Democratic Women’s Caucus Statement on the Immediate Need to Pass the Build Back Better Act

Washington, DC, October 1, 2021
CONTACT: Michelle Moreno-Silva
Today, Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) Co-Chairs Congresswomen Brenda Lawrence (MI-14), Jackie Speier (CA-14), and Lois Frankel (FL-21), and Vice Chairs Congresswomen Veronica Escobar (TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement on the immediate need to pass the Build Back Better Act.
“Women’s participation in the labor force has plummeted by 1.6 million since the start of the pandemic. That’s the lowest labor force participation since 1988. Women are tired of being America’s fallback plan. It’s time that we invest in policies to build up women and families,” said the Members. “That means transformative investments in child care and universal pre-K, paid family and medical leave, home and community-based care, the Child Tax Credit, and addressing maternal health disparities, which disproportionately impact women of color. The Build Back Better Act will create millions of jobs, cut taxes, and make care more accessible. It’s the transformative plan America needs now.”
The Build Back Better Act advanced by House Committees includes significant investments in care economy priorities to support women and families across the country through:
  • Investments in child care to increase the quality and affordability of child care and provide livable wages for providers.
  • A federal grant program to locally fund child care in states that do not elect to participate in the program.
  • Investments in universal paid family and medical leave for all U.S. workers.
  • Universal pre-K for 3 and 4-year-olds.
  • Funds to build the supply of quality child care facilities.
  • Investments to raise wages for the home and community-based services (HCBS) workforce, and increase access to these services.
  • An Extension of the American Rescue Plan’s expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) through 2025 and permanently makes the CTC fully refundable.
  • Provisions to save moms' lives, end racial and ethnic maternal health disparities, and advance birth equity across the United States.
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