The U.S. Senate passed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 on March 6, which includes $350 billion in direct financial relief for state and local governments. Since the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, cities have been confronting diminished revenues while taking expensive measures to keep their residents safe, facilitate COVID-19 testing and treatment, and encourage vaccine distribution. As a result, cities have been forced to lay off more than one million employees and cut essential services at a time when residents need them most. Following Senate passage, USCM President and Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer released the following statement:
“Mayors everywhere thank the Senate and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer for passing the American Rescue Plan and delivering hope to the millions of Americans who are hurting during this pandemic. We are especially grateful to Senator Schumer for his leadership in restoring the full funding for local governments that was approved by the House. We know we have a challenging road ahead, but this legislation will pave the way for America’s recovery from the worst public health crisis in a generation. This bill will allow our cities to keep our residents healthy, provide essential services, keep our first responders on the job, and begin to unleash the full power of the American economy. With this legislation, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel. America’s mayors thank President Biden for his bold leadership to defeat this virus and rescue our economy. We look forward to the House passing the bill under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi and seeing the President sign this critical legislation into law.”
