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Below, please find a statement from America Forward on the “American Rescue Plan,” introduced by President-elect Joe Biden.

“The ‘American Rescue Plan’ outlined by President-elect Joe Biden last night would direct substantial and much-needed resources to help K-12 schools reopen, increase the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund, expand access to high-quality child care, buoy small businesses, provide additional federal resources to help reduce food insecurity and poverty during this time of national hardship, and advance other key priorities in the recovery from COVID-19.

In addition to critical immediate relief, the plan also signals an intentional commitment to build stronger, more equitable, more resilient systems for the long run. America Forward applauds this approach and has actively advocated for efforts that address the systemic disparities that deepened during the pandemic, and that capitalize on new innovations to ensure that our education and workforce systems are more equitable and sustainable in the future. The ‘American Rescue Plan’ reflects this priority by targeting investment in communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic; making funds available to those most in need; calling on education officials to ensure schools are meeting students’ academic, mental health, social, and emotional needs in response to COVID-19; establishing an Educational Equity Challenge Grant; and advancing workforce, economic, and related policies that reflect the extraordinary toll this crisis has taken on workers of color.

Congress should prioritize consideration of these proposals and act with urgency to deliver robust relief and critical policy changes to communities across the country.

As this plan moves through the legislative process, we anticipate additional opportunities for Congress to work with the new Administration to build an equitable, well-funded education system that considers the needs of the whole child, invest in our workforce development system to create economic opportunity for all, and make evidence and outcomes central to how federal funding is allocated – driving inclusive impact across our society. America Forward will work with Congressional champions to advance these priorities as the bill takes shape.”