The American Rescue Plan worked

As we reach the first anniversary of President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan into law, the obvious questions include: How did it help? Where or whom did it help the most? And most importantly, did the $1.9 trillion bill do what Congress and the president intended? Did it help Americans get back to work and rebuild communities with an eye towards reducing the inequities that were magnified during the COVID-19 pandemic? The one-year progress report shows the remarkable short-term results it achieved, and sets the stage for positive long-term impacts. Cities are using Rescue Plan funds to address the digital divide. Before the pandemic, 79 percent of white adults had home broadband access compared to 66 percent of Black adults and 61 percent of Hispanic adults. After COVID caused schools to close and a transition to working from home, a study from Rice University found 1 in 10 white parents reported challenges with internet and/or digital access compared to 1 in 3 Black families and 1 in 4 Hispanic families. And even pre-COVID, an NTIA survey indicated AAPI families were 4 percent less likely to go online compared to their white non-Hispanic peers. As we look to the long-term potential of the Rescue Plan, we can turn to Brownsville, Texas, where Mayor Trey Mendez took office in one of America’s most poorly connected cities in 2019. The city chose to use these funds to build out 95 miles of infrastructure and bring broadband to some of the most underserved communities in the area. The American Rescue Plan worked. We are already seeing how investments over just the past year are building a brighter future for all Americans.

[Rep Marilyn Strickland represents Washington's 10th District and is an honorary co-chair of NewDEAL. Debbie Cox Bultan is CEO of NewDEAL.]