Velázquez Remarks on the Build Back Better Act

Washington D.C.- Today, Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) delivered remarks on the House floor on the Build Back Better Act. Below are her remarks as prepared for delivery:

"Madam Speaker, I rise is strong support of this legislation that will help our country build back better. Because working families DESERVE a government that will make their lives better.
"First off, to build back better, we must invest in our nation's entrepreneurs.
"And that's exactly what this bill does. It will make a $5 billion investment in SBA programs that go beyond recovery and provide transformative long-term solutions and economic stimulus. It will create millions of new jobs on top of the millions already added under the Biden Administration.
"Furthermore, federal disinvestment in public housing has forced many residents of public housing across the country to live in accelerating substandard living conditions. In my home city of New York, residents suffer from consistent lack of hot water, insufficient heat during the winter months, rodent and insect infestations, broken elevators, and widespread and recurring lead and mold problems.
"This legislation includes the largest single one-time investment ever made to HUD's Public Housing Capital Fund will go a long way to clearing the backlog of repairs around the country.
"This bill will also create universal pre-K, extend the Child Tax Credit; and finally mandate paid parental leave.
"On climate, we are including a focus on environmental justice and frontline communities like those I represent.
"Now this bill does not include everything we wanted.

"But here is what I can guarantee-because of this bill, millions of working families will see their lives improved by a federal government that we are showing today has their back.
"While this is not the end of the fight, it is what progress looks like and that is why I'm proud to vote yes."