NWLC Reacts to Final Reconciliation Package

The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC):

“For over two years, families, advocates, and economists have raised alarms about the critical state of child care in this country – only to be left out of the most consequential moment for meaningful investments. While the final reconciliation bill makes significant progress for families – ending some of the tax cuts and loopholes that benefit the super-wealthy and big corporations at the expense of the rest of us, bringing down the cost of prescription drugs for millions of women and families, making inroads in addressing our climate crisis, and extending the much needed premium assistance for those seeking coverage through the ACA marketplace – it missed a major opportunity to address some of the biggest expenses and rising costs women and families face: housing, caregiving, and food.

To the women and families who have faced impossible situations thanks to rising costs and a shrinking supply of child care, we see you. To the hundreds of thousands of women pushed out of the workforce, we will never stop fighting for and with you.

We are deeply grateful to the tireless parents, providers, family caregivers, and advocates who fought for investments in child care, paid leave, home and community-based services, housing, nutrition, health care for those in states who have refused to expand Medicaid and those needing pregnancy-related care, refundable tax credits, and more. You have reminded us that our economy will not fully recover if women aren’t fully participating – and succeeding. And as we applaud the important progress on climate, marketplace coverage, and prescription drugs in this bill, we are even more committed to action, and will continue to demand more from lawmakers to prioritize care and other investments to ensure the economy works for women – and all of us.”