Last night, House Democrats took the first step in making the American Rescue Plan a reality. But while Democrats were keeping their promise to the American people, Republicans — those who bothered to show up to the vote — refused to support sending relief to the millions of families struggling across the country through no fault of their own.

Democrats voted to send working people $1,400 direct payments, plus additional relief funding. Republicans voted to leave millions high and dry. 

USA TODAY: “USA TODAY asked people around the country how they would spend $1,400. For them, a stimulus check is more than cash. Fourteen hundred dollars can stave off eviction or a utility shutoff. It can nurse a teenager back to health, provide seed money for a business, pay for an education and, in some cases, provide a new sense of freedom.

Democrats voted to boost funding for vaccine distribution, while every single House Republican opposed it. 

ABC News: “It would also provide hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to state and local governments, schools and vaccine and COVID-19 testing efforts — in addition to nutritional and child care assistance.”

Democrats voted to provide small businesses struggling to keep their doors open with much-needed aid, while Republicans turned their backs on them. 

NPR: “The Small Business Administration would get $25 billion for a new grant program for ‘restaurants and other food and drinking establishments.’ Grants would be available up to $10 million per entity and $5 million per physical location with a maximum of 20 locations. The legislation sets aside $5 billion of the total money to be targeted to businesses with less than $500,000 in revenue in 2019. … The bill includes another $1.25 billion for the Small Business Administration’s Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program.”

Republicans last night voted against:

• Mounting a national vaccination program, containing COVID-19, and safely reopening schools.

• Delivering immediate relief to working families bearing the brunt of this crisis by sending direct payments and thousands of dollars of benefits to working families.

• Supporting communities that are struggling in the wake of COVID-19.

Democrats listened to the American people and voted for President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, while Republicans showed just how out of touch with voters they are. 

Reuters: “Biden’s aid bill wildly popular with Americans — except Republicans in Congress”

New York Times: “In the SurveyMonkey poll, 4 in 5 respondents said it was important for the relief bill to include $1,400 direct checks, including nearly 7 in 10 Republicans.”

New York Times: “The poll found that 78 percent of Americans supported the stimulus checks, including 90 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of Republicans — suggesting that Republicans in Congress who want to reduce the checks to $1,000 are out of step with their constituents on this issue.”

Yahoo News: “Of all 20 policies covered by the poll, the two most popular were the ones at the center of Biden’s current COVID proposal: $2,000 relief checks (74 percent favor vs. 13 percent oppose) and increased federal funding for vaccination (69 percent favor vs. 17 percent oppose).”