Leaders praise local provisions in Biden's recovery plan

Source: Smart Cities Dive Published: January 19th, 2021

Dive Brief:

City leaders are praising President-elect Joe Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package, unveiled on Thursday, which includes $350 billion in direct assistance for state and local governments.

Biden's American Rescue Plan pledges the money to keep essential workers paid and employed; distribute the COVID-19 vaccine; scale-up COVID-19 testing programs; reopen schools and maintain other services, according to an official fact sheet. "These crises are straining the budgets of states, cities, and tribal communities that are forced to consider layoffs and service reductions," Biden said when unveiling the plan.

In response to the plan, National League of Cities (NLC) CEO and Executive Director Clarence Anthony issued a statement saying it "brings hope to the millions of Americans in our cities, towns, and villages who have been devastated by the effects of this pandemic." Meanwhile, U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) President and Louisville, KY Mayor Greg Fischer said the plan shows that Biden understands "we cannot leave American cities behind."

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Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash