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Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes for Transformative Benefits for Working Families, Advances President Biden’s Historic Agenda

August 26, 2021

NEW YORK, NY – This week, Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) voted to advance President Biden’s historic Build Back Better agenda, which will deliver life-changing benefits for working families in New York and across the nation. With this week’s vote, the House took a key step required in order to move forward on writing and passing the forthcoming Build Back Better Act, which will include overwhelmingly popular initiatives to create more jobs, cut taxes for families and lower health care costs – and do so by making the wealthiest and big corporations pay their fair share.

“The President’s Build Back Better Act represents the greatest progress for New York families in 50 years,” said Rep. Espaillat. “With transformative initiatives like child care, paid leave, tax cuts for families, climate action and more, the Congress is taking bold action to invest in our families, our economy and our children’s future. The important step the House took this week kicks off the process of crafting this historic legislation, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure this bill meets the needs of my constituents and all New Yorkers.”

S.Con.Res. 14, the budget resolution passed by the Senate on August 11th and approved this week by the House, paves the way for the House to proceed with assembling the Build Back Better Act. This landmark legislation is essential to realizing President Biden’s transformative vision and meeting the needs of the American people at this critical moment.

The Build Back Better Act will include many initiatives that enjoy broad, bipartisan levels of support among the American people: child care, home health care, paid family and medical leave, free universal pre-K, the Biden Child Tax Credit, workforce development, expanding Medicare benefits, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, addressing the climate crisis, services for veterans and more.

Further, this legislation will be paid for, in part, by restoring fairness in the tax system – raising rates on the wealthiest individuals and the biggest corporations, many of whom currently pay little to no federal income tax. Importantly, no one making under $400,000 will see their taxes increase. Instead, many middle class families will benefit from a tax cut in this bill, such as the expanded Biden Child Tax Credit.

“New Yorkers are strong and as our communities begin to emerge from the pandemic and economic crisis, it is essential that we not just return to how things were before – we need to Build Back Better,” Rep. Espaillat continued. “That is why Democrats in Congress are seizing this once-in-a-generation opportunity with both the Build Back Better Act and the bipartisan infrastructure deal. I am proud to stand with President Biden as we work to secure a victory for his historic vision and the American people.”

Now that Congress has passed this budget resolution, House Committees will now proceed with crafting the Build Back Better Act, in coordination with the Senate. Democrats remain committed to the goal of enacting this legislation, along with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, by October 1st.