November 6, 2021
Dear Friends,
In the wake of the pandemic, skyrocketing costs of child care, health care, home- and community-based care, early and higher education, housing, and more are hurting working families across New York and around the nation.
And this summer left no room for doubt about worsening impacts of the climate crisis, with unprecedented storms, floods, wildfires, droughts, and heat waves wreaking havoc across our nation.
Congress was given a choice: we could make historic investments in the American people to create good union jobs, support hardworking families and combat the worsening climate crisis. Or we could let this once-in-a-generation opportunity slip away and condemn us to become a weaker, sicker, and poorer nation.
Last night, the House took that much-needed action.
We came together to send the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to the president’s desk. This bill:
- Repairs our crumbling roads and bridges with the single largest dedicated bridge investment since the construction of the interstate highway system itself
- Implements limo safety reforms I authored alongside families of the victims of the tragic limousine crashes in Long Island and Schoharie, NY
- Makes the largest federal investment in passenger rail since the creation of Amtrak
- Expands broadband to ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet
- Secures clean water for our children with $55 billion to fix our crumbling water infrastructure, including $15 billion to replace lead pipes
- Helps us tackle the climate crisis by making investments in clean energy transmission and EV infrastructure; electrifying thousands of school and transit buses across the country; and creating a new Grid Deployment Authority to build a resilient, clean, 21st century electric grid
This is a bold action that the American people have bene calling for, and that our nation needs to rebuild stronger than ever.
Along with this transformational physical infrastructure package, the House crucially came to an agreement on the second key bill in Biden’s historic agenda that would address America’s social infrastructure needs: the Build Back Better Act.
This legislation delivers critical support to families, bolsters our health care system during this crisis and beyond, and invests in our children’s future. What’s more—this plan is 100 percent paid for by finally ensuring that the wealthiest individuals and big corporations pay their fair share.
The work to rebuild our economy, support our communities, address climate change, and protect our environmental and public health is far from over. But I stand ready to work alongside the president to build on this powerful action with the whole-of-government, meaningful response that the American people need.
As always, thank you for reading.
Your friend,
![https://tonko.house.gov/UploadedPhotos/Thumbnails/35a628c4-c4ec-4b4d-ab6e-6e41902c78cb.jpg](https://tonko.house.gov/UploadedPhotos/Thumbnails/35a628c4-c4ec-4b4d-ab6e-6e41902c78cb.jpg)
DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout this pandemic, my office and I have worked to make sure you remain informed with the latest local, state and federal updates and recommendations. With that in mind here is some information that may be of interest to you:
- Open enrollment for 2022 health insurance coverage has begun this week, starting November 2021 through to January 15, 2022
- Open enrollment is the one-time of year you can enroll in coverage without having a qualifying life event
- Key changes include the extension of the marketplace enrollment period by thirty days to ensure everyone has time to get covered
- Enroll by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1, 2022.
- All consumers shopping for health insurance coverage on HealthCare.gov — even those who currently have coverage through the Marketplace — should enroll or re-enroll starting today by applying here. For Spanish applications apply here or call 1-800-318-2596 to fill out an application.