Washington, DC – Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and Shari Semelsberger, secretary-treasurer of TTD, issue this statement in response to the passage of the Build Back Better Act in the House of Representatives:
“When President Biden was sworn into office last January, he made a promise to the American people: that he would put people to work in good jobs, that he would rebuild the middle class, and that if we worked together, we would not fail. Just four days ago, President Biden and Vice President Harris made good on a major component of that promise, delivering the largest investment in infrastructure in this nation’s history — the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) — to the American people.
“This morning, the House of Representatives took another historic step towards rebuilding America’s middle class and improving the lives of all working Americans. By passing the Build Back Better Act, we are within reach of billions in additional investments for transportation infrastructure and services, as well as key labor-supported provisions that will help provide stronger labor standards and enforcement, further tie federal investments to the creation of good union jobs, lower health care costs, make childcare more affordable, and expand affordable housing.
“To be sure, we still have our work cut out for us. The Build Back Better Act now moves to the Senate, where some Senators, who seek nothing more than to score cheap political points at the expense of working families and the health of our economy, will undoubtedly attempt to load it up with poison-pill amendments. We urge firm opposition to such efforts and remain optimistic that the majority will stand with their hard-working constituents who overwhelmingly support the main elements of this legislation.
“We again thank President Biden and Vice President Harris for their leadership, Speaker Pelosi for her unwavering commitment to working-class Americans, and every member of Congress who took the courageous step of delivering on the President’s promise to build back better.”