Vermont advocates rally in support of Build Back Better Act
Hunger Free Vermont and other organizations throughout the state are rallying in support of the Build Back Better Act, all while Vermont's Congressional Delegation is working to get the bill passed.
The specific $3.5 trillion act, if passed, would provide things like universal child care, universal school lunches, paid medical leave and more.
“I think it will be the most transformative investment in our lifetime. And there are a couple of Senators that are pushing back on that,” Lt. Gov. Molly Gray said.
Several members of Congress say the price tag is too high, but Anore Horton, executive director of Hunger Free Vermont said it’s worth every dime.
“I think that people hear $3.5 trillion and they think that’s a huge amount of money and we can’t afford that. but it’s spread over ten years. And It’s less than 1% of the gross domestic product of the United States,” Horton said.
Congressman Peter Welch fully supports the act, however, he said a compromise is needed in order to get full support from the Senate and to move forward.
“We’re going to have to pair it down. The picking and choosing is going to be a very hard discussion amongst the democrats since it’s us that’s going to have to bear that burden of persuasion alone,” Welch said.
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England said health care depends on the act’s approval.
Charlie Gliserman with the organization said there are currently 4 million people in the U.S. without the expanded Medicaid this act would provide.
“A bunch of different parts of the build back better package are a really critical part of people being able to live happy, healthy lives. When folks fall through the cracks, they can’t do that, and it’s really upsetting,” Gliserman said.
Expanded Medicaid would also help people like Jessica Arencibia, who started a business in Vermont called Healing Arts Massage. She started her business in the middle of the pandemic. Arencibia was recently in a car accident. She is grateful she was able to walk.
“If I was in worse condition coming out of that, or I was in the hospital. How does my family cover the hospital bills after that? We just got on our feet. We just started two businesses within the past year,” she said.
While the act is still under negotiations, advocates here in Vermont hope the Senate can come to a common consensus — one that funds social programs they say the U.S. needs to recover from the pandemic and to survive.