Congresswoman Cori Bush’s Statement on House Passage of the American Rescue Plan
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), a member of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, released the following statement after House passage of H.R. 1319, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Last night, the Congresswoman discussed the American Rescue Plan on MSNBC All in with Chris Hayes, to watch and download it, click here.
“It is our duty in Congress to save lives,” said Congresswoman Cori Bush. “In our office, our mission is to do the most for all of St. Louis, beginning with those who have the very least. The American Rescue Plan is a strong first step in that direction. We secured approximately $700 million in relief for local governments in the St. Louis region — including more than $500 million for St. Louis City. From Ferguson to Florissant, from The Ville to Carondelet Park, this relief and so much more in direct aid will keep roofs over people’s heads and food on families’ tables.
“At the intersection of the pandemic, this economic crisis, and our nation’s racial justice reckoning, we needed a relief plan that is intentionally intersectional. That’s why we worked to ensure that the American Rescue Plan will create the infrastructure for an equitable vaccine distribution program. It will expand testing, contact tracing, and virus mitigation strategies to stop the spread of COVID-19, a virus that has disproportionately killed Black and brown people. It will increase and extend federal unemployment benefits, and it will support small businesses by providing billions in emergency grant funding. This legislation is bold, and it will urgently begin meeting the needs of people and families across St. Louis following a year of failures and mismanagement by the previous administration.
“At the same time, this cannot be our last relief bill. While $1,400 will help many families get through this next month, it is still not enough. We need $2,000 monthly, retroactive survival checks. We need to build the national broadband infrastructure that is prepared to meet the urgent needs of our virtual world. We need to make sure that all people have comprehensive health care — especially in the middle of a catastrophic pandemic. And, most urgently, the Senate must overrule the parliamentarian and raise the federal minimum wage to $15. That is the promise we made, and it is a promise that we must keep.”
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Congresswoman Cori Bush represents Missouri’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. She serves on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. She is also a Deputy Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and a proud member of the Congressional Black Caucus. She is a registered nurse, single mother, and an ordained pastor. Following the murder of Michael Brown Jr. by a now-terminated Ferguson police officer, she became a civil rights activist and community organizer fighting for justice for Black lives on the streets of Missouri and across the country.