The American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden to
“rescue” us from the economic costs of the ongoing world pandemic. The Act was passed into law as an
emergency legislative package to fund vaccinations, provide immediate, direct relief to families bearing the
brunt of the COVID-19 crisis, and support struggling communities (The White House, 2021).
In this regard, “President Biden is laying out the first step of an aggressive, two-step plan for rescue, from the
depths of this crisis, and recovery, by investing in America, creating millions of additional good-paying jobs,
combatting the climate crisis, advancing racial equity, and building back better than before” (The White House,
para. 2). The first step is a plan to tackle the pandemic and get direct financial relief to Americans who need it
the most and the second step of the economic plan is to “Build Back Better — the recovery plan” (The White
House, 2021, para. 33).
Critical thinking questions
(1) Do you agree with President Biden’s statement that “We cannot rescue our economy without containing this
virus”? Explain.
(2) Is there a better alternative to the American Rescue Plan of 2021?
(3) What do you see as the strengths and weaknesses of the Plan?
(4) What is your opinion of the efficacy of President Biden’s two-step aggressive plan for “rescuing America,
from the depths of this crisis, and recovery, by investing in America, creating millions of additional good-paying
jobs, combatting the climate crisis, advancing racial equity, and building back better than before?