By Nadia Ahmed – Student Journalist
President Joe Biden has taken urgent steps to relieve the United States of its financial consequences brought on by the pandemic. Prior to his inauguration date, President Biden has unveiled the offerings of a 1.9 trillion dollar care package to help revive the state of our nation. The main function of the relief package is to aid households, businesses, unemployed Americans, educational institutions, and vaccine testing centers.
President Biden and his team are optimistic that the relief care package will bolster the nation’s economy and help American’s attain a state of normalcy. Biden acknowledges that many Americans are under financial distress during the pandemic and hopes to alleviate some of the damage that has been done.
Biden’s plan consists of: $1400 payments for most Americans in the form of stimulus checks, increasing the federal unemployment rate to $400 and extending its delivery through the end of September, increasing federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, increasing in-state and local government aid to $350 billion, awarding educational institutions $170 billion, providing $50 billion for COVID-19 testing, and an addition $20 billion towards the National Vaccine Program. He will also call on Congress to initiate a $25 billion emergency fund for child care homes.
Biden’s promptness to take swift actions to help combat the consequences of the pandemic has helped many Americans take a well awaited sigh of relief. Fellow Democrats commend Biden for his care package and look forward to working with him in the coming days of his inauguration into office.
Economists agree with the notion to accelerate the relief care package in order for businesses to withstand the damage that they may have suffered from the pandemic. Although Americans are receiving vaccines daily, there is still time until life can resume to normalcy. Therefore, it is crucial that businesses receive the help offered through Biden’s financial relief package in order to prevent mass closure of businesses.
The financial state of America will not amend overnight. However, with the help of the rescue package, there is hope. Americans are hopeful that as the delivery of vaccines accelerate and businesses recover the financial burden from the past few heavy months, America can breathe once again. President Joe Biden is aware that the plan is an expensive investment, yet is optimistic that the investment will be profitable.