Congressional Record, Senate, November 16, 2021, Page S8220
Summary
A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated November 16, 2021, at page S8220, carrying remarks by a Senator who is a former mayor. The Senator says the funds in the infrastructure law are exciting for local governments, that local officials were at the White House the previous day when the bill was signed, and that the State and the General Assembly will program a State share of $4 billion while local governments hold public dialogue. The Senator then says he calls the Build Back Better bill the education and workforce bill because it is about preparing workers with training, childcare, housing and healthcare. The remarks are the Senator's own.
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“Congressional Record, Senate, November 16, 2021, Page S8220.”
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S8220 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 16, 2021
of last year. They said: Well, first, we are in local government, you care tion calls this bill the Build Back Bet-
are going to wait and see how the State about infrastructure. When I was a ter bill, and some call it the reconcili-
decides to spend their $4 billion be- mayor, I had a transit system, I had ation bill because of the Senate budget
cause we don’t want to spend on some- roads, I had bike trails, I had an air- procedure that we are using to pass it.
thing and have the State spend on the port, I had an Amtrak station, and I As a member of the Budget and the
same thing. So we are going to let the had a port on the James River, which Health, Education, Labor, and Pen-
State, the Governor, Governor is connected to the Chesapeake Bay. sions Committees, I call it the edu-
Northam, the General Assembly pro- There is a lot of oceangoing and freight cation and workforce bill. It is an edu-
gram the $4 billion. But while the going out of our port. I had all of that. cation and workforce bill. This bill, to
State is doing that, we are going to go If you are in local government, you me, is fundamentally about preparing
out and dialogue with our citizens. care about infrastructure. That is why America’s workers for tomorrow and
And I really applaud my local gov- it was exciting to see so many mayors making sure that our workforce has
ernments. Recognizing this was one- and local officials at the White House the training and the childcare and the
time money that wouldn’t happen yesterday when the bill was being housing and the healthcare to
every year, they had intense public dia- signed. outcompete any country in the world.
logue with local constituents about I was proud to cheer on my col- If we want to make good on the
what can we do to really transform? leagues who worked on that bill, and I promise of the infrastructure bill, who
How can we use this money? And they thank all of them. I am especially is going to build it? We just signed an
have done it in fascinating ways. proud that a provision that I had with infrastructure bill, but it didn’t have
As I traveled around the State and Senator WICKER, of Mississippi—to en- the training and the education compo-
talked to these local governments, I able our historically Black colleges nent. Who is going to build this? We
see them advancing long-delayed cap- and universities and other minority- have to have a workforce to build this
ital projects, water and wastewater up- serving institutions to be involved in massive infrastructure improvement, a
grades, closing the digital divide by in- training the workforce and creating once-in-a-generation improvement.
vesting in broadband, constructing the innovations that we will need to That is what the Build Back Better bill
community centers in parts of the make this infrastructure investment— is about.
community that haven’t received in- was included in the bill. We are not going to outcompete
vestments in the past. I want to give a special thanks to my China just by diplomacy or tariffs or
Many gave hazard pay to first re- Virginia colleague, MARK WARNER, tough talk. We aren’t going to
sponders. The American Rescue Plan who, I think, was sort of an unsung outcompete China just by growing our
helped people fund police, ambulance, hero in the negotiations around the in- military budget. The best way to
fire, mental health workers, public frastructure bill. outcompete China is to invest in Amer-
health workers, grants to local non- The impact of the bill is going to be ica’s workers.
profits and churches that supported the felt in Virginia for generations: bil- The success of America’s economy in
community during COVID, grants to lions for roads and bridges, ports and the next 50 years will depend on our
shore up Virginia’s hard-hit businesses dredging, airports, rail to trails, rail- making the same investments that al-
that were engaged in the tourism in- road, climate resiliency, broadband, lowed us to thrive in the 20th century—
dustry as people stopped traveling. energy grid modernization, waste and investing in infrastructure, investing
This is what our local governments wastewater infrastructure. The infra- in people—and that is the basis of
have done with these dollars. structure bill contains a significant in- Build Back Better.
