Congressional Black Caucus
Floor Speech
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Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so very, very much for that question. It really has been a joy working with him on the Ways and Means Committee. It has been an education, and it has also been an opportunity to do those things that he has indicated that are close to my heart, and that is to create some equities for women and children.
I want to just thank Representative Sheila Jackson Lee for anchoring this extremely important conversation with the American people today.
One of the things that has been disturbing me about this entire debate is that people seem to really want to make some sort of bright- line demarcation or differentiation between the bipartisan infrastructure bill--which will create economic opportunities, get rid of those darned lead pipes, expand broadband, create good union jobs, help create some great jobs for guys--and the Build Back Better initiative, as if that is some sort of welfare, a giveaway. Social spending is what it is referred to, a safety net.
So what I wanted to seek from you, a clarification from you, Mr. Horsford, particularly since you were appointed by the Committee on Ways and Means, along with our colleagues, Representatives Sewell and Gomez, to look at our racial equity issue. Of course, we know that African Americans and Latinos are more likely to be poor, have a greater wealth gap, and lack of educational opportunities, so that when we think that we are investing in their improvement, that somehow it is welfare.
But I would sort of want you to take up the argument where you left it with regard to some of the economic problems that we are experiencing. There are major complaints in our country about a slowdown in economic growth. What good is it to just grow the economy when only the people at the top get it and it doesn't, excuse me, trickle down to Rosetta, who is making $10.25 an hour doing the hardest work on earth there is?
How does the earned income tax credit--I mean, we were taxing, before we changed this policy, to allow single, hardworking, essential workers that brought us food during the pandemic, stocked the shelves, we were taxing them into poverty. They had tax liability before the earned income tax credit expansion.
Going to work with no healthcare, no health insurance, being unable to afford it, not having childcare, as you mentioned. Expanded Pell grants.
Please explain how the Build Back Better plan really improves and buoys the economic platform upon which the country can improve. The workforce development initiatives that are in here, I was wondering if you could elucidate the connection between that and our economy and sort of diffuse this notion that it is simply a safety net and welfare.
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Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Excellent.
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Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. It is going to be great. Madam anchor, I don't know how much time we have, but I just want to say, I want to join Mr. Horsford in saying that I am really enthusiastic about voting for both of these bills, because I do think that it is going to create a brand-new environment for all of us where we will have workforce development training for these new technologies on climate and battery storage.
I am so proud of the African Americans who have been chairs of these committees, like Bobby Scott and Eddie Bernice Johnson, Maxine Waters who put $150 billion in for housing. As was indicated, these things are going to enable workers to truly participate in the economy. It is going to help companies, and we are going to build back better.
I yield back to the gentlewoman from Texas.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank both Mr. Horsford and Ms. Moore for one of the important colloquies that I have heard on the floor of this body, and that is to be able to speak to people who are working hard every day, who are single parents, who work with their minds and their hands.
I am glad to hear that we did not limit who would be able to receive these benefits, and we also crafted the vitality and the vigorous efforts of the Congressional Black Caucus.
As I close, Mr. Speaker, I would like to just reiterate what Members, including the leadership of our chair, Chairwoman Joyce Beatty, Congresswoman Adams, Congresswoman Watson Coleman, Congressman Evans, obviously Mr. Horsford and Ms. Moore, what they all have said, if I might. And that is, let me reiterate that each piece of Build Back Better is a piece that is vital for the lives of Americans and African Americans.
For example, $550 more in Pell grants for more than 5 million students. Then HBCUs, again, $10 billion. Seniors who have never had hearing aids, only 30 percent of seniors over the age of 70 who could benefit from hearing aids have ever had them. Medicare in this Build Back Better will include that extra benefit. Many of us have seen the caricatures of our seniors on television and elsewhere trying to hear. That is not anything that is funny, but it has been made light of. I want to give every senior an opportunity to hear.
At the same time, I want to emphasize the importance of childcare. We are telling the story. Only 26.8 percent of Black 3- to 4-year-old children are enrolled in publicly funded preschool, with the average cost of preschool for those without access $8,600. We are going to stop it with this.
We are not going to be the Trump trillion-dollar tax cut to the top 1 percent and putting a deep dive into our deficit. We are going to put a deep investment into the American people, particularly those people of color.
I think it is extremely important that we talk about children and healthcare.
Mr. Speaker, how much time do we have remaining?
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