WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued the following statement on the House passage of the Build Back Better Act. 

“Generations of underinvestment, policy violence and a pandemic that has robbed us of over 760,000 lives have made one thing clear: our families and communities have been in crisis. As policymakers, it is our duty to respond with urgency and deliver policies and budgets that will have a meaningful and tangible impact on the daily lives of our constituents. Today, I proudly cast my vote in support of the Build Back Better Act, which moves us one step closer to that goal and will begin to lay the groundwork towards a just and equitable recovery. 

“The investments in the Build Back Better Act—in housing, home and community-based services for the elderly and disabled, climate justice, universal paid leave, pre-k and childcare, lower prescription drug costs, and so much more—are the direct result of months of relentless advocacy by House progressives and will help us repair the hurt and harm felt by our communities. 

“While the Build Back Better Act will be transformational and help millions of our immigrant neighbors with temporary protections from deportation and work permits, we must continue working with urgency to secure the critical pathway to citizenship our immigrant neighbors have been denied for so long. I am committed to using every tool available to advance that pathway to citizenship and call on the Senate to consider every option to provide permanent relief. 

“With the House’s passage of the Build Back Better Act, we are now closer to enacting President Biden’s full agenda—which is the people’s agenda. I urge my Senate colleagues to swiftly pass this transformational bill. Our communities have waited far too long, and the people deserve nothing less.” 

###