House Passes Stimulus Package to Aid Distressed Americans

Tonight, by a vote of 244-188, the House of Representatives passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (PDF), a bill that lawmakers hope will help stimulate the struggling economy.  

LCCR urged support for the bill in a January 27 letter to the U.S. House of Representatives, noting that leading economists agree that a combination of spending initiatives and tax relief programs targeting low- and moderate-income people will help the economy recover from the current crisis.

Key provisions of the bill highlighted in the LCCR letter included measures that will help those most in need, including low-income people and seniors who will receive a one-time boost in their Supplemental Security Income benefits, unemployed people, low-income families with children, and people whose food stamps aren’t enough to provide food for their families.

In addition, the bill places needed income in the hands of low-income families by making more families eligible for the Child Tax Credit and making the amounts larger for many of these families.