[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 181 (Friday, October 15, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





 PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 2119, FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION 
 AND SERVICES IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2021; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF 
 H.R. 3110, PROVIDING URGENT MATERNAL PROTECTIONS FOR NURSING MOTHERS 
   ACT; PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3992, PROTECT OLDER JOB 
 APPLICANTS ACT OF 2021; RELATING TO CONSIDERATION OF SENATE AMENDMENT 
    TO HOUSE AMENDMENT TO S. 1301, PROMOTING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY FOR 
                 AMERICANS ACT; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

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                               speech of

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 12, 2021

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, against the backdrop of 
President Biden's demand that Congress immediately pass an 
unprecedented $3.5 trillion tax and spend budget package that 
constitutes the largest tax hike since 1968 and massive new 
unsustainable debt, the House votes today to extend the debt ceiling 
until December 3rd.
  I will vote no.
  One analysis shows that Biden's budget--championed by Senator Bernie 
Sanders--could cost up to $5.5 trillion after accounting for several 
budget gimmicks that artificially lower the price tag.
  Despite the fact that approximately $1.3 trillion of previously 
appropriated COVID funds remain either unobligated (about $800 billion) 
or obligated but unspent (about $500 billion)--sitting idle in the 
government coffers--the Biden administration is demanding more power to 
borrow.
  There has also been a serious lack of transparency as to how COVID 
funds are spent.
  In a July report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO)--the 
federal government's ``watchdog agency''--recommended ``that Health and 
Human Services (HHS) improve transparency over tens of billions of 
dollars in unspent relief funds.''
  The GAO also recommended that ``the Office of Management and Budget 
and Department of Treasury issue timely guidance for audits of hundreds 
of billions in state and local COVID relief funds.''
  Nothing but political will--and a genuine commitment to responsible 
governance and spending within our means--precludes redirecting some or 
all of the $1.3 trillion unobligated and unspent COVID funds to 
mitigate the debt, instead of new borrowing.
  There was a time when then-Senator Biden was concerned with the 
detrimental impact of debt on the economy and on those--our children 
and grandchildren--who will someday pay a huge price for today's 
profligate government spending and the borrowing needed to sustain it.
  In a Senate speech in 2004, then-Senator Biden opposed raising the 
debt ceiling and condemned the ``threat of massive deficits'' and said, 
``the bill for our decisions will be sent to our children and 
grandchildren, in the form of the additional debt we authorize today.''
  In 2006, Biden said: `` . . . I am voting against the debt limit 
increase . . . the tsunami of debt created by the policies of this 
administration (George W. Bush) has to go somewhere . . . But as the 
rest of the world copes with the waves of U.S. debt, we are now all in 
the same leaky boat. There is just so much of our debt other nations 
want to hold . . . We need both more awareness, and more understanding, 
of this fundamental threat to our economic well being and the global 
economy.''
  Today, with our national debt far worse than ever--it was $8.5 
trillion in 2006, today it's $28.4 trillion--the President ought to 
heed his own words.

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