Cartwright advocates for $1.9T American Rescue Plan
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Feb. 25—U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright joined several other Democratic members of Congress on Thursday in advocating for passage of President Joe Biden's American Rescue Plan, which goes up for a vote before the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday.
The $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, which cleared the House Budget Committee on Monday, would create a national COVID-19 vaccination program, give aid to small businesses and provide $1,400 checks per qualified person.
Cartwright, D-8, Moosic, called the proposal a "comprehensive plan" that will help the country move past the pandemic that has gripped the world for the past year.
"We are bringing more relief to the House floor this week," Cartwright said during a conference call with reporters. "We know our economy can only truly recover when we crush this virus."
A key point of the plan is the development of a national vaccination program. Biden's proposal calls for $20 billion in spending to help develop, purchase and distribute COVID-19 vaccines in partnership with state and local governments.
Cartwright said the program will consist of setting up community vaccination sites around the country and deploying mobile vaccination units, as well as educating the public about when and how they can get vaccinated.
"Let's get this package through Congress quickly so we can crush COVID-19," Cartwright said. "Once this pandemic is under control, I have high expectations about our economy being poised to boom."
The proposal will also provide funding to allow for safely re-opening a majority of kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms, and includes $50 billion to expand COVID-19 testing by purchasing rapid tests, expanding laboratory capacity and helping schools implement regular testing protocols.
"The plan will get money into the American people's pocket, children back into school, and that all starts with getting shots into people's arms," said U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Delaware.
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-2, Philadelphia, said the proposal has a "remarkable" amount of bipartisan support — a recent Quinnipiac poll showed 68% of Americans were in favor of the plan while only 24% were opposed — and he joined Cartwright in urging their colleagues in Congress to support the bill during Friday's vote.
"We're nearing the end of this," Cartwright said. "We can all sense it. But we have to finish the job."
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