by Daniel Morales
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 does not provide enough relief to combat the economic damage due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This inadequate aide comes at a time where the COVID-19 pandemic has ravaged our country, killing over 500,000 people.
It has been around two months since taxpayers last received stimulus checks for $600, meaning that people who file their taxes individually have only received $1800 in economic stimulus since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This bill provides stimulus checks of $1400 for individual taxpayers earning under $75,000 per year with other criteria for married couples and families. These direct payments to citizens are also accompanied with other economic stimulus payments dedicated to institutions of higher learning, vaccine distribution planning and reopening public K-12 schools.
This is not nearly enough to recoup the losses felt by many people in our nation, especially considering the already fragile situation those most vulnerable began in.
To many, $1,400 does not even cover a full rent payment, let alone provide enough financial support to cover the costs of a funeral for a loved one who died with complications from COVID-19.
Ultimately this is a slap in the face to United States citizens, with notable representatives such as Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez shaming the Biden administration for taking action to lower eligibility requirements, for the stimulus check.
While many conservatives in our nation’s capital argue that these stimulus checks are unnecessary and push our over $27 trillion dollars’ worth of public debt even higher many economists agree that these one-time $1,400 payments signed into law by President Biden are not enough to help combat the “k-shaped” recovery that is common in the United States.
K-shaped recovery occurs during a recession when different industries and groups of people recover at different rates and times. This has been especially prevalent during the COVID-19 pandemic in which industries that tend to be more affluent such as software industries and technology have benefitted faster and more in comparison to industries that tend to be comprised of more minimum wage workers such as hospitality and food services.
This type of economic “recovery” has only illustrated the disparities between wealthy and poor in our country further.
This, combined with the lack of student loan forgiveness, as promised by President Biden has created a stimulus bill that leaves many in a precarious financial situation.
It is the responsibility of our federal government to respond to this crisis effectively and prevent our nation from entering a recession that mimics the 2008 financial aid crisis.
In the absence of effective leadership, and legislation to counteract the damage felt by COVID-19 it falls upon us to demand better of our elected representatives.
Local Alabamians can contact house members Gary Palmer at (205) 968-1290 and Terri Sewell at (205) 254-1960 in order to urge them to support or further support legislation to forgive student debt and continue providing stimulus payments.
