Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today held a virtual press conference with Maine stakeholders to convey their support for the House-passed American Rescue Plan. Pingree voted for the American Rescue Plan last week. Four Maine experts on issues ranging from food insecurity to affordable housing, child care, and municipal budget needs provided insight into how the constituencies they serve will directly benefit from the American Rescue Plan. A video of today’s press conference is available for viewing or download here. 

“The American Rescue Plan is one of the most important pieces of legislation we’ve had in Congress, and certainly, it’s one of the most important ones we’ll pass to stop this deadly virus and to save our economy. Economists have estimated to us that the American Rescue Plan could create 10 million American jobs. We have to do this right away. We’ve done some of these packages before in the past year, and frankly for many of them, we spent too much time waiting around, too much time negotiating only to get a little bandaid of what we actually need. That’s why it’s really important to get this done now—to get shots in arms, money in pockets, children in back in schools everywhere, and people in their jobs,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. 

“Child Care Programs are in critical need of the American Rescue Plan funding which would allocate $39 billion dollars for the industry across the United States. We have 107 less child care programs in Maine today than we did at the start of the pandemic. With every program closure, there was the loss of early education and care for children, care that was more important than ever in the upheaval the pandemic hurled at them. With every program closure, there was disruption for families, often left scrambling and coming up short on alternative placements for their children, affecting their ability to work. With every program closure, owners and educators lost their livelihoods. Child care is vital to Maine’s economy and supports strong, thriving communities in our state,” said Heather Marden, Policy Advocate & Organizer, Maine Association for the Education of Young Children  

“No one should lose in their home in the middle of a public health emergency, and we are grateful to the Biden Administration and those members of Congress – including Representative Pingree – who have stepped up to meet the moment with this truly consequential proposal. It will have a profound impact in addressing the urgent housing needs of Maine people,” said Greg Payne, Director, Maine Affordable Housing Coalition 

 “The Covid-19 pandemic presented a perfect storm of increased demand, declines in donations of food, and disruptions to the charitable food assistance system’s operating model, which resulted in an increased number of Mainers facing food insecurity. Pre-pandemic, approximately 180,000 Mainers struggled with food insecurity. This number could climb as high as 250,000 Mainers. Feeding America expects child food insecurity to increase by an average of 45% statewide. Our agency partners are rising to meet the demand with heart and creativity. However, the charitable food network is not and cannot be a substitute for federal, state and local safety net programs. Mainers are proud, hardworking, and humble. Asking for help is never easy, whether applying for SNAP or walking into a food pantry in one’s community. Continuing to prioritize these options in the American Rescue Plan is critical to recovering from the current recession and healing from the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Kristen Miale, President, Good Shepherd Food Bank

“The mayors of many of Maine’s largest cities have witnessed firsthand the struggle the COVID-19 pandemic has caused. Local government helps fuel the economic engines of Maine communities. However, without help from the federal government specific to revenue loss, the important role municipal government plays stands to be even further eroded. This legislation contains $350 billion in direct aid to states and local communities and would deliver the funds necessary to secure public sector jobs and point us in the direction of a more stable and supportive local economy,” said City of Portland Mayor Kate Snyder