Aloha, Friend!For months now, Congress has been focused on two largest-ever infrastructure proposals by President Biden which are referred to together as Build Back Better (BBB). The first, the American Jobs Plan (AJP), seeks a huge reinvestment in our nation’s physical infrastructure, while the second, the American Families Plan (AFP), seeks another major reinvestment in our nation’s social infrastructure. In early August, the U.S. Senate passed a $1 trillion version of the AJP known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Package (BIP), with historic levels of reinvestment in our roads, waterlines, ports and airports, plus schools, broadband, climate resiliency and much more. The BIP was held up in the U.S. House as negotiations continued on the AFP (which is also referred to as the $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill).Throughout these intense months, I have reported to you on BBB’s progress and my own thoughts and actions and asked for your own input through two constituent surveys. Here are my e-newsletters to you of August 14, August 21, September 20  and October 20. In this e-newsletter, I report back again to you on the results of my last survey, the great news that the BIP passed the U.S. House late Friday and will be soon be signed into law by the President, and the advancement of the AFP/reconciliation measure.Survey ResultsHere are the results of my last survey of October 20th:Do you support the $1 trillion BIP?Yes                                                        73%No                                                          21%Undecided                                             6%Do you support the AFP/reconciliation proposal?Yes at some amount                             38%Yes at a specific amount             19%(average was around $2 trillion)No                                                         38%Undecided                                               5%How should Congress proceed on the BIP and the AFP/reconciliation?Pass BIP now then do AFP                     34%Don’t pass BIP until AFP passed also  28%Pass BIP now/don’t pass AFP                 15%Don’t pass either                                      18%Undecided                                                 3%Pass AFP/don’t pass BIP                          1%What are your priorities for the AFP/reconciliation? (Could select more than one)                Climate change                                        59%Drug price controls                                   55%Medicare expansion                                 46%Child care                                                 42%Affordable Care Act expansion                40%Universal per-school                                38%Paid family/medical leave                        37%Free community college                          30%Other (mix)                                              29%What is your general political philosophy?                Moderate                                                32%Lean liberal                                           19%Strong liberal                                         18%Lean conservative                                 13%’Strong conservative                                7%Prefer not to say                                   10%These were very similar to the results of my constituent survey in early August. I have been guided by both results throughout the past months. StatusI have agreed since the Senate passed the $1 trillion BIP that my House should pass and send it to the President for enactment as soon as possible rather than hold it up pending further negotiations on the AFP/reconciliation. This is because our crumbling infrastructure desperately needs this reinvestment, the country widely supports it on its merits and as proof that our government can work, delay risked its passage, and I didn’t agree that holding it up would somehow change the negotiation on AFP. Unfortunately, BIP was unnecessarily delayed a full three months, at great risk not just to BIP but to AFP. But late Friday night we finally brought it to a full successful vote in the House and the President will sign it soon. Here is a summary: Bipartisan Infrastructure Package Fact Sheet.This is great news not only nationally but for our Hawaiʻi, which we estimate will receive close to $3 billion for our own infrastructure needs, thousands of good jobs and a stronger economy and community.Intense negotiations have continued on forging an AFP/reconciliation measure that addresses real needs and can actually pass a divided Congress. The specific issues of discussion have been the overall cost of the measure, the revenues necessary to pay for the cost without worsening our federal finances, and the specific programs to be created or expanded given cost and revenue constraints. During those negotiations, it became clear that the original $3.5 trillion-plus proposal would not pass Congress. In late October, the President revised his proposal with his Build Back Better Framework at $1.75 trillion, still the largest-ever reinvestment in our social infrastructure.I have said throughout that I support much of the AFP/reconciliation measure, especially those provisions to help so many in true need, to distribute the costs fairly, and to confront the existential threat of climate change. I have also agreed with the President and Congressional leaders that (except for climate change) the measure must be paid for to avoid the crippling effects of even further deterioration in our finances, which have taken a huge $6 trillion hit from COVID-19 assistance. I have further said that any specific proposal must be available for full review and be fully “scored” (its costs and revenues and full financial impact evaluated and verified) by our own Congressional Budget Office (CBO) before any vote, as is standard practice for our spending measures.Last week, as negotiations intensified and lobbyists scurried to add or kill provisions in earlier drafts, the proposed bill changed seemingly hourly. Late Thursday night, a new 2,100 page proposal was released which added an estimated $400 billion in cost (estimated because there was no full CBO review). Here is a summary of that version: Build Back Better Act SummaryWith other like-minded colleagues, I objected to a vote on that version on Friday and advocated for more time before the vote to allow for full review and obtain the necessary financial evaluation by the CBO. With the President’s participation and concurrence, the House voted (with my support) to advance the measure for a full vote after adequate time for review and CBO analysis. We expect that vote during the week of November 15th, and I expect to be able to support the measure then if the CBO review comes back consistent with the financial information to date. It is critical to note, though, that even if this version of AFP/reconciliation passes the House next week, as I believe it will, it will not pass the Senate in the same form because of specific Senate procedural rules and positions of individual Senators. This is likely true especially in critical areas like immigration reform, paid family leave and climate change. And if and once a revised bill passes the Senate, the two House and Senate versions must still be reconciled into one bill which must pass both chambers in the same form. In other words, there is a long road still ahead. But I believe that eventually we will achieve a truly historic social infrastructure measure just as we have been able to achieve with the BIP.There has been a lot of misinformation on the status of Build Back Better generally and my own positions and actions. I hope this report straight from me helps explain and clarify, and I truly welcome your further questions and comments. You can do so, as well as get further information on my office, my activities and my services, and sign up for regular updates through my e-newsletter and social media, at case.house.gov.Be safe and be well.