Chairman Yarmuth Statement on House Passage of 2021 Budget Resolution

Washington, D.C.— Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed H. Con. Res. 11, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2021, introduced by House Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (D-KY-03). The 2021 budget resolution will provide an alternative path for President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, giving Congress the option of using a reconciliation measure to provide critical COVID relief to the American people and addressing the twin health and economic crises facing the United States.

A statement from Chairman Yarmuth is below:

“The coronavirus pandemic is getting worse not better, our economy faces lows unseen since the Great Depression, and our recovery is the most unequal on record – especially for Black and Latino Americans. Our country desperately needs this relief. And economists across the ideological spectrum agree that doing too little will cost us far more both in the short- and long-term.

“Congress has a moral responsibility to use every tool at its disposal to ensure working Americans, families, communities, and small business get the relief they need to survive these crises. While bipartisan talks continue, today’s passage of the 2021 budget resolution ensures that we have another path to enacting President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. The American people cannot wait, and Congress cannot slow down our response to these urgent crises while Republicans decide if they want to help or not.”

The budget resolution passed today is an essential first step in Congress’ efforts to deliver the comprehensive, strategic and science-based relief laid out in President Biden’s American Rescue Plan:

• Beat the virus and safely reopen schools – The plan will mount a national vaccination program that includes setting up community vaccination sites nationwide.  It will also take complementary measures to combat the virus, including scaling up testing and tracing, addressing shortages of personal protective equipment and other critical supplies, investing in high-quality treatments and addressing health care disparities.  The plan will also make the investments necessary to safely reopen schools.
• Deliver immediate relief to working families bearing the brunt of the crisis – The plan will provide direct assistance to households across America by $1,400 per person, bringing the total (including the $600 down payment enacted in December) to $2,000.  The plan will also provide direct housing and nutrition assistance to families struggling to get by, expand access to safe and reliable child care and affordable health care, extend and expand Unemployment Insurance so American workers can pay their bills and give families with children as well as childless workers a boost through enhanced tax credits.
• Support communities struggling with the economic fallout – The plan will provide crucial support for the hardest-hit small businesses, especially those owned by entrepreneurs from racial and ethnic backgrounds that have experienced systemic discrimination.  The plan also provides crucial resources to protect the jobs of first responders, frontline public health workers, teachers, transit workers and other essential workers that all Americans depend on.