[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 188 (Tuesday, October 26, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7350-S7351]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              THE ECONOMY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, now, on another matter. On the whole, 
the taxing-and-spending spree the Democrats want to ram through will 
hurt families and help China. But when you take a close look, there are 
some special groups of people here at home who would make out like 
bandits. There are specific special interests that Democrats take great 
pains to look after.
  Let me give you an example. A whole chunk of money the Democrats' 
proposal supposedly sets aside for patient healthcare would actually 
finance ultragenerous benefits for members of the powerful leftwing 
union, the SEIU.
  The Big Labor bonanza doesn't stop there. Democrats' tax plans would 
allow the expiration of Americans' above-the-line deduction for 
charitable and nonprofit donations. But in its place, they want to 
create a brandnew subsidy for--listen to this--union dues. Tough luck 
for the Red Cross and your church collection plate; Washington 
Democrats say Big Labor bosses come first.
  Democrats also propose lavishing billions of dollars on something 
they call environmental and climate justice block grants--environmental 
and climate justice block grants. That sounds like a gift-wrapped 
giveaway to the universe of nonprofits and activist groups that 
seemingly exist to grift off of government grants.
  They would spend billions more on tax credits to subsidize luxury 
purchases that are overwhelmingly made

[[Page S7351]]

by wealthy people, like electric cars and $8,000 electric bicycles.
  Then there are billions more in special subsidies and loans for the 
next generation of Solyndras.
  The gravy train doesn't stop there. When the Biden administration 
proposed spending $40 billion on public housing renovations, the senior 
Senator from New York urged them to double down and spend $40 billion 
exclusively on his hometown--exclusively on his hometown. That is $40 
billion to a housing authority that is apparently well known for 
bribery and mismanagement simply because the Democratic leader 
requested it.
  Meanwhile, in Speaker Pelosi's backyard of San Francisco, the elite 
trustees of a massive park and development project--oh, boy, they are 
licking their chops. The Speaker plans to set aside $200 million of the 
spending spree for this park that is specifically not meant to receive 
taxpayer money, so they can focus on ``environmental and social 
justice.''
  The Democrats' spree would also tear down longstanding, bipartisan 
Hyde amendment protections so they can directly fund abortion providers 
like Planned Parenthood with taxpayer dollars. Today's left cannot miss 
an opportunity to send Planned Parenthood a new slush fund.
  Then there is the Democrats' obsession with the so-called SALT cap. 
Even as our colleagues draft the biggest tax hikes in half a century, 
they cannot resist the concept of special tax cuts for high earners in 
blue States. They want to reintroduce the Federal tax subsidy for 
living in high-tax States. One outside analysis found that a 2-year 
repeal of the SALT cap would send more than--listen to this--more than 
$300,000 to the average household in the top 0.1 percent of our 
country. The average household in the bottom 60 percent would get $15. 
This isn't a joke; this is literally the SALT policy that Democrats 
want--300 grand for the richest folks on the coast and 15 bucks for 
normal families.
  It is the same setup everywhere you look. Special interests who are 
connected to the Democratic Party would make out like bandits, and 
middle-class families, they will get the bill.

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