President-elect Joe Biden proposed a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus and pandemic package Thursday night. Here’s some of what’s in the “American Rescue Plan,” according to CNN:
- $20 billion for a national vaccination program, to speed immunity and help the economy.
- $50 billion for coronavirus testing, including buying tests, expanding testing capability, and helping schools implement testing; the hiring of 100,000 public health workers, expansion of community health centers and health services on tribal lands. It would also provide support for long-term care facilities experiencing outbreaks and prisons for mitigation strategies.
- $1,400 stimulus checks per person to eligible recipients. Some who didn’t receive earlier stimulus checks would be included, such as adult dependents and spouses of undocumented immigrants.
- Raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour and end the tipped minimum wage and the sub-minimum wage for people with disabilities.
- $400 a week in federal unemployment aid which, along with two key pandemic unemployment programs, would be extended through September.
- $25 billion in rental assistance for low- and moderate-income households who have lost jobs during the pandemic. That’s in addition to the $25 billion approved in December.
- $5 billion to help struggling renters pay their utility bills.
- $5 billion for state and local governments to help those at risk of homelessness.
- Expand the federal eviction moratorium, set to expire Jan. 31, to Sept. 30, and allow people with federally guaranteed mortgages to apply for forbearance until Sept. 30.
- A $25 billion emergency fund and $15 billion more for an existing program to help child-care providers, including family child-care homes, to pay for rent, utilities, payroll, and increased costs associated with the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment.
- Expand the child-care tax credit for one year so families will get back as much as half of their spending on child care for children under age 13.
- Boost the child tax credit to $3,600 for children under age 6 and $3,000 for those ages 6-17 for one year, and make it fully refundable.
- Raise the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for a year to nearly $1,500 for child-free adults, and raise the income limit of the credit to about $21,000 and expand the age range of eligibility to cover older workers.
- Subsidize through September the premiums of those who lost work-based health insurance.
- Increase and expand the Affordable Care Act’s premium subsidies so enrollees don’t have to pay more than 8.5% of their income for coverage.
- $4 billion for mental-health and substance abuse disorder services.
- $20 billion for veterans’ health care.
- Reinstate and extend through Sept. 30 the paid sick and family leave benefits that expired in December.
- Extend the benefit to workers employed at businesses with fewer than 50 or more than 500 workers, as well as federal employees excluded from the original program.
- People who are sick, quarantining, or caring for a child whose school is closed would receive 14 weeks of paid leave. The government would reimburse employers with fewer than 500 workers for the full cost of providing the leave.
- $15 billion for a new grant program for small business owners, separate from the Paycheck Protection Program.
- $35 billion for some state, local, tribal and non-profit financing programs that make low-interest loans and provide venture capital to entrepreneurs.
- $170 billion to K-12 schools, colleges and universities to help them safely reopen or facilitate distance learning.
I believe how much is going out of the country is just as important as to how this helps Americans. Didn’t see that in the story.
whats going out of the country dont have a dang thing to do with a covid bill for america . now is not a time to waste money we dont have on non helpful things , its not america last . keep the money for the thousands that just lost their job over the commander and thief . and to pay for our gass and food after all the jobs are gone , abortion money going out of america , not enough room on this page to list the waste that could help us , its our money not some foreigner money