[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 192 (Tuesday, November 2, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6110-H6116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1845
                     INVESTING IN THE UNITED STATES

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Cartwright) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, we are here tonight to talk about 
these amazing bills coming up having to do with our investment in the 
United States of America, both in the bipartisan infrastructure bill 
and the Build Back Better Act.
  These two bills taken together will create millions of American jobs 
rebuilding our infrastructure and building clean energy technology to 
combat climate change. Together, the Build Back Better Act and the 
infrastructure package are expected to create 2 million jobs a year on 
average. They will reward work by cutting taxes for working families 
and lowering costs on the things that keep folks up late at night, like 
healthcare, childcare, and home care for aging relatives.

[[Page H6111]]

  We are going to pay for that investment and those investments in our 
Nation and in working families by making sure that the ultra-wealthy 
and the corporations pay their fair share.
  The Build Back Better Act will not add to the deficit, and no one 
making less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in taxes. That 
is the promise that President Joe Biden made, and we intend to keep it.
  Now, Madam Speaker, we have here Representative Brian Higgins of 
Buffalo. He is a ninth-term Member from western New York, and prior to 
serving in Congress, Representative Higgins was a history and economics 
instructor at SUNY Buffalo State College. Representative Higgins also 
served in local and State elected office. Congressman Higgins has been 
a fierce advocate of stronger regional and national economic policies.
  Congressman Higgins currently serves on the Ways and Means and Budget 
Committees. Congressman Higgins is also the Democratic chair of the 
House Northern Border Caucus. Congressman Higgins is the chair of the 
House Cancer Caucus, and he is a House lead on the Canada-United States 
Inter-Parliamentary Group.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins).
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding.
  I was listening intently to the other side extolling the virtues of 
nothing but a cynical assessment of the American economy when the 
American economy, in fact, needs investment.
  A couple of facts I want to clear up here, if the United States 
economy had grown at the increased rates seen under Democrats since 
1933, the average income of Americans would be more than double than it 
currently is today.
  Economic growth since 1933: 4.6 percent under Democrats; 2.4 percent 
under Republicans.
  Annual jobs increases since 1933: Under Democrats, 2.8 percent; under 
Republicans, 1 percent.
  Since 1962, Democrats created 21 million more jobs than Republicans.
  Ten of 11 of the United States recessions between 1953 and 2000 began 
under Republicans administrations.
  George Bush I, a Republican, created a $300-billion deficit. William 
Clinton, a Democrat, wiped out the entire deficit and left the next 
administration, Bush II, with a $300-billion surplus. Bush II turned 
that into a $1.3-trillion deficit. Obama, a Democratic President, cut 
that deficit to $600 billion.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I have been listening to our 
colleagues across the aisle complaining about so-called socialist tax 
increases that we have in store.
  Does the gentleman know what the top marginal tax rate under the 
Eisenhower administration was?
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. That would be 91 percent.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Ninety-one percent under the Republican Eisenhower 
administration during the 1950s.
  And what happened to that 91 percent, if the gentleman knows?
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. It was reduced to 77 percent under a 
Democratic administration, under John F. Kennedy.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. We are talking about the top marginal tax rate, which 
is in the 30s right now. Am I correct in that?
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. That is right, sir.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. You can continue.
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Well, I think the point that is being made 
here is, despite perceptions to the contrary and the assertions of 
those who have now left perhaps because they can't defend this, clearly 
the American economy performs much more efficiently, much more 
effectively under Democratic administrations.
  That is why the Build Back Better program invests not in wars that 
don't create any new roads and bridges in America, that don't pull any 
kids out of poverty, that don't provide childcare and child tax 
credits. Complete waste of money. Brown University just came out with a 
study that said Americans paid $6.2 trillion in the past two decades in 
three Middle East wars.
  The Build Back Better program invests in America by rebuilding 
America, by investing in young America so that they become safer, have 
better nutrition, and have more economic activity at a very young age.
  Every single study points to the same conclusion, that if you invest 
in kids, the child tax credit, pre-K, childcare, you produce a more 
productive citizen. University studies show that for every dollar that 
you spend, you produce in long-term economic benefits $7 to $8.

