Joe Biden

ICYMI: Boise Mayor Pens Op-ed on American Rescue Plan: 'Federal COVID-19 Relief Money is Coming to Boise. Here Are Mayor's Goals for Recovery'

April 07, 2021

Last week, Boise, Idaho Mayor Lauren McLean published an op-ed in the Idaho Statesman highlighting the importance of the federal funding provided to Idaho in the American Rescue Plan, which she said "will help Boiseans and our economy recover faster and stronger than before."

The mayor wrote, "The American Rescue Plan is an investment in working-class families across the nation and right here in Boise. It supports families by making it easier and far less expensive to raise a child by increasing the child tax credit to $3,000 per child. It expands child care assistance and increases tax credits to help cover the cost of child care — real needs that must be addressed to allow our economy to grow and Boiseans to seek new opportunity."

Mayor McLean also noted the impact of the American Rescue Plan on local infrastructure. "The $35 million in federal aid will help us contribute to crucial water, sewer and broadband opportunities within the city. Not only will we build back better, but we will build back cleaner, creating a more equitable and resilient city for everyone."

Read full op-ed below:

Idaho Statesman: Federal COVID-19 relief money is coming to Boise. Here are mayor's goals for recovery
[Boise Mayor Lauren McLean, 3/28/21]

This month, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan. Our advocacy paid off: We urged the administration to include cities like Boise in its direct program, so that we could do more to support our residents and businesses and with less red tape.

We expect to receive an estimated $35.58 million from this plan. And while we're still waiting on guidance from the Treasury Department on how we can spend these funds, we know that the investments this plan makes possible here locally will help Boiseans and our economy recover faster and stronger than before.

Throughout this last year, Boiseans have lost jobs, fallen ill, or worse, seen loved ones die during this pandemic. Helping those who have sacrificed and endured so much and investing to ensure our community recovers from this crisis is my priority, and we will leverage these investments to strengthen and quicken this recovery.

The American Rescue Plan is an investment in working-class families across the nation and right here in Boise. It supports families by making it easier and far less expensive to raise a child by increasing the child tax credit to $3,000 per child. It expands child care assistance and increases tax credits to help cover the cost of child care — real needs that must be addressed to allow our economy to grow and Boiseans to seek new opportunity.

This pandemic laid bare many of the challenges we already faced and exacerbated others. We remain urgently focused on addressing housing affordability, because every Boisean deserves a home they can afford. We'll seek ways to grow our efforts, such as rental assistance, with these funds. And we'll continue to develop policies and partnerships to get Boise homes at Boise budgets.

We'll grow our economy by making smart investments that meet our community and business needs. We offered $1.5 million in business grants last year, helping many businesses meet their COVID-related funding needs. We'll seek to leverage our Boise funds to strengthen partnerships and make investments to grow our economy.

We need more ways to connect with job opportunities as our community grows, so we'll work with agencies like Valley Regional Transit to ensure that we're spending our dollars in smart ways alongside theirs, to reduce traffic and congestion and invest in strategic regional transportation routes.

The $35 million in federal aid will help us contribute to crucial water, sewer and broadband opportunities within the city. Not only will we build back better, but we will build back cleaner, creating a more equitable and resilient city for everyone.

In this last year, we've shown our commitment to each other, our businesses and our resilience. We've innovated to ensure we're meeting the challenges of the moment. It's this care, resilience and innovation that will carry Boise forward. Together, we'll develop solutions to meet our needs, make smart investments and recover stronger than before.

Joseph R. Biden, ICYMI: Boise Mayor Pens Op-ed on American Rescue Plan: 'Federal COVID-19 Relief Money is Coming to Boise. Here Are Mayor's Goals for Recovery' Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/349454

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