Mississippi Congressman Bennie Thompson highlighted how Democrats’ Build Back Better framework will meet the urgent needs of Mississippi families by creating jobs, cutting taxes, and lowering costs.
In the wake of the pandemic, skyrocketing costs of child-care, health care, home- and community-based care, early and higher education, housing, and more are hurting working families across Mississippi and around the nation.
The Build Back Better framework delivers transformative investments that will address these needs and finally unlock the full potential of Mississippi families, while also ensuring that the wealthiest and corporations pay their fair share.
“For far too long, Mississippi families have been held back by soaring costs – from child-care to health care to education to the climate crisis and more,” said Congressman Thompson. “To unleash the full potential of every worker and family in our state, Democrats are seizing this once-in-a-century moment to Build Back Better our economy. Democrats’ Build Back Better framework – which we will soon enact into law – will deliver for Mississippi families, with millions of good-paying jobs, historic middle class tax cuts and lower costs, so parents can thrive and succeed.”
Led by President Biden and Democrats in Congress, the Build Back Better framework will be transformative for nearly every Mississippi family: delivering historic investments that meet their needs in the wake of the pandemic and will ensure that all can share in the benefits of a growing economy now, and for generations to come. As outlined in a newly released White House fact sheet, these needs include:
• Child-care: The average annual cost for child-care in Mississippi is $$5,864. The Build Back Better framework will expand access for 188,753 young children (ages 0-5) and ensure that no Mississippi family pays more than seven percent of their income on child-care.
• Early education: Only 15% percent of 3- and 4-year-olds in Mississippi have access to publicly funded pre-K, while the average cost of private pre-K in the state is $8,600 per year for those who can’t access a publicly funded program. The Build Back Better framework will expand access to free, high-quality pre-K to 59,273 young children – setting these children up for lifelong success and saving their parents thousands of dollars.
• Health care: By closing the Medicaid gap, expanding Medicare to include hearing care and extending relief for insurance purchased through the ACA, the Build Back Better framework will help millions of Americans. In Mississippi, that means 159,000 uninsured people will gain coverage, including the 102,000 who fell into the Medicaid coverage gap, and 73,300 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year – while also making home health care for elderly parents or loved ones with disabilities more affordable and accessible.
• Lower taxes: Before Democrats secured the expanded Biden Child Tax Credit in the American Rescue Plan, 17% of Mississippi children lived in poverty. The Build Back Better framework extends this life-changing tax cut and continues our historic progress toward reducing child poverty.
• Climate impacts: Mississippi has experienced 33 extreme weather events over the last decade, which has cost families more than $10 billion in damages. By reducing carbon pollution, bolstering community resilience, and strengthening the American clean energy economy, the Build Back Better framework will create good-paying union jobs, advance environmental justice and save Mississippi families the steep costs of recovery.
The Build Back Better framework also makes generational investments in higher education, workforce training, affordable housing, nutrition assistance and more.
The full fact sheet from Congressman Thompson and President Biden is available at Thompson's website.
