Congresswoman Alma Adams Votes for the Build Back Better Act

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) cast a vote for the Build Back Better Act and sent President Biden's landmark legislation to the United States Senate. The Build Back Better Act includes victories for higher education and maternal health secured by Adams and based on her legislation.

Adams released the following statement on the legislation:

"The Build Back Better Act is about creating jobs, strengthening families, and saving lives. It lowers the cost of childcare and guarantees universal Pre-K, which will help parents reenter the workforce. It lessens the burden of elder care so children can honor their parents while pursuing a career. It reduces childhood hunger, extends the Child Tax Credit tax cut, and builds affordable housing across the country so our children are safe and ready to learn in school. Build Back Better also secures a future for our children and grandchildren by making a historic investment in the fight against climate change -- an investment that will save lives and create jobs. In my home state of North Carolina and states that haven't expanded Medicaid, the bill will close the Medicaid gap, expanding health insurance access to the people who need it most.

"I'm especially proud to have secured a transformative $10 billion investment in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the package-- the largest such investment in American history. This includes an unprecedented infrastructure grant program that will allow HBCUs and MSIs to make substantial investments in their research infrastructure as they prepare the next generation of STEM graduates. Additionally, these funds will lower the cost of college and give more minority students access to high-tech, high-paying jobs. Thank you to Education & Labor Committee Chairman Bobby Scott for his leadership on these critical provisions, and to Congressional Black Caucus Chair Joyce Beatty for her tireless work for HBCUs, Black Maternal Health, and countless other equity measures in the Build Back Better Act."

"Finally, as the co-founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, I'm proud to say the Build Back Better Act includes all eligible provisions of our Momnibus legislation and permanently expands yearlong postpartum Medicaid and CHIP coverage in every state. The maternal mortality and morbidity crisis in this country is unacceptable, but the Build Back Better Act gets us closer to a world where every parent who enters the maternity ward and every child born in America makes it home safe. I especially want to thank my co-chair, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood, our co-lead on the Momnibus, Senator Cory Booker, and our original co-lead on the Momnibus, Vice President Kamala Harris, for their tireless leadership for mothers everywhere.

"With the inclusion of the Momnibus and multiple measures to expand Medicaid and health insurance coverage, the Build Back Better Act will save lives. With the inclusion of historic investments in HBCUs and MSIs, Build Back Better will lower the cost of college and create good jobs. I am proud to support this landmark legislation."

The Build Back Better Act:

Lowers Health Care Costs:
Empowers Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs for seniors and halts Big Pharma's outrageous price hikes above inflation for all Americans.
Ensures Americans with diabetes don't pay more than $35 per month for their insulin.
Creates a new, out-of-pocket cap of $2,000 on what seniors pay for their drugs in Medicare Part D.
Lowers premiums dramatically for those who buy insurance on their own through the Affordable Care Act.
Extends affordable coverage through the Affordable Care Act to millions of Americans in states that have refused to expand Medicaid.
Expands Medicare to make hearing care more affordable for seniors.

Lowers Child Care & Family Care Costs:
Saves most families more than half their current spending on child care, ensuring the vast majority of families will have to pay no more than 7 percent of their income for child care.
Expands the basic promise of free schooling in America for the first time in 100 years with universal pre-school for all 3- and 4-year olds.
Establishes a universal and permanent paid family and medical leave program, providing four weeks of paid parental, family caregiving, and medical leave.
Gives more than 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the Biden Child Tax Credit.
Expands access to high-quality home care for older adults and people with disabilities.
Cuts the cost of postsecondary education, with such steps as increasing the maximum Pell Grant.
Reduces families' housing costs and expands housing options.

Makes the most consequential investment to combat the climate crisis in U.S. history:
Invests $555 billion over 10 years in historic clean energy and climate investments.
Creates green tax credits that will save the average American family hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs.
Ensures clean energy technology will be built in the United States, creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs here at home.

Importantly, this legislation is fully paid-for, which will both grow the economy and fight inflation. As seventeen Nobel Prize-winning economists recently wrote in support of this legislation: "Because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to participate productively in the economy, it will ease longer-term inflationary pressures." In fact, according to the estimates of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office and the U.S. Treasury, Build Back Better even reduces the deficit by more than $100 billion over the first ten years.

"The Build Back Better Act is poised to make critical investments in agriculture and forestry across our nation. The provisions included will allow American farmers, ranchers and foresters the opportunity to increase profitability while engaging in climate-smart practices," added Rep. Adams, who serves as Vice Chair of the House Agriculture Committee.

"The bill makes a historic investment of $1 billion for 1890 Land-Grant Universities, some of our largest and most impactful HBCUs, and other Minority Serving Institutions to ensure that they have equitable resources for competitive research facilities. These investments will help to keep American agriculture competitive in global markets and will ensure that American farmers and ranchers continue to lead the way for generations to come. The Build Back Better Act is vital to cementing American agriculture as the world leader and I am proud to support its passage," Rep. Adams concluded.

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