FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Thursday, January 14, 2021 

CONTACT:
Amanda Ebrahim
press@populardemocracy.org
(516) 492-9757 

"President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris have reminded us what leadership looks like with their American Rescue Plan. We, at the Center for Popular Democracy, imagine how many lives could have been saved if we had this kind of bold response to the COVID-19 pandemic months earlier. 

The American Rescue Plan is a critical step forward for providing Black and Brown communities, who have been most impacted by the pandemic, with necessary relief and a path toward recovery. Its essential provisions include giving families a $1,400 check that will help them pay their bills and stay afloat. The plan also acknowledges that a lack of paid leave is not only threatening the financial security of working families, but increasing the spread of COVID-19 and calls for emergency paid leave for 106 million more people to reduce the spread of the virus. The plan further acknowledges that millions of workers – especially the 40% of frontline workers who are people of color – are putting themselves and their families at risk and calls for raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour to ensure they can make ends meet. 

COVID-19 has also laid bare the deep racial disparities in our healthcare system and the need for a comprehensive government response. The American Rescue Plan includes dedicated resources to begin that work. It provides a meaningful first investment in funding to states and localities so that they can immediately start hiring for well-paid jobs to roll out the vaccine, engage testers and contact tracers and connect people to healthcare. Additionally, the plan significantly expands access to healthcare by covering COBRA for the tens of millions who have lost their jobs and limits the cost of insurance premiums to 8.5% of income. 

While we support swift implementation of this plan, we urge Congress to ensure that relief is fully equitable and inclusive for immigrant families who represent a disproportionate share of essential workers yet face disproportionate harms. At present, the plan’s provisions for a $1,400 check to help keep families afloat excludes many immigrant workers and families, including ITIN holders. As we look toward recovery, we must also work to ensure that the millions of immigrant workers providing essential work are given a path to citizenship that honors their contributions. 

We look forward to working with the administration and Congress to make this plan an immediate reality. With additional provisions to ensure immigrant communities are included in the relief, we are confident that this plan will put our communities on the path toward recovery.”

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The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state and local level.