In full transparency, the following is a press release from Congresswoman Katherine Clark’s office. The Assistant Speaker is a Democrat.
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CAMBRIDGE – Assistant Speaker Katherine Clark (MA-5) hosted Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers to Cambridge, to promote the American Families Plan yesterday, July 7.
They were joined by Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) and Lori Trahan (MA-3) for a tour of Nurtury Early Education child care facility where they spoke with early educators about the importance of the care economy to support kids and families.
They also participated in a roundtable with Black Economic Council of Massachusetts staff and members who have been impacted by the inaccessibility of child and elder care, including Framingham resident Brandale Randolph.
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“It comes down to this: without affordable, quality care for their families and paid leave, parents – and especially women – can’t succeed in the workforce. We all have our own stories of balancing kids, aging parents, sick family members, jobs, and a million other obligations. And as we heard today, these struggles happen every day for families right here in MA-5 and around the country,” Assistant Speaker Clark said at the press conference following the roundtable. “President Biden’s American Families Plan is an historic investment in our kids, women, families, and our economy. This proposal would ensure that as we recover for COVID-19, no one is left behind. We can’t afford not to pass this transformative legislation. It’s time to rebuild an economy that works for everyone.”
“Across the administration, from the President to Cabinet Secretaries and others, we are getting the word out on how building back better means making robust investments to revitalize our care infrastructure,” Chair Rouse said. “President Biden is speaking today about the American Families Plan and how it reflects those priorities – we need to get this right. In my role as a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, I look forward to working together with the Members of Congress who are here today and many others to get our shared priorities across the finish line.”
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President Biden’s American Families Plan is a $1.8 trillion investment in American families. It builds off the successful American Rescue Plan which provided immediate relief from COVID-19 and included the expanded Child Tax Credit that will lift more than 5 million children out of poverty.
In addition to other provisions, the American Families Plan extends the Child Tax Credit until 2025, provides a $15 minimum wage for care workers, universal pre-k for all children ages 3 and 4, and national paid family leave.
The bill ensures that we rebuild an economy that works for all families by honoring what has long been true: care is economic infrastructure.
Assistant Speaker Clark is a long time champion for child care and working families.
She was the first Member of the House to propose relief for the child care industry at the start of the pandemic in May 2020 and is the author of the Child Care is Infrastructure Act, which is included in the President’s infrastructure package.
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Photos submitted to SOURCE media
Saint Bridget School 
MetroWest Medical Center 
MassBay Community College