Historic Infrastructure Investments

Floor Speech

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Mrs. TRAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Build Back Better Act.

Together with the historic infrastructure investments signed into law by President Biden earlier this week, working families like the one I grew up in will be able to get back on their feet and succeed in an economy that finally works for them.

Now, I have talked about my childhood on the floor of the people's House before. My dad was a union ironworker, and like his union brothers and sisters have done for decades, he worked long, hard hours to provide for my three sisters and me. When there wasn't work for him at home in Massachusetts, he would travel out of State erecting bridges and buildings in New York, Maine, and other places, sometimes for months at a time.

As a first generation American, a union job with benefits was better than most had, and it is certainly the reason I am standing here today. But the demands of my dad's job placed limitations on what my mom could do for work. Despite the wages and benefits secured by his union, my parents couldn't afford childcare for four girls. So my mom picked up jobs where she could to help make ends meet. Whether it was clerical work, cleaning homes, hostessing, or caring for kids, she did anything and everything possible to pay the bills while also making sure she was home to care for us when my dad was away.

Here is the thing: My family's story is not unique, not in the slightest. In fact, it is a story shared by millions of working families across our country who show up to work each day but don't have the support they need to get ahead.

My mom's story is one that is shared by millions of working moms who want nothing more than to return to work and support their families but can't because the math doesn't work, giving them no choice but to stay at home and care for their families instead.

Mr. Speaker, under President Biden's leadership we are going to flip that script.

The infrastructure package he signed into law earlier this week will create millions of jobs with family sustaining wages and benefits by repairing our roads, our bridges, our water systems, and more.

But creating millions of jobs only works if workers are ready to fill them. That is why we are also working to pass the Build Back Better Act which will make unprecedented investments in working families. Families that continue to be the backbone of our country that we all have the honor of representing.

By expanding access to quality childcare, providing paid family and medical leave, establishing universal pre-K, and making home care affordable for our seniors, this legislation will propel parents-- especially our working moms--back into the workforce and full participation in our economy.

By lowering healthcare costs and driving down prescription drug prices, the Build Back Better Act will ensure that families no longer have to choose between their health and their ability to put food on the table. By cutting taxes for low-income and middle-class Americans and extending the child tax credit payment that has served as a lifeline for so many, this package will keep money in families' pockets.

Passage of the Build Back Better Act will ensure that no one is left behind as we defeat COVID and rebuild our economy. That is why these provisions are supported by an overwhelming majority of Americans-- Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike. Like President Biden, they recognize that when we invest in working families, America wins.

Now, if my colleagues on the other side of the aisle need to hear more about why they should support this bill, please let me know. My mom, Linda Loureiro, is happy to call you and tell you what the Build Back Better Act would have done for her and moms like yours 40 years ago and why we need to get it done for her children and her grandchildren today.

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