November 19, 2021

Casten Statement on Passage of Historic Investment to Combat Climate Crisis, Strengthen Our Economy, and Lower Costs for Illinois Families

Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Representative Sean Casten (IL-06) voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, which makes historic investments to meet the urgent needs of Illinois families by creating jobs, cutting taxes, lowering costs, and combating the climate crisis.

In the wake of the pandemic, skyrocketing costs of child care, health care, home- and community-based care, early and higher education, housing, and damage from climate-fueled extreme weather events are hurting families and small businesses across the country.

"I'm proud to have helped ensure the Build Back Better Act will not only make childcare, home care, education, health care more affordable and lower the tax burden–but will also pass the Climate Test by cutting pollution at the speed scientifically necessary to turn this ship around before it's too late," said Rep. Sean Casten. "Today, Democrats passed the largest investment in climate action in American history–and one that will lower folks' energy bills, reinvigorate our economy, and create millions of good-paying union jobs. This is why I ran for Congress--and it's been a privilege to lead my colleagues in ensuring we get this done."

"I'm particularly glad the Build Back Better Act includes tax relief to Illinois families unfairly harmed by the 2017 Republican Tax Scam." continued Casten. "Our bill raises the State and Local Tax (SALT) Deduction upholding the long held principle that citizens shouldn't have to pay taxes twice."

The Build Back Better Act contains a number of key priorities that Rep. Casten has fought for since arriving in Congress, including:

  • The largest climate investment in our nation's history, by setting the United States on course to meet our 50-52% greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets by 2030, while creating millions of good paying, union jobs, reducing energy costs for consumers, and growing our economy. Specifically, Casten helped secure:
    • $1 billion in zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure to support development of an electric vehicle charging network and hydrogen fueling infrastructure to assist the transition to zero emissions vehicles
    • Establishment of a Methane Emissions Reduction Program to control excess methane pollution from the oil and gas industry above specific waste emissions thresholds.
    • $40B in investments to incentivize clean energy technology via federal loan guarantees and grants
    • $2.9 billion into creating a 21st Century energy grid capable of ensuring the reliable delivery of clean energy throughout the United States.
    • $9 billion in EPA programs for replacement of lead service lines and reduction of lead in drinking water systems throughout the country.
  • Extending the expanded Child Tax Credit, which has helped over 2.3 million Illinois children and is projected to cut child poverty in half. It also enables Illinois to expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 254,440 additional 3- and 4-year-olds per year and increase the quality of preschool for children who are already enrolled.
  • After Rep. Casten led a letter to Congressional leadership urging them to include Medicare expansion, the Build Back Better Act will help older Americans access affordable hearing care and allow 136,000 Illinois to gain coverage.
  • Rep. Casten firmly believes Illinoisans shouldn't have to pay taxes twice, which is why Sean fought to raise the State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. As part of the Build Back Better Act, Sean is proud to have secured a significant increase in the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 to $80,000.

Here's how the Build Back Better Act will help Illinois:

Deliver the largest investment in child care and early education in history.

  • Provide access to affordable child care. Child care is a major strain for families in Illinois where the average annual cost of a child care center for a toddler is $9,876, meaning that an Illinois family with two young children would on average spend 17% of their income on child care for one year. The lack of affordable options also makes it difficult for parents, and especially mothers, to remain in their jobs, contributing to the 20% gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and fathers in Illinois. The Build Back Better Act will enable Illinois to provide access to child care for 755,080 young children (ages 0-5) per year from families earning under 2.5 times the state median income (about $244,079 for a family of 4), and ensure these families pay no more than 7% of their income on high-quality child care.
  • Provide universal, high-quality, free preschool for every 3- and 4-year old in America. Today, only 20% of the 319,721 3- and 4-year-olds in Illinois have access to publicly-funded preschool, and it costs about $8,600 per year for those who can't access a publicly-funded program. The Build Back Better Act will enable Illinois to expand access to free, high-quality preschool to more than 254,440 additional 3- and 4-year-olds per year and increase the quality of preschool for children who are already enrolled. Parents will be able to send their children to the preschool setting of their choice—from public schools to private child care providers to Head Start—leading to lifelong educational benefits, allowing more parents to go back to work, and building a stronger foundation for Illinois' future economic competitiveness.

Cut taxes and reduce some of the largest expenses for workers and families in Illinois.

