ROUNDUP: President Biden Promotes American Rescue Plan As It Saves Jobs, Speeds Up Vaccinations, Puts Money In Pockets

Following the passage of his landmark legislation the American Rescue Plan, President Biden and his administration have begun a cross-country “Help is Here” tour to highlight the positive impact of the relief legislation. This tour comes as the American people continue to see the meaningful ways in which the popular relief legislation will improve their lives and help end the pandemic.

See some of the recent coverage of this tour and the American Rescue Plan below:

• HEADLINE: “Biden Swings By Pennsylvania In Covid Relief Tour And Promises ‘More Help.’” [The Guardian, 3/16/21]
  • Biden Stopped By A Black-Owned Flooring Company In Pennsylvania And Highlighted How The ARP Would Help Small Businesses Recover From The Pandemic. “Joe Biden stopped by a unionized, Black-owned flooring company in the battleground state of Pennsylvania on Tuesday to highlight how the provisions of his $1.9tn coronavirus relief package will help lift small businesses hurt by the pandemic, part of a cross-country campaign to promote the first major legislative achievement of his presidency. […] During the visit, Biden explained how his plan would help small businesses like Smith Flooring, which saw its revenue fall by roughly 20% during the pandemic, according to the White House. The flooring company recently qualified for a federal Payment Protection Program (PPP) loan under an action taken by the president targeting businesses with 20 or fewer employees.” [The Guardian, 3/16/21]
• HEADLINE: “In Pennsylvania, Biden Showcases Aid To Small Businesses.” [Associated Press, 3/16/21]
  • The ARP Will Bring “Transformational Change” To The Nation By Halving Child Poverty, Fueling Record Levels Of Hiring And Pumping Money To Parents, Schools, And State And Local Governments. “Biden is trying to showcase how the aid package will bring transformational change to the nation by halving child poverty, fueling record levels of hiring and pumping money to parents, schools and state and local governments. It’s a sharp turn from the start of the Biden administration, when vaccination goals were relatively modest and Americans were warned the country might not return to normal until Christmas.” [Associated Press, 3/16/21]
• HEADLINE: “Biden Highlights Impact Of Relief Package On Small Businesses At Pennsylvania Stop.” [Washington Post, 3/16/21]
• HEADLINE: “The Road Show Begins: VP Harris, Jill Biden Promote Aid Plan.” [Associated Press, 3/16/21]
• HEADLINE: “Biden, Pitching Stimulus, Promises Milestones For Vaccines And Checks.” [New York Times, 3/15/21]
  • President Biden Announced That His Administration Is On Pace To Send 100 Million Stimulus Checks And Administer 100 Million Coronavirus Vaccines By March 25. “WASHINGTON — President Biden said on Monday that his administration was on pace to achieve two key goals by March 25: 100 million shots of Covid-19 vaccines since his inauguration and 100 million direct payments under his economic relief bill.” [New York Times, 3/15/21]
• HEADLINE: “Child Tax Credit: Millions Of Parents Could Soon Get Up To $3,600 Per Child.” [CBS News, 3/17/21]
  • The ARP Rehauls The Child Tax Credit By Expanding The Benefit And Increasing Access To More Low-Income Households, Which Could Lift More Than 4 Million Children Out Of Poverty. “[T]he relief bill includes an overhaul of the Child Tax Credit (CTC), a 24-year-old part of the nation’s tax law that today primarily benefits middle- and upper-income families. The American Rescue Plan overhauls the CTC by expanding the benefit from $2,000 annually to as much as $3,600 per child. It also includes more low-income households and doles out the credit’s benefit through monthly cash payments. Those changes could have a major impact on millions of families, especially low-income households and those whose earnings can fluctuate from month to month. More than 4 million children could be lifted out of poverty, particularly children from Black or Latino families, according to analysis from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.” [CBS News, 3/17/21]
• HEADLINE: “Americans Begin Receiving Stimulus Payments Just Days After American Rescue Plan Was Signed Into Law.” [KLBJ News & Radio, 3/15/21]
• HEADLINE: “Local School Districts Receive Millions From The American Rescue Plan.” [News10/WETM, 3/17/21]
• HEADLINE: “How The American Rescue Plan Will Improve Affordability Of Private Health Coverage.” [Kaiser Family Foundation, 3/17/21]
• HEADLINE: “National Endowment For The Arts Says American Rescue Plan Funding Will Support 234,000 Jobs.” [WDMV, 3/17/21]
  • The National Endowment For The Arts Will Receive $135 Million In Funding From The ARP, Which The NEA Will Use To Support 234,000 Jobs. “The National Endowment for the Arts will receive $135 million from the federal government to support organizations and jobs in the arts sector, which have faced some of the highest rates of unemployment since the pandemic began. The national unemployment rate between April and June of 2020 was about 6%, but the Arts Endowment reports the rate for dancers and choreographers was over 77%. Actors and musicians faced unemployment rates of 47.6% and 21.5%, respectively. The funding is thanks to the American Rescue Plan. […] The NEA Office of Research and Analysis estimates the funding will support about 234,000 jobs. In 2020, the Arts Endowment received $75 million of CARES Act funding, which was allocated in less than four months.” [WDMV, 3/17/21]
• HEADLINE: “$1.9T American Rescue Plan Stanches Airline Worker Layoffs.” [Business Travel News, 3/12/21]
  • The Passage Of The ARP Caused Both United Airlines And American Airlines To Cancel Layoffs Of Thousands Of Employees. “President Joe Biden on Thursday signed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which includes among other transportation industry funding $14 billion in direct aid to airlines for payroll support programs. Like previous emergency funding packages disbursed to the hard-hit travel category, including those provided in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act last March and the $900 billion coronavirus relief bill passed in December, the aid comes with requirements. The new payroll extension must be used to maintain current employee rosters through Sept. 30, 2021, and recipient carriers must refrain from buying back stock, issuing dividends or increasing executive compensation through Sept. 30, 2022. The Rescue Plan comes through just as layoff limitations stipulated in the previous round of aid approved in December were slated to end on March 31. Both United Airlines and American Airlines were poised to release workers after that date. Both now have pulled back from those intentions.” [Business Travel News, 3/12/21]