President Biden’s Agenda Will Help South Dakota Build Back Better

By SDDP Chair Randy Seiler

Every day, President Biden shows up to work and delivers for the American people. 

He just signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that will create good-paying jobs, grow our economy, and make much-needed improvements to critical infrastructure. South Dakota is expected to receive $1.9 billion for highways, $124 million for public transportation, $100 million for broadband coverage, and much more.

President Biden delivered for South Dakota with this infrastructure package, but he’s not done yet. The Build Back Better framework that President Biden recently announced would bring even more to the table for our state.

This Build Back Better framework would allow South Dakota to invest in new learning opportunities for children, help working parents make ends meet, and make housing more affordable. President Biden would free up more money for middle-class families by cutting taxes. By creating good-paying jobs in public health and information technology our local economy would be positively impacted for years to come. 

South Dakota families face substantial costs for childcare and early education. The framework would address this by providing access to programs for almost 68,000 kids and ensuring families pay no more than seven percent of their income on childcare. Throughout South Dakota, only 18 percent of 3-and 4-year-olds have access to publicly funded preschools, and private programs cost about $8,600 a year. That’s a massive bill for anyone, let alone a young family. President Biden’s proposal would provide access to free, high-quality preschool for more than 18,000 additional children. 

Alongside education, we need great economic opportunities for families. We need to train our workers for jobs of the future and make education after high school more affordable and accessible. 

The Build Back Better framework would enable South Dakota to invest in training programs to prepare workers for high-quality jobs in public health, child care, manufacturing, IT, and clean energy. The state’s four public community colleges would receive grants to develop and expand these programs. These grants would help meet workforce needs throughout the state. In addition, this legislation would create a Civilian Climate Corps, enlisting South Dakotans to conserve our public lands and environment.

Sen. Thune, Sen. Rounds, and Rep. Johnson have an opportunity to work with President Biden to deliver for South Dakota, but I fear they’ll prioritize party politics over what’s best for our state. Just this week, Rep. Johnson voted against bipartisan legislation with billions of dollars for state infrastructure. Write or call today to let them know you support this important upcoming legislation  

The past two years have been difficult for everyone. Now, it’s time to invest in South Dakota and Build Back Better. 

Randy Seiler is the Chair of the South Dakota Democratic Party.