FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

November 19, 2021

Contact: Emily Weikert Bryant, 317-452-9829, ewbryant@feedingindianashungry.org; Jessica Fraser, 260-438-3659, jfraser@incap.org 

Statement attributed to Emily Weikert Bryant, Executive Director of Feeding Indiana's Hungry, and Jessica Fraser, Director of the Indiana Institute for Working Families: 

Statement: Indiana organizations laud House passage of Build Back Better Act as huge step forward to improve Hoosiers’ lives

Now, Senate must quickly pass the bill to deliver for Hoosiers

November 19, 2021, Indianapolis—The Indiana Institute for Working Families and Feeding Indiana’s Hungry released the following joint statement in response to the US House of Representatives passage of the Build Back Better Act:

“This is a huge step forward to increasing opportunity, reducing poverty, and shrinking racial inequities for Hoosier children, families, and workers,” said Emily Weikert Bryant, executive director of Feeding Indiana’s Hungry. “If enacted, the Build Back Better Act will help people get health coverage, afford stable housing, food, and childcare for their children, and meet other basic needs. We thank Representatives Carson and Mrvan for their support. We urge our Senate delegation to support the bill and help get it quickly over the finish line." 

“Build Back Better would spur a historic reduction in child poverty and a marked decrease in child hunger,” said Jessica Fraser, director of the Indiana Institute for Working Families. “It would provide affordable, quality health coverage to millions of uninsured Americans. It would expand access to stable, affordable housing at a time when housing instability and homelessness are a reality for far too many in Indiana. And it would strengthen families and help parents stay in the labor force by reducing the cost of child care, expanding free access to universal pre-K, and providing paid family and medical leave. Together, these investments will narrow racial disparities that are rooted in our nation’s long history of racism and discrimination.

“And the bill is fully paid for by provisions designed to make sure corporations and the wealthy pay more of their fair share in taxes. That makes this bill a great deal for Indiana families.

“As the Senate takes up Build Back Better, time is of the essence: If Congress fails to pass BBB by the end of the year, improvements in the Child Tax Credit – which is successfully helping tens of millions of families with kids cover the cost of raising children – will expire. Families will see their credit reduced or eliminated entirely, and payments of up to $300 per child, per month that families are using to meet basic needs will stop after December 15. With costs of everyday essentials rising, Indiana families are counting on Congress to not take away this lifeline.

“We urge our senators to support the Build Back Better Act, which will advance racial and economic justice and improve Hoosiers’ lives. The sooner they pass the Build Back Better Act, the sooner families in our state will benefit from its important investments.”

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About Feeding Indiana’s Hungry
Feeding Indiana’s Hungry, Inc. is the statewide association of Feeding America affiliated food banks.  Member food banks include:
Food Bank of Northwest Indiana, Merrillville
Food Bank of Northern Indiana, South Bend
Food Finders Food Bank, Inc., Lafayette
Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, Ft. Wayne
Second Harvest Food Bank of East Central Indiana, Inc., Muncie
Terre Haute Catholic Charities Foodbank, Terre Haute
Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana, Indianapolis
Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Bloomington
Tri-State Food Bank, Inc., Evansville
Dare to Care Food Bank, Louisville, KY
Freestore Foodbank, Cincinnati, OH

About the Indiana Institute for Working Families
The Indiana Institute for Working Families, a program of the Indiana Community Action Association, engages in research and promotes public policy to help more Hoosiers achieve and maintain financial well-being. 

September 24, 2021 

An Open Letter to our Senators and Members of Congress:

While the American Rescue Plan has provided much-needed relief to Hoosiers, those measures were only temporary. More must be done to ensure we can build back better over the long term without leaving anyone behind.

We can’t just accept a return to normal as a victory. For too many families in Indiana, a return to normal means a return to housing instability, hunger, and overdue bills. We have the opportunity to implement long-term solutions that help families become economically secure; ensure millions of kids don’t grow up in poverty and have stable homes and enough to eat; offer health coverage to millions of people who don’t have it; and narrow racial inequities. To seize this opportunity, we ask you, our Members of Congress and Senators, to ensure the upcoming recovery legislation helps Hoosiers by extending the expanded Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit, closing the Medicaid coverage gap, making robust investments in workforce training, and increasing funding for the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Congress has been able to provide temporary relief to children, seniors, and families, but now we ask you to go further by supporting and quickly passing recovery legislation that builds back better.

 

Sincerely,

Emily Weikert Bryant
Executive Director
Feeding Indiana’s Hungry

Jessica Fraser

Director

Institute for Working Families

 

And the following organizations: