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President Joe Biden signed the groundbreaking American Rescue Plan Act into law on Thursday, allocating a massive $1.9 trillion to COVID-19 relief, including another round of stimulus payments, additional funding for colleges and universities and increased vaccine distribution and testing. Syracuse University and greater Syracuse community members are going to be positively impacted by this sweeping bill. 

While the first stimulus bill, the CARES Act, signed by President Donald Trump on March 27, included a massive $2 trillion in aid, college students and universities were not prioritized in the bill. In contrast, the American Rescue Plan Act features clear and concise efforts to aid students, universities and college faculty around the U.S.

Students who are dependents now have the opportunity to receive stimulus checks, a major victory for college students around the country. As a result of this change, an increased number of SU students will see $1400 stimulus checks as soon as this week, providing needed support for many impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Additionally, the act provides roughly $40 billion in funding to colleges and universities. Nearly $20 billion of the funding must be used as emergency financial aid grants for students. An estimated 47% of SU’s 15,275 students receive federal aid. With the extra $20 billion distributed among colleges for financial aid grants, nearly half of SU students will be eligible for further financial aid. 

The act has received criticism from current college students and college graduates for its lack of detail regarding federal student loans, which the bill does not mention. Although this is a fair criticism, it’s important to note that, in January, Biden extended the loan payment freeze for an additional eight months. That being said, this extension is not permanent and will need to be addressed by the Biden administration, keeping the unfavorable economic situation students are up against in mind.

Since the start of the pandemic, the federal government has provided over $850 billion of direct payment, or stimulus checks, to American taxpayers. The CARES Act included $271 billion of direct payment to Americans. The second bill, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, included a smaller $135 billion in direct payments. The American Rescue Plan Act includes over $400 billion in direct payments to Americans, almost three times the amount of the previous bill. 

Most importantly, the bill finally includes dependent students within the group of those that are eligible to receive a stimulus check.

The act received strong support from long-time Democratic leaders, such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. “The Biden American Rescue Plan is about the children, their health, their education (and) the economic security of their families,” Pelosi said. 

The bill also faced harsh criticism from prominent figures in the Republican party, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. “This isn’t a rescue bill. It isn’t a relief bill. It is a laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic and do not meet the needs of American families,” he said.

Republicans such as McCarthy who have spoken out against the bill are not thinking from the perspective of college students or any American in need during these trying times. Republicans believe the bill features questionable elements that will not help during times of a national crisis. But for college students at SU and around the country, the message has been loud and clear for months: we need help. This bill will not provide the assistance that everyone needs, but for college students whose lives have been drastically impacted by COVID-19, it’s a step in the right direction. 

The American Rescue Plan Act prioritizes college students and universities and will provide desperately needed financial assistance for a group that is often overlooked by politicians. The opportunity for many students to finally receive stimulus checks, along with additional financial aid, will temporarily ease the stress of some SU students. 

The act is not exactly what college students were asking for, but it is better than anything that has been provided through the federal government in the past year of the COVID-19 crisis.

Nathan Fenningdorf is a sophomore political science major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at nlfennin@syr.edu.

Published on March 16, 2021 at 10:29 pm

Contact Nathan: nlfennin@syr.edu