Chair Castor Statement On Build Back Better Act Negotiations
WASHINGTON - Chair Kathy Castor of the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis released the following statement on Sunday:
"Senator Manchin must not join Republicans in their allegiance to wealthy donors and special interests and their callous indifference to the higher costs of the climate crisis," said Chair Castor. "The devastating costs and catastrophic impacts of climate change are hurting Americans every day. And we are running out of time to avoid the most extreme impacts from rising temperatures. Whether it's storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, heat waves, or deadly tornadoes raging in the middle of December, American families and businesses will ultimately pay the price if Senator Manchin bends to polluters and kicks the can down the road on climate action.
"By delivering our Democratic majority in Congress and putting President Biden in the White House, Americans urged policymakers to use this historic opportunity to uplift workers and reduce costs for families. We take that responsibility seriously. We already passed the American Rescue Plan, accelerated our recovery from the pandemic, and passed an infrastructure bill to rebuild our nation and create jobs. Now we must finish the job by delivering the Build Back Better Act, which would build on that progress to ensure our economy works for everyone.
"The Build Back Better Act will save the average family $500 on their energy bills. It will make the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in history. It will improve public health by reducing pollution and lowering the costs of health care premiums and prescription drugs. And - again - it is fully paid for without raising taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 year. It will have virtually no impact on inflation, while reducing out-of-pocket costs for families.
"Senator Manchin must not back away from our moral responsibility to tackle the climate crisis through the Build Back Better Act. We will not be taking this as the last word. I am committed to fighting for the climate provisions in the Build Back Better Act. Together with President Biden, we will keep working to lower costs, create jobs, and reduce pollution - and American families and workers will prevail over special interests and polluters."
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Background:
- The Select Committee's most recent hearing, "Cleaner, Cheaper Energy: Climate Investments to Help Families and Businesses", addressed the energy savings and costs reductions in the Build Back Better Act.
- In June of 2020, the Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Democrats released the majority staff report Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America. This report provides a roadmap for Congress—a Climate Crisis Action Plan—to build a prosperous, clean energy economy that values workers, advances environmental justice, and is prepared to meet the challenges of the climate crisis.
- House Democrats have already passed more than 250 of the recommendations in the Climate Crisis Action Plan, and have successfully worked to turn over 100 of them into law.