Building Back Better & Honoring Our Veterans
Hello Folks –
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Halloween! At the Kilmer household, we kept with some familiar traditions and welcomed trick-or-treaters with a few classic Star Wars themed pumpkins!
After much deliberation, I’ve decided that my favorite Halloween candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups (though I’ll take a Twix or a Kit Kat any day of the week).
It’s been a busy few weeks in DC – so let’s dive right in!
Building Back Better
Last week, President Biden announced the Build Back Better framework – new comprehensive legislation to deliver a historic investment in middle class families, in creating jobs, and in combatting the climate crisis.
The Build Back Better framework is about recognizing that middle class families and folks struggling to make ends meet deserve a break. It’s about recognizing that, as we look toward a national recovery from this pandemic, we need a ‘new normal’ because the status quo isn’t working for the countless families struggling to balance work, childcare, and home obligations while keeping the lights on and providing for their loved ones.
The Build Back Better framework is about helping families who are grappling with the costs of child care or caring for an elder parent, that are struggling to pay for health care, or that can’t afford to pay for college. That’s why the Build Back Better framework will LOWER COSTS FOR FAMILIES by:
- Providing universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, the largest expansion of universal and free education since states and communities across the country established public high school 100 years ago.
- Making the largest investment in child care in the nation’s history, saving most working American families more than half of their spending on child care. The framework will ensure that the vast majority of working American families of four earning less than $300,000 per year will pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care for children under 6.
- Delivering affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care.
- Strengthening the Affordable Care Act and reducing health care premiums for 9 million Americans.
- Permanently improving Medicaid coverage for home care services for seniors and people with disabilities, making the most transformative investment in access to home care in 40 years, when these services were first authorized for Medicaid.
In addition to lowering costs for families, the Build Back Better framework will REDUCE TAXES FOR FAMILIES too. It will:
- Extend the expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for around 17 million low-wage workers. The Build Back Better framework will extend the American Rescue Plan’s tripling of the credit for childless workers, benefiting 17 million low-wage workers, many of whom are essential workers, including cashiers, cooks, delivery drivers, food preparation workers, and childcare providers.
- Expand the Child Tax Credit, providing more than 35 million households a tax credit up to $3,600 per child. This tax cut which was included in the American Rescue Plan enabled the largest one-year reduction in child poverty in American history. It will help families cover the cost of food, housing, health care, and transportation.
The Build Back Better framework also includes provisions to protect workers and communities so that no one gets left behind in our society – and to ENSURE PEOPLE HAVE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY regardless of what zip code they live in. The Build Back Better Act will:
- Empower communities to develop their local economies and create jobs through a pilot project of the RECOMPETE Act – bipartisan legislation I introduced to provide flexible, long-term grant assistance to help communities that have struggled to create jobs and lay the foundation for long-term economic growth and opportunity.
- Expand access to affordable, high-quality education beyond high school. The Build Back Better framework will make education beyond high school – including training for high-paying jobs available now – more affordable. Specifically, the framework will increase the maximum Pell Grant by $550 for more the more than 5 million students enrolled in public and private, non-profit colleges.
- Strengthen the middle class through a historic investment in equity, safety, and fairness. The legislation makes a transformative investment in Rural America through a new Rural Partnership Program that will empower rural regions, including Tribal Nations and territories, by providing flexible funding for locally led projects.
- Make the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history.
The Build Back Better framework is about creating jobs by providing new help to small businesses and about TAKING CRITICAL ACTION TO COMBAT THE CLIMATE CRISIS. That’s why the Build Back Better Act will:
- Deliver substantial consumer rebates and tax credits to reduce costs for middle class families shifting to clean energy and electrification.
- Advance environmental justice through a new Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator that will invest in projects around the country.
- Create a new Civilian Climate Corps to conserve our public lands, bolster community resilience, and address the changing climate, all while putting good-paying union jobs within reach for more Americans.
- Bolster resilience and natural solutions to climate change through a historic investment in coastal restoration, forest management, and soil conservation.
Importantly, the framework is fully paid for and will reduce the deficit by asking more of the very largest corporations and the very wealthiest Americans (those making more than $10 million per year). Importantly, the framework keeps the President’s promise to ensure nobody earning less than $400,000 per year will pay a penny more in taxes.
This framework isn’t perfect. There are certainly some major policies that I wish were included; but, taken together with the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the President’s Build Back Better bill will make transformational investments to strengthen our economy and help working families make ends meet. I’m for that – and so are the folks I represent. Congress can, and should, pass both of these bills – and I’ll keep pushing for that in the coming days. Stay tuned!
Honoring Our Veterans
On Friday, I was honored to be part of a ceremony organized by the Kitsap County Veterans’ Advisory Board to present a flag that flew over the United States Capitol in memory of Andy Sargent. Andy was a tremendous public servant, serving his country in uniform and serving the veterans in his community once he was out of uniform. He was a staunch advocate for getting veterans in our region the care they have earned and provided pro bono legal assistance to veterans. Andy will be missed, and we will work to carry on his legacy and support our veterans.
