WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (NH-01) issued the following statement after voting to pass the Build Back Better Act:

“In America, ensuring our families can succeed should not be a lofty goal. But all across our state, hardworking Granite Staters are facing difficult choices: deciding between buying groceries or repairing a crumbling roof, accessing child care that costs as much as 30% of their income, or sharing one prescription among family members because prescription drug costs are so high. These are all stories constituents have shared with me that underscore the need for action to help our families get ahead and stay ahead.”

“This legislation will lower taxes while bringing down the cost of the everyday expenses that burden so many Granite Staters. It will invest in a strong workforce that will help our small businesses and economy thrive. It will lift up working people, give our kids the best head start we can, and chart a course for a healthier, stronger, more resilient future.”

The Build Back Better Act will:

Invest in our workforce and support New Hampshire’s small businesses. This legislation will invest in workforce development and training programs that will prepare New Hampshire workers for jobs in fast-growing sectors like public health, child care, manufacturing, IT, and clean energy. This legislation will also expand opportunities for small businesses and heeds Pappas’s call to dedicate SBA resources specifically to assisting rural small businesses.

Lower taxes. This legislation extends the expansion of the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Cut.

Lower the cost of child care and early childhood education. This legislation provides access to affordable child care for 67,154 children across New Hampshire, and ensures that every 3- and 4-year old in New Hampshire has access to publicly-funded preschool.

Lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs. This legislation will reduce premiums, close the Medicaid coverage gap, and expand Medicare to cover hearing services and hearing aids. This legislation also heeds Pappas’s call to lower prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices, preventing drug companies from raising prices faster than the rate of inflation, and capping out-of-pocket costs for seniors on Medicare at $2,000 per year; and caps out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 for a 30 day supply.

Lower housing costs for Granite Staters. This legislation will expand rental assistance and increase the supply of high-quality housing through the construction and rehabilitation of 1 million affordable housing units across the country.

Improve services for veterans. This legislation will provide $5 billion to repair and upgrade VA hospitals and facilities, and invest in the VA’s workforce and services for our nation’s veterans.

Expand access to home- and community-based care. This legislation will expand access to care for New Hampshire seniors and Granite Staters with disabilities, and improve wages for care workers.

Expand access to and lower the cost of broadband internet. This legislation will invest in broadband infrastructure and connectivity devices that will expand access to affordable broadband.

Protect businesses from unnecessary additional regulation. Heeding Pappas’s call to keep proposed IRS monitoring rules out of this legislation, this bill as considered in the House has never once included language proposed by the White House that would have imposed an unnecessary burden on banks, other financial institutions, and small businesses.

Lower costs for families without increasing inflation. Independent analyses completed by both Moody’s Analytic and Fitch Ratings found that the passage of this legislation will not add to inflationary pressures that have resulted from the country’s swift economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reduce the deficit. According to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office and Treasury Department, the Build Back Better Act is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit by $112 billion.

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