Rep. Pete Aguilar voted for H.R. 133, a comprehensive legislative package that funds the government in Fiscal Year 2021 and provides relief to the American people during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. Some of the bill’s key provisions include:

• Direct payments of up to $600 for each adult and child in a household, including citizens in mixed-status families;
• $25 billion for rent-assistance programs and a federal ban on evictions through January 2021;
• $13 billion for nutrition assistance programs;
• $10 billion for child care assistance to help child care providers open;
• More than $300 billion in small-business assistance funding through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), including dedicated funding for Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs);
• An extension of Unemployment Insurance and an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits;
• Tax credits to support employers providing paid sick leave;
• An expansion of Pell grants that will reach more than 500,000 new students and ensure more than 1.5 million students can access the maximum benefit;
• Funding to accelerate the distribution of vaccines and ensure vaccines are free for everyone.

“This bill will provide much-needed relief to Inland Empire families and small businesses as we enter the new year, and will help ensure members of our community can receive the vaccine free-of-charge as soon as possible. I welcome this bipartisan compromise, but I will continue to fight to help communities like San Bernardino County navigate this crisis. I look forward to working with the incoming Biden Administration to build on this support to provide lasting economic relief to our region and end the spread of this virus,” said Aguilar.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the committee responsible for drafting and negotiating funding bills like H.R. 133, and was recently elected to serve as Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus.