“With the American Rescue Plan, we are taking strong action to secure needed relief with working people in mind, not the wealthy and well-connected. Critically, we are delivering survival payments that will help working people and their families pay (and backpay) bills and buy necessities,, supporting access to affordable health care for unemployed workers, expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC), two effective poverty alleviating resources for families, and strengthening retirement security by stabilizing troubled multiemployer plans. The crises resulting from the pandemic, extend far, impacting communities and small businesses causing food, job, health and economic insecurity for millions. Now is not the time for half measures; our nation is still struggling and we need a bold response. That’s why we considered comprehensive legislation that will extend and enhance lifelines for working people and families during this emergency.
“I am so proud we are fighting poverty in a direct way to lift increasing number of families who have been sinking deeper and deeper into economic hardship. Of course, no bill is perfect, but this legislation will make a real difference in the lives of my constituents, and millions of Americans across the country. We will continue addressing the needs of people and work not to reset our country to pre-pandemic times, but like President Biden says, to ‘build back better’ to create a more prosperous, just country.”
The Committee’s approval now sends the package to the House Budget Committee which will combine it with other provisions from a range of House Committees into one package the full House will consider later this month.
Key Provisions
-$1,400 Survival cash payments for each taxpayer and each dependent to individuals who make up to $75,000, head of households who make up to $112,000 and couples who earn up to $150,000
-Extends COVID federal unemployment benefits through the end of August and increasing the weekly benefit to $400
-Expands the EITC to workers without children nearly tripling the maximum credit and extending eligibility to more Americans
-Increases the CTC to $3,000 per child over 5 and $3,600 per child under 6 and makes the credit fully refundable and advanceable
-Provides economic stability to retirees and frontline workers using multiemployer pension plans
-Extends access to health care by increasing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, subsidizing COBRA coverage and health care for unemployed workers who are ineligible for COBRA
-Provides an additional 10 days of paid sick leave and increasing the value of the credit available and extending medical and family leave credits for self-employed workers
-creates a special financial assistance program for troubled multiemployer plans to ensure these plans can continue paying retirees’ benefits
During Committee markup, Congresswoman Moore spoke up in support of provisions that take steps to address longstanding inequities and directly tackle child poverty, defended provisions that are critical to her constituents and the country, such as the Pandemic Emergency Fund to provide emergency assistance for low-income families with children who need the help the most and the CTC enhancement to deliver the credit monthly. The Congresswoman also raised the importance of providing support for employer provided paid medical and family leave to help working families balance their caregiving responsibilities while staying connected to work and noted the particular importance of doing this during the pandemic, because having these employment benefits helps curb the spread of Covid-19. Congresswoman Moore also spoke about Congress’ responsibility to help survivors of domestic violence who have had their survival checks taken by their abuser and her commitment to passing legislation to get replacements checks to them, recognizing that bringing economic justice to these victims can also be a pathway out of abuse.
