I am urgently asking you to sign my petition – tell the Senate to act immediately to pass legislation that will provide critical relief to working people. This is important. Thanks. - B

Now, more than any moment in recent history, is the time to think big, not small. And that is why the U.S. Senate must, this week, pass the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan — the most consequential piece of legislation in modern times.

Today, we are in the midst of an unprecedented fight not only for economic, social, racial and environmental justice — but to determine whether the United States of America remains a functioning democracy. The stakes could not be higher. We cannot lose. We must keep faith with the American people. And that's what this legislation is about.

The simple truth is that the last year has been, in so many ways, the worst year in our lifetimes. The working families of our country are hurting in a way they have not hurt since the Great Depression, and they want their government to come to their aid. That’s not too much to ask. That’s what democracy is supposed to be about. And that’s what we’ve got to do.

During the last year, over 500,000 Americans have died of COVID and millions more have been made ill. COVID has not only caused massive death and sickness, it has resulted in social isolation and fears that have substantially increased mental illness in this country.

Many Americans — young, old and middle age — are now dealing with depression, anxiety disorders, addictions and even suicidal ideation.

But this has been not only a public health crisis. The pandemic has led to a terrible economic downturn which has resulted in millions of Americans losing their jobs and their incomes, and the closing of one out of four small businesses. Real unemployment is now over 10 percent.

Further, countless Americans face the threat of eviction and are frightened about the possibility of joining the ranks of the 500,000 who are already homeless. Millions more are unable to feed their kids, and hunger in America is at the highest level in decades. And, in the midst of this terrible pandemic, over 90 million Americans find themselves uninsured or underinsured and are unable to get to a doctor when they get sick.

As a result of the pandemic, education in this country from childcare to graduate school is in chaos. The majority of our young people have seen their education disrupted and it is likely that hundreds of colleges will soon cease to exist.

Meanwhile, the wealthiest people in this country are becoming much richer, and income and wealth inequality is skyrocketing. Incredibly, during the pandemic, over 650 billionaires in America have increased their wealth by more than $1 trillion. The 50 richest people in America today now own more wealth than the bottom half of American society — 160 million people.

The bottom line here is very simple. In this moment of unprecedented crises, the U.S. Senate must respond to the pain of the American people through unprecedented action. As most Americans understand, for too long Congress has responded to the needs of the wealthy and the powerful. Now it is time to respond to the needs of a desperate working class — Black, White, Latino, Native American and Asian American.

The American Rescue Plan that the Senate is debating this week under the Budget Reconciliation process, which has already been passed by the House, will enable us to begin, in a comprehensive manner, to address the myriad problems our country is facing. Let me just touch on some of what is in this legislation.

First, this bill will give us the tools we need to aggressively crush the COVID pandemic and allow the American people to return to their jobs and schools. Our health policies must be based on science, not politics — and that is what this bill is all about.

The American Rescue plan will establish a national emergency program to produce the quantity of vaccines that we need and get them into the arms of our people as quickly as possible. In the last month we have made progress in this area, but much more needs to be done if businesses and schools are to re-open safely. Every day that we delay in vaccinating people is a day of unnecessary deaths.

This legislation will also provide strong economic support for working families. At a time when 63 percent of our people are living paycheck to paycheck, this legislation will allow us to keep the promises we made to the American people and increase the $600 in direct payments for working-class adults and their children that we passed several months ago to $2,000.

I understand that for those people who have a lot of money, $1,400 might not seem like a lot. But for a struggling family of four, that $1,400 check, for a husband, wife, and two kids — $5,600 in total — may be the difference between dignity and desperation.

The Budget Reconciliation bill that we are considering this week will also provide $400 a week in supplemental unemployment benefits to over 10 million Americans until the end of August. And what a relief that will be to unemployed workers who worry that they might soon be losing their only source of income.

To all of the struggling parents in this country, this legislation will expand the child tax credit from $2,000 to $3,000 and to $3,600 for kids under the age of 6.

Sadly, the United States today has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty of any major country on earth. A number of studies have shown that by expanding the child tax credit, as we do in this bill, we will be cutting the level of child poverty in half.

This bill will also provide very substantial help to K-12 schools as well as a higher education system currently in crisis.

Further, this bill will take a major step forward in addressing the childcare crisis we now face and will provide the resources necessary to provide childcare to 875,000 kids in America.

This Budget Reconciliation bill will provide $350 billion to prevent mass layoffs of public sector workers in state and local governments.

At a time when over 90 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured, this Budget Reconciliation bill will substantially increase access to health care for millions of Americans, including a significant expansion of Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

Today, while our overall health care system is dysfunctional, our primary health care system is even worse. This legislation will substantially increase funding for community health centers, and will address the serious shortage of doctors and nurses in underserved rural areas and inner cities by greatly expanding the National Health Service Corps. And it will make sure our veterans receive the health care they have earned and deserve by increasing funding at the VA by $17 billion.

Needless to say, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we can no longer tolerate hunger in America and the long bread lines that have stretched mile after mile during the pandemic.

This bill will provide nutrition assistance to tens of millions of hungry families with children, the disabled and the elderly by providing billions of dollars for SNAP, WIC and the pandemic nutrition assistance program.

This bill will also provide rent relief, utility assistance and mortgage assistance to millions of tenants and homeowners who are in danger of eviction and foreclosure. And it will begin to address the crisis of homelessness in America.

In addition, this bill will protect the retirement benefits of millions of retirees in troubled multi-employer pension plans.

Is the American Rescue Plan perfect? No! Is it a major step forward in beginning to address the health, economic and educational crises facing working families? Yes!

Will the passage of this bill be a victory for the values of the progressive movement? You bet it will.

At a time when the Senate is divided evenly, 50-50, between Democrats and Republicans, and when the Vice President will cast the deciding vote, we cannot afford to lose one vote on this bill.

That is why today I am urging my colleagues to stand up for the working families of this country who are hurting like never before in our lifetimes. Let's act immediately to pass the American Rescue Plan.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders