One year ago today, President Biden signed the historic American Rescue Plan into law, spurring a year of investments in Michigan that helped over 70 percent of the state get vaccinated, safely reopened schools, put checks into the pockets of over one million families, lowered health care costs, and invested in communities to help them recover from the pandemic.
This was made possible without a single hint of Republican support in Michigan’s congressional delegation. While communities in the U.P. to West Michigan put forth spending plans for the billions in federal aid their communities were set to receive, Republican Reps. Peter Meijer, Jack Bergman, Tim Walberg, Lisa McClain, John Moolenar, Fred Upton, and Bill Huizenga can take no credit for it because they voted against it.
In celebration of the anniversary of the American Rescue Plan, Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes released the following statement praising Democrats for delivering this critical relief and blasting Republicans for trying to block it:
“Michigan is stronger than ever thanks to the American Rescue Plan passed by President Biden and Michigan Democrats in Congress. While Republicans remain focused on raising taxes on working families and ripping health care away from millions, Democrats are proud to celebrate the one-year anniversary of the American Rescue Plan that’s helped families, small businesses, and schools recover from the pandemic.
“We still have more work to do, but Michigan Democrats at every level of government are passing legislation that will lower costs, strengthen the supply chain, and create jobs.”
Here’s are just a few ways the American Rescue Plan has delivered for Michigan in the last year:
- Lowering health care costs by an average of $800 and helping over 300,000 Michiganders get insured in the last year.
- Investing billions in Michigan students so universities and colleges could remain open and students had additional funding to pay for the supplies they needed.
- Providing millions in support to Michigan families through the Child Tax Credit that alleviated financial burdens and helped caregivers put food on the table, buy new school supplies, and pay for emergencies.
After a year, Michigan Republicans in the State House and Senate are sitting on $6 billion American Rescue Plan dollars that could be used to alleviate financial burdens across the state, replace lead pipes, and expand broadband. Instead, they don’t think it’s that important to spend it quickly. From Capitol Hill to the Lansing State Capitol, Republicans aren’t concerned with delivering for the folks who need it most – and that’s something voters will remember.
