The American Rescue Plan Is the Relief Wisconsin Residents Need

Kids Forward applauds the passage of the American Rescue Plan, the federal COVID legislation. This legislation is the kind of action we need at this moment, when unemployed workers are still struggling to pay their bills, millions of families are falling further behind on rent and at risk of facing homelessness, and parents are worrying about how they will feed their children.

This plan takes an important step towards meeting the needs of families of color in Wisconsin. Longstanding unemployment discrimination, as well as unequal opportunity in housing, health care, and education have left Black and Latinx families in Wisconsin the hardest hit by the pandemic.

Overall, the American Rescue Plan provides critical but temporary relief. As we approach the one-year mark of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis, it has become increasingly clear that economic recovery isn’t going to happen overnight, particularly for people of color, who have waited longest in past recessions to see the gains from a rebounding job market. We have more work to do to build a more equitable economy that works for everyone.

Read Kids Forward's full statement on the American Rescue Plan.