Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate, including West Virginia’s U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, voted to advance a budget resolution paving the way to craft and enact a slate of investments in workers and families known as the “Build Back Better” plan. This budget resolution is a critical step toward passing the transformational policies our country and our state have long needed to create a stronger, fairer economy that works from top to bottom and allow all people to thrive.
Without these supports for workers and families, we will go back to the pre-pandemic status quo of child care deserts, a lack of accessible and affordable higher education, and workers forced to choose between their jobs and caring for their own health or a sick family member. These are all things that hold back families from economic security and that keep our economy from being as strong as it cane be.
Fortunately, Congress can address all of these longstanding needs through the Build Back Better recovery plan. Expected investments in the “Build Back Better” plan include:
-making it easier for people to afford health insurance, childcare, housing, nutritious food, and a college degree;
-making us all healthier by ensuring workers can stay home to take care of themselves or their family members when they are sick or need care;
-helping families pay for the things they need by extending tax credits for families with children and people with low incomes;
-modernizing our unemployment system so that all workers can expect adequate benefits if they lose their job, including those with the lowest pay who are often ineligible under current rules;
-preserving our dignity and keeping families together by allowing more seniors and people with disabilities to seek care in their homes and in their communities; and
-paying for these investments by making our tax system fairer by raising taxes on corporations and those earning more than $400,000 per year.
Take action today to encourage West Virginia’s U.S. Senators to support the legislation here.