Source: United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Budget Committee, released the following statement regarding the Senate passage of the Build Back Better Budget resolution. Senator Van Hollen is a cosponsor of the resolution.
“Right now, too many Americans are struggling to make ends meet – parents are juggling the costs of child care, millions of college graduates are drowning in student debt, seniors are weighed down by medical and prescription drug payments, and our workers and families are burdened by a tax system and an economy that doesn’t work for them. Our Build Back Better Budget makes once-in-a-generation investments to change this. This budget plan puts everyday Americans first. It dramatically grows opportunity for all, cutting the costs of everything from prescription drugs to child care, expanding services covered by Medicare, and extending the new monthly tax cuts for families. As the impacts of climate change take a greater and greater toll on our everyday lives, this budget turns a challenge into an opportunity, dedicating the necessary resources to begin tackling the climate crisis while creating millions of home-grown, good-paying, green-energy jobs. This plan will raise the standard of living for workers, families, seniors, and students across Maryland and our country, and delivering these benefits to our state is a top priority.
“From providing universal early education to making workforce training and college more affordable to reducing prescription drug costs and enabling Medicare to cover dental, hearing, and vision services, the Build Back Better Budget makes transformational investments in the success of American families. It builds on the relief we provided in the American Rescue Plan by extending tax cuts for middle class families and lifting millions of Americans out of poverty. This plan also puts us on a path to a clean energy future, including through my proposal to create a national Clean Energy Technology Accelerator and my proposal to help Americans make their homes more energy efficient. And it adds onto the many important provisions we secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. The budget plan, combined with the bipartisan infrastructure plan, includes all key elements of President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan.
“We will pay for this proposal with long overdue reforms to our tax system to prevent large corporations from hiding profits overseas and ensure that the wealthiest of the wealthy pay their fair share to invest in the success of all. We must build a more inclusive economy with more shared prosperity.
“The Build Back Better Budget will bring a brighter future to American families, workers, and seniors. I’m committed to getting this done.”