Pandemic Relief Is On The Way

Dear Friend,

A little over a year ago, our state reported its first cases of COVID-19. Washingtonians and all Americans have needed help for quite some time now. Thankfully, help is now on the way.

Yesterday, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. I proudly voted for this historic legislation, which is the bold action we need to help people with financial strain, reopen our economy, get children back into classrooms, and vaccinate every American.

We’re going through a once-in-a-hundred-year crisis, and it demands a once-in-a-hundred-year solution. This bill meets the moment and charts our path out of the pandemic and its economic fallout.

This week, I spoke on the floor of the House to highlight the ways America’s children will benefit from this bill. As the first and only pediatrician in Congress, I voted for provisions to:

• Expand the Child Tax Credit with direct monthly checks of up to $300 that will benefit 93% of children in this county and cut child poverty in half
• Increase funding by $350 million for child abuse prevention, based on a bill that I re-introduced last month
• Boost WIC nutrition assistance for women and young children by $35/month for fruits and vegetables. This section of the bill is from my WIC Benefit Flexibility During COVID-19 Act.
• Provide nearly $130 billion to help K-12 schools reopen safely and stay open

• Improve COVID-19 vaccine education, distribution, and administration, including vaccination clinics and mobile vaccination units. ($20 billion) This includes funding for my VACCINES Act, a vaccine awareness campaign that was signed into law last year.
• Help Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to prepare, promote, distribute, administer, monitor, and track COVID-19 vaccines ($7.5 billion)
• Expand testing and contact tracing—including manufacturing and distribution of rapid tests and personal protective equipment (PPE) ($46 billion)

• $1,400 stimulus checks to those eligible (individuals earning up to $75,000 per year, married couples earning up to $150,000 per year). Parents will receive an additional $1,400 per child, including college students and adult dependents.
• $300/week in federal unemployment insurance to supplement state benefits, through September 6th
• Lower health insurance premiums. The bill increases ACA tax credits and caps ACA exchange plan premiums at 8.5% of income—cutting premiums in half for an average 8th district family.
• Emergency Rental Assistance ($26 billion) and $10 billion to help homeowners struggling with mortgage payments
• Expanded internet connectivity to address the digital divide for students and teachers ($7.6 billion)
• Support for home energy assistance through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) ($4.5 billion)
• Increases in SNAP benefits by 15% until Sept. 30, 2021, expanding funding and eligibility at this time of widespread food insecurity

• Additional funding for PPP ($7.25 billion) and expanded eligibility of 501(c) nonprofits of all sizes and types, except for 501(c)4 lobbying organizations
• New SBA program to offer assistance to restaurants and bars with 20 or fewer locations that have been hit hard by the pandemic ($25 billion)
• Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) advances to help those who applied for relief in 2020 but did not receive the full $10,000 grant ($15 billion)

• New Coronavirus Relief Funds, reserved for states, localities, the U.S. Territories, and the Tribal Governments, to help keep critical workers like frontline health workers, first responders, and teachers on the job ($350 billion) 

The American Rescue Plan has significant funding for families and small businesses. If you believe you are eligible for assistance but did not receive it, please reach out to my office. We can help you navigate federal agencies.

Help is on the way.

Best wishes,

Kim Schrier, M.D.
Member of Congress