This statement can be attributed to Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy

Washington, DC, August 24, 2021—Today’s passage of the budget resolution by the U.S. House of Representatives marks a transformational moment – a moment when the United States commits to a recovery that succeeds for millions of families, children, women, and young adults of color and with low incomes who have been left behind for too long. The historic set of policies envisioned in the resolution meet fundamental and urgent needs of these communities and pave the way for a true economic recovery that fully includes people of color and people with low incomes in our country.

The pandemic and the recession shone a light on the economy’s inequity and failures to meet Americans’ basic needs for decades – including failures to invest in caregiving, in reducing poverty, in good jobs for all, and in health and wellbeing. The budget resolution creates a pathway to address what we know people need to thrive: a national paid leave program, child care assistance, improvements to the child tax credit/earned income tax credit, good jobs, a pathway to citizenship, and investments in health and mental health.

Congress must act swiftly to craft and pass crucial legislation to enact the Build Back Better agenda and bring large-scale transformative change to our nation. We then need to move swiftly to ensure effective implementation of these critical programs and supports. These investments can’t come too soon for children and families.