Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz held a virtual conference Wednesday to discuss how the American Rescue Plan is helping Floridians.
During the conference, Wasserman Schultz invited guests to tell their stories on how the American Rescue plan has helped them.
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Tracey Dacks is a single mother with a six-year old daughter who lives in Plantation.
"I've been in the hospitality industry for over 30 years. When this pandemic hit, my world was completely changed in an instant," she said. "I did not have any savings and raising my daughter with no child support."
Dacks was also dealing with a case of identity theft from 2019. This has made it difficult for her to receive federal payments.
She spent the next eight months contacting the IRS trying to get the issue resolved. Dacks said that Wasserman Schultz's office sent a letter on her behalf and she saw her stimulus directly deposited into her bank account within a few days.
The direct payments from the American Rescue Plan helped her catch up on bills and household expenses. And, she says, it helped her to choose a safer career.
"While having a heart condition and my daughter having five surgeries, which are all upper respiratory conditions, it's really prevented me to return to my life career in the restaurant industry," she said. "Next month, I will be attending real estate school to become a realtor and return to life before this pandemic changed."
During Wednesday night's joint address to Congress, President Joe Biden devoted a large part of his speech to the American Rescue Plan and the impact it's had on Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
