[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 110 (Thursday, June 24, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H3129-H3130]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            INFLATION THREATENS FUTURE OF AMERICA'S ECONOMY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Grothman) for 30 minutes.
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
discuss the threat of inflation on the future of America's economy.
  In other places around the Capitol at this time, people are 
discussing a new infrastructure bill. They are talking about a new 2022 
budget. People talk about the importance of not raising taxes on the 
poor. Earlier this year, they rejected a possible gas tax hike because 
it would have fallen disproportionately on the poor. But there is no 
surer way to penalize the poor of this country than to inflate the 
currency.

                              {time}  1830

  Look at where we already are on other commodities: aluminum, lumber, 
soybeans.
  How are our young people going to buy that first house?
  The cost of food, and even prepared food, is going up.
  Why is that?
  Take a look at the charts showing the amount of currency in banks. M1 
currency, which is up by a factor of 5 times; not 5 percent, not 50 
percent, but a factor of 5 times in the last year.
  Look at M2, up 30 percent in the last year. Of course, the cost of 
commodities is spiraling through the roof.
  America is a wealthy country because our dollar has been the envy of 
the world. But this Congress has not been acting like a Congress with 
the world's reserve currency. This Congress is acting like the Congress 
of a country such as Zimbabwe, and we all saw on TV what happened 
there.
  It is time for the people who are not only negotiating the 
infrastructure bill, but negotiating the 2022 budget, to take into 
account what they are doing to the poor of this country or the middle 
class of this country as they inevitably stoke inflation.
  Think of the people on almost fixed incomes, on Social Security. 
Think of all of the people on pensions, who are locked in at $15,000 a 
year, $20,000 a year, and think how their purchasing power will go down 
if we continue along this path, including the bloated budget proposed 
by President Biden himself.
  We must rein in our spending. The poor and the middle class are the 
ones paying the price. I beg the negotiators to stand up to the people 
who think that printing hundreds of millions of dollars more in the 
infrastructure bill or passing this bill with an excessively high 
spending increase in the regular 2022 budget will not affect the 
average guy. It is going to affect the average guy. It is going to 
erode their savings. It will shrink the values of their pension or 
Social Security. It will be a true disaster for middle class and poor 
America.


 Questions for Vice President Harris on Her Trip to the Southern Border

  Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to, 
first of all, applaud the fact that Vice President Harris is going to 
the southern border. I don't know whether she has done this on her own 
accord or with prodding from President Biden, but, either way, I am 
glad she is going down there.
  I have been to the border several times this year. I think it is very 
difficult to learn all you should learn in one day. There are nine 
sectors to the southern border, and what you learn in El Paso is very 
different from what you learn in Yuma. It is very different from what 
you learn in San Diego. It is very different from what you learn in 
McAllen.
  Nevertheless, I am glad she is going down there, and I would like to 
make some suggestions for her, which we will forward to her as 
questions she should be asking or things she should learn about the 
southern border.
  First of all, Madam Vice President, the Migrant Protection Protocols 
caused the Mexican Government to hold asylum seekers on the south side 
of the border. President Biden has since walked away from the protocol. 
What effect did the nullification of this agreement with the Mexican 
Government have on the number of people crossing the border? And what 
effect will it have on the number of people from around the world who 
will come here in the future?
  Secondly, we also had Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central 
American countries that held people south not only of the Mexican 
border, but south of Mexico. What effect did President Biden's ending 
the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries have 
on the number of people entering southern Mexico? And what effect will 
this have on people coming through Mexico from around the world?
  Third, I want the Vice President to find out what type of drugs are 
coming across the border. Has there been a change in the fraction of 
marijuana versus fentanyl coming across the southern border? How lethal 
is fentanyl?
  Fourth, I hear horrific stories from the border guards as far as 
women and girls being sexually assaulted on their journey through 
Mexico. What percentage of women and girls are sexually assaulted as 
they travel to enter the U.S. illegally?
  Fifth, you will find when you get down there, Madam Vice President, 
that families consist of adults and children, find out how many times a 
family supposedly shows up and the Border Patrol suspects that the 
children are not part of the family, and what happens when DNA tests 
are given to children and the adults they are entering with?
  Six, how much does it cost for the migrants to enter our country? And 
by that, I mean how much are they having to pay the drug cartels? I 
think you will find different numbers for the cost of a Mexican, a 
Central American, a Brazilian, and Asian. But you should ask these 
questions when you are on the southern border.
  Seventh, got-aways are when people come in this country and have no 
contact with the Border Patrol. As the Border Patrol must spend time 
doing paperwork with the huge increase of unaccompanied children coming 
here, has the number of got-aways, increased from this time last year 
to now?
  Eighth, I think you should look at some demonstrations with some 
dogs. How effective are dogs in looking for fentanyl and other drugs, 
and should we be purchasing more dogs in this budget?
  Next, I ask you to look at the border wall which you will find is 30-
feet high and 8 feet underground. Talk to the Border Patrol, talk to 
ICE, talk to local law enforcement, and see what they think of that 
wall and whether it would be worth expanding it or whether your 
administration was right to just cut it off with equipment just sitting 
in the open sun.
  Next, Madam Vice President, you said you want to focus on the root 
causes from countries whose citizens are coming here. I ask you to find 
out what countries are sending its citizens here and which countries 
have sent a significant amount of people. I think you are going to be 
surprised that it is not just a matter of people coming here from 
Mexico or Honduras. They are coming from around the world, but you 
should report back on the number of countries you would have to improve 
to prevent the demand from going up further to come here.

  Next, in the opinion of the Border Patrol, have you and the 
President's public comments during your campaign

[[Page H3130]]

and after the campaign had an impact on the number of people coming to 
this country? I would ask members of the Border Patrol.
  The twelfth question is: Have your comments, as well as the fact that 
you have decided to take 13 weeks before you decided to go to the 
border, had an effect on the morale of the Border Patrol? You and the 
President have not visited the border, which I think is the biggest 
crisis facing your administration since you were both sworn in. What do 
they think about that, and what can you do to make up any dispiriting 
of these brave people due to your inaction to this point?
  Thirteen, and one of the scary things that I don't think we have 
talked about: Ask the Border Patrol if they keep track of how many 
people drown in the Rio Grande trying to come here every year, and how 
many people dehydrate in the Arizona or New Mexico or Texas deserts as 
they try to come here.
  And, finally, look for what policies we can implement from Washington 
to make your job of securing the border easier.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are reminded to direct remarks to 
the Chair and not a perceived audience.

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