[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 41 (Thursday, March 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1044-S1046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021

  Mr. PETERS. Mr. President, as we near the 1-year anniversary of the 
coronavirus pandemic ripping our country, there is no question that 
Michiganders and people all across our country are still hurting.
  While we are making important progress in the fight to combat this 
virus, this public health and economic crisis continues to take a 
significant toll on families, workers who are out of a job, educators, 
students, small businesses, hospitals, and communities all across our 
country.
  We passed targeted, temporary relief in December, but we knew at that 
time that that was not going to be enough. We need more robust, 
meaningful relief. We must act quickly to meet the urgency of this 
moment by swiftly passing the American Rescue Plan.

[[Page S1045]]

  This is about relief for Michiganders and Americans who are reeling 
and are trying to make ends meet, funding to help schools safely 
reopen, sources to speed up vaccine distribution, and support for small 
businesses fighting to stay afloat.
  I continue to hear from Michiganders from all across the State who 
are struggling to put food on the table, pay their rent, and keep the 
lights on. These folks are not asking for a handout; they simply want a 
lifeline to get to the other side of the pandemic.
  When we passed $600 relief checks in December, I pledged that we must 
do more and that we could do that by providing people with an 
additional $1,400 to fulfill the promise of $2,000 in relief funds. 
With the American Rescue Plan, the majority of Michiganders and 
Americans who received these relief checks in December are going to be 
eligible once again.
  This bill would mean a family of four could receive an additional 
$5,600. That support is vital to make sure that people don't fall into 
poverty as a result of this pandemic and that they can get back up on 
their feet as quickly as possible.
  We know that millions of workers across our country, including 
workers in Michigan, are on the verge of seeing unemployment benefits 
expire on March 14. We cannot abandon folks who are out of work through 
no fault of their own because of COVID-19. They have seen this pandemic 
disrupt their jobs and their incomes. The need for unemployment 
assistance is widespread, and it is necessary in Michigan.
  For example, there were over 840,000 active claims for Michiganders 
for unemployment assistance in Michigan just in February. That is up 
from 529,000 in January. And these claims for assistance come from 
every single county all across our State. We need to act now so these 
individuals remain eligible for unemployment benefits, including if 
they were self-employed workers, like small business owners, freelance 
workers, independent contractors, or gig workers. We must ensure 
families receiving unemployment have enough assistance to get by, which 
is why I support an additional $400 in weekly benefits. We also need to 
provide certainty that this assistance will continue to be there for 
them in the months ahead, not just for the next few days. The American 
relief plan will do just that by bolstering our State unemployment 
programs with additional Federal support through August 29.
  To help families get back to work, we all know that we must also 
safely reopen our schools. Many parents and educators are struggling to 
assist children through lessons while juggling other work and 
caregiving demands during the pandemic. The American Rescue Plan 
reflects a point of consensus that we want our students to return to 
in-person learning as quickly and as safely as possible. And the more 
resources that we can provide, the better.
  In response to the negative impact that COVID-19 has had on 
education, a stronger and urgent investment in our schools is 
absolutely critical for achieving safe operations and recovering from 
gaps in learning. That is why the American Rescue Plan is absolutely 
essential
  This legislation will provide $170 billion in emergency funding to 
our schools and to our students, with $130 billion for K-12. The 
funding will help schools take steps based on science and recommended 
by the CDC to ensure that students and educators can safely return to 
the classroom. This includes repairing ventilation systems, reducing 
class sizes, implementing social distancing guidelines, purchasing 
personal protective equipment, and hiring support staff to care for 
students' health and their well-being.
  Every family and community has been facing a very unique set of 
challenges, and we need to provide robust funding so schools and 
parents have what they need to keep children connected with learning 
opportunities that are both safe and effective.
  And while these are important steps, we also know that if we are 
going to come back stronger from this pandemic, we also need to support 
the very backbone of our economy, which is our small businesses. While 
we have passed several rounds of relief for small businesses, too many 
of our hard-hit small businesses are still reeling--from restaurants to 
boutiques, to family-owned and minority-owned businesses.
  The American Rescue Plan has significant small business relief, 
including $25 billion in grants for restaurants and bars that have lost 
revenue because of the pandemic; $15 billion for economic injury 
disaster loan advance grants; $7 million in funding for Paycheck 
Protection Program loans and expanded eligibility for nonprofits.
  Additionally, this package reauthorizes and provides $10 billion in 
Federal funding--including $1.5 billion specifically for minority-owned 
small businesses--to the State Small Business Credit Initiative.
  I was proud to help establish this program in 2010 while serving in 
the House of Representatives. This program is a proven success. In 
Michigan, it has helped small businesses create or retain over 12,000 
jobs, and it strengthens State programs that support financing of small 
businesses, allowing them to both grow and to create more jobs.
  I am pleased to again champion this program, and with additional 
investment, it will again provide crucial support to small businesses 
in Michigan and all across our country.
  And, finally, to completely get this pandemic under control, we must 
ramp up the distribution of vaccines. That is one of my top priorities 
as chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government 
Affairs.
  Thanks to the extraordinary work of our scientists, our researchers, 
and our vaccine makers, especially those in my home State of Michigan, 
we now have three safe and effective vaccines. But I know that many 
people have been frustrated and darn right angered by the difficulties 
they have had in trying to secure vaccines for their loved ones or for 
themselves. I am encouraged that President Biden and his administration 
have been working tirelessly to expand vaccine production and speed up 
vaccine distribution. But to get those additional vaccines into 
people's arms, it will take additional resources.
  Through my work on the Senate Homeland Security Committee, I have 
been leading the charge to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency has the essential staff, supplies, transportation, and other 
resources necessary to ensure that every vaccine dose is actually 
reaching an arm in this country.
  I have spoken with President Biden both in the Oval Office and at the 
Pfizer vaccine facility in Portage, MI, about the critical need to 
expedite the deployment of vaccines and to do everything--do everything 
in our power to ensure vaccines are free and widely available in every 
community as quickly and as efficiently as possible.
  The American relief plan includes $50 billion to help FEMA support a 
national vaccine program to efficiently administer vaccines, including 
underserved communities. It also provides frontline medical 
professionals the personal protective equipment, testing supplies, and 
workforce needed to slow and to eliminate the spread of COVID-19.
  All of these resources are mission critical as FEMA plays a leading 
role in assisting the Federal Government's response to COVID-19 by 
coordinating medical supply acquisition and distribution and assisting 
State and local governments with funds for response activities, such as 
vaccine distribution and overtime pay for public health officials.
  As we consider the American Rescue Plan, there are signs of hope, 
particularly with ramped-up vaccine production. We are beginning to 
emerge from a very dark winter, but our work is not done.
  We cannot be complacent. We cannot let up. This virus does not take a 
day off, and neither can we.
  We must pass the American Rescue Plan. This package is not only what 
the American people need, but it is what they want. There is widespread 
support across the country for this package--from mayors to Governors, 
to economists across the political spectrum, and the majority of the 
American people.
  We must deliver comprehensive and urgently needed relief so we can do 
just that by passing the American Rescue Plan. This package will not 
mark the end of our efforts to crush this virus, but it will provide a 
massive shot in the arm to help families, to safely open up our 
schools, and to accelerate the development of more vaccines.

[[Page S1046]]

  So, with that, I urge all of my colleagues to support the motion to 
proceed and final passage.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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