One year ago today, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. North Carolina Democratic Party Chair Bobbie Richardson released the following statement:
“One year ago today, President Biden and Democrats delivered critical COVID-19 relief to North Carolinians through the American Rescue Plan. This historic bill helped to get over 6 million North Carolinians fully vaccinated, cut health insurance premiums and taxes for families, provided funding to reopen schools, and put small businesses on a path to recovery.
“In the midst of some of the darkest days for our state and our country, the American Rescue Plan offered us all a glimmer of hope. Nevertheless, every single Republican in Congress voted against the relief that the American Rescue Plan has brought – focusing instead on their agenda of pushing tax hikes and raising premiums if they take power in November.
“As the midterms ramp up, the North Carolina Democratic Party is committed to building on the progress the American Rescue Plan has made for North Carolinians by electing Democrats up and down the ballot.”
The American Rescue Plan delivered for North Carolinians:
- 1,188,000 North Carolina families with 1,968,000 children received tax cuts from the American Rescue Plan’s expanded Child Tax Credit, which averaged to $436 a month per family, totaling more than $2.99 billion in tax cuts in 2021.
- $183.3 million in FY2022 for home energy assistance through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which saw its funding double because of the American Rescue Plan.
- Over 670,000 people are now seeing reduced health care costs through the Health Insurance Marketplace, and coverage saw a 25% increase since the American Rescue Plan passed.
- Approximately $432 million for community colleges and over $307 million for 10 Historically Black Colleges and Universities
- $258 million in Emergency Rental Assistance Program funding from April to November of 2021, helping 4,211 households afford rent and pay bills because of the American Rescue Plan.
- $1.31 billion in 2021 from Child Care Development Fund allocations and child care stabilization funding through the American Rescue Plan.
- 5,250,385 economic impact payments from the American Rescue Plan, each worth up to $1,400 per person and totaling more than $12.6 billion went to North Carolinians as of June 2021
- $5.44 billion in funding in state and local government fiscal recovery fund allocations from the American Rescue Plan.
- $3.6 billion in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funding to help North Carolina schools safely remain open during the pandemic.
- $161,988,125 in funding to 39 health centers to expand vaccinations, testing and treatment efforts for COVID-19.
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