Statement by Beth Shipp, Caring Across Generations
WASHINGTON, DC—Nearly a year after COVID-19 shuttered the nation, Congress passed an expansive $1.9 trillion relief bill that delivers a range of urgently needed support for millions of working families, including those who have struggled to pay the bills while caring for their loved ones under unprecedented stress. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 is the first pandemic-era legislation to support families—including those with mixed immigration status—with caregiving needs across the lifespan in the form of paid leave, direct grants for childcare, and increased funding that states can use to expand access to home and community care. President Biden, who pledged a $775 billion investment to create a care safety net for parents and other family caregivers, is expected to sign the bill into law tomorrow.
The bill supports caregiving families by:
- Increasing federal Medicaid funding by 10 percent that will help people with disabilities and elders who use home- and community-based services live in their homes and communities so they can remain independent.
- Providing relief checks of $1,400 for single adults making $75,000 and under or for a married couple making $150,000 and under
- Increasing the child tax credit, up to $3600/childand and additional $15 billion to help low-income families access child care
- Extending tax credits to cover COVID leave so families can support loved ones while care is interrupted
- Ensuring emergency paid leave for federal workers
Below is a statement by Beth Shipp, managing director of Caring Across Generations:
“Care work is at the center of our everyday lives and a cornerstone of our economy, so it’s encouraging to see this latest round of relief value it as such. The American Rescue Plan reflects the year-long efforts of care workers and family caregivers who have come together to demand meaningful support from our elected leaders. These investments in childcare and paid leave are important steps to build on to ensure that more parents and family caregivers can remain in their jobs without having to worry about foregoing pay or losing their jobs as we beat this pandemic. Expanding federal Medicaid funding will ensure that budget-strapped states will be able to provide home and community care to those who need it.
“As we move to recovery, Congress and the Biden administration must make permanent investments in our care infrastructure—universal child care, universal and permanent paid leave, universal access to home- and community-based services, and family-sustaining care economy jobs with living wages, a union and a path to citizenship for the immigrant workforce. Good care jobs are the foundation of a strong economy that supports all families now and into the future. When we invest in working people—especially women, people of color, and immigrants—we build a stronger economy and a stronger country for everyone.”
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Caring Across Generations is a national movement of families, caregivers, people with disabilities, and aging Americans working to transform the way we care in this country. By harnessing the power of online and grassroots organizing and culture change work, we are shifting how our nation values caregiving and calling for policy solutions that enable all of us to live well and age with dignity. For more information, please visit http://caringacross.org.