American Rescue Plan Fact Sheet: Impact on Hawaii

by Joseph Robinette Biden

The American Rescue Plan: Impacts on Hawaii

The Need for Action in Hawaii

The pandemic and the associated economic crisis have had a severe impact on Hawaii. The need for action is clear:

• Since the pandemic began, more than 27,000 people have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 400 people have died.
• The unemployment rate is 10.3%, up from 2.1% before the pandemic.
• Since February 2020, more than 69,000 fewer people are employed.
• 94,000 adults – 10% of all adults in the state – report not having enough food to eat. This includes 49,000 adults living with children, or 13% of all adults living with children, who report that the children in their household do not have enough to eat.
• An estimated 54,000 renters or 15% of renters are not caught up on rent.
• An estimated 361,000 adults or 35% of all adults statewide report having difficulty covering normal household expenses.

The Effect of the American Rescue Plan on Hawaii

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan will provide Hawaii with:

• $1.9 billion in state fiscal relief
• $600 million in local fiscal relief
• More than $423 million in relief for K-12 schools
• Economic impact payments of up to $1,400 per person (above the $600 per person provided in December) for more than 903,000 adults and 332,00 children. This is 88% of all adults in the state and 88% of all children in the state.
• Additional relief of up to $1,600 per child through the Child Tax Credit to the families of 278,000 million children, lifting 14,000 children out of poverty
• Additional relief of up to nearly $1,000 through the Earned Income Tax Credit to 69,000 childless workers, including many in frontline jobs
• Marketplace health insurance premiums that are $1,499 lower per month for a 60-year old couple earning $75,000 per year