Statement from Barry Ford on the Passage of the American Rescue Plan Act

WASHINGTON, March 10, 2021 — Council for a Strong America President and CEO, Barry Ford, made the following statement today on passage of the American Rescue Plan Act.

“We have been battling this pandemic for a year now, and the passage of the American Rescue Plan today brings desperately-needed relief to our children and families across this country. With far too many children facing food insecurity and parents struggling to stay afloat, this bill delivers substantial investments in critical programs that will ensure a stronger recovery for our country.

This bill provides a historic investment in child care that will stabilize the sector and give families additional support to afford quality care for their children. It makes critical investments that ensure children have access to fresh and nutritious foods by offering additional resources and flexibilities in crucial nutrition programs. The bill also allocates unprecedented resources for afterschool and summer learning programs, which will support holistic services that will help children and youth recover socially, emotionally and academically from the pandemic.

While this bill ultimately did not receive bipartisan support, the foundations for many of these programs have a deeply bipartisan history, and the member organizations that comprise Council for a Strong America appreciate all of the policymakers who have worked to address these issues throughout the pandemic.

This bill is a crucial step in providing relief as the pandemic endures, but we must all work together to rebuild and reimagine systems in our country to ensure that we are equitably addressing the needs of our nation’s children and families and building a stronger future by helping kids grow up healthy, educated, and prepared for success.”

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Council for a Strong America is a bipartisan policy organization that engages law enforcement, military, business, faith and sports leaders to promote evidence-based policies and programs that enable kids to be healthy, well-educated and prepared for productive lives.