Lawmakers react to passage of $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan

Reaction to passage of COVID-19 relief bill

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Congresswoman Gwen Moore share their reaction to the passage of the COVID-19 relief bill.

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers and officials in Wisconsin are reacting swiftly to the passage of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill -- otherwise, known as the American Rescue Plan.

Statements from those persons are listed below.

Rep. Gwen Moore (D)

"Our crises demand a bold response. The American Rescue Plan answers for our country’s urgent needs by providing needed survival checks, extending relief for unemployed workers, securing funds that will safely allow the return of our kids to school, resources to help assist in more equitable access to testing and distribution of vaccines, and funds to help bring the pandemic to an end. The American people will see the impact of this bill in their bank accounts, their communities, and their local small businesses.

"The American Rescue Plan takes major steps to reduce poverty by expanding the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC). Not only will this uplift families, but it will also reduce child poverty in our communities.

"While I am disappointed this bill does not include a minimum wage increase, I will continue fighting for a living wage for our most vulnerable workers. Minimum wage workers deserve to live with the stability of a decent paycheck, not the uncertainty of barely scraping by.

"Our cities, our families, our workers, our families, and the people need this bill now. I look forward to the American Rescue Plan being swiftly signed into law and building upon this effort to bring more progress to our country."

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R)

"Over the course of the past year, Congress has passed more than $4 trillion in Coronavirus relief – nearly $1 trillion of which remains unspent. But instead of waiting to allocate this massive sum of money, my colleagues opted to rush through an additional $1.9 trillion dollar package that the Biden Administration itself admitted is ‘the most progressive piece of legislation in history.’

"This bill was fundamentally flawed two weeks ago, and even after being amended in the Senate, is still fundamentally flawed today. We all want to ensure hospitals receive the funding they need to distribute vaccines, schools can reopen, and that individuals hardest hit by the virus can get by. But instead of working across the aisle, President Biden pushed for the wrong plan, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons. So much for unity."

Rep. Ron Kind (D)

"COVID-19 has caused an economic and public health emergency like we’ve never seen before, and we must meet this moment. Wisconsinites are in agreement: we need the American Rescue Plan," said Rep. Ron Kind. "This final package will provide relief to families, expand vaccines and testing, help our schools reopen safely, and get our economy firing on all cylinders again. I’m proud to vote for the American Rescue Plan and send it to the President’s desk for his signature."

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Rep. Bryan Steil (R)

"Congress should be focused on getting our way of life back by reopening schools and getting workers back to work. Instead of focusing on defeating coronavirus, Pelosi’s Payoff is a costly liberal spending wish list. Only 1% of this $1.9 trillion spending bill goes to accelerate vaccine distribution. Less than 10% of total funds combats coronavirus. Getting our kids safely back into the classroom should be our top priority, yet Pelosi’s bill has no requirement for schools to reopen. The bill also puts Wisconsin taxpayers on the hook to bailout the bad spending habits in Illinois. I am focused on getting our way of life back. This spending bill fails to do that."

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel

"Today, congressional Democrats let down hardworking Americans by passing a massive $1.9 trillion spending bill that does more to fulfill their progressive wish list than to ease the burdens facing small businesses and families as a result of COVID-19. With less than 10 percent of the nearly $2 trillion package dedicated to directly combatting the virus and only one percent for vaccines, this enormous package makes a mockery of the crisis our country is facing. Americans deserve targeted legislation that will accelerate vaccine distribution, get Americans back to work, and safely re-open our schools – not hyper-partisan and wasteful pork spending."

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