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NewDEAL Publication Highlights American Rescue Plan Successes, One Year Later

News Category: News Posts

For Immediate Release:

March 9, 2022

Contact: Jonathon Dworkin, 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org

NewDEAL Publication Highlights American Rescue Plan Successes, One Year Later

Case studies from across the nation show how local leaders are using ARP funds to build a better America.

Washington, DC – President Biden signed the landmark American Rescue Plan (ARP) into law on March 11, 2021. A year later, state and local elected officials are using funds allocated by Congress to heal and rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. In The American Rescue Plan – One Year Later: Impact in the States, NewDEAL (Developing Exceptional American Leaders) highlights more than 30 case studies of how ARP funds are being used. The report focuses on five key themes:

Improving Access to Affordable Housing;
Investing in Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs;
Strengthening the Workforce;
Strengthening Child Care; and
Expanding Access to Broadband.

After 12 months, the results of the Rescue Plan tell a clear story about its positive impact on the nation. According to Moody’s, ARP is responsible for creating more than four million new jobs, and has put America on a path to recovering all the jobs lost during the pandemic by the middle of 2022.

The report released today goes beyond the macro-implications of the law to focus on its effects on communities across the country as a result of elected leaders’ work with the state and local recovery funds.

“One of the biggest and most underappreciated successes of ARP has been the historic investments in states, counties, and cities to tackle challenging and seemingly intractable issues,” states the introduction to the report. “The Rescue Plan set aside $350 billion for states, local governments, tribal governments, and U.S. Territories, entrusting governors and legislators, mayor and county executives, to tackle immediate challenges from the pandemic, while enabling them to pursue innovative solutions to some of America’s most difficult issues.”

In this report, case studies from cities in red, blue, and purple states show how elected officials are rebuilding from the pandemic. In addition to the themes laid out above, the report spotlights two cities (Richmond and Phoenix) and one state (Colorado) for their overarching approach to using Rescue Plan funds. Richmond has used the city’s recently-passed Equity Agenda to guide spending, while Phoenix has ensured that services were being brought to those who truly needed them most. In Colorado, Governor Polis and state legislators have worked together to tackle issues such as access to behavioral health and affordable housing.

Read the Full Report at: https://newdealleaders.org/arp.

“The issue of equity is a throughline in the report,” said Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO of the NewDEAL. “Elected officials recognized inequality was an issue before the pandemic, and saw how those inequalities were exacerbated over the last two years. The report shows leaders are not content looking backward to rebuild flawed systems of the past, but rather are taking advantage of a unique moment to build a better, more prosperous future for everyone.”

The report makes the case in favor of the approach by Members of Congress who recognized that local leaders would be best equipped to address issues in their cities, counties, and states. The results are clear, from 250 grants to hard-hit small businesses in Lincoln, Nebraska to 95 miles of new fiber in Brownsville, Texas, and support for thousands of child care centers and tens of thousands of child care workers in Michigan.

“Our government works best when local, state, and federal officials work hand-in-hand to tackle big problems,” said Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Honorary NewDEAL Co-chair. “The COVID-19 pandemic presented unique challenges for Washington state and the entire nation, and the American Rescue Plan shows that we are capable of rising to the moment. As our nation continues recovering from the pandemic, I’m proud to see NewDEAL Leaders demonstrate their ability to solve problems for the people in their communities.”

“Thanks to Democrats’ American Rescue Plan and the resilience of the American people, we have turned the page on the COVID-19 pandemic and are entering a new chapter that is guided by science and not fear,” said New Democrat Coalition Chair Suzan DelBene (WA-01). “The fastest economic recovery in American history would not have been possible without the work of our local and state officials, who worked to maximize federal American Rescue Plan funding to build a better and safer America.”

American Rescue Plan funds have been distributed in 2021 and 2022. States, cities, and counties have until 2024 to allocate the funds, and until 2026 to spend the funds.

About NewDEAL

The NewDEAL is a national network of 200 rising state and local elected leaders who are pro-growth progressives. Our mission is to bring together leaders focused on expanding opportunity and to help them develop and spread innovative ideas to spur economic growth that is broadly-earned and sustainable. We do this by connecting NewDEAL Leaders with each other to exchange ideas, and connecting them with other pro-growth progressive political, policy, and private sector leaders. The network includes our Honorary Chairs, Senator Chris Coons (DE), Congresswoman Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), and Mayor Steve Benjamin (Columbia, SC).

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