FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: APRIL 28, 2021
PRESS CONTACT: Will Pregman, [email protected], 702.752.0656
NEVADA – Following President Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congress outlining his new American Families Plan, Annette Magnus, Executive Director of Battle Born Progress issued the following statement:
“President Biden’s address was a welcome breath of fresh air and sanity after four years of nonsense and bigotry. Tonight, the President outlined a plan that includes several key priorities and policies that will really help Nevadans take the next step toward meaningful health and economic recovery from COVID-19. Combined with his American Jobs Plan, that invests in infrastructure and good-paying jobs, and the Made in America Tax Plan, to finally get the wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share of taxes, this latest proposal would enable Nevadans to build back better and create a fairer economy for everyone.”
“The Biden Administration has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to finally realize the vision of making health care a right in this country, not just a privilege for those who can afford it. We urge the President to follow through on ending drug corporations’ relentless price gouging by including H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act in his proposal and to end corporate tax loopholes that reward the industry for putting profits over patients. There has never been a better time to ensure everyone has affordable healthcare and medicines they can count on and that the rich and corporations pay their fair share to support those investments and Nevadans will be watching to see if the Biden Administration keeps those promises. Here in Nevada, we’re calling on mining corporations in our state to finally pay what they owe as well, so we can use that revenue to support education, health care, and more.”
“The announcement of this plan is especially fitting today, as here in Nevada, Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro just introduced SB 420, a bill providing for a public health insurance option within our state. This bill would require insurers to offer a public option plan to those who are uninsured and eligible for Medicaid, driving down the astronomical premium costs we’re experiencing overall over the next five years. We’re excited to see our legislature’s leadership also working to expand access to affordable health coverage for Nevadans and we look forward to discussing that bill, and how it interacts with these federal measures in the final weeks of the legislative session.”
“We were also glad to hear the President address the epidemic of gun violence in America, a topic conspicuously absent during the last four years of Presidential addresses. He specifically called for closing loopholes to stop domestic abusers from having access to firearms and banning ghost guns, the untraceable, unregulated kits often used by those who want to circumvent gun laws. We’re proud to say that Nevada is already working to pass legislation to ban ghost guns, with AB 286, sponsored by Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui. It’s just one step our state and our country can take to end the constant instances of gun violence we see in communities across the country every day.”
“President Biden also said that the historically high voter turnout during the 2020 election, ‘should be celebrated’. He called for expanding access to the ballot and making it easier to vote, rather than putting restrictions in place to make it harder to vote. Once again, thanks to the work of Speaker Jason Frierson, Nevada is moving to enshrine the policies which made that high turnout possible into law for future elections, so that eligible Nevada voters have numerous options to vote, with AB 321.”
“President Biden talked about investing in infrastructure to create jobs, while battling climate change through transportation electrification and clean energy development. As we just observed in the latest State of the Air Report from the American Lung Association, Nevada cities still rank among the top cities for air pollution, and communities of color are suffering the most. We encourage the Biden administration to include voices from these communities in crafting equitable climate response and infrastructure legislation.”
“Tonight’s speech was heavy on content and issues, something we’ve sorely missed. While we were disappointed that the President did not elaborate on his initiative to conserve 30% of lands and waters by 2030, and urge the administration to include strong measures to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the American Families Plan, we feel confident that the President sounds ready and willing to have these policy debates in the coming days. We look forward to working with our delegation to see through these priorities and more.”
SPOKESPEOPLE ARE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH
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About Battle Born Progress: Battle Born Progress, through strategic communication efforts, empowers, engages, and mobilizes Nevada voters to build a state where everyone has a fair opportunity to succeed. We support, engage, and mobilize the progressive community through bold leadership, strategic communications, accountability, and education. We are on the cutting edge of new media and are the go-to source for progressive issues and advocacy for traditional media. Learn more at https://battlebornprogress.org/. Battle Born Progress is a State Partner of Health Care for America Now.