  • To help unlock the opportunities of an education beyond high school, the Build Back Better Act will increase maximum Pell Grant awards by $550 for students at public and private non-profit institutions, supporting the 162,841 students in Illinois who rely on Pell. The bill also makes higher education more accessible for more people by expanding federal financial aid eligibility to those under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy or other temporary protected status. The bill will also invest in Illinois' 44 minority-serving institutions and the students they serve, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs).
  • Train America's workers for the jobs of the future. Of the world's biggest economies, the United States is second to last in investing in workforce development, and funding for federal job training programs has dropped by almost half since 2001. The Build Back Better Act invests in training programs that will prepare Illinois' workers for high-quality jobs in fast-growing sectors like public health, child care, manufacturing, IT, and clean energy. 48 public community colleges in Illinois will have the opportunity to benefit from grants to develop and deliver innovative training programs.
  • Provide nutritious food options for children. 13% of children in Illinois live in food insecure households, harming their long-term health and ability to succeed in school. The Build Back Better Act will ensure that the nutritional needs of Illinois' children are met by expanding access to free school meals to an additional 325,000 students during the school year and providing over 1.1M students with resources to purchase food over the summer.
  • Reduce housing costs and expand housing options. 765,000 renters in Illinois are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on rent. The Build Back Better Act will expand rental assistance for Illinois renters. It will address the capital needs of the entire public housing stock in America and it includes one of the largest investments in down payment assistance in history, enabling more first-generation homebuyers to purchase their first home.
  • Expand health care coverage and lower costs. The Build Back Better Act will close the Medicaid coverage gap to help millions of Americans gain health insurance, extend through 2025 the American Rescue Plan's health insurance premium reductions for those who buy coverage on their own, and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare. In Illinois, that means 136,000 uninsured people will gain coverage and 150,100 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year. In addition, the Build Back Better Act will support maternal health and invest in national preparedness for future pandemics.
  • Support families with long-term care needs. The need for high-quality, accessible, and affordable care for older Americans and disabled Americans is only growing, but high costs and care shortages leave many to rely on family for unpaid caregiving. The Build Back Better Act will expand access to home- and community-based care to more of Illinois' senior citizens and disabled citizens, and improve the quality and wages of caregiving jobs.
  • Cut taxes for families and workers. Prior to the pandemic, 12% of children under the age of 18 in Illinois lived in poverty. The Build Back Better Act will bolster financial security and spur economic growth in Illinois by reducing taxes on the middle class and those striving to break into it. The bill will extend Child Tax Credit (CTC) increases of $300/month per child under 6 or $250/month per child ages 6 to 17. This will continue the largest reduction in child poverty in history. And critically, the agreement includes permanent refundability for the Child Tax Credit, meaning that the neediest families will continue to receive the full Child Tax Credit over the long-run. The bill will also provide a tax cut of up to $1,500 in tax cuts for 620,700 low-wage workers in Illinois by extending the American Rescue Plan's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) expansion.

Address the existential threat of climate change.

  • Make the largest effort to combat climate change in American history. From 2010 to 2020, Illinois experienced 48 extreme weather events, costing up to $50 billion in damages. The Build Back Better Act will set the United States on course to meet its climate targets—a 50-52% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2030—in a way that creates good-paying union jobs, grows domestic industries, and advances environmental justice. The bill represents the largest ever single investment in our clean energy economy—across buildings, transportation, industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate smart practices in our lands and waters. In clean energy and in other sectors, the Build Back Better bill will also strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains for critical goods, benefiting American businesses, workers, consumers, and communities.
  • Specific items Rep. Casten has advocated for include:
    • $40B in investments to incentivize clean energy technology via federal loan guarantees and grants
    • $2.9 billion into creating a 21st Century energy grid capable of ensuring the reliable delivery of clean energy throughout the United States.
    • $1 billion in zero-emissions vehicle infrastructure to support development of an electric vehicle charging network and hydrogen fueling infrastructure to assist the transition to zero emissions vehicles
    • Establishment of a Methane Emissions Reduction Program to control excess methane pollution from the oil and gas industry above specific waste emissions thresholds.
    • $9 billion in EPA programs for replacement of lead service lines and reduction of lead in drinking water systems throughout the country.

Additional information on how Illinois stands to benefit from the Build Back Better Act can be found here:

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