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I want to talk about a few things. I 
want to talk about jobs, tax cuts, and lower costs for American 
families.
  First, jobs. Together, under the Biden administration, we have 
already created nearly 5 million jobs this year. Growth is up. Wages 
are up. And unemployment right now is down below 5 percent.
  Together with Build Back Better, the bipartisan infrastructure bill 
will create millions more jobs, good-paying jobs, American jobs, union 
jobs, jobs that cannot be outsourced, cannot be offshored.
  This infrastructure package makes the largest Federal investment in 
public transit ever. It is the largest Federal investment in passenger 
rail since the creation of Amtrak.
  In Pennsylvania alone, the State will be opened up to over 3 million 
people with access to Amtrak. In northeastern Pennsylvania, Amtrak has 
assessed that adding a line to reach northeastern Pennsylvania will add 
$87 million a year in additional economic activity in Pennsylvania.
  These are amazing, smart investments, investments that we have to 
make in our country if we expect to compete with Europe, with China, 
with Russian, places that are investing in their infrastructure.
  We are talking about the largest investment in clean drinking water 
and wastewater infrastructure in American history. This is how we avoid 
catastrophes like what happened in Flint, Michigan, where little kids 
got brain damage from drinking lead-tainted water from pipes that 
hadn't been replaced in over 100 years.
  This infrastructure investment will ensure that every American has 
access to reliable high-speed internet. This is the kind of investment 
that the Federal Government knows how to make. This is the kind of 
effort that we have succeeded at before because we have seen it.
  Eighty years ago, it was the Rural Electrification Act, which brought 
electricity to places in America that did not have it and would not 
have it today if the government hadn't brought that into effect. The 
Rural Electrification Act did essentially the same thing with 
electricity that we intend to do with broadband internet access.
  We can't leave people behind. That is what we do if we continue on 
the same path we are on.
  This infrastructure bill helps us tackle, maybe most importantly, the 
climate crisis by making the largest investment in clean energy 
transmission and electric vehicle infrastructure in history. Build Back 
Better will work with the infrastructure package to make even more 
investments in electric vehicles and other clean energy technology to 
combat climate change while making our economy more competitive.
  Rebuilding our infrastructure means rebuilding our middle class. It 
means jobs, jobs, jobs, and more jobs.
  Before I move on to tax cuts, I would like to recognize a fellow 
Member from Pennsylvania, Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon. Mary Gay 
Scanlon is a second-term Member representing Pennsylvania's Fifth 
Congressional District. In Congress, Representative Scanlon has 
continued her work as a lifelong advocate for children and families.
  Representative Scanlon currently serves on the House Judiciary 
Committee and the House Rules Committee. She is vice chair of the House 
Committee on House Administration.
  Congresswoman Scanlon and her husband, Mark, have three adult 
children. They currently reside in Swarthmore with a lot of pets.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. 
Scanlon).

[[Page H6112]]

  

  Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Cartwright for 
yielding, and I thank him for outlining some of the many benefits to 
climate in this bill because for my adult children and so many of the 
college students in my district, their number one issue is finally 
taking meaningful action to address climate change.
  But these bills do so much more than that. After more than 50 years 
of failed trickle-down economics and unfulfilled promises to prioritize 
our Nation's infrastructure, the last administration decided to punt on 
infrastructure and double down on giveaways to the rich by passing yet 
another tax cut for the ultra-wealthy. What did that get us? Widening 
income inequality, a shrinking middle class, crumbling roads and 
bridges, and increased corporate welfare.
  For too long, America's economic policy has revolved around support 
for the rich and powerful rather than working people. With President 
Biden, we are ready to change that.
  I am proud to be part of a Congress that is prioritizing the American 
people.
  In partnership with the Biden administration, Democrats in Congress 
have set out to offer the greatest potential for American families and 
American small businesses to achieve prosperity and the American Dream 
in half a century. We need both the bipartisan Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act and the Build Back Better Act to meet that 
potential and deliver a fairer, more balanced economy that works for 
all Americans.

