Press Releases

Congresswoman Gwen Moore to Support Passage of American Rescue Plan

Congresswoman Moore released the following statement: 

 “The American Rescue Plan meets this moment of compounding crises with a bold, comprehensive response. By providing survival checks, expanding access to health care and making poverty fighting tools like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) more accessible, we directly uplift working families. And gradually increasing the minimum wage to $15 an hour will mean 38 percent of workers in Wisconsin’s Fourth will see a long overdue raise!¹ I’m proud we still include this crucial provision despite the Senate parliamentarian’s decision.

The businesses central to our communities and our local economies have been hit hard during this pandemic. The legislation takes steps to help small businesses gain access to support that was previously hard to receive, especially for business owners of color.

We also tackle the poverty crisis and secure housing and nutrition assistance for the growing number of Americans becoming food and housing insecure and struggling to stay afloat. I am especially relieved to see this aid I fought for included given that 1 in 4 children in Wisconsin face food insecurity, evictions have spiked in Milwaukee, and nationwide 8 million people have been pushed into poverty during the pandemic. 

As our country has reached the deeply tragic milestone of 500,000 Americans losing their lives to COVID-19, this legislation helps put our country on the path towards ending the pandemic with funds to create a nationwide and equitable vaccination plan, increase personal protective equipment (PPE), and expand COVID-19 testing capabilities.

While this bill does not include everything I’ve championed, I know it will provide meaningful relief to my constituents and Americans across the country. As we continue to address the public health and economic crisis, we cannot use life before the pandemic as a guideline for progress in America. Our work must continue to build opportunity and a country where everyone can thrive.”

Key Provisions

• Minimum Wage: Increases the federal minimum wage gradually to reach $15 by 2025.  See the impact on WI-04 here.

An estimated 131,000 workers in WI-04 would be affected with an average pay increase of $3,800 with a total of nearly $500 million in wage increase. 

• $1,400 Survival cash payments for each taxpayer and each dependent to individuals who make up to $75,000, head of households who make up to $112,000 and couples who earn up to $150,000.  The legislation would expand the program to qualify dependents of all ages for survival payments.  
• Extends COVID federal unemployment benefits through the end of August and increases the weekly benefit to $400
• Expands the EITC to workers without children nearly tripling the maximum credit and extending eligibility to more Americans
• Increases the CTC to $3,000 per child over 5 and $3,600 per child under 6 and makes the credit fully refundable and advanceable
• Provides economic stability to retirees and frontline workers by supporting struggling multiemployer pension plans
• Extends access to health care by increasing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium tax credits, subsidizing COBRA coverage and health care for unemployed workers who are ineligible for COBRA
• Extends the paid leave tax credit and makes several reforms including providing  an additional 10 days of paid sick leave 

State and Local Fiscal Relief

• $350 billion in relief for state and local governments that have seen their budgets hit hard by the pandemic 
  • State of Wisconsin: $3.2 billion
  • City of Milwaukee: $406 million
  • Milwaukee County: $183 million
  • West Allis: $32 million

Small business relief

• Provides an additional $7.25 billion for PPP, bringing total PPP funding to $813.7 billion. 
• Provides an additional $15 billion for the Targeted Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance program
• Provides $25 billion for a new SBA program to support restaurants, of which $5 billion is set aside for businesses with less than $500,000 in 2019 annual revenues.

• Provides $100 million for a new Community Navigator pilot program to increase awareness of and participation in COVID-19 relief programs for business owners currently lacking access, with priority for businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, women, and veterans.

• Provides an additional $1.25 billion for the SBA Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program. 

Education

• Nearly $130 Billion for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund

Including: 

·         Milwaukee Public Schools:  Estimated to receive $579 million, including $115 million to address learning loss

·         Shorewood Public Schools: $1.7 million, including $343,000 for learning loss 

·         Brown Deer School District:  $2.1 million, including $421,000 for learning loss

·         Cudahy School District:  $5.2 million, including $1 million for learning loss

·         Whitefish Bay School District: $1.5 million, including $313,000 for learning loss

·         Saint Francis School District: $981,000, including $196,000 for learning loss

·         South Milwaukee: $8.7 million, including $1.7 million for learning loss

·         West Allis/West Milwaukee: $15.3 million, including $3 million for learning loss

·         Fox Point/Bay Side: $727,000 including $145,000 for learning loss. 

·         Glendale/River Hills: $866,000, including 173.000 for learning loss. 

Head Start: 

• $1 billion

Vaccine program and Provisions to Fight COVID provisions

• $7.5 billion for CDC activities to promote, distribute, administer, and monitor COVID–19 vaccines, including the establishment and expansion of community vaccination centers and the deployment of mobile vaccination units, particularly in underserved areas.  This includes $1 billion for a public education campaign to strengthen vaccine confidence in the U.S. 
• $5.2 billion to Health and Human Services (HHS) to support research, development, manufacturing, and purchase of vaccines and other COVID-19 treatments
• $46 billion to HHS to detect, diagnose, trace, and monitor COVID-19 infections, and for other activities to mitigate the spread of COVID-19

Public Health and Health Care

• $7.6 billion for community health centers
• Medicaid postpartum care:  Extends Medicaid coverage for postpartum care to 12 months after birth (current policy limits such coverage to 60 days)
• 5% Medicaid funding increase is provided for two years for States that haven’t adopted the ACA Medicaid Expansion (including Wisconsin) but who choose to do so

Public Transit: 

• $30 billion for transit

Child Care

• $39 billion through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Program

Rental Assistance: 

• $25 billion

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program: 

• Extends the 15% SNAP benefit increase provided in December 2020 through September 2021

¹ https://www.epi.org/publication/minimum-wage-to-15-by-2025-by-congressional-district/