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Community Health Center Infrastructure
| Congress continues to negotiate on infrastructure packages. Learn more about what this may mean for community health centers: |
| In March, the House Energy & Commerce Committee introduced the "Leading Infrastructure for Tomorrow's America Act" (LIFT America Act), which includes $10 billion in capital funding for health centers, but this funding has been absent from major proposals currently under consideration. |
| What is the latest on infrastructure packages? |
| President Biden released the $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan in late March, which included sweeping proposals to address physical infrastructure, housing, workforce and manufacturing, and investments in home health. The Biden administration and Senate Republicans, led by Senator Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), had been in negotiations over the infrastructure package leading up to the Congressional recess at the beginning of June. The Biden administration reduced the initial $2.25 trillion proposal to $1.7 trillion and Republicans countered with a $928 billion proposal, but negotiations are now at a standstill. Focus has now shifted to a bi-partisan group of Senators- a group that initially included Senators Rob Portman (R-OH), Mitt Romney (R-UT), Susan Collins (R-ME), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), along with Senators Joe Manchin (D-WV), Krysten Sinema (D-AZ), Jon Tester (D-MT), Jeanne Shaeen (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA). The bi-partisan group of Senators, which has now grown to include around 20 Senators, has been developing an alternative infrastructure proposal totaling around $1 trillion.1 Details of the proposal have yet to be released. |
| How You Can Help |
| The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is holding a Day of Action on Wednesday, June 30th to advocate for infrastructure funding for community health centers. Funding for long-term investments that last beyond the COVID-19 pandemic such as mobile units, exam rooms, transitional housing will ensure health centers are equipped to provide high-quality care to a growing patient population. Contact your Members of Congress today and urge them to support funding for community health centers! |
| [1]"Bipartisan Infrastructure Group Swells To 21 Senators". AP NEWS, Last modified 2021. https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-lifestyle-business-government-and-politics-494f67f3014ec5d1361ebf27646f8340. |