  After too many infrastructure weeks to count, Congress will soon 
deliver an infrastructure bill to the President's desk that creates 
economic opportunity for all Americans in the 21st century and beyond.
  My district, Pennsylvania's Fifth, is home to Philadelphia's airport, 
port, and rail yard; miles and miles of interstate highways and 
passenger rail lines; and regional commuter and light-rail lines that 
link Philadelphia and its suburbs. Our infrastructure is aging, heavily 
used, and, in many cases, beyond its usable lifespan. Anyone who has 
been stuck in traffic or a pothole on the Schuylkill Expressway, the 
Blue Route, or I-95 knows how important an infrastructure bill is to 
our region.
  State and local governments in Pennsylvania and across the country 
simply don't have enough money to meet basic maintenance needs, much 
less to invest in modernization, expansion, or other improvements to 
our national infrastructure. That is precisely why the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act is so critical for my district and our national 
economy.
  The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will fix our ailing roads 
and bridges and fund improvements to other critical infrastructure at 
our port and airport. These upgrades are essential to maintain our 
region's position as a logistics hub on the East Coast and to ensure 
America's competitiveness in a global economy.
  America can't engage in international trade if it can't get goods in 
and out of the country or across the country due to crumbling 
infrastructure and related backlogs in processing.

                              {time}  1900

  The COVID pandemic brought into sharp focus how essential the 
internet is for Americans to work or find employment, to participate in 
remote learning, to access healthcare, to stay connected with friends 
and family, and to carry out any number of basic activities in the 21st 
century. Yet, millions of Americans live in areas where there is no 
broadband infrastructure, or they can't afford it.
  Our infrastructure bill will expand broadband access for millions of 
Americans, including many of my constituents. In addition to investing 
in broadband infrastructure, the bill will also lower prices for 
internet service and create a permanent program to help more low-income 
households access the internet.
  Much like the Federal Government's efforts to provide electricity to 
every American nearly a 100 years ago, this effort will be 
transformative. It will drastically improve the ability for all 
Americans, no matter where they live or their income level, to access 
services and opportunities that are essential to modern life.
  Another aspect of the infrastructure bill that is important for my 
district is the funding it provides for climate resiliency, 
particularly flooding. Communities like Eastwick, and economic engines 
like the Philadelphia airport, are especially vulnerable to climate 
change. We have seen the damage done by flooding, hurricanes, and 
even--astonishingly, in southeastern Pennsylvania--tornadoes.
  Sadly, these extreme weather events are only getting worse. Funding 
from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will make our 
communities safer and our infrastructure more resilient to the impacts 
of climate change.
  But fixing our Nation's physical infrastructure can only take us so 
far. The bipartisan infrastructure bill creates jobs that will provide 
new opportunities and reduce costs for many Americans, but it won't 
change the calculus for the working mom or dad who can't find adequate 
childcare for their kid. It won't improve our schools or prepare for 
the future, and it won't reduce the spiraling cost of prescription 
drugs.
  All of these factors are holding back families from fully 
participating in our economy, and in turn, preventing them from buying 
homes and building wealth for retirement. Without addressing the 
failings of our ``human infrastructure,'' a majority of Americans--
particularly women and people of color--will continue to be held back. 
That is why we need universal pre-K, better access to affordable 
childcare, a dependable system of care for our seniors, and investments 
in higher education and workforce training.
  The Build Back Better Act will lower the cost of things that keep 
families up at night, while also delivering a massive tax cut for the 
middle class through the expanded child tax credit and the earned 
income tax credit--giving the middle class more breathing room. That is 
what my constituents need.
  Already this year, through the American Rescue Plan that we passed in 
March, we have seen the child tax credit benefit 126,000 children in my 
district alone. That is 76,000 families who got extra help for 
essentials like childcare, food, and diapers--much less paying for 
school clothes, extracurricular sports, or putting something aside for 
college.
  By making the most significant investment in children and caregiving 
in generations, we are helping individual families and the country as a 
whole. Because people--particularly women--can get back to work when 
they know that their family members are cared for. And ensuring access 
to quality daycare and preschool sets children up for success, making 
them more likely to graduate, pursue higher education, hold jobs, pay 
taxes, and have higher earnings.
  In addition to increasing the maximum for Pell grant awards, the 
Build Back Better Act expands opportunities for Americans to 
participate in job training programs that prepare them for careers in 
fast-growing sectors. This bill is going to help the working people in 
PA-05 and across the country.
  It will help families like the one I met in Media--a mom who was 
beaming about her son's good-paying, new job at the Philadelphia 
shipyard, which he got after completing the Maritime Career Development 
Program at Delaware County Community College. It will help low-income 
workers in my district who work two or more jobs every day but still 
can't make ends meet.
  It will help families that struggle to pay for the prescription drugs 
that keep them alive without forcing them to choose between forgoing 
medication or housing or heat or food. And the best part, the Build 
Back Better bill is paid for by making those at the top pay their fair 
share for a change.
  Madam Speaker, 17 Noble Prize-winning economists recently wrote in 
support of this legislation, ``Because this agenda invests in long-term 
economic capacity and will enhance the ability of more Americans to 
participate productively in the economy, it will ease longer-term 
inflationary pressures.''
  We have the chance to set a new path that creates real, sustained 
economic growth and benefits everyone, not just multimillionaires and 
real estate developers. It is time to get this done for the American 
people.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman.

