Investing in Families and Growing the Middle Class
Hi Folks –
It’s been a busy few weeks! Perhaps one of the most newsworthy moments since the last newsletter was President Biden’s Address to Congress to mark his first 100 days in office. I appreciate that President Biden has worked so hard to get folks vaccinated, to help small businesses stay afloat, and to provide immediate and direct relief to families bearing the weight of the COVID-19 crisis.
The President’s speech last week was a recognition, though, that while we’ve made tremendous progress against this deadly virus, our country faced substantial challenges well before any of us had heard of COVID. But his address laid a roadmap for building back better.
We know that there are too many failing bridges, too many congested roads, and too many folks who don’t have access to high-speed broadband. The American Jobs Plan (which I wrote about in a previous newsletter) can make a real difference – putting people to work now and laying the foundation for long-term economic growth in our neck of the woods and across the country. In addition, well before the pandemic, too many families have felt the pinch from the costs of child care, student debt, and health care. That’s why the President has proposed the American Families Plan (which we’ll dive into below). That proposal can be a step forward in rebuilding the middle class and ensuring American families can build a better future.
In his address last week, President Biden outlined a positive vision for the future of our nation – one built on making America stronger, and doing so in a way that seeks to bring people together rather than to divide us. I look forward to working with him to grow jobs and get things back on track.
I joined my colleague from the South Sound, Representative Marilyn Strickland, on Northwest Now where we talked about the first 100 days of the new administration and the road ahead – as well as the progress we’ve been making to recover and restore Puget Sound! Check out our conversation here.
Investing in Families
As I mentioned earlier, President Biden announced the American Families Plan last week— a forward looking investment in children and families that aims to rebuild the middle class and ensures folks can weather this storm and begin to build a better future as we emerge from this pandemic. The plan accomplishes this by helping families cover the expenses that so many struggle with, lowering health insurance premiums, and continuing the American Rescue Plan’s tax policies that dramatically reduce child poverty. Let’s get into the details!
The American Families Plan aims to make education more affordable and expand opportunity though transformational investments. It will:
- Provide universal access to high-quality, free Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds.
- Make two years of community college free for all Americans, so more folks can gain the skills they need for high-skilled, high-paying jobs.
- Lower college cost for low- and middle- income students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).
- Increase the maximum Pell Grant award by approximately $1,400 so more students can afford higher education.
- Invest in strengthening teacher pipelines and address shortages by increasing the number of teachers of color and supporting the growth of all teachers.
The American Families Plan will also provide economic security to families – ensuring everyone has the opportunity to contribute to the economy and care for themselves and their families. It will:
- Ensure more folks can access high quality, affordable child care.
- Provide comprehensive paid family and medical leave, allowing workers to take the time they need to care for themselves or loved ones.
- Expand nutrition assistance, school meal programs, and summer meal programs for children and families to help students access the nutritious meals that they need to succeed in school and in life.
- Invest in maternal health to ensure all women have equitable access to health care before, during, and after pregnancy.
The American Families Plan will expand tax credits that help workers and families – a powerful tool that can help build economic prosperity. It will:
- Extend key tax cuts in the American Rescue Plan that benefit lower- and middle-income workers and families, including the Child Tax Credit, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit. In addition to making it easier for families to make ends meet, tax credits for working families have been shown to boost child academic and economic performance over time.
- Extend the expanded health insurance tax credits in the American Rescue Plan. These credits are providing premium relief that is lowering health insurance costs by an average of $50 per person per month for nine million people and will enable four million uninsured people to gain coverage.
And those are just the headlines!
We know that investing in families and growing the middle class can help folks in our region get ahead—and make the United States more competitive economically. I also appreciate that President Biden has committed to paying for these investments without any tax increases on the people making under $400k per year. It’s important to me that we protect middle class families. You can read more about President Biden’s plan here, and I expect you’ll be hearing more about it in the months ahead!
Helping Restaurants Access Relief
Local restaurants contribute to the vitality of our communities. Unfortunately, they’ve been hit hard during this pandemic, so it’s been a priority of mine to make sure the federal government has their backs to ensure they can continue to provide good jobs for folks in every corner of our region. That’s why the American Rescue Plan, which passed Congress and was signed into law earlier this year, provided critical support to local, independent restaurants and the workers they employ through a new program called the Restaurant Revitalization Fund.
Starting TODAY (May 3) restaurants and other eligible businesses can apply to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund – which will supply restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business. The relief does not have to be repaid, provided that the funds are put toward eligible uses by March 11, 2023.
- Find a funding guide HERE and a sample application HERE.
- Visit SBA.gov/restaurants for more information.
Unfortunately, there has been one hiccup with the Restaurant Revitalization Fund that has affected some small businesses in our region: distilleries. When the Small Business Administration released participation criteria for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund – they unintentionally included requirements that will leave our local independent distilleries out of the program. Unfortunately during this pandemic, 28 percent of Washington state’s distilleries closed their doors permanently as a result of the pandemic – so we’ve got to make sure the remaining small, independent businesses can get the help they need to say open and keep folks employed. That’s why I led the entire bipartisan Washington congressional delegation in calling for the Small Business Administration to revise their criteria for eligibility and get these local businesses some help. We’ll keep at it!
Strengthening Our Democracy
For those of you interested in campaign finance reform, you probably know that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is meant to be the referee on the field, blowing the whistle on politicians and groups that cheat and undermine the interests of the public. Unfortunately, in recent years, the FEC is increasingly deadlocked on decisions. In other words, our ref has left the field.
That’s why Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and I introduced the bipartisan Restoring Integrity to America’s Election Act to revitalize the FEC by breaking the gridlock of its leadership structure and strengthening its enforcement actions through faster and more efficient processes. This bill has been passed by Congress twice as part of the For the People Act (H.R.1) – a sweeping reform bill aimed at strengthening the voice of the American people in their democracy by making it easier to vote, ending the dominance of big money in the political process, and updating ethics rules to ensure public officials work for the public interest.
I was thrilled last week when the Seattle Times Editorial Board recommended that Congress pass my bipartisan legislation, saying “Clean and fair elections are crucial to a functional democracy and public confidence that the system isn’t rigged. The Washington model could help restore that.” I’ll keep working to get it across the finish line!
Working for You
Celebrating Military Child Care Month
April was the Month of the Military Child and there was no better way to celebrate than with the opening of the new Children’s Museum at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. It is so cool! Congratulations to Tanya Durand, the museum’s executive director, Garrison Commander Colonel Skye Duncan, General Randy George and everybody involved in creating this spectacular asset for military kids in our region.
Hearing from You
I was grateful for the productive conversation last week with members of Indivisible Tacoma on how we can work together to combat climate change and ensure folks in our region have access to quality, affordable health care. I appreciated the thoughtful questions and look forward to our continued partnership!
Supporting our Shipyard
I was thrilled to help welcome Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker to Bremerton last week to tour the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and see the tremendous work being done by folks in our region to maintain and modernize the Navy’s fleet. The Shipyard is critical to our national security and to our region’s economy. I look forward to working with U.S. Navy leadership to ensure we invest in modernizing infrastructure at PSNS in accordance with the Shipyard Innovation & Optimization Plan so our shipyard can continue to proudly advance the Navy’s mission for years to come!
OK – that’s it for now, folks! Don’t forget, all Washingtonians aged 16+ are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. If you or a loved one have not received your vaccination, please make an appointment at http://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.
As always, I’m honored to represent you.