(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, sending the bill to President Biden’s desk.
“We thank President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Congresswoman Norton for their leadership in securing over $2 billion in relief for the District of Columbia in the American Rescue Plan, including the $755 million we were owed from the CARES Act. This Covid-relief bill funds DC as the state, city, and county we operate as.
“I also want to thank the residents of DC for continuing to advocate for the funding we were owed. Without a vote, our voice is all we have, and since March 2020, Washingtonians have remained steadfast in their advocacy for full and equitable funding. And that’s because we know what this funding means to our community: it means ramped up testing and vaccinations; relief for workers who have lost their jobs during the pandemic; housing assistance for renters and homeowners alike; support for local businesses trying to make it through this final stretch and to the other side of the pandemic; and it means our students and schools will have more resources to accelerate the learning of children who have now been out of the classroom for a full year.
“The American Rescue Act sends a strong message to Americans nationwide: we are in this together, and in 2021, we will recover together.”