WHAT DEMOCRATS HAVE DONE FOR US: A REPORT CARD (Part I)
By Sondra Stein
Working with Democrats in Congress, the Biden-Harris Administration has designed major pieces of legislation to help Americans recover from the pandemic and to get back to work—demonstrating that government can work for ordinary people—and, as the President likes to say, "restore the soul of our nation."
Here is a short list of the benefits Democrats have brought to North Carolina.
Helping us recover from COVID
In March 2021 the Democrats in Congress passed the American Rescue Plan (ARPA). NO REPUBLICANS SUPPORTED IT but ARPA did rescue us.
All 647 North Carolina towns, cities, and counties received direct Pandemic Recovery Funds—enabling them to avoid cuts and invest in public safety, housing, workforce development, and other critical areas.
More than 110 NC School Districts received funds to reopen safely and to support academic recovery and student mental health.
4,200 Child Care Programs in our state were able to keep their doors open, providing care for as many as 371,000 children.
2,576 North Carolina Restaurants received vital relief that allowed them to pay salaries to workers even though they were closed down.
416,000 NC College Students received direct financial relief through payments to their colleges and universities by the Higher Education Emergency Relief Program so that they could stay enrolled and cover their bills.
The Emergency Connectivity Fund addressed the homework gap for 137,000 North Carolina students by providing nearly 450,000 connected devices (including hotspots) for students.
Looking ahead, 78,000 additional North Carolina homes and businesses—most in rural areas—will receive affordable, high-speed internet through the American Rescue Plan's Capital Project Fund.
Helping us get back to work
At the start of 2021, the North Carolina unemployment rate was 5.6%, and many small businesses had closed. Today, North Carolina’s unemployment rate has dropped to 3.6%—the lowest ever—with over 377,000 jobs created in our state since President Biden took office.
Drawing on a historic, one-time $805 million federal investment in North Carolina's childcare programs, Governor Cooper has created the North Carolina Childcare Stabilization Grants to expand access to quality, affordable childcare that enables parents to work free from worry about their children's well-being. Distributed to over 4,300 childcare centers the grants also enable programs to provide teachers with better wages and benefits.
Thanks to loans and investments made possible by $200 million in federal funding to the State Small Business Credit Initiative, the number of North Carolina business start-ups has hit new records, with 337,000 new businesses filed in the state over 2021 and 2022.
Lowering costs for families
President Biden worked with Democrats in Congress to help families meet their needs during the pandemic and to lower costs of essential goods for families.
Through the American Rescue Plan, state and local governments made 189,000 payments to help families meet their ongoing rent and utilities costs and 236,000 payments to help families address past due rent and utility bills.
1.3 million working families earning no more than $150,000 with 2.1 million children benefited from an expansion of the child tax credit
which gave families up to $300 per month for each child under 6,
and $250 per month for children 6-17.
Even though this historic Child Tax Credit reduced child poverty by half, Republicans refused to continue it in 2022.
601,000 NC workers without dependent children who made less than $60,000 a year also benefited from a temporary expansion of the earned income tax credit of up to $1500.
Over 690,000 North Carolina households can access affordable high-speed internet through the Affordable Connectivity Program investments which lowered the cost of connectivity by $30/month.
REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST THESE BENEFITS TO WORKING FAMILIES, claiming, as usual, that government assistance causes inflation. But isn't inflation about higher prices? These benefits lowered costs for ordinary families, enabling them to meet their needs despite inflationary prices caused by corporations taking advantage of pandemic supply chain problems to price gouge.
And remember this is just the beginning of what the Democrats have done for NC since Biden became President. Watch for our next report card to see how the Democrats in Congress and the Biden-Harris administration:
delivered quality health care to more North Carolinians
made it easier for all Americans to get ahead
invested in rebuilding aging roads and infrastructure
helped bring manufacturing back to North Carolina, and
have taken the first important steps toward slowing down the heating of the atmosphere and potentially saving us from environmental catastrophe.
Postscript:
As part of the Biden Administration Investing in America tour of the country, President Biden and his wife traveled to Nash County Community College and to Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg) to highlight how his Investing in American agenda is rebuilding US manufacturing and infrastructure to restore supply chains, lowering costs for hardworking families and creating jobs that don’t require a four year degree. This is the President’s second trip to NC since early March.
At Fort Liberty the President signed an executive order that will enhance employment opportunities for military families. Mrs. Biden told reporters earlier “We can’t ask our service members to choose between their love of country and their love of family.”
NC’s historically black colleges and universities received $23.7 million from the American Rescue Plan last summer to train North Carolinians in clean energy careers. At Nash Community College, which offers advanced manufacturing programs, the President said: “You’re not only getting a good paying job, you’re gonna be doing something to save the country."
Celebrating the Affordable Care Act
Biden signs executive order and talks jobs in swing through North Carolina
President Biden to Kick Off “Investing in America” Tour in North Carolina
