For Immediate Release
August 9, 2022
CONTACT: Summer Kim, skim@domesticworkers.org
NDWA Statement on President Biden Signing Inflation Reduction Act
WASHINGTON – The National Domestic Workers Alliance issued the following statement today after President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law:
“The Inflation Reduction Act will improve the lives of millions of Americans. It includes much-needed resources to address the climate crisis, long-overdue provisions that will bring down the high cost of prescription drugs and extend access to health care, and while ensuring corporations and the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share in taxes.”
“We applaud President Biden for signing this bill into law today. At the same time, we know that there is much more work that remains to be done. Care work is the heart of our economy – it supports families, individuals who rely upon this workforce, and enables millions of working parents and family caregivers to go to work. Amidst uncertainty in our public health environment, and with women’s labor force participation not yet back to pre-pandemic levels, it is past time for Congress to address this country’s broken, underfunded care system with new investments that will lift up care workers and those for whom they care.”
“Last November, the House passed a reconciliation bill that would have invested $150 billion in home and community based services for older adults and people with disabilities. The two goals of these funds were to expand access to care and services for our growing aging population and people with disabilities in the home and community and to improve the wages and conditions for the care workforce, including adding nearly a million jobs to strengthen the workforce. These critical investments would help our families move beyond survival and recovery, toward fairness and opportunity. Care workers deserve to have their work honored with good wages, benefits, and protections from discrimination and harassment. Care is essential, and we know that investing in access to care enables a stronger economy for all. The Inflation Reduction Act, while achieving historic progress, leaves this work undone.”
“We will continue to pursue every path possible to solve for the care workforce. Just this past month, the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act received its first ever hearing before a subcommittee of the House Education and Labor Committee. In the days ahead, we will continue working alongside our champions to make progress for care workers and for all who rely upon them. Like the need, the momentum behind this issue will only continue to grow.”
