Letter to the Editor: Congress Must Continue Addressing the Nation’s Most Pressing Needs
When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris became the leaders of our country, I breathed a huge sigh of relief. But Democratic activists like me said, “No time to waste. We have to start making a case that the divisive and dysfunctional approach of the previous administration cannot be repeated.”
President Biden quickly went into action to help repair our country. The American Rescue Plan, passed by the U.S. Congress and signed by the President, represents a colossal investment to rebuild our economy and protect public health so threatened by COVID-19.
Building on the CARES Act and two other bipartisan bills passed in 2020, the American Rescue Plan is a bold initiative that extends unemployment benefits, supports small businesses, funds state vaccination programs and helps schools to re-open.
In 2020, congressional responses to the pandemic received broad support. The CARES Act passed last March with nearly unanimous, bipartisan backing. There is also wide-ranging support in both parties for proposals to address the country’s massive infrastructure needs, to help the Dreamers and to help climate change.
Compromise and serious negotiation are the challenge congressional leaders now face if we are to move forward on solutions to these problems. Will our representatives rise above partisan divisions? I sincerely hope so.
The American Rescue Plan shows that government action can help people. If Congress can continue to earn the trust of all citizens it can also heal our divided nation.
Karen Sevell Greenbaum
Croton-on-Hudson
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