Rep. Susan Wild Touts Historic Investments in Child Care, Education, Job Training for Greater Lehigh Valley

Press Release

Today, Reps. Susan Wild (PA-07), Joe Courtney (CT-02) and Donald Norcross (NJ-01), members of the House Committee on Education and Labor, touted investments in child care, education, job training, and child nutrition advanced through the Committee's section of the Build Back Better Act. The historic investments will lower costs for families, secure good-paying jobs for American workers, and set a strong foundation for America's children.

"There's a lot at stake in our economic recovery, and we have a chance in the coming days to shape a piece of legislation that can fundamentally improve the lives of millions of Americans," said Rep. Wild. "I am very optimistic that Congress can get this right, and that means including the commonsense investments into workforce, education, and child care programs that we know will strengthen American families, small businesses, and major employers for generations to come."

"The Build Back Better plan is an example of how Congress can work to deliver on behalf of real American workers and families," said Rep. Courtney. "American families are feeling more and more squeezed economically, and the Build Back Better plan makes them the priority--the Education and Labor Committee's portion of the bill would finally make childcare more affordable, would provide more training opportunities for high-paying careers, and would give more Americans the basic support they need right now to focus on their own lives, livelihoods, and loved ones. The Build Back Better plan is a long overdue investment that will help grow America's economy and our strength of community, and I'll keep working across the aisle to make it a reality."

"By advancing important provisions of the Build Back Better Act, we laid a clear path to make historic investments in affordable child care and higher education, strengthening our public schools, securing good-paying jobs for workers, reducing child hunger, and ensuring mental health parity," said Rep. Norcross. "The Build Back Better Act will increase opportunity for students, families, and workers. I am proud to support these historic investments that will benefit working families across South Jersey."

The investments advanced through the Committee last week will:

Lower the cost of child care and secure universal pre-K for three- and four-year-olds,
Lower the cost of higher education by funding two years of tuition-free community college and increasing the value of Pell Grants,
Strengthen our public schools by helping school districts repair, modernize, or rebuild crumbling and outdated school buildings,
Help workers secure good-paying jobs by expanding job training programs, and
Help prevent child hunger by expanding our most effective child nutrition programs.

The Build Back Better Act includes funding for workforce development programs that Wild helped secure.

For a summary on the Committee on Education and Labor's portion of the Build Back Better Act, click here.

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