The investments are supplemented vestment for Chesapeake Bay clean- This education and workforce bill
by more than three and a half billion up—that really matters to us—and a also provides sizable investments in
additional dollars to Virginia childcare significant investment in the Appa- community colleges to train workers
providers, K–12 school systems, col- lachian Regional Commission. That for infrastructure jobs, to train the
leges, community colleges, with bil- really matters to southern and western next generation of K–12 teachers, and
lions more for other local priorities Virginia, the parts of our State that to train workers to enable America to
like transit and broadband infrastruc- are in Appalachia. lead the world into a new and innova-
ture. Allocating these dollars to States in tive energy economy. There will be in-
So it was heartening to talk to these smart ways will allow them to vestments in rural economic develop-
county officials. And there are more prioritize the use of the funds in our ment, a Pell grant increase, an exten-
red counties in Virginia then there are cities, counties, and towns in a way sion of the child tax credit, and addi-
blue counties, so I was talking to coun- that will ensure that each State gets to tional healthcare and housing funds to
ty officials from all over the State, and tackle the most important priorities, reduce costs for American families.
more would have been in Republican because the Virginia solution wouldn’t The bill will close the Medicaid cov-
counties than Democratic counties. be the California solution or the New erage gap, lower healthcare costs and
But they were thrilled that Congress— Hampshire solution. Every State can the costs of prescription drugs, and will
that the Senate by a one-vote margin, use these funds to fund the projects fund better public health infrastruc-
as we all remember—passed the Amer- that are the most important there. Vir- ture.
ican Rescue Plan to invest in these key ginia is going to receive a minimum of The thing about this bill that maybe
local priorities. $100 million for affordable broadband, excites me the most is this: We will be
BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL at least $7.6 billion for roads and able to provide funding for States to
Mr. President, on the bipartisan in- bridges, and at least $2.7 billion for make prekindergarten universally
frastructure bill, I told them: I am transit, among other sizable invest- available for every 3- and 4-year-old in
going to leave this floor and race to ments. this country, and we will do it through
Washington and hope that there aren’t As I explained this to my Virginia a mixed delivery model that supports
any State troopers nearby because I Association of Counties yesterday high-quality public and private pro-
need to get to Washington to go to the morning, they were overjoyed because viders. This will help an additional
signing at the White House of the in- they all had—and the Presiding Officer 140,000 3- and 4-year-olds in Virginia
frastructure bill. remembers this—their local capital im- have pre-K, and we will also fund
This is the Nation’s biggest commit- provement projects lists, with projects childcare for the kids younger than 3
ment to infrastructure since the Inter- that had been bumping along for years, years old to bring down costs of
state Highway System initiative in the and there were never enough dollars to childcare for working families. When
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
Eisenhower administration. It will em- really advance them. Now the dollars you combine both the pre-K and the
ploy hundreds of thousands of people will be there to get the projects done childcare support in Virginia, it will
and raise the platform for economic and cross them off the lists. mean that 500,000 more kids just in my
success for decades. BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA State will have access to quality and
The Presiding Officer was in local Mr. President, I want to now talk affordable childcare and early edu-
government just like I was, and if you about the third bill. The administra- cation. When kids get a strong start, it
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November 16, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S8221
puts them on a brighter path for the people who have passed and the people tisan Assisting Caregivers Today—or
rest of their lives, and it makes it who have been ill—my wife and I both ACT—Caucus.
much easier for their parents to go into had COVID, and we know a lot of peo- The ACT Caucus seeks to bring
the workforce, knowing that their ple who died of COVID—and beyond, much-needed attention to all of the
child has high-quality and affordable those being the folks who didn’t have caregivers and the issues that their
childcare options. COVID but who had a grandchild born caregivers face from all backgrounds.
If we pass this bill, and I am con- whom they couldn’t go visit or a friend It seeks to find bipartisan ways to less-
fident we will, it is going to be the who died, and they couldn’t go to the en the emotional and financial toll for
most pro-family and most pro-child bill funeral, or who lost a job or had a busi- those individuals who are caring for
Congress has ever passed. I believe this ness that they had sweated to build but family members. And this help is need-
bill will do for children what Social Se- had to shut its doors. It has been such ed by so, so many.
curity did for seniors in a status that a tough time. Eighty-three percent of the help pro-
we have long lived in this country, But, as I looked out at the hundreds vided to older adults in the United
where we accept a child poverty rate of county officials who were gathered States comes from family members,
that is dramatically higher than the in person yesterday in Norfolk and as I friends, or even unpaid caregivers.
adult poverty rate. What does that say? talked to them about these bills—and I Nearly half of all caregivers who pro-
What does that say about a society? saw them there in person—I detected vide help to older adults do so—like we
This workforce and education bill, an uplift. I am feeling a sense of uplift. do—for someone living with Alz-
Build Back Better, will end our accept- I am feeling a sense of uplift as we see heimer’s or with another type of de-
ance of that unacceptable status quo wages increasing. I am feeling a sense mentia.