[[Page H6113]]

  I appreciate that you mentioned potholes, and you don't have to be 
from Pennsylvania to understand the scourge of potholes. I will say 
that in my hometown of Scranton, there was a study done about how much 
it costs car owners every year to play the pothole slalom every year 
and hope that you don't damage your car. They do damage their cars, and 
it costs on average $1,400 a year for car owners to drive over these 
rough roads.
  It is something that only the government can do, fix the roads, pave 
the roads, fix the bridges. Thank you for mentioning that.
  In fact, I would be remiss if I did not mention, the Susquehanna 
River flows through northeastern Pennsylvania and it bisects the two 
towns of Pittston and West Pittston. And there are only two bridges 
over the Susquehanna at Pittston to West Pittston, and one of them is 
out right now. It is out because it is really old; it hasn't been 
maintained properly because the money wasn't there, the investment 
wasn't made, and we didn't get the job done. This is exactly why we 
have to make these investments.

  Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her time this evening.
  Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, I have heard of other States that have 
that problem. I heard Kentucky has a bridge that is out right now that 
is desperately in need of repair.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I want to go back on the question of 
infrastructure for a moment.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins), 
our colleague from Buffalo.
  Mr. HIGGINS of New York. Madam Speaker, my two colleagues from 
Pennsylvania were very clear about the component parts of this plan and 
the good things that they do for individuals, but they also do good 
things for our Nation as a whole.
  Madam Speaker, the conservative economist from Moody's Analytics, 
Mark Zandi, did an analysis of the 2017 corporate tax cut. He said that 
for every dollar that you gave away, you could expect to recapture 32 
cents. That is a loss in investment of 67 percent.
  On infrastructure, the conservative economist says that for every 
dollar that you spend on infrastructure, you produce $1.60 in economic 
activity. The gain on investment on infrastructure is 60 percent. So it 
is beyond the bricks and mortar of infrastructure. It is also the good 
that that does for the growth in the economy.
  I would leave you with this: The oil age isn't going to end because 
we run out of oil. The oil age is going to end because we find a better 
way than the internal combustible engine, something that is quieter, 
cleaner, and eventually cheaper. And guess what? This bill, the Build 
Back Better, the infrastructure bill, has money to provide charging 
stations to facilitate the making and the using of electric vehicles, 
ending this Nation's addiction to foreign oil.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York 
(Mr. Higgins), for his time here this evening.
  Madam Speaker, we have talked about creating jobs, and Build Back 
Better is about creating jobs. It is also about helping workers keep 
more of their hard-earned paychecks by cutting taxes for the middle 
class. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan, the child tax credit's 
monthly tax cuts are already helping parents put gas in the car or pay 
for childcare so they can go to work and help fuel our economy.
  The latest data analyzed by the JEC found that these tax cuts are 
generating more than $19 billion in spending in local economies each 
month throughout our Nation. The data are clear: When working families 
keep more of their hard-earned money, that is more money pumping into 
local businesses and supporting even more jobs. That is why we are 
