FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Washington, D.C. — Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) issued the following statement on the passage of H.R. 5376; the Build Back Better Act: 

“History was just made and I am tremendously proud and grateful for the leadership that brought us to this moment in America. We passed the Build Back Better Act to deliver unprecedented investments that will help all Americans find solid ground again. Folks are getting the support to rebuild their lives and communities after the devastating impact of the on-going pandemic, and a more equitable economy that has favored the wealthy since the Reagan era. The Build Back Better Act will lower costs for families such as prescription drugs, health care premiums, child care, and home care for seniors. Collectively, these unprecedented investments represent a significant step in advancing President Biden’s economic plan to create jobs, reduce costs, tackle the climate crisis, make our nation more competitive, and rebuild the middle class.  All Americans will benefit, it is now time for the Senate to do it’s part,” said Congresswoman Clarke.

The Build Back Better Act will usher in generational change. They include: 

• $150 billion federal investment in housing, the largest in our history, for one million new and improved affordable housing units as well as housing vouchers;
• Universal preschool for 3 and 4 year-olds in the largest expansion of public education since the K-12 system was originally created;
• High-quality child care, where no family pays more than 7 percent of their income; 
• A half-trillion dollar investment in taking on climate change, with meaningful reductions in carbon emissions and Justice 40 measures that get us on the path to a clean energy future; 
• A Civilian Climate Corps to create green jobs in communities most impacted by climate change;
• Improved health care through Medicare expansion of hearing aids, as well as subsidies for low-income families in states that have not expanded Medicaid;
• Provisions to cap insulin costs, allow Medicare to negotiate down the prices of some of the most expensive drugs, limit out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors, and penalties for pharma companies that increase prices faster than inflation;
• Funding for home-based care for seniors and people with disabilities, and to raise the wages of in-home care workers;
• Four weeks paid family and medical leave, the first national investment in paid leave in American history;
• Provisions to provide Dreamers, TPS holders, essential workers, and farmworkers protection from deportation, work permits, access to benefits, and freedom to travel.

“These are sincere and historic investments in our future. And it’s about time. In the coming days I will host information sessions on the specifics of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act for my Brooklyn community,” Clarke said.

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Yvette D. Clarke has been in Congress since 2007. She represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District, which includes Central and South Brooklyn. Clarke is Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Immigration, a Senior Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and the Chair of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection and Innovation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Homeland Security.