Source: United States Senator for Illinois Dick Durbin
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today discussed his support for President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, which Senate Democrats are moving closer to consider under reconciliation on the Senate floor. Durbin called the reconciliation plan the most ambitious investment in our nation’s future in a generation that will strengthen our economy—and ensure that working families receive a fair share of the wealth their work produces. Durbin discussed the importance of addressing climate change, closing the income and opportunity gaps, and giving American workers the tools they need to out-compete any country in the 21st century.
“How do we reassure our kids that the planet they inherit will still be livable? Words aren’t enough. Denial certainly isn’t a plan. We need to do something. We need to do what generations of Americans before us have done: face reality, face the challenges squarely. So I ask myself, and all of us: What are we doing to make sure that my grandkids and all of America’s kids will be okay? We’re going to have a chance to answer that question this week, as the Senate begins debate on a proposal that will define the world my grandkids—and everyone’s kids—grow up in,” Durbin said.
Durbin also discussed the importance of extending the enhanced Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the reconciliation plan. Earlier this year in the American Rescue Plan, Democrats enacted an enhanced CTC that is estimated to cut child poverty in America by half.
“That enhanced tax credit is already changing the lives of tens of millions of families across America. In my home state of Illinois, there are hundreds of thousands of parents who are now able to fill their gas tanks and buy groceries because of it. Let me tell you about one: Lydia. Here’s what she wrote, ‘With the child tax credit I’ll be able to buy my kids their school supplies, clothes, what they need to get back to school, and put groceries on the table.’ In the wealthiest nation on Earth, no parent should have to choose between clothing their children and feeding them. President Biden’s plan to Build Back Better is a blueprint for America’s future. A future where every family knows the safety and dignity of financial security and every child can reach their full potential,” Durbin continued.
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
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