Friends,
Happy Halloween! Democrats across Missouri and the country have been hard at work bringing the Build Back Better agenda to fruition. President Biden and MDP believe, to our core, that there’s no greater economic engine in the world than the American people. But for too long, the economy has only worked great for those at the top, while working families get squeezed.
The Build Back Better agenda will level the playing field and make corporations and top percentage of earners pay their fair share so that the middle class can finally have a little wiggle room.
The transformative investment to universal Pre-K and affordable child care is among the most notable policy changes.
Children & Caregiving: Preschool, child care and care for older and vulnerable loved ones is prohibitively expensive for most American families. Build Back Better will deliver two years of free preschool for more than six million 3- and 4- year olds. Right now, families spend an average of $8600 per year for preschool. I can feel my wallet getting thinner – and I don’t even have kids, yet!
Research shows that every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood care and education can yield $3 to $7 over the long-run, in the form of improved health and education outcomes, increase likelihood of being employed, and higher earnings in adulthood. Build Back Better will ensure that no middle-income family pays more than 7% of their income on child care and will help states expand access to high-quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year. The framework also delivers affordable, high-quality care for older Americans and people with disabilities in their homes, while supporting the workers who provide this care.
And, Build Back Better will give 35 million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit. This is a historic proposal that will save middle class families and enable families to work and succeed in the economy.
Climate:Scientists have been warning us for years -no, decades – that extreme weather is going to get worse. Much worse. We live in that time now.
Extreme weather cost America $99 billion last year. Build Back Better will cut greenhouse gas emissions by well over one gigaton in 2030, reduce consumer energy costs, give our kids cleaner air and water, create hundreds of thousands of high-quality jobs and so much more. The framework expands access to rooftop solar and home electrification, cutting the cost of installing solar for a home by around 30% and shortening the payback period for a family by around 5 years. In addition, BBB will create manufacturing credits for solar and on shore and off shore wind.
Health Care: The President believes no one should lie in bed wondering “what will I do if she gets cancer” or “will I go bankrupt?” Build Back Better will reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans by extending the expanded Premium Tax Credit, deliver health care coverage to up to four million uninsured people in states that have locked them out of Medicaid (Missouri tried), and help older Americans access affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.
Our Republican neighbors may say…hey, this sounds like a lot of money.
ACTUALLY! This framework will reduce the deficit by rewarding work and not wealth. Biden will ensure that the super-wealthy and corporations pay their fair share of taxes and don’t cheat the system. No family making less than $400,000 a year will have their taxes raised.
This are just a few highlights of the Build Back Better framework. The White House put together a Build Back Better microsite following President Biden’s announcement earlier this week.
Democrats Deliver: Town Hall Series
This past week, we held our Democrats Deliver: Town Hall Series in St. Louis and Kansas City. There are three more stops for this series – St. Joseph, Springfield and Cape Girardeau. Join us and let us know who you’d like to hear from next time.
VESSA
The Victims Economic Security and Safety Act is Democratic legislation and policy in action. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and VESSA was implemented on October 27th.
Watch our longform video on VESSA with bill sponsor Senator Jill Schupp, MOCADSV and RACS here. We are grateful to both organizations for working together with us to create this PSA for survivors, service providers and employers.
Redistricting Update
The Missouri redistricting process is chugging along. While the Senate Commission tends to finish meetings rather quickly and quietly, the House Commission tends to take a different route due to the GOP members stifling transparency and information.
They much prefer opaque disinformation.
But our resilient Democratic Redistricting Commissioners focus on what is important – the public testimony. A common theme throughout testimony was to count everyone.
Republicans are attempting to hide behind the slogan of “one person, one vote,” so those aged 17 or younger are not counted. This misrepresentation of Missouri threatens fair redistricting. Commissioner Keena Smith released the following statement after the meeting on Thursday:
“I think the hearings are going well and are informative to the public, but also us, the Commissioners. I’m excited the public is showing up and testifying,” said Vice Chair of the House Bipartisan Redistricting Commission Keena Smith. “Missouri residents are taking part in their community’s future and as Democrats, their feedback is invaluable and important. Children 17 and under are residents of this state and it’s not just every vote that matters, it’s every person and every voice. Missourians know what they want and how to build fair district lines. The Republican Commissioners just have to listen.”
IN THE NEWS
Ashley Aune on Cyber Security
Following the DESE fiasco earlier this month, Representative Aune has prioritized cyber security, as it clearly is lacking in Missouri. Aune helped get the Missouri Cybersecurity Act passed during the 2021 session, yet the Governor has not appointed anyone despite signing it in July. Listen to her interview with St. Louis NPR here.
This is the Republican Party
This section is always a bummer. Just a warning. Yet again, Missouri and American Republicans have disappointed us. Actually, disgusted us.
First, let’s look at the national viral story. Former Presidential Primary Candidate Ted Cruz is a stark believer in the right to protest…even when it includes a Nazi salute at school board meetings. Rep. Eric Swalwell said it best:
And now, the local viral sensation, round 2. Mark McCloskey, a candidate among a messy Republican primary known for pointing guns at BLM marchers last year, actually said he is against abortions in young rape and incest victims.
“I’ve got a client who was raped by an uncle when she was 13 years old, had the child; she finished high school, finished college and got a master’s degree,” McCloskey said. “That child she would have aborted finished high school, finished college and now has a master’s degree. … I don’t believe in any exceptions.”
This beginning of this quote kinda sounds like the “I have a black friend” line.
Staff Update
We started a new segment last edition to include what MDP is currently working on. Your support and donations allow for us to do this work and we hope to give you an inside look.
As a group, we have been focused on the Democrats Deliver: Town Hall Series the past two weeks. Outside of that, Sara Beth was busy this week working on a recap of last year’s Coordinated Campaign in preparation for the upcoming elections and team expansion.
Andy was…doing numbers. This week, he received new lists of unregistered voters from the DNC. With these lists in hand, we can plan targeted registration programs that will add new Dems to the voter rolls. Getting Dems registered, and helping new voters cast ballots, will be key as we look to build a statewide Dem majority.
Randy has been travelling across Missouri for multiple events outside of the Town Halls, including a Freedom Inc. Community Giveback event assisting with voter registration. On a very exciting note: Meetings have begun with Contest Every Race and Chairs of the House and Senate Committees.
I (Bailey) have been busy booking, and often re-booking, speakers for our Town Hall series. My computer put in about 10 hours of editing for the VESSA video, and I am truly happy with how it turned out. Thank you Senator Schupp and RACS in Jefferson City. Most of all, thank you MOCADSV for partnering with me to create this PSA. On another note, I now dream about the Build Back Better messaging.
On Wednesday this week, the MDP staff was all together and in person for the first time! While being spread out across the state has countless advantages for reaching voters, it can get lonely without one another! Thank you, Randy for our Staff Fun Day in Columbia on Wednesday. We had a chilly game of mini-golf right before the rain came in. Andy took the crown followed by me (actually quite surprising), Randy and then Sara Beth…she tried her best!
And yes, I am in a winter coat. Still getting used to it, guys.
In loving memory of Chairman Paul Wrabec
October is nearly over – now that’s scary! Help us build up resources, volunteers and candidates before the 2022 election cycle.
You can also purchase our new #MoDemsCare merchandise from our online store.
