Photo Brief: Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks on new COVID-19 relief package
Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks on new COVID-19 relief package
On March 22, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that “help is on the way” to Ithaca as he detailed specifics from the American Rescue Plan he helped to pass through the Senate earlier this month. Schumer said the plan’s tentative impact on New York is more than $100 billion. The deal includes an additional round of direct stimulus checks that have already started going out to thousands of Southern Tier residents, aid to help schools reopen, an expansion of the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, new rental assistance, pension relief for thousands of retirees and more. Schumer also outlined details of changes to the Save Our Stages fund, which will improve access to capital for independent live venues, performing arts organizations, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions struggling to stay afloat, and a new restaurant relief fund to provide grants to struggling restaurants. Schumer said the American Rescue Plan will revive the local economy and shore up municipal budgets, marking a not-too-soon moment of relief for countless families, workers, restaurants, independent live venues and small businesses across the state. Schumer was joined by Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, chair of the Tompkins County Legislature; Brett Bossard, executive director of Cinemapolis; R.J. Lavine, managing director of the Hangar Theatre; and a Tompkins County family. In this photo, Schumer (right) speaks at a podium in front of Cinemapolis in Ithaca on March 22 while Lavine (left) and Bossard look on.
