U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore Called Newest Stimulus Package a ‘Rescue Package’

U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wisconsin) explained how the newest stimulus package will “rescue” Milwaukee citizens as well as give Milwaukee Public Schools funds for increased covid-19 safety precautions.

“This is not a stimulus package, this is a rescue package.” said Moore, “Somebody will use their stimulus check to just not get evicted.” 

LaToya Dennis from WUWM, Mary Spicuzza from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Ryan Jenkins from WTMJ were on the panel of journalists asking questions during the Newsmaker Lunch Hour hosted by the Milwaukee Press Club.

Jenkins asked Moore to elaborate on how the American Rescue Plan will impact Milwaukee Public Schools, teachers, and learning loss due to covid-19. 

“Who knew ventilation would become so important to disease prevention.” Moore said. “I don’t think without a substantial infusion of money that we can fix some of the ventilation problems.”

 Moore said that the CDC guidelines were for the most well-resourced schools that could social distance with smaller class sizes, have proper PPE, and proper ventilation but that Milwaukee Public Schools were not that. 

“Our schools are part of the oldest infrastructure in the country,” said Moore. 

Moore said her daughter is a teacher and was constantly sick with “germs and the flu and colds that kids brought” into schools. 

Public safety and health in schools could change with the money from the latest stimulus package.

“This gives us the opportunity to start giving us desperately needed upgrades to our schools not only to prevent the spread of covid-19 but to ensure all around public safety,” Moore said. 

According to Moore, there now could be enough resources to start implementing programs such as after-hours learning. Having small groups of students coming in to get tutoring to compensate for learning loss. 

“All kinds of things are possible now that weren’t before because we have made this investment,” said Moore. 

Moore shared her screen on Zoom to show a graph depicting the budgets of and how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and the American Rescue Plan distributed money differently. 

“$1.9 trillion, we spent on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. I mean 54% of this money went to people making more than $75,000 a year,” Moore said. 

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was passed in 2017.

In the American Rescue Plan, 18% of the funds went to state and local governments and 9% went to schools. According to Moore, these funds will also be put towards vaccine roll out locally and in schools. 

“The aid to individuals, 44% went to unemployment insurance, to people who haven’t paid rent for five months and are in deep trouble financially, people who may have maxed out their credit cards in order to live.” Moore continued. “Instead of that going to wealthy people, that went to individuals who make less than $75,000 a year.” 

Dennis brought up the topic of how African-Americans suffered some of the greatest economic decline in the Great Recession in 2008. She asked Moore what is being done now to make sure that economic decline like that of 2008 does not happen again.

Moore then introduced a bill that she has been working on called the “Worker Act.” Moore said that it is similar to the Child Tax Credit but it is a major expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. 

“It would reach the 140 million low wealth people all over this country who are working every single day that can’t make ends meet.” Moore continued, “This bill would provide an earned income tax credit for ppl making as much as 40,000 a year.” 

Moore emphasized that the Worker Act is not a “handout.” 

“People work and we reward the work,” she said. “If you go to work everyday you should at a minimum be able to eat and pay rent and maybe even put a Tonka truck under the Christmas tree.” 

Moore said that the Worker Act would provide an earned income tax credit for people making as much as $40,000 a year. 

Moore is a Democrat from Milwaukee and was first elected to the 4th Congressional District in 2004. Moore serves on the House Ways and Means Committee and was recently assigned to the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.