Press Releases

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández released the following statement after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) announced he would not support the Build Back Better Act.

“On December 31, 2021, 305,000 West Virginian children and over 396,000 New Mexico children will lose access to the expanded Child Tax Credit because Senator Manchin has betrayed his constituents and his promises.  As the clock strikes midnight, he will throw hundreds of thousands of poor children across America back into poverty.

The House passed a Build Back Better Act consistent with Senator Manchin’s legislative framework that he promised he would support. He did not keep his word, citing a range of false information in his recent statement opposing Build Back Better. 

Let me be clear: The Build Back Better Act is fully paid for. It will not add to inflation. It promotes energy independence. It reduces the costs of child care, education, housing, health care, and prescription drugs. It creates economic opportunity no matter the zip code, lifts millions out of poverty, addresses climate change, and makes the American Dream accessible to countless Americans working hard for a better future.

I have faith in that future. It was why I ran for Congress. And it is why I will continue to work to pass the Build Back Better agenda. Every other Congressional Democrat supports it, the vast majority of the American people–Republicans and Democrats–support it, and West Virginians support it.”

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