claimed the bill only serves to bail out “blue states” at the expense of “red states” — but the landmark legislation will deliver massive funding and relief to many deep-red states in need during the pandemic.

The American Rescue Plan will send more than $195 billion in aid to all 50 states and Washington, D.C., as well as $130.2 billion in aid to local governments throughout the country, benefiting red and blue states alike. In fact, according to a recent Reuters analysis, traditionally Republican states will receive a slightly disproportionate amount of federal aid from the package as compared to traditionally Democratic states — $3,192 per state resident as opposed to $3,160. And the bill levies no extra taxes on red states.

But on Thursday afternoon, Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) took to social media to criticize the legislation, tweeting, “It’s red states like Georgia who will have to bail out the deep blue states who recklessly spent taxpayer $ on irresponsible decisions over the past year. They need to face the consequences of their actions rather than lean on the red states & the stimulus to bail them out!” Continue reading.