Providing for Consideration of H.R. Build Back Better Act; and for Other Purposes
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Build Back Better Act.
The Build Back Better Act builds on our efforts to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all Americans. It extends premium subsidies that make healthcare more affordable for millions of Americans, and, finally, expands access to uninsured Americans who are unfairly caught in the Medicaid coverage gap.
The legislation also provides critical relief at the pharmacy counter by finally giving Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices with the pharmaceutical companies. It also caps out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for seniors at $2,000 a year, lowers insulin prices for Americans with diabetes to $35 per month; and penalizes Big Pharma companies that unfairly raise prices.
It permanently reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program, dedicates long overdue resources to provide maternal healthcare; and provides, for the first time, comprehensive hearing benefits under Medicare part B.
The legislation also includes $150 billion in funding for home and community-based care so seniors and people with disabilities can get the care that they need in their homes.
The Build Back Better Act also aggressively tackles the climate crisis with historic investments, moving us toward a clean energy economy while also producing millions of good-paying American jobs. The new $29 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will accelerate innovation in low- and zero-emission technologies, while also prioritizing the needs of environmental justice communities.
Rebates for homeowners to electrify and make their houses more efficient will save them money and reduce emissions. Investments in a 21st century electric grid will get more renewable energy online. A new Methane Emissions Reduction Program will drive down pollution from the oil and gas industry.
There is no time, Madam Speaker, to delay. Bold climate action is needed now, and the Build Back Better Act is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in the American people and our future. It deserves strong support today.
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