The rescue plan is easily the largest relief package since the Great Depression. How can America help lead the world out of the dual crises of pandemic and economic recession if we can’t lead ourselves out of it? It’s a fair question, and it’s why last month, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan into law. To not just return us to life as it was before the pandemic but to build back better, creating a prosperous economy for all.Ĭredibility abroad begins with credibility at home. The American people elected President Biden and Vice President Harris to tackle these challenges-the pandemic, the economic crisis, a hollowing of the middle class, systemic racism, deepening inequality, and climate change. Women and people of color bore the brunt of the economic hardship, exacerbating century-long inequalities that plague our society. We sought to protect those most vulnerable, but millions of workers lost their jobs and all too many small businesses shuttered. And with the health crisis came the economic crisis. We did not respond sufficiently last year to address the devastating health crisis at home and failed to engage early to address the crisis beyond our borders. The virus has taken over 550 thousand American lives-our family members, our friends, our neighbors-and millions more around the world. Over time, a lack of global leadership and engagement makes our institutions and economy vulnerable. For in today’s world, no country alone can suitably provide a strong and sustainable economy for its people. America first must never mean America alone. Over the last four years, we have seen firsthand what happens when America steps back from the global stage. And in the most recent period, when we might have adopted policies at home to face these issues and joined with our allies to address issues abroad, we isolated ourselves and retreated from the international order that we created. While we embraced trade as an engine for growth, we neglected those who did not benefit. As we embraced new technologies, we didn’t do enough to prepare our workers and our education systems for the changes underway. In the push to grow our economies, we neglected our environment.
Millions across the world were lifted out of poverty.īut over the years, new problems developed that were not properly addressed. leadership-and working together with our allies-we contained communism and created a dynamic world economy and growing markets for U.S. We created global institutions, such as the United Nations, and financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, to reduce economic conflict and address global poverty. In the aftermath of the destruction, the United States built strong political and security alliances that have helped keep our country safe and helped our economies flourish. But from the devastation we learned an invaluable lesson: the United States must not go it alone. These tragedies cost countless lives too many families lost nearly everything. When I was born, the United States was still recovering from the Great Depression and World War II. America is strongest when we engage with the world.
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