A new study reveals the positive impacts of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan that provided millions of Americans with financial relief, stability, and a dramatic decrease in anxiety and depression.

“Today’s study is another stain on every single Republican who voted against the American Rescue Plan during one of the most brutal health and financial crises in our nation’s history. Instead of helping Americans when they needed it the most, congressional Republicans chose to play politics and tried to stand in the way. Thanks to President Biden’s leadership, millions of Americans, especially the poorest households, are able to breathe a sigh of relief now that they can pay their bills and put food on the table.” – DNC Spokesperson Adonna Biel

New York Times: Stimulus Checks Substantially Reduced Hardship, Study Shows

• “Julesa Webb resumed an old habit: serving her children three meals a day. Corrine Young paid the water bill and stopped bathing at her neighbor’s apartment. Chenetta Ray cried, thanked Jesus and rushed to spend the money on a medical test to treat her cancer.”

• “A new analysis of Census Bureau surveys argues that the two latest rounds of aid significantly improved Americans’ ability to buy food and pay household bills and reduced anxiety and depression, with the largest benefits going to the poorest households and those with children. The analysis offers the fullest look at hardship reduction under the stimulus aid.”

• “Among households with children, reports of food shortages fell 42 percent from January through April. A broader gauge of financial instability fell 43 percent. Among all households, frequent anxiety and depression fell by more than 20 percent.”

• “‘I really got down and depressed,’ she said. ‘Part of the benefit of the stimulus to me was God saying, ‘I got you.’ Spiritual and emotional reassurance. It took a lot of stress off me.’”

• “When some people heard the latest checks were coming, they considered the news too good to be true. Ms. Webb, a St. Louis nursing aide with three young children, lost about two-thirds of her earnings when the pandemic left fewer patients seeking in-home care. She found another job but lost it after catching Covid. Food was the first casualty.”

• “She checked her bank account in April, to see if she could buy a loaf a bread, when she found it swollen with a $1,400 stimulus check … Ms. Young bought the bread — two loaves — and paid down her utility bills to avoid more outages. ‘I did it that day,’ she said. ‘You just don’t know — it was such a relief.’”

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