Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined parents and child care providers from across the country for a press event highlighting critical provisions in the Build Back Better Act that invest in children and families.  Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

 

Speaker Pelosi.  Thank you all for being here – actually and virtually – because, across the country, people are tuned in to what is happening here.  And what is happening here is For The Children.  Thank all of you, the organizations you represent, the members of your organizations, because the outside mobilization makes all the difference in the world, in terms of how we mobilize – maneuver internally.  We cannot succeed without your outside mobilization.

 

Now, I hear Ida giving voice to her existence – how beautiful, Ida, new baby there, and that's what this is about.  It's about the future, child care, child care.  The whole idea of this is to lower costs, lower the cost of child care, having universal pre-K, having a Child Tax Credit, paying our teachers better, valuing their work.

 

[Applause]

 

Having our health care work – home health care workers respected for what they do for families.  It enables us to Build Back Better, to Build Back Better because we will have many more women in the workforce – dads, too.

 

[Applause]

 

Dads, too, who have some home responsibilities, will have that freedom as well.  When I say this is transformative, people say, ‘Don't say that.  Just say it lowers costs.’  It lowers the cost of child care.  It lowers the cost of health care costs.  It lowers the cost of prescription drugs.  It helps with family food costs and rent and everything, because this Build Back Better is about schools and housing and so much else.  

 

But, it all comes down to the children.  And, in San Francisco, we have a saying, which some of you, I know, whether we're echoing you or you're echoing us: ‘Children learning, parents earning.’  That's a good formula for our families.  And we do believe that more women in the workforce, that's a way to Build Back Better – because when women succeed, America succeeds.

 

[Applause]

 

So, now we're at this pivotal moment.  We have family and medical leave.  We have the Child Tax Credit.  Ida?

 

[Laughter]

 

So much in the legislation that will make a difference to America's families.

 

Child care is practically unaffordable.  Teachers are the custodians of our children for a large part of their lives and their days.  They need to be respected and paid as well.  So, all of this takes – is a big, public commitment to meet the private needs of the American people.  The issues that people talk about across their kitchen tables, about how they're going to make ends meet, what keeps people up at night, about how we're going to afford to be able to have confidence that our children are well cared for while our parents are at work.  

 

So, when this bill passes, I want each of you to take satisfaction in the role that you played to make it happen.  Because again, the outside mobilization makes a difference.  Know your power in all of this.  

 

Thank you for being here, to be outside the Capitol, make your voices heard – actually and virtually, wherever you are across the country.  Thank you all for being here.  Now let's Build Back Better With Women, For The Children!

 

[Applause]

 

# # #