By Caribbean News Global 
WASHINGTON, USA – The ‘US Senate took a critical step’ Saturday, March 6, Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen said on the US Senate’s vote on the American Rescue Plan; while Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that it ‘is a day of great progress and promise for the American people’.
Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen issued the following statement: “With the economy down 9.5 million jobs since February 2020, it could be two years before the labor market simply reaches its pre-pandemic level. These high rates of job loss threaten the wellbeing of workers and their families. They may create economic scars that last well beyond the end of the pandemic. This is why our country is in need of an ambitious relief bill to help Americans endure the final months of this crisis; to put food on the table, checks in the mail, and vaccine shots in the arm.
“With the Senate’s vote on the American Rescue Plan, the bill is one step closer to passage. Once the plan is signed into law, I am confident that Americans will be met by a strong economy when we make it to the other side of the pandemic.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi issued a statement after the Senate passed the American Rescue Plan:
“Today is a day of great progress and promise for the American people, as the Democratic Senate has passed president Biden’s American Rescue Plan to save lives and livelihoods. The House now hopes to have a bipartisan vote on this life-saving legislation and urges Republicans to join us in recognition of the devastating reality of this vicious virus and economic crisis and of the need for decisive action.
“The American Rescue Plan takes a tremendous step forward to defeat the virus and provide relief to families and small businesses in need. It honors our heroes – our health care workers, food, sanitation and transportation workers, and teachers – who are on the frontlines on the state and local level. It crushes the virus with the equitable and immediate distribution of the vaccine. And it puts our children safely back in school and puts workers back on the job. Overall, this coronavirus-centric legislation puts nearly a trillion dollars in the pockets of America’s families.
“The American Rescue Plan is a beacon of hope for America’s families and a sign that, as president Biden has promised: Help Is On The Way.”
