[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 171 (Thursday, September 30, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H5566]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    A ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF WORKING 
                                FAMILIES

  (Ms. SCANLON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, even before the pandemic, American 
families struggled to cover the expense of childcare, with the cost of 
care for two kids consuming 20 to 30 percent of the income of most 
families.
  Since the pandemic began, the situation has worsened dramatically. 
Hundreds of Pennsylvania childcare agencies, which operated on the 
slimmest of margins to begin with, have closed permanently, and already 
scarce childcare spots have become harder to find.
  Since the pandemic, the lack of childcare and continuing school 
closures has resulted in millions of parents, mostly women, losing 
their jobs or being forced to leave work due to childcare obligations.
  Families need investment in childcare now. Women can't be asked to 
bear the cost of not funding these crucial programs any longer.
  The Build Back Better Act is our once-in-a-generation opportunity to 
meet the needs of working families.
  Access to affordable childcare will strengthen the financial standing 
of our families, make sure that women are not left behind in our 
recovery, and help parents enter or reenter the workforce and generate 
new economic activity.
  Let's get this done for the American people.

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