Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) announced that local governments and school districts in Washington’s 1^st Congressional District will receive an estimated $972 million collectively from the American Rescue Plan that President Biden signed into law last week.

The American Rescue Plan includes $362 billion for state, local, and tribal governments to continue paying essential workers like public health officials, police officers, and firefighters and make up for lost resources from the COVID-19 economic downturn. Counties in Washington’s 1^st Congressional District, including King, Skagit, Snohomish, and Whatcom, will receive an estimated $666 million. Towns and cities in the district will receive an estimated $169 million. These figures include jurisdictions that overlap into other congressional districts.

K-12 schools will receive $125 billion to help safely reopen schools and make up for lost learning time. School districts in Washington’s 1^st Congressional District will receive an estimated $137 million from this fund.

“Our district, where the first cases and deaths from COVID-19 in the U.S. were identified, has been fighting this outbreak longer than anywhere else in the country. We can see a light at the end of this dark tunnel but our communities need more resources to finish this fight,” said DelBene. “These funds are just a part of the American Rescue Plan that delivers on our promise to crush this virus and help us return to normal.”

Washington state, local, and tribal governments are estimated to receive $7.1 billion from the American Rescue Plan. State K-12 schools are estimated to receive $1.9 billion.

The funds for state and local governments and school districts are distinct from the resources targeted directly to individual Americans including $1,400 checks, monthly payments of up to $300 per child through an expansion of the Child Tax Credit spearheaded by DelBene, and $300 per week in enhanced federal unemployment benefits through September.

A summary of the American Rescue Plan can be found here. A fact sheet and FAQ on state, local, and tribal funding can be found here.