Infrastructure Plan Passes, Build Back Better Plan Next

​After three months of debate, President Biden’s Infrastructure Plan passed the House by a vote of 228-206 late last Friday. The $1 trillion plan to renovate the country’s roads, bridges, airports, and trains was waiting for a House vote since August, but was held up because Democrats wanted assurances that the social safety net plan, known as Build Back Better, would be voted on at the same time. That never happened, but to win over the necessary votes to pass the Infrastructure Plan, Democratic House leaders passed a procedural vote to prepare for the passage of the BBB plan, which reassured progressive Democrats that the vote would indeed happen before Thanksgiving. A procedural vote details such things as how much time each party gets to debate the bill on the House floor, and whether amendments can be introduced. 

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Currently, the BBB plan includes four weeks of federal paid family medical leave, $150 million for home care expansion under Medicaid, child care cost controls, universal pre-school, hearing benefits for Medicare beneficiaries, caps on out-of-pocket prescription drugs costs,  and $500 billion for climate change efforts.
 
Unfortunately, the Credit for Caring Act has been cut, but HCAOA members, along with AARP and other senior advocate groups, are not giving up. HCAOA urges all members to send a message to Congress that families caring for aging parents and loved ones at home deserve our support. Providing them with a tax credit for out-of-pocket expenses for caregiving is one small way of showing our gratitude for the important work they do.