How would Biden’s ‘Build’ agenda help Fresno? Local leaders talk with White House staff
Central California Food Bank and Faith in the Valley leaders and Fresno-area residents met Friday via Zoom with White House staff to discuss President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda and how it will help Valley families.
California speakers, including Kym Dildine from the food bank and Trena Turner from Faith in the Valley, highlighted how the agenda will boost food access, water infrastructure and resources for immigrant families.
Josh Dickson with the White House Office of Public Engagement said the Build Back Better agenda is the next step after the passage of the American Rescue Plan. The agenda redirects policy priorities to create educational and economic opportunities for low and middle income people and requires corporations and the wealthy to pay a fair share of taxes.
The White House staffers organized the call with California rural and faith communities to hear how the agenda could benefit residents.
Dildine noted that the Central Valley has some of the highest rates of food insecurity, despite being a region that grows the nation’s food. Lines at food distribution sites remain long, she said, and the pandemic only exacerbated the issue.
“The truth is is that we cannot meet this need alone,” she said. “The investments in the Build Back Better agenda would make crucial investments in school meals, summer EBT and SNAP that would move the needle on hunger that has skyrocketed and COVID.”
There is a particularly high need among immigrant children since they’re excluded from other programs, she said.
The Build Back Better agenda aims to expand free school meals to an additional 9.3 million school children during the school year and help families purchase food during the summer.
Turner, a pastor, said many essential workers who work in the food and agriculture industries were disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and they deal directly with climate emergencies such as wildfires and drought. Many of these essential workers are immigrants who have no current path to citizenship, she noted.
“The components of the budget to create the jobs and cut taxes and lower costs for working families is monumental,” she said. “We must all not stop pushing until there’s also a clear pathway to citizenship for the Dreamers, for the TPS holders, farm workers and other essential workers. Citizenship is an investment in the American economy and will boost wages, reduce deficits and accelerate GDP growth. It will directly impact federal budget.”
A White House fact sheet noted that Biden and Vice President Harris support including immigration reform in upcoming reconciliation legislation that would create pathways to citizenship for the immigrant groups Turner highlighted.