American Families Plan Invests in the Care Infrastructure Needed for a Strong Economic Recovery

April 28, 2021

On the release of the American Families Plan today, the second half the of Biden-Harris administration’s Build Back Better Agenda, Main Street Alliance Executive Director Stephen Michael had this to say:

“Small businesses across the nation applaud the serious investment in critical care infrastructure included in the American Families Plan. 

With a bold national plan for 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, significant new investments to make child care more affordable -- including support for the Child Care for Working Families Act as well as extensions to tax credits for child care and the EITC -- President Biden is acknowledging the importance of care infrastructure in keeping our economy competitive as small businesses and working families work to build back better. Encouraging passage of the Healthy Families Act, as well as continued acknowledged support for lowering health care and drug costs, get at some of the core expenses eating away at our entrepreneurial middle class, but don’t go far enough. This plan leaves out key investments needed to expand access to health care to millions through Medicaid expansion and protections to curb the power of pharmaceutical monopolies in price negotiation which could save taxpayers billions.

Small businesses are encouraged, however, by the long overdue provisions to close tax loopholes and better resource the IRS to beef up enforcement. The decades long trends of corporate consolidation, capital gains and other policies that benefit only the wealthy have contributed to our widening inequality. Instead, let’s invest in our working families, and a thriving small business economy that provides everyone the opportunity to prosper and heal.

After decades of hard work from grassroots activists across the country, including small business owners, we are finally seeing some real investments in child care, paid family and medical leave, and health care that have been needed for too long.

Small businesses look forward to coming back stronger and more resilient. This will require the critical investments outlined today, as well as the investments in our broadband, roads and bridges from the American Jobs Plan. Together, these plans will help us build back better. Both pieces are critical and address supports for our economy that have been underinvested in or simply ignored for too long.  

We look forward to working with Congress to develop and pass the most comprehensive and robust complete infrastructure package that includes investments in paid family and medical leave, child care and health care, as well as broadband, public transportation, clean and safe water, and other physical infrastructure needed to ensure the full revitalization of Main Street businesses and economy.”  

Quotes of Support from Small Business Owners:

“The paid leave options of the Families First Act were a lifeline for my business and my employees just when we needed it,” said Marcia St. Hilaire Finn, owner of Bright Start Early Care and Preschool in Washington, D.C. “Now we must invest in a permanent care infrastructure. As a child care provider, we know how important affordable, quality access is. We need to do all we can to help people stay connected to their jobs and still take care of their families.”

“As a father and a small family business owner I know first hand how important it is to have a safety net when you or an employee needs to take time off to care for themselves or a family member. My wife had a difficult pregnancy and unforeseen complications after the birth -- and needed much more than the two weeks sick leave she had from her job to recover. She lost her job and I was back at work two days after our child was born.” said Chris Pyant, owner of Events to Remember in Southfield, MI. “A national, comprehensive paid leave plan would be the Plan B that so many families need when those unforeseen circumstances come up. Small businesses owners and our employees should have time to care for themselves and their loved ones -- without having to put their paycheck or job at risk.”

“As an employee at a major corporation, and now a small business owner and consultant I have seen firsthand how our lack of a national paid leave program is hurting businesses of all sizes and their employees,” said Irene Strohbeen, founder of Irene Strohbeen and Associates in Appleton, WI. “Some workers, especially women, are leaving the workforce because the US doesn’t have a paid leave policy that supports them taking the time they need to care for their loved ones without jeopardizing their household budget. This results in businesses of all sizes spending too much for staff turnover in recruitment and training as well as lost productivity, plus less money flowing in the economy overall. This pandemic has been a wake-up call - we need to make passing a national paid leave program a priority in 2021.”

“Eureka Recycling was grateful to be able to utilize emergency paid leave to cover staff time to both get the vaccine and any time off related to side effects.  For staff to not have to utilize their accrued paid time off was a key incentive for staff to get the vaccine as staff utilize their PTO at varying rates based on personal needs,” said Kate Davenport, owner of Eureka Recycling in Minneapolis, MN. “For our business and for our employees, this has been a massively important tool to help keep us operating while putting our employees’ safety and public health first, as well as supporting our employees to help take care of their families.”