President Joe Biden signed the $1.2 trillion dollar infrastructure bill into law last week, which aims to improve bridges, roads, the nation's broadband and more. A few days later, the Build Back Better Act — which looks to focus more on helping families and combating climate-related issues passed the House and now makes its way into the Senate.
The Build Back Better Act is the second part of the bipartisan infrastructure deal that was signed into law just last week. The White House says this act that is working its way through Congress is responding to the needs of the American people.
The House has now passed President Biden's Build Back Better Act – bringing us one step closer to President Biden’s desk for signing. Here's just some of what's in it.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 19, 2021
THREAD:
“Those two economic policies really lean into how we invest, yes into our infrastructure but also into our families and making sure as the president says they have breathing room and they can move forward,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The bill could see changes as it moves through the senate but according to The White House, the Build Back Better Act looks to lower costs families struggle with such as prescription drugs, health care premiums childcare and more.
Millions of folks across the country have diabetes, sometimes paying around $1,000 a month for insulin. It’s outrageous.
— President Biden (@POTUS) November 21, 2021
With my Build Back Better Act, we’re going to ensure no one will pay more than $35 a month for their insulin.
“We know so many people in our elder community pay so much in their twilight years trying to get that medication and this is going to lower that,” Jean-Pierre said. “We want to make sure that we lower costs and that we just give families and middle-class families, in particular, an opportunity to buy back in, to deal back in as the economy is opening up, we do not leave them behind.”
A large portion of the act includes an effort to combat climate change. According to The White House, “extreme weather has increased in frequency and ferocity, destroying homes, schools, and businesses – and cost America more than $100 billion last year alone.”
“As we’ve seen these different types of weather patterns across regional, across the country whether its storms or fires or hurricanes or flooding,” Jean-Pierre said when asked how the bill could impact Idaho. "We need to make sure that we have the funding so that we can deal with those but also deal with climate change as well. we have to have a conversation that we're doing true investments in battling climate change.”
The Build Back Better Act now moves to the Senate.