working to continue those tax cuts and more through the Build Back 
Better Act.
  Democrats passed the child tax credit and the American Rescue Plan 
without a single Republican vote. That is right. Every single 
Republican voted against more money in the pockets of hardworking 
families.
  Now, it is Democrats who are working to extend the child tax credit. 
This contrast could not be clearer. When Democrats control the 
Congress, we cut taxes for working people. When Republicans control the 
Congress, they cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires and 
corporations. And they leave middle-class families out to dry.
  Madam Speaker, we are joined tonight by an esteemed colleague, 
Representative Paul Tonko of the Capital District of New York. He is a 
six-term Member of Congress from Upstate New York and a lifelong public 
servant. Throughout his career, he has been a strong fighter for the 
environment and sustainable energy, and he currently serves as the 
cochair for the Sustainable Energy and Environmental Coalition Caucus 
and a member of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  Representative Tonko is a longstanding champion for the working class 
by advancing policies that create jobs, provide economic opportunity, 
and ensure that senior citizens are able to retire with dignity.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Cartwright), and thank him for leading us in tonight's discussion 
on both physical and human infrastructure.
  Let me start by extending my comments toward the child tax credit 
that you made mention of in your last comments. The data now are 
available from July and August. As we all know, families received their 
first check in July, and what a bit of welcome relief. And as we look 
at where those dollars went, 47 percent, from July and August 
payments--those are the data available currently--47 percent went to 
put food on the table; 28 percent went toward utilities, including 
broadband.

  So we are talking about kids doing their homework. We are talking 
about parents having an opportunity to reach the outside world. Middle-
income America to have cottage industries up and running. So 75 percent 
of that tax cut went to food and utilities, and other incidentals 
absorb the remaining amount of payments. Now, that is a staggering 
statistic. That should tell us something about the value added of this 
tax cut.
  Madam Speaker, as Representative Cartwright indicated, there is a 
stark contrast between Republican leadership in the House and 
Democratic leadership in the House. When the majority was run by the 
Republicans, they joined the former President in providing a tax cut 
for the 1 percent of the highest wealth in the country. This reaches 
across the spectrum of middle-income communities and those looking to 
ascend to the middle class.
  The statistic that I find most heartwarming is that one-half of 
children living in poverty in our country, one-half of those children, 
will be lifted out of poverty with this child tax credit. That is a 
moral standard that we should all embrace.
  If you want to really see a comeback in our economy, we support those 
families, middle-income families, those looking to ascend to the middle 
income. Those are the families that need the shot in the arm. And it is 
going to happen by further extending that tax program.
  So our heart is with children. Our heart is with those children who 
need early education, three- and four-year-olds that will be able to 
have advantages, too. The programs that will provide, not only 
educational training, but cognitive skill development, cognitive 
awareness, social awareness that will drive the factors that lead to a 
productive life.

