WASHINGTON, D.C. – 2021 has been a jam-packed year in Congress. Senator Bob Casey (D- PA) said a lot has been accomplished to provide COVID relief this year. He said his priorities for next year will focus on voting rights.
“This was a year we knew we had to both continue to respond to the pandemic and provide families help to get through the pandemic,” said Casey.
Casey said he’s proud Congress passed the$1.9-trillion dollar American Rescue Plan. This piece of legislation gave people a 14-hundred dollar stimulus check, billions in aid to state and local governments and billions more for COVID relief and vaccine distribution.
“That bill got shots in arms and got kids back to school and made investments to help families afford basic essentials like food,” said Casey. It also expanded the child tax credit but that is only temporary. Casey hopes to change that.
“Not simply to make stronger or enhance the child tax credit, but to continue what we started in the Rescue Plan which is just a one year provision,” said Casey,
And for next year, he said Congress has to do something very early in 2022 to advance a voting rights bill that will guarantee voting rights.
“You’re seeing state legislature and even state officials trying to not simply suppress the vote to change the vote so that literally partisan elected officials to change the result in the state to serve their partisan interests instead of letting the voters decide,” said Casey.
He added that in order for Congress to move forward with voting rights legislation, the Senate needs to change their rules so that they can pass bills by a 51 to 50 vote.
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