Press Releases

Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion transformative agenda that will deliver universal pre-k, paid family leave, lower drug prices, and a clean economy that will create millions of new jobs. 

“After many months of good-faith negotiations, I am proud to have voted for the passage to pass a comprehensive agenda that makes real President Biden’s vision and delivers for every American. The Build Back Better Act delivers once-in-a-generation action to lower the everyday costs that burden working families – from health care to child care & more – fully paid for by making big corporations & the wealthiest pay their fair share. The Build Back Better Act also reduces the cost of housing, invests in our veterans, and cuts child poverty in half through the Child Tax Credit,” said Blunt Rochester. “ I’m also particularly proud that 14 provisions that I authored during the 117th Congress made it into this comprehensive agenda. From making our public buildings more energy efficient, to making our supply chain more reliable and resilient, to securing funding to help break the cycle of violence in our communities, so many of Delaware’s priorities I was proud to champion are reflected in this piece of legislation. I’m confident we’ll use this momentum to pass measures to secure voting rights and protect our democracy. I look forward to the Senate sending the Build Back Better Act to President Biden’s desk as quickly as possible.” 

Provisions secured by Blunt Rochester in the Build Back Better Act include: 

• The Moms Matter Act -  Establishes a grant program to support local initiatives to address maternal mental health conditions and substance use disorders, with a particular focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups.
• The Helping Kids Cope Act - Grants which would expand the capacity of State Educational Agencies to (1) increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth; (2) provide training for school personnel and other adults who interact with school-aged youth to detect and respond to mental health issues; and (3) connect school-aged youth, who may have behavioral health issues and their families to needed services.
• The Break the Cycle of Violence Act - Grants or contracts awarded to local government entities, States, territories, Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, Urban Indian organizations, hospitals and community health centers, nonprofits community-based organizations, culturally specific organizations, victim services providers, or other entities to support evidence-based community and hospital-based violence intervention. This funding also supports training, technical assistance, and data collection to facilitate support for strategies to reduce community violence, among other important provisions.  
• The MORE Health Education Act - From Fiscal Year 2022 to Fiscal Year 2025, provides funding for culturally and linguistically appropriate federal marketplace consumer outreach and enrollment education activities to new expanded population.
• The Open Back Better Act - Grant funding for state-based energy efficiency programs, known as DOE’s State Energy Program. 
• The Low Income Water Assistance Programs Act - This bill would establish programs at EPA to assist low-income customers with maintaining access to drinking water and wastewater services.
• The Climate Action Planning for Ports Act - Grants for zero-emissions port equipment and technology to reduce the carbon footprint of the nation’s ports, with prioritization with environmental justice communities and grants for the development of qualified climate action plans to mitigate the carbon footprint of the nation’s ports.
• The Public Health Air Quality Act - Funding for air quality monitoring systems, including fenceline communities and national ambient air quality monitoring.  
• The Building Resilient Supply Chains Act - Provides funding to monitor and identify critical manufacturing supply chain vulnerabilities that imperil our national security and economic vitality and support domestic companies and other domestic entities in closing those vulnerabilities.
• The SOAR Act -  Provides $200 million for HBCUs and MSIs to receive grants in the amount of $100,000 or more to accelerate the growth of new small business concerns through accessing capital, finding mentors, networking opportunities, and providing advice related to running a successful business.
• The Housing Supply & Affordability Act - Provides $1.75 billion for the “Unlocking Possibilities Program” which would provide planning grants to invest in housing strategies, reform zoning codes, and other investments, as well as funding for community investment grants. Planning grants must include community engagement. Selection criteria will be determined by the HUD Secretary.
• The Reconnecting Communities Act -  Supports neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access as competitive grants administered by the Federal Highway Administration to reconnect communities divided by existing infrastructure barriers, mitigate negative impacts of transportation facilities or construction projects on disadvantaged or underserved communities, and support equitable transportation planning and community engagement activities. Funding can also go toward addressing negative effects of air pollution and other environmental effects on communities.
• Expanding universal childcare - Expanded childcare access to working families (including families working part-time, looking for work, etc.) earning up to 250% state median income.
• Re-entry Employment Opportunities - Provides funding $500 million for Re-Entry Employment Opportunities (REOs) for justice-involved youth and young adults and adults who were formerly incarcerated. At least $125 million of these funds must be used on youth.

The Build Back Better Act also:

• Lowers Health Care Costs:
• Empowers Medicare to negotiate lower drug costs for seniors and halts Big Pharma’s outrageous price hikes above inflation for all Americans.
• Ensures Americans with diabetes don’t pay more than $35 per month for their insulin.
• Creates a new, out-of-pocket cap of $2,000 on what seniors pay for their drugs in Medicare Part D.
• Lowers premiums dramatically for those who buy insurance on their own through the Affordable Care Act.
• Extends affordable coverage through the Affordable Care Act to millions of Americans in states that have refused to expand Medicaid. 
• Expands Medicare to make hearing care more affordable for seniors.

• Lowers Child Care & Family Care Costs: 
• Saves most families more than half their current spending on child care, ensuring the vast majority of families will have to pay no more than 7 percent of their income for child care.
• Expands the basic promise of free schooling in America for the first time in 100 years with universal pre-school for all 3- and 4-year olds. 
• Establishes a universal and permanent paid family and medical leave program, providing four weeks of paid parental, family caregiving, and medical leave.
• Gives more than 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the Biden Child Tax Credit.
• Expands access to high-quality home care for older adults and people with disabilities.
• Cuts the cost of postsecondary education, with such steps as increasing the maximum Pell Grant. 
• Reduces families’ housing costs and expands housing options.

• Makes the most consequential investment to combat the climate crisis in U.S. history: 
• Invests $555 billion over 10 years in historic clean energy and climate investments.
• Creates green tax credits that will save the average American family hundreds of dollars per year in energy costs. 
• Ensures clean energy technology will be built in the United States, creating hundreds of thousands of good jobs here at home. 

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