WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) issued the following statement on the announcement of a framework on the Build Back Better Act. The framework – which will guide the drafting of legislative language – was announced by President Biden this morning.

“The Build Back Better Act will deliver one of the biggest advances we've ever made as a country. It will take historic steps to reduce the costs of things that keep American families up at night – expanding access to childcare, pre-k, and home care for older Americans and people with disabilities, and extending health care coverage – and it takes the largest action to date to address climate change. This framework – which is fully paid for – represents a remarkable breakthrough to deliver on the needs of our economy as we continue to build our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and I will continue to work tirelessly to advance it into law.”

The Build Back Better Act framework also includes robust funding to establish the Civilian Climate Corps to conserve public lands and address climate change through our national service networks and to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) such as Delaware State University to build capacity, modernize research infrastructure, and provide financial aid to low-income students. These are both priorities that Senator Coons has worked to include in the Build Back Better agenda.

The Build Back Better Act will be:

  • The most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations. The framework will save most American families more than half of their spending on child care, deliver two years of free preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in America, give more than 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit, and expand access to high-quality home care for older Americans and people with disabilities. 
  • The largest effort to combat climate change in American history. The framework will cut greenhouse gas pollution by well over one gigaton in 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs, and advance environmental justice by investing in a 21st century clean energy economy – from buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, and agriculture to climate smart practices across our lands and waters. In addition, the framework will create a new Civilian Climate Corps – with over 300,000 members that look like America. This diverse new workforce will conserve our public lands, bolster community resilience, and address the changing climate, all while putting good-paying union jobs within reach for more Americans.
  • The biggest expansion of affordable health care coverage in a decade. The framework will reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans by extending the expanded Premium Tax Credit, deliver health care coverage to up to 4 million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.
  • The most significant effort to bring down costs and strengthen the middle class in generations. The framework will make the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history, expand access to affordable, high-quality education beyond high school, cut taxes for 17 million low-wage workers by extending the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit, and advance equity through investments in maternal health, community violence interventions, and nutrition, in addition to better preparing the nation for future pandemics and supply chain disruptions.
  • And, it is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit by making sure that large, profitable corporations can’t zero out their tax bills, no longer rewarding corporations that shift jobs and profits overseas, asking more from millionaires and billionaires, and stopping rich Americans from cheating on their tax bills. Under this historic agreement, nobody earning less than $400,000 per year will pay more in taxes.

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