The American Rescue Plan at two years: How local leaders are advancing equitable recovery efforts

Two years ago this month, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act, which provided $350 billion to state, local, and tribal governments through the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program. These funds were intended to support families and businesses struggling with the public health and economic impacts of the pandemic, as well as invest in a strong, resilient, and equitable recovery. Over the past year, Brookings Metro and its partners have analyzed how cities and counties are investing their SLFRF resources, including conducting interviews with local government decisionmakers to understand how the American Rescue Plan can be implemented locally to support long-term economic impact and community transformation.

On Thursday, March 23, Brookings Metro hosted an event to highlight how the Treasury Department is facilitating the deployment of SLFRF dollars toward equitable uses, and how city leaders are leveraging the funds in innovative, strategic, and transformative ways by making capital investments, building civic capacity, and addressing long-standing structural inequities in housing, workforce development, and neighborhood revitalization projects.

Viewers submitted questions by emailing [email protected] or tweeting to @BrookingsMetro using #ARPat2years.