Letter to the Hon. Joe Biden, President of the United States - New Democrat Coalition Urges House Leadership to Act on COVID-19 Economic Stimulus Priorities

Letter

Dear President Biden,
Thank you for your quick action and clear-eyed leadership to combat the COVID-19 pandemic
and extend relief to American workers and families. While Congress has already provided
American workers, families, schools, communities, and health care providers with significant aid
since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic emergency, additional aid and
stimulus is required to end the pandemic, provide direct support to those in need, ensure a lasting
recovery, and prepare for future crises. This unprecedented crisis has called for unprecedented
action, and as you have said, the relief provided thus far has been a down payment. Under your
leadership, we have an extraordinary opportunity to build on the foundation of our previous
efforts, learn from the challenges of this and previous recessions, and build back better.
As the House of Representatives works on the next COVID-19 relief and stimulus package, we
would like to share with you the New Democrat Coalition's endorsed priorities to help end the
pandemic and rebuild robust economic growth and opportunity that works for every American.
These eleven proposals are organized into three overall categories:
Create More Widely Shared Economic Growth, Opportunity, and Jobs in All Parts of the
Country
1. The American Family Act (AFA) to enhance and expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC),
and make the CTC fully refundable and paid monthly (Led by Reps. Rosa DeLauro &
Suzan DelBene).
2. The Build Back Better Act to provide flexible grants to persistently distressed
communities to create quality jobs, connect residents to opportunities, and provide
workers with resources to access and retain work (Led by Rep. Derek Kilmer).
3. The Innovation Centers Acceleration Act to launch a national race-to-the-top grant
program to establish new American Innovation Centers in regions outside of existing
advanced technology hubs (Led by Reps. Joseph Morelle & Terri Sewell).
Support Workers, Families, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments, and
Businesses
4. An updated version of the Worker Relief and Security Act (WRSA) to provide for the
automatic continuation and adjustment of the emergency pandemic unemployment
insurance (UI) provisions for the duration of the national public health emergency and
economic crisis (Led by Reps. Don Beyer and Derek Kilmer).
5. The New Business Preservation Act to create a new $2 billion program at the
Treasury Department that will partner with states to invest in promising new
businesses alongside private investors in areas of the country that do not currently
attract significant equity investment (Led by Rep. Dean Phillips).
6. Mental Health and Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Proposal to provide
$10 billion in funding to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA) for grants to states, D.C., territories, and tribes (Led by
Rep. David Trone).
End the Pandemic, Equitably Deploy the Vaccine and Testing, Reopen Safely, and Prepare
for Future Crises
7. Rapid At-Home Antigen Testing Proposal quickly scale-up manufacturing and
deployment of inexpensive, frequent, rapid COVID-19 tests at home, school or the
workplace (Led by Reps. Kim Schrier & Bill Foster).
8. The Coronavirus Vaccine and Therapeutic Development Act to authorize $20 billion
in funding through HHS for vaccine and therapeutic development, research,
procurement, and expanded manufacturing capacity. The bill also establishes
additional reporting requirements (Led by Rep. Annie Kuster).
9. The Vaccine Fairness Act to require the administration to report weekly on the
number of vaccines distributed and administered, federal measures taken to ensure the
vaccine reaches high-risk groups, supply chain bottlenecks, and progress on public
outreach and education (Led by Rep. Angie Craig).
10. The Health STATISTICS Act to improve COVID-19 research by fixing detrimental
inconsistencies in data collection and essential reporting to effectively combat the
coronavirus pandemic (Led by Reps. Scott Peters & Lucy McBath).
11. Technology Modernization Fund Proposal to provide $9 billion in funding for the
Technology Modernization Fund to improve federal government IT systems to better
support activities to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, domestically or
internationally (Led by Rep. Gerry Connolly).
The NDC proposals have clear alignment with your administration's American Rescue Plan and
would build on the foundation of Congressional Democrats' core relief and recovery priorities,
including robust state and local funding, protections for essential workers, housing and rental
assistance, nutritional assistance, and more. As you work to develop the next COVID-19
package, we ask that you consider including the NDC-endorsed proposals.
We look forward to working together to safeguard the lives and livelihoods of our people and
communities and to build back better with a vibrant economy that tackles the greatest challenges
facing our nation through widely shared economic growth, opportunity, and innovation.