On Saturday, February 27, 2021, Congresswoman Cheri Bustos helped pass the latest COVID-19 relief legislation, the “American Rescue Plan.”
This urgently-needed package would return children safely to the classroom, get vaccines to the people, put dollars into Illinois families’ pockets, support our small businesses, and more, to crush this virus and rebuild our economy.
The vote comes after the 100,000th COVID-19 case was confirmed in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District this week. It follows 500,000 American lives, including 20,000 Illinoisans, which have been lost to the pandemic.
“The American Rescue plan is the bold action we need to meet this moment and deliver immediate relief to hardworking Illinois families who are bearing the brunt of this crisis,” said Congresswoman Bustos. “Over the past year, this pandemic has upended our lives and touched every corner of our communities–leading to a tremendous amount of grief and struggle. This…legislation will bolster vaccine funding; help get our kids back in school safely; support our local Governments; provide direct relief payments to Illinoisans; assist our small businesses…to defeat this virus and rebuild our economy.”
The American Rescue Plan would deliver the following relief.
Small Business: $7.25 billion for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funding and expanded eligibility for the program. As of the beginning of February, 10,005 small business have applied for PPP loans. Also, $613,172,281 has been disbursed to support 84,912 jobs in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District.
State and Local Assistance: An estimated $203,992,811 in Federal funding for the 14 Counties across Illinois’ 17th Congressional District, to support State and local Governments.
Education: $130 billion to help K-12 schools safely reopen and return to the classroom. As of this week, nearly 113,000 K-12 students in Illinois’ 17th Congressional District are participating in a blend of learning virtually and in-person.
Child Care: $39 billion for child care providers through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program. Since February 2020, more than 2.3 million women have left the U. S. workforce. Women account for 80 percent of all workers who left the workforce last month.
Agriculture: $16 billion for the United States Department of Agriculture, including nearly $4 billion for commodity purchases, that will be distributed to those in need by way of restaurants and nonprofits, like the Northern Illinois Food Bank, River Bend Food Bank, and Peoria Area Food Bank.
Vaccines, Testing, and Tracing: $14 billion for vaccines and $46 billion for testing, contact tracing, and mitigation efforts.
Direct Relief: $19 billion in emergency rental assistance. Provides $1400 in direct relief to the American People, increasing the amount of direct relief payments to the American people to a total of $2,000.