and move us to a position where we can of uplift as we make a commitment, In my home State of West Virginia,
cut child poverty and give our kids a for the first time in a generation, to be we have about 85,000 family caregivers
much stronger start for a successful builders and invest and grow our infra- who are living with someone who has
life. structure. I am feeling a sense of uplift Alzheimer’s and caring for them. As we
The American Rescue Plan, as I men- as we approach investing in workers know, those of us who have been down
tioned a minute ago, passed the Senate and in our families the same way we this road, there are no easy solutions
by just one vote—just one vote. One are investing in infrastructure. here. Not only is it emotionally taxing
vote had changed all of those benefits I have a feeling that, over the next on a family—there is no simple path—
to my local governments and to fami- couple of months, these important in- it also can be very, very expensive.
lies and to educational institutions and vestments will braid together in a way My West Virginia Alzheimer’s advo-
to hospitals and healthcare networks that will make people feel a sense of cates always share with me their in-
and to businesses. All of those would uplift about the economy and as vac- credible stories—they actually let me
have not occurred. None of the coun- cines continue to be distributed and come to one of their support groups,
ties whose leadership I spoke to yester- now as boosters are being distributed. which I needed at the time—and also
day would have received the moneys How wonderful it was to hear the the challenges that they have as care-
that I talked about for the trans- Presiding Officer talking about his givers. One of these challenges is navi-
formative projects. children being able to be vaccinated, gating the current complex medical
I hope we will pass this education his school-aged children. I think that is system needed to care for someone liv-
and workforce bill by a wider margin going to contribute to a sense of uplift, ing with Alzheimer’s or, more often
than just one vote, but if it is just one too. than not, other chronic medical condi-
vote—if it is just one vote—so be it. So I just want this body to be a gener- tions.
be it. ator of uplift. Sadly, a lot has come out This is one of the reasons I joined
When there was an effort in this of the Capitol in the last few years that with my colleague Senator DEBBIE
Chamber in August of 2017 to take hasn’t exactly been an uplift for peo- STABENOW of Michigan—we have done a
health insurance away from 30 million ple. I believe we are standing on the couple of things together—in intro-
people—one of the most dramatic mo- threshold of a chapter where this body, ducing the Comprehensive Care for Alz-
ments in my entire public service ca- the U.S. Senate, will be a great gener- heimer’s Act.
reer—we saved 30 million people’s ator of uplift for the American people, This bill would address the challenge
healthcare by 1 vote—by 1 vote. When and I believe passing the Build Back by asking the Centers for Medicare and
we acted on the American Rescue Plan Better is a step that will be really im- Medicaid for some innovation to be
in the middle of the pandemic, in portant in making that happen. able to test dementia care manage-
March, to try to help our country I yield the floor. ment models. It enables individuals to
climb out of the worst public health The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- more seamlessly and successfully navi-
crisis in a century, we got it by one ator from West Virginia. gate healthcare and social support sys-
vote. I would like a wider margin, but NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVERS MONTH tems and to obtain more timely access
if it is just one vote—if it is just one Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. President, I want to care.
vote—we will still be doing really im- to address the Senate on an issue that The model is designed to reach as
portant work. is very close to my heart. many Medicare beneficiaries as pos-
Americans deserve a Congress that Now that we are well into the month sible, especially individuals from rural
will fund businesses and schools; that of November and our Nation’s observ- and medically underserved areas. It
will train the workforce; that will ance of the National Family Caregivers provides comprehensive care services,
build out transportation networks; Month, I would like to recognize the including caregiver education and sup-
that will support hospitals and health family caregivers across this Nation port; ensures patients have access to
clinics; deploy vaccines; provide addi- and the difficult and vitally important providers with dementia care experi-
tional funding for law enforcement of- work that they do. ence; and also to reimburse providers
ficers and first responders; create bet- I have a brother and a sister. Both of through payment based on perform-
ter broadband connections; provide tax our parents passed away in the mid- ance.
relief to working families and lower dle—well, 2014 and 2015, but they both This is something that could have
childcare costs. Build Back Better is suffered from Alzheimer’s at the same helped my brother, sister, and I as we
the next step to lifting us out of the time. It was very, very difficult on all were navigating this difficult path, by
pandemic and rebuilding the American of us to figure out the best way to ease helping us to coordinate the care that
economy. their pain and to satisfy—it was a very our parents not just received but what
dlhill on DSK120RN23PROD with SENATE
I have to say I am 63 years old—I will difficult time—how we, as a family, they deserved. It also could have
be 64 in February—and this has been were going to be providing for their helped them by ensuring that they
the hardest 20 months of my life, and I care. were receiving the best care at all
think most people in this country This experience motivated me to join times.
might say the same thing. Just think my colleague Senator MICHAEL BENNET We must recognize the importance
about the sheer number of the 750,000 of Colorado as a cosponsor of the bipar- that our family caregivers play not
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