WASHINGTON – Congressman Kweisi Mfume (MD-07) issued the following statement on the passage of the Build Back Better Act by the U.S. House of Representatives today:
"I proudly fought for the Build Back Better Act and hail its passage today. This transformational legislation is another example of the hard work the U.S. House is doing to get families and communities through the pandemic," said Congressman Kweisi Mfume. "These unprecedented times require the kind of thoughtful, yet bold action we are taking on behalf of everyday people," he added.
The Build Back Better Act will improve the lives of virtually every American by (i) making transformational investments in children and caregivers; (ii) lowering health care costs; (iii) expanding health care coverage; (iv) lowering the cost of higher education; (iv) addressing America's housing crisis; and (v) addressing the climate emergency. Here's how.
- Over 6 million 3 and 4-year old children in America (138,156 children in Maryland) will receive access to high-quality, universal, free, inclusive, and mixed delivery preschool
- 370,000 young children from Maryland families will be eligible to receive affordable and high-quality childcare, paying no more than 7% of their income
- The enhanced Child Tax Credit will be extended for one year to households earning up to $150,000
- An additional 9 million children nationwide (55,000 students in Maryland) will receive healthy and free school meals
- Expands Medicare coverage to 34,000 uninsured Marylanders and includes hearing benefits
- Provides tax credits to up to 4 million uninsured Americans in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act
- Strengthens an existing home care program through Medicaid
- Repeals the previous Administration's rebate rule that puts seniors' health benefits at risk
- Allocates funding to support services for pregnant women, parenting women, and young families
- Raises the Pell maximum grant and expands federal student aid eligibility 84,712 students in Maryland who rely on Pell
- Provides funds to improve research capacity and research development infrastructure at all universities, including Maryland's 17 minority-serving institutions
- Invests in 16 public community colleges in Maryland to enhance workforce programs, sector-based training, and apprenticeships
- Invests in reducing pricing pressures and housing affordability, including in rural areas
- Builds more than 1 million new affordable rental and single-family homes nationwide
- Expands rental and down payment assistance for hundreds of thousands of households, including first-generation homebuyers
- Home energy and efficiency tax credits will expand, and rebates will be offered in exchange for electrification efforts
- Targeted incentives will spur new domestic supply chains in solar, batteries, and advanced materials
- Establishes a Civilian Climate Corps to address extreme weather and legacy pollution
- Includes $4,000,000 towards President Biden's Justice40 initiative which would allocate 40% of the overall benefits of relevant federal investments towards communities hit hardest by climate change
For more information on how Maryland will Build Back Better, please visit my website here.
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