Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Mr. EVANS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank my colleague from the great State of Texas for yielding. Since I have been here, I have watched her relentless passion for Black people, and she has not let anybody stand in the way, and I am proud to stand with her and also the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, Chairwoman Beatty. She, too, has led this Caucus, and I am honored to be here just to add my voice to this discussion this evening.

President Biden's Build Back Better framework would bring down costs that have held back families in Pennsylvania for decades. It would do this by cutting taxes and making childcare, home care, education, healthcare, and housing more affordable.

Let me repeat that, Mr. Speaker. President Biden's Build Back Better framework would bring down the costs that have held back families in Pennsylvania for decades. It would do this by cutting taxes and making childcare, home care, education, healthcare, and housing more affordable. These investments will provide new learning opportunities for children, help parents--and especially working parents--make ends meet, and it positions the economy for a stronger growth for years to come.

As the Congresswoman said from the great State of Texas: This is transformational. And that is why I am happy to be a part of this discussion. The framework will create good-paying jobs for Pennsylvanians, combat climate change, give our kids cleaner air and water, and make America the leader in global innovation and 21st century manufacturing, which means jobs and opportunities, which means a sense of hope and optimism.

Mr. Speaker, this is a moment for all of us and we must not sit back. And the Congressional Black Caucus, by what is taking place here, is demonstrating that it is there. As the late John Lewis used to say: If you see something, do something. And the Congressional Black Caucus is following that lead.

We all recognize, as the late John Lewis used to say: If you think things haven't changed, just walk in my shoes.

I want to focus tonight on childcare, which is so vital to our families and putting our economy back on track. It is a major reason why many Americans have not been able to go back to work. In Pennsylvania, the average yearly cost of childcare centers for a toddler is over $11,000. That means a Pennsylvania family with two young children, on average, spends 22 percent of their income on childcare for 1 year.

The lack of affordable options also contributes to the 15 percent gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers; 15 percent. That is outrageous. That should not be accepted.

The Build Back Better framework is the way to go. President Biden has shown the kind of leadership and vision that is necessary. That is why the Congressional Black Caucus stands so proudly to join this effort with the rest of our colleagues who are ready to lead.

This is just that kind of moment. We want to be at the right place at the right time. The building back framework would enable Pennsylvanians to provide access to childcare for more than 737,000 young children ages 0 to 5 per year from families earning under 2.5 times the State median income. I want to repeat that. The building back framework would enable Pennsylvania to provide access to childcare for more than 700,000 young children ages 0 to 5 per year from families earning under 2.5 times the median income, and it would ensure these families would pay no more than 7 percent of their income on high-quality childcare.

This is something that is extremely important. This is something, when the President talks about building back better, it puts us all in the right position. It is something that needs to happen. It is something that is long overdue. We in the Congressional Black Caucus are prepared to join with the President and to send a message that building back better is in the interest of America.

The President realizes that. He understood a long time ago about the needs that we have. So I compliment him in joining with our chairperson and joining with our colleague from the great State of Texas and their leadership, and all of us joining with him tonight to show that we are prepared to help lead this battle; that no one can do it by themselves, but we need to be prepared.

We made a promise to build back better after the pandemic and this framework would do just that. Mr. Speaker, this is an opportunity for all of us. This is an opportunity for us to stand tall, to raise the issue about building back better. We all recognize this. This entire package, Build Back Better and the infrastructure package together, will make a huge difference in our economy.

It is something that we all have worked on and we all understand the importance of it. So I share with you as one member of this Caucus, proudly of the Congressional Black Caucus, proudly of Pennsylvania, proudly a citizen of the United States, that I am ready for this. And I thank my colleague Sheila Jackson Lee for her leadership and all that she has done.

As I have watched her, even though she hasn't noticed it, she has been in the forefront. She hasn't missed a fight, and I am glad to be a part of every effort.

So with the Congressional Black Caucus I stand proudly on the President's Building Back Better framework, and I am ready to vote for it.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for recognizing that a vital part of the lives of families is childcare.

As a member of the Ways and Means Committee, I know that he was extremely engaged in this very vital aspect of the President's Build Back Better, and, again, we thank the wisdom of the President of the United States, President Biden and Vice President Harris, for their wisdom about helping American families.

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