The following statement can be attributed to Olivia Golden, executive director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)

Washington, D.C., December 20, 2021—The Build Back Better (BBB) Act remains both urgent and overwhelmingly important to address the immediate emergencies children, families, and workers are facing and to place the nation’s economy on a strong footing going forward. BBB includes a package of policies that work together to address historic failures that became overwhelmingly evident during COVID, including elevated rates of child poverty and hunger, the failure to invest in child care and elder care leading to collapsing services, and the exclusion of far too many people of color from good jobs and economic success. In the midst of a national care crisis, which has led to the departure of millions of women from the labor force and hampered economic recovery, families and businesses alike need investments in child care and pre-kindergarten, good jobs, paid family and medical leave, and economic support through refundable tax credits. These programs are all crucial and address unique and urgent caregiving and economic needs. When combined with funding for health, mental health, nutrition, and good jobs—along with a pathway to citizenship for millions of immigrants who have been helping to keep our communities safe, fed, and healthy—they are essential to delivering an equitable economic recovery for all.

BBB represents the solution we need both to meet the urgency of our current crisis and to solve the systemic issues that have prevented far too many people from gaining the economic security we all deserve. In the strongest terms, we urge President Biden and the Congress to continue working to enact this crucial legislation as soon as possible.