House Speaker Pelosi visits Plymouth as part of workforce roundtable with Michigan Congresswomen Stevens, Dingell

The “Build Back Better” legislation played as a backdrop for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi during her Saturday visit to Plymouth.

Pelosi was joined by Democratic Congresswomen Haley Stevens (M-11) and Debbie Dingell (MI-12) and business leaders as part of a workforce roundtable at the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Nick Mordowanec)

The panel discussed various challenges for both employers and employees, including childcare, healthcare, the microchip shortage, and universal pre-K that have been discussed as part of the federal legislation — which Pelosi said is about “90% written” but still faces some uphill battles in Congress.

“You cannot build back better without women. … (President Joe Biden) wrote this bill based on what he heard, what he learned and what he knew women needed to build back better in the workplace,” Pelosi said.

Stevens said the legislation is about competitiveness, economic growth and productivity.

“It is support for small businesses, a plan to support the chip crisis, a plan to hardworking Americans who are being squeezed at all ends,” said Stevens. “We need to be in a 21st century economy, as a country.”