As we approach Veteran’s Day, we should all take note of an ethic that Andy Sargent lived – not just on Veterans Day but every day. That we should honor our veterans. That saying thanks is important – but it isn’t enough. We need to show it. That means if you fought for our country, you shouldn’t have to fight for a job. It means in the land of the free and the home of the brave, every brave veteran should have a home. And it shouldn’t be under a freeway overpass. It means that veterans should get the care and benefits that they have earned.
Those are the principles and goals I work for – that’s my focus as your representative. I believe that if you’ve served our country, the federal government should have your back. That’s why in the last few weeks, I’ve supported a number of new bills to support our veterans, including:
- The Ensuring Veterans’ Smooth Transition (EVEST) Act. This bipartisan bill will automatically enroll veterans in the VA’s care system, ensuring they are connected to the VA system and its critical mental health resources. The bill will make VA’s resources more accessible to veterans during their transition, a time that is known to be difficult.
- The Veterans Jobs Opportunity Act. This bill will give a boost to veterans who come home to invest and revitalize their communities through entrepreneurship. Specifically, it will provide a tax credit for veterans who open small businesses in underserved communities.
- The Reducing Barriers for Military Voters Act. This bipartisan bill is focused on ensuring deployed service members’ ballots are received in a timely manner, including providing servicemembers who are deployed under conditions with limited or no postal service the means to return their ballot electronically (while prioritizing cybersecurity via a verifiable, auditable vote trail).
- Housing Opportunities to Mitigate Expenses for Services (HOMES) for our Veterans Act of 2021. The bill would make the VA’s capital grant program more accessible for those serving veterans experiencing homelessness, allowing them to upgrade their facilities to create healthier living environments for veterans.
- Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans in Combat Environments (SERVICE) Act of 2021. This bipartisan bill will provide mammogram screening for female veterans who served in areas associated with burn pits and other toxic exposure.
- The Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act. With military suicides rising steadily since 2004, this bill provides new technological tools to support individuals at risk for suicide.
- Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act. This bipartisan bill closes a wide range of gaps in care for veterans – especially those who use telehealth, face mental health issues, seek VA care in the community, or have struggle to schedule medical appointments.
As the representative of a region that is home to many active-duty families and veterans, I am tremendously grateful for the dedication of our service members. Our country enjoys unparalleled freedom because of their commitment – a commitment we should return as we continue to support the families of those who have dedicated their lives to serve our nation.
Our nation is stronger and our world is safer because of the service of the men and women in the armed forces. Our nation must – and I will – do everything we can to ensure those who serve are valued and cared for now and in the future.
Protecting Social Security
Social Security is a promise – a sacred trust to ensure seniors can retire with dignity. And yet, too many seniors are struggling to make ends meet. That’s why, last week, I joined nearly 200 Member of Congress in introducing Social Security 2100: A Sacred Trust. This new comprehensive legislation aims to improve Social Security benefits, extend the solvency of the Social Security Trust Funds, and prevent benefit cuts, while keeping President Biden’s promise not to increase taxes for those earning under $400,000.
For me, these issues are not theoretical policy conversations – they are personal. A couple of years ago, we lost my grandmother just 13 days shy of her 109th birthday. I’m conscious of the fact that my grandmother’s ability to live with dignity for decades was driven in part by Social Security – one of our nation’s most successful public policy programs. I know just how important it is for seniors throughout Washington State that we continue to protect the benefits that they have earned.
This new legislation will help the nearly 180,000 Social Security recipients residing in Washington’s sixth congressional district and 1.4 million Social Security recipients in Washington state. I’ll keep working to get this bill signed into law and to protect the benefits that seniors throughout Washington state have earned and deserve.
Working for You
Pushing for More Affordable Housing
I enjoyed the opportunity to join the Tacoma Pierce County Black Collective to talk about the need to grow the inventory of affordable homes in our region – and my work to secure federal investments for two new housing projects on the Hilltop. Thanks to the entire group for the kind welcome and the informative discussion!
Supporting Working People
Last week, I spoke on the House floor to honor the life and legacy of Richard Trumka. His leadership and partnership made a difference for the 500,000+ AFL-CIO union members here in Washington state, empowering them to organize to promote fair pay, better benefits, and safer working conditions.
Supporting Local Farmers
Did you know that for over a century, the Washington coast has been known as one of the best places in the country to grow cranberries?! I joined Nick Wood in Grays Harbor to see the harvesting process in action and talk about how we can work together to ensure the federal government has the back of our local family farmers – check out our conversation.
Working Together to Keep Folks Safe
Great to connect with the new Kitsap County Sheriff John Gese. He’s been on the job for a few months now, and I appreciated the opportunity to discuss everything from staffing challenges to the importance of addressing mental health. I look forward to working with him in the days ahead!
OK – that’s it for now, folks. As always, I’m honored to represent you.
Sincerely,
Derek