Dear John,

Last week, I wrote to you with great news: after a marathon of votes, the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan -- bold, decisive legislation to help struggling families across Oregon and the country weather the coronavirus storm. Today, I’m following up to share that the bill has been passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and is now headed to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

The signing of the American Rescue Plan will not come a day too soon, and will address a huge number of critical issues across America. The signing of this bill will mean we’ll get stimulus checks to working Americans, deliver support for parents and their children, help our Main Street businesses struggling to stay afloat, and save unemployment insurance for the 20 million Americans who are relying on it to make ends meet. 

It’ll mean getting urgently needed resources to our state, local, and tribal governments so they support the health of our communities and can prevent firefighters, first responders, and other critical employees from being laid off. It’ll bring investments in our schools and educators so we can safely get students back into classrooms. It’ll mean we’re getting personal protective equipment in the hands of our frontline health heroes, and shots into arms with a massive, national vaccine distribution plan.

Please know that I’m working on updating my coronavirus webpage right now with all the latest information about how to access relief from the American Rescue Plan. Be sure to bookmark the webpage, and be on the lookout for more messages from me with updates.

Today’s news is a big relief. So let’s celebrate it, and also fully commit ourselves  -- all of us, in every community across America -- to doing our part to stay vigilant and work together to get this crisis fully in the rear view mirror.

All my best,

Jeff