Press Releases

Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal, Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means voted for the Build Back Better Act, which delivers once-in-a-generation action to bring down the everyday costs that Massachusetts families face.  This landmark legislation creates good paying jobs, cuts middle class taxes and lowers the costs of health care, child care and family care – fully paid for by asking the wealthiest few and biggest corporations to pay their fair share.

“At last, we are sending the Senate a once-in-a-generation package to invest in our nation’s workers, families, and economy,” said Congressman Neal. “We fought hard to keep key provisions like paid family and medical leave in the legislation because we cannot build back better until we recognize the needs of workers outside of the workplace. Each individual measure in this bill has the potential to change lives, and when taken together, these investments will transform our country for the better.

“Under President Biden’s leadership, and thanks in large part to the vaccine, our country is steadily climbing out of the devastation of the pandemic. This legislative package helps ensure that our continued recovery expands opportunity and financial security for all Americans. The Ways and Means Committee responsibly crafted provisions to lower the cost of prescription drugs and health care premiums, and expand the Affordable Care Act to finally close the coverage gap. We leveraged the tax code to make the largest investment in combatting climate change in American history, while extending popular tax credits to put money back into the pockets of hard-working families.

“When combined with the bipartisan infrastructure law, this legislation will create millions of high-quality, good-paying jobs, reduce inequality, and advance equity in our nation. Democrats are building back better.” 

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.  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.

“Because it is fully paid for, our Build Back Better Act will also help fight inflation as our economy recovers, empowering more parents to return to the workforce and lowering the everyday expenses that weigh heaviest on working families,” Congressman Neal concluded.  

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