CAPAC Chair Chu Applauds Final Passage of American Rescue Plan

March 10, 2021

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the House of Representatives passed the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic recovery package to support families, workers, businesses, and health care providers through the coronavirus crisis. This was the last legislative hurdle before the bill heads to President Biden’s desk. Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), who helped craft this bill as a member of the House Small Business, Ways and Means, and Budget Committees, issued the following statement:

“Every day, I hear from constituents worried about losing their homes or unable to make ends meet, business owners worried about staying open, families desperate to send their children back to school, and healthcare providers stretched too thin. They need help, not through any fault of their own but because of a pandemic that was allowed to go unchecked for too long. This is an historic moment, and the American Rescue Plan is the historic response we need. By providing the $1,400 survival checks we promised, extending the $300 a week in additional unemployment insurance, providing more loans for businesses, and speeding vaccine distribution, the American Rescue Plan presents a real plan to end this crisis sooner and ensure more American families can stay on their feet. That’s why this bill has bipartisan support from the vast majority of Americans, including Republican mayors and business leaders.

“As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I’m also proud that this bill includes provisions to help Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders and other communities of color that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. In fact, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders continue to face the highest COVID-19 infection and mortality rates out of any racial group in over a dozen states, including my state of California. AAPIs have also experienced the highest surge in unemployment out of any racial group throughout the pandemic and many Asian-owned businesses are continuing to struggle to stay afloat. That’s why I am so glad that the American Rescue Plan includes critical funding to address COVID-19 health disparities, support small businesses in underserved communities, and provide resources for Native Hawaiian health, housing, and education programs.

“This pandemic has created an urgent need throughout this country, and we cannot let families suffer while we draw this process out. Just as with the CARES Act almost one year ago, I’m proud that we were able to act quickly to provide the aid our families need to make it through this crisis.”

This comprehensive package includes $1.9 trillion in funds to address the pandemic, including:

Direct Relief to Struggling Families

Providing Working Families an Additional Direct Payment of $1,400 Per Person – Bringing the Total Relief Payment to $2,000 Per Person:
Making the Child Tax Credit Fully Refundable and Increasing Its Size to $3000 per child for 2021, a policy that would Cut the Child Poverty Rate in Half
Providing An Additional $1 Billion for Emergency Assistance to Children and Families
Creating A $1 Billion Pandemic Emergency Fund to be distributed to the states for providing emergency assistance to low-income families with children.
Strengthening the Earned Income Tax Credit for Childless Adults, for 2021: The bill raises the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for childless adults from roughly $530 to close to $1,500,
Invests nearly $40 billion in Child Care funding and makes a permanent increase to the Child Care Entitlement for States.

Healthcare

Providing Over $20 Billion to Establish A National COVID-19 Vaccination Program and Improve the Administration and Distribution of Vaccinations
Providing $51 Billion to Expand Testing, Contact Tracing, and Mitigation and Related Activities
Expanding the subsidies in the ACA Marketplaces to cover more middle class families so no one will have to pay more than 8.5 percent of their income for a silver plan in the ACA marketplaces.
Providing ACA Subsidies for Those on Unemployment
Providing an 100% subsidy for individuals who lose their job and choose to use COBRA to continue their existing employer-sponsored health coverage through September 30, 2021
$14.5 billion for VA to provide health care services and other related supports – including suicide prevention, Women’s health services, telehealth expansion, medical facility improvements – to eligible veterans and allows up to $4 billion in spending for the Veterans Community Care Program.
$7.6 billion in funding to support COVID-19 response at Community Health Centers.
$4 Billion for Expanding Behavioral and Mental Health Services

Education

Providing Nearly $130 billion to Help K-12 Schools Re-Open Safely
$40 billion for institutions of higher education to help make up for lost revenue due to the pandemic.

Helping Workers Weather the Pandemic

Extending the Federal Supplemental Unemployment Benefit (FPUC), of $300/week
Extending both the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and the Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) program through September 6, 2021.
Forgives 2020 federal taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment benefits for households earning under $150,000
Extending Employee Retention Credit: The bill extends through December 31, 2021, the Employee Retention Credit, created by the CARES Act, which expired on December 31, 2020.
Extending Payroll Tax Credits for Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family and Medical Leave: The bill extends, from March 31, 2021 to September 30, 2021,
$150 million for the Department of Labor to implement COVID-19 worker protection programs – including at least $75 million for OSHA enforcement.
Ensures Workers’ Compensation Coverage for Frontline Maritime and Federal Workers: Establishes a presumption that COVID-19 is work-related and authorizes eligibility for medical benefits, lost wages and survivor benefits for longshore and shipyard workers as well as federal and postal workers.
Helps families access high-quality child care by expanding the Child and Dependent Tax Credit (CDCTC) to allow families to claim up to half of their child care expenses

Housing

Provides $26 Billion for Emergency Rental Assistance
Provides $10 Billion to Help Homeowners
Provides $5 Billion to Those Most in Need to Help Pay Their Utility Bills

Food Assistance

Extends SNAP maximum benefits by 15 percent (through September 30, 2021);
Investing more than $5 billion in in the Pandemic EBT program so that low-income families have access to school meals and food assistance during both the school year and summer months.

Assistance for Small Businesses

$7.25 billion in additional funding for the Paycheck Protection Program and expands eligibility of 501(c) nonprofits of all sizes and types, except for 501(c)4 lobbying organizations.

$25 billion for a new program at SBA to offer assistance to restaurants and bars with 20 or fewer locations that have been hit hard by the pandemic.
$15 Billion for COVID-19 Emergency Grants Through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program

Relief for State and Local Governments

$195.3 billion for the states.
$130.2 billion for local governments, including $10 billion for Critical Infrastructure Projects. Under the bill, local governments of every size would receive dedicated allotments.
$30 billion for transit agencies across the country to prevent, prepare and respond to the continued threat of the pandemic.
$8 billion to support airports across the country as well as airport concessions and their employees.