Concord, N.H. — Today, Rep. Annie Kuster (NH-02) welcomed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to New Hampshire to highlight new investments in family-friendly policies like expanding the Child Tax Credit, ensuring paid leave for all, and increasing public investments in child care.

Rep. Kuster and Sec. Becerra started in Manchester for a community block party with local advocacy groups, then met with early education leaders to discuss the impact of the American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan on the groups’ work, and ended the day in Nashua meeting with substance use disorder and recovery community leaders to discuss the impact of the American Rescue Plan on expanding access to treatment and recovery resources in New Hampshire.

“It was great to welcome Secretary Becerra to New Hampshire today — the first day the historic Child Tax Credit is hitting Granite Staters’ bank accounts — to discuss our ongoing efforts to advance family-friendly policies and build back better from this pandemic. These are your hard-earned tax dollars coming right back to your pocket to ensure middle class families can thrive,” said Rep. Kuster. “The American Rescue Plan was a bold, much-needed investment in our future, and I look forward to working with Secretary Becerra and the dedicated advocates we met with today to deliver real results — like extended sick leave for employees, expanded access to affordable, quality child and elder care, and bolstered support for addiction treatment and prevention — for hardworking families in New Hampshire and across the country.”

Rep. Kuster is a fierce advocate for all Granite Staters in Congress as we work to recover and rebuild from COVID-19. Founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Addiction and Mental Health Task Force, she is a leading voice to advance evidence-based policies to combat the substance use epidemic that was exacerbated during the pandemic. An original supporter of the American Rescue Plan, Kuster played a key role in passing the Child Tax Credit into law and delivering the historic tax cut for thousands of families in NH.

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