Call Your Michigan Senators
- Senator Debbie Stabenow: (202) 224-4822
- Senator Gary Peters: (202) 224-6221
And Your U.S. Representative (HERE)
URGE THEM to support President Biden’s COVID relief package that gives more help for struggling families and communities
The COVID pandemic and the subsequent economic and health crisis it triggered is devastating families across the country. As of January 28, 29.8 million people have contracted the COVID virus and 433,000 have died from it. President Joe Biden’s new Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellin, said that the “price of doing nothing is higher than the price of doing something big.” The Biden’s administration last week introduced a $1.9 trillion “American Rescue Plan” to help both people and the economy to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. This includes support for mass vaccinations; state and local aid; more generous unemployment benefits, raising the federal minimum wage to $15/hour, and more.
The President said he plans to negotiate with Republicans on this urgently needed spending package. However, if that doesn’t work quickly enough, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said that Democrats can use a “reconciliation” rule that allows passage of a bill with only a 50% vote (plus a vote by the Vice President). According to a January 25 article in CNBC, President Biden said negotiations will take a “couple weeks” and then he will decide whether to pass the bill without support from the other party. Based on this prediction, action on this COVID relief package it’s expected to happen in early February.
Click HERE for an outline of what’s in the plan from the January 14 New York Times. Click HERE for more information about the Biden American Rescue Plan.
TELL YOUR SENATORS:
Support relief for families so they can keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
Make sure the resources are in place so all Americans get vaccinated.
Support state and local communities so they can get help to people where it’s needed.
Raise the federal minimum wage, which has not increased since 2009, to $15/hour.
Vote YES on the American Rescue Plan to give real relief to families and communities.
Here’s a summary of key provisions in Biden’s COVID relief bill:
A NATIONAL VACCINATION PROGRAM: to contain COVID 19 and safely reopen schools;
DELIVER IMMEDIATE RELIEF TO WORKING FAMILIES: $1,400/person checks; housing and nutrition assistance; increase access to health care, paid leave, and child care; raise the minimum wage to $15/hour, and extend unemployment insurance;
SUPPORT COMMUNITIES: Support hardest hit small businesses; protect the jobs of first responders, transit workers, and other essential workers we depend upon.
Urge them to fight for Michigan families who are struggling to keep food on their tables and a roof over their heads. Urge them to make sure our state and communities have what they need to fight the COVID virus, to protect teachers and other front line workers who are helping all of us. Honor the 29.8 million people who’ve gotten sick from COVID and the 433,000 Americans who died from it.