From Consumers United for Fairness (https://cuffnow.com/):
Just an update to remind you: Your calls, postcards, donations, and petition signatures in the past year paid off when the U.S. Senate passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan bill, 50-49. The bill passed in the House on Wednesday, and it was signed by President Biden on Thursday.
Thank you for everything you did.
While this pandemic relief bill did not include the $15 minimum wage, we’re pretty sure we’ll get that done. (And the eight Democrats who voted against it have a lot of explaining to do.)
Here’s some of what we did get done:
- Stimulus payments of $1400 for those earning $75,000 or less. Details here.
- $37 billion in housing assistance, including rental assistance and utility payments.
- Almost $10 billion to help homeowners struggling with mortgage payments
- $5 billion to help those who are homeless.
- For student loan forgiveness or cancellation, debtors will no longer owe income tax on the difference.
- Unemployment benefits extended through Sept. 6, with the supplemental payment of $300.
- For the next tax year, $10,200 in unemployment benefits will be exempt from income tax.
- The government will pay the entire COBRA premium for the unemployed from April 1 through Sept. 30.
- Depending on the final version of the bill, ACA coverage will be much more heavily subsidized — no more than 8.5 percent of your modified adjusted gross income.
- Infrastructure money to states.
- For the next year, a monthly payment will go to families with children and is estimated to cut child poverty in half.
- $3000 child tax credit.
- Expansion of Earned Income Tax Credit for the working poor.
- SNAP benefits expanded.
- $170 billion to help K-12 schools and higher ed institutions re-open safely.
And much more.
Without all of you taking part in these civic actions, it’s doubtful there would have been the political will to get all this done. So take a bow — and come back ready to fight for more.
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