Council for a Strong America CEO Barry Ford Applauds Build Back Better Framework Announcement

Washington, DC - Council for a Strong America applauds today’s White House announcement of a Build Back Better (BBB) framework and the historic levels of investment in America’s children it will provide.

The law enforcement leaders, business leaders, and retired admirals and generals of Council for a Strong America will continue working to help move the Build Back Better framework to passage by Congress and implementation of historic investments for our nation’s children over the coming days, weeks, and months.

“Council for a Strong America has consistently fought to strengthen children and families in ways that also bolster our economy, public safety, and national security,” said President & CEO Barry Ford. “The Build Back Better framework is a historic step forward in this fight: it will make child care more affordable and more available; it will expand access to free high-quality preschool for more than six million children; it will help combat child poverty by extending for one year the current expansion of Child Tax Credit; and it prioritizes child nutrition to help fight our nation’s rising rates of nutrition insecurity.”

Highlights of the BBB framework:

• BBB will help 9 out of 10 families across the country with young children afford quality child care. Better access to high-quality child care can increase the likelihood that parents, especially mothers, can return to work knowing that their children are learning and thriving in a quality environment.

• It provides for parents to be able to send their children to high-quality preschool in the setting of their choice – from public schools to child care providers to Head Start. The program will lead to lifelong educational and economic benefits for children and parents, and is a transformational investment in America’s future economic competitiveness.

• The framework extends for one year the current expanded Child Tax Credit for more than 35 million American households, with monthly payments for households earning up to $150,000 per year. It makes refundability permanent.

Much work is ahead to pass into law these proposed historic investments in pre-K, child care, nutrition programs, and the continuation of the child tax credit expansion, critical to strengthening our communities and bolstering our economy. Council for a Strong America will continue its long standing commitment to policies that are proven to help kids grow up strong.

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