AFT President Randi Weingarten Says Biden’s American Rescue Plan Is Once-in-a-Generation Investment in American People

WASHINGTON—American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten issued the following statement after President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act:

“This legislation will change lives almost immediately. It will send relief directly to the communities, schools, hospitals and workers that need it most, and help buoy the very institutions and people that have carried us through the COVID-19 crisis. After one of our country’s darkest hours, the American Rescue Plan shows us help is on the way: It invests in the testing and vaccination plans needed to reopen school buildings for safe in-person learning and provides necessary relief for small businesses as well as child care and healthcare assistance.

“But this is more than a COVID-19 relief bill; it aims to cut child poverty nearly in half, expand unemployment insurance, and bring unprecedented economic assistance to retirees, working people, older and younger Americans alike. This legislation is a down payment on the American spirit, and on our collective resiliency as we recover and rebuild.

“We thank President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and every single one of the Democratic members of Congress who voted for this bill—for having the imagination to go bold, the courage to go it alone, and the conviction to meet the needs of Americans at this moment.”