                              {time}  1915

  And so many times education experts will cite the availability of 
early education as the big factor in determining the outcome of a 
person's work career and the dollars that individual brings home; so 
that is very important.
  Access to quality childcare. So many families are not rejoining the 
workforce because they don't have access to healthcare. And if the 
schools are in this undecided state whether they are going to have 
virtually learning or in-classroom learning or part of each combined, 
they need the security of childcare.
  So the human fabric, the human infrastructure that is part of the 
Build Back Better Act introduced and envisioned by this President, 
President Biden, is tremendously reinforcing to so many families across 
the country. Powerful information and powerful reinforcements that 
enable them to

[[Page H6114]]

dream their version of the American dream.
  Now, when we talk about the physical infrastructure, I would be 
remiss if I didn't equate that to the 20th Congressional District of 
New York. My district hosts the eastern mouth of the Erie Canal. And 
the vision for infrastructure in really difficult economic times, by 
Governor DeWitt Clinton, was to connect the great ocean, the Atlantic, 
with the Great Lakes.
  That inspired not only the development of New York as an entry port, 
and we now know what a metropolis it is, but it inspired the necklace 
of communities that were given birth to as mill towns; and then 
inspired a westward movement. That is infrastructure playing into our 
economic development into our future. It expanded the turf of this 
country. It gave so many people the opportunity to insert their skill 
set, their passion, their abilities into products that fed the quality 
of life around the world.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I request a colloquy with the 
gentleman from New York.
  Is the gentleman trained as an engineer?
  Mr. TONKO. Yes. Not a civil engineer, but mechanical and industrial.
  But those engineers are powerful because they make the world spin. 
And that whole feat, today, if you were to visit the Erie Canal and see 
the lochs that were developed at a time when modern equipment and 
machinery wasn't available, it was not only an engineering feat, but a 
tremendous salute to the workers and the skill and the work ethic that 
they bore.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, the gentleman was discussing the 
necklace of communities that followed the Erie Canal. Earlier on this 
evening I was talking about how Amtrak assessed that restoring 
passenger rail in northeastern Pennsylvania would result in about $87 
million per year of additional economic activity along the line.
  Mr. TONKO. Absolutely.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Does that hold water?
  Mr. TONKO. Absolutely. And as we invest in rail, we increase 
ridership if you are getting from A to B in a quicker time period than 
you would if you were traveling by car. It makes common sense and 
economic sense. From rail to broadband--I have communities in my 
district that are unserved or underserved with broadband services.
  Today, this is about doctors reading x-rays, children doing their 
homework, cottage industries launching and staying in business. This is 
an important bit of modern-day infrastructure. It is akin to the Rural 
Electrification Act of the 1930s, in the last century.
  We have a history that speaks to us boldly about what infrastructure 
meant. The Rural Electrification Act made America buzz with economic 
activity; provided economic justice by reaching every corner of this 
country, which broadband will do.
  Let me just mention this, and I will close with this for now. I chair 
the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change reporting to the 
Energy and Commerce Committee. Under our umbrella falls the 
responsibility for the Safe Drinking Water Act.
  The drinking water infrastructure in this Build Back Better effort, 
and infrastructure in general, is about making certain no children 
drink out of lead-infested pipes. 10,000 pipes in this country that are 
feeding and serving homes. There is no way children and families should 
be drinking water that has lead in it: we know that it is a permanent 
damage, irreversible; and we know that it is about social and economic 
justice.
  We also provide for more dollars in the SRF, the State Revolving 
Funds, which 50 capitals across the country receive in terms of the 
Federal downpayment for water infrastructure. I was in county 
government back when I started my career, and we had much more of a 
partnership with Washington.
  Today, we are getting on average maybe 4 to 5 percent of all projects 
that are drinking water-based as a Federal share. Come on, we can do 
much better than that. If we don't, the issue doesn't go away, and 
local property taxpayers have to pick up that burden. It is a 
regressive tax.
  So for many, many reasons, we are on board here with a plan that 
really speaks to the definitive times in which we reside. We now are 
living in a moment of history where we need to reengage, reengineer our 
