A very-divided Senate passed Biden’s $1.9 trillion pandemic aid plan on Saturday, March 6. While the much-needed help will definitely make a difference for struggling families, I believe that it was not enough. 

COVID-19 brought one of the hardest years to endure mentally, financially and physically, yet the aid that is going to be provided is not enough. Not right now. It’s highly important that we address that the resulting package is a narrower version of what was outlined by Biden during his campaign. The package includes several measures that have been seen before, when the stimulation of the economy was of top priority, such as during the Great Depression. On the other hand, it also includes different clauses that are more tailored to the current situation we are living in, like the consideration of dependent students also getting stimulus checks, and $7,000 reimbursements for COVID-19 funerals. 

When you compare this package to the last aid package advanced by Joe Biden when he was vice president in 2009, you can see that he was scared of not fulfilling his promises as president. When the checks begin to roll out, there will be a very prominent change in the lives of many, especially in the struggling middle class. Their checks could include an additional $3,000 to $3,600 extra per child and other bonuses if they meet specific criteria. 

These types of actions in caring for the American people should have been taken a year ago, when we first acknowledged that this was going to be an uncontrollable global crisis. A year has passed and our society and economy will not be able to recover to our full potential as expected by the government. What else is it going to take for our leaders to realize the working people are what makes this country run? These are the people that desperately needed those checks back in March  2020, and they are finally going to get them exactly a year later. a

I strongly believe a $15 minimum wage should have been included in this bill since it’s one of the most progressive bills that has been introduced in recent memory. We are so close to actually making a difference, even this deep in the rabbit hole, but for the needed change to impact our lives as everyday Americans, we need to be ready to welcome this change with open arms and open hearts.