Our state and country have endured an unacceptable amount of suffering. More than 500,000 Americans and almost 8,000 Marylanders have died of COVID-19. Families are facing mounting bills and struggling to put food on the table.
Hundreds of small businesses have gone bust, and thousands more are on the brink of shuttering. Local governments have laid off employees and are scraping together resources to fund emergency services and keep frontline workers employed. It’s time to go big and meet this moment with the support Americans need.
That’s why I voted for the American Rescue Plan – so we can beat this virus,?help those hardest hit, get kids back to school quickly and safely, provide relief to our communities, and put the economy on the road to recovery.
Our top priority is to deploy the COVID-19 vaccines quickly and equitably. While I remain troubled by the lack of efficiency and equity in Maryland’s rollout, we must also continue to take action at the federal level to bolster vaccine supply, promote equitable access, and strengthen testing so we can beat this virus. This package includes the resources to do just that.
Our plan delivers $14 billion to improve vaccine development, administration, and deployment. It also addresses disparities in access to health services through an additional $25 billion that supports underserved communities and communities of color.
Current economic projections are stark.?A staggering?20 percent?of Maryland adults living with children report difficulty providing enough food. Our working families and small businesses are struggling to get by — over?300,000?Marylanders are relying on unemployment benefits, and small business revenue in our state is?down?by 30 percent.?The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that — if we don’t take additional action — we’ll be stuck with elevated unemployment until 2025.
Once signed into law, the American Rescue Plan will bolster our economy and help staunch the bleeding to prevent long-term economic damage. For eligible income levels, this package adds to the initial $600 direct payments to Americans with an additional $1,400, bringing the total relief payment to $2,000 per person. It also extends enhanced unemployment benefits through Sept. 6, doubles the amount of rental assistance available to those at risk of eviction, extends the 15 percent benefit increase to SNAP, and includes $40 billion in child care relief.
Last but not least, this package includes a vital investment to lift Americans out of poverty by expanding the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).?Increasing the CTC will cut child poverty by more than 40 percent this year and benefit over 1.1 million Maryland children; expanding the EITC will help over?255,000 Maryland workers.
Ongoing economic challenges have also impacted our state and local governments on the?front lines. Continued economic hardship could result in fewer resources for our schools, local infrastructure, community projects, and more. According to the Congressional Budget Office, funding for states and local communities provides the biggest bang for the buck when it comes to economic relief.
Our plan brings millions in relief directly to Maryland’s city and county governments, allowing them to invest that money directly into our communities and target it where it’s needed most. The bill also helps our students get back into the classroom as quickly and safely as possible through a $170 billion investment in K-12 schools and higher education to support students who are learning in person, remotely, or through a mix of both.
This is the bold plan we need to beat this virus and bring those struggling back from the brink. Our mission was clear: meet the moment and take care of our communities. That’s what the American people have been telling us, and we answered that call.
U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Maryland, is a member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. He is a Democrat who lives in Montgomery County.