skill sets, our resources, to advance an innovation economy; and to do 
that, we need a 21st century toolkit and the Build Back Better Act and 
the infrastructure act, they do it. It is a good downpayment. We are 
going to still have more work to do.
  The President has a vision; it is bold. But we know that leaders in 
the past, Governor DeWitt Clinton, President Eisenhower, President 
Franklin Roosevelt, President Teddy Roosevelt with parks, setting aside 
lands for park development, these were giants in their times.
  We have a giant now calling on Congress to help bring the vision into 
clear view and tether it into the communities across this country.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. It is true, isn't it, that the Build Back Better Act 
and the bricks and mortar infrastructure act, they work together, they 
dovetail to achieve the visions you are talking about?
  Mr. TONKO. Worker training, worker retraining, apprenticeship 
programs, skills development, childcare, so that families can 
comfortably go to work and know that their children are in good stead. 
We have many households that are headed by single-parent moms. We have 
many households that have both members of the household, couples, 
having full-time jobs.
  It is a different economy. These are different times. We need to 
adjust. We need to invest in America and into her people, and that is 
what this measure is about.
  I am also involved with the offshore wind industry. And making 
certain that my district, hundreds of miles away from any offshore wind 
project, is going to have many jobs because we are going to be building 
foundations. We are going to be building tower components. We are going 
to be building the ancillary pieces that are a part of it. We may be 
building some of the turbine blades that are then installed in the 
offshore capacity along the eastern network where everyone is going to 
prosper from this. And we are going to clean the environment, which is 
a demand of the generations behind us and those yet to be born.
  They have the right to demand clean air; to have made clean the air 
they breathe; and make safe the water they drink. It is a mission that 
is justified, and we need to be part of that justification.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Tonko. We have 
an engineer on his toes here this evening who has picked up on a lot of 
the points that have been made previously.
  For example, Representative Mary Gay Scanlon and Representative Tonko 
both brought up the similarity between expanding broadband internet 
access to all of the rural places and all the nooks and crannies and 
hollers in this country. The similarity between doing that and enacting 
the Rural Electrification Act 80 years ago by President Franklin 
Roosevelt, if we hadn't done that so many people would have been left 
behind, literally, in the dark.
  If we don't do this, we are going to leave Americans behind in the 
quest for knowledge and keeping up in the modern economy by use of 
high-speed broadband internet.
  Another thing Representative Tonko just mentioned, Madam Speaker, is 
about filling jobs. I represent northeastern Pennsylvania, and I talk 
to employers a lot, employers of manufacturing jobs, employers of 
retail and restaurant jobs, and the lament has been constant. With 
manufacturing jobs, it predated the pandemic, it was that we can't find 
people trained-up to do our work. We can't find people who know how to 
run CNC machines, the modern version of the lathe, to manufacture parts 
in their businesses.
  The Build Back Better Act includes a lot of money for workforce 
development. It is a big favor being done for employers, for companies 
that do manufacturing work; but it goes beyond that. As Representative 
Tonko just mentioned, there are so many families, single-parent 
families, where either the mom or the dad, probably predominantly the 
mom, is home watching kids and doesn't have options for childcare or 
for pre-K that would enable them to go out and go back to

[[Page H6115]]

work. That is what we are seeing right now after the pandemic.
  In fact, we have Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in my district, and the 
chief executive officer of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce 
did a survey and touched on the very point Representative Tonko just 
made. The survey showed that of the people who took themselves out of 
the workforce because of the pandemic, in restaurant and retail jobs, 
of those people, 54 percent of those who have not gone back have not 
gone back because they are watching kids at home because of the 
scarcity of options for childcare.
  Remember, when you are working in a restaurant or retail, if you are 
bussing tables, you are not making enough money to hire a nanny. You 
are not making enough money to get the top option in daycare. That is 
why the Build Back Better Act comes in handy.
  What it does is--above all, remember this--it does a favor for those 
small businesses, those employers that are trying to fill those jobs 
that are open and are going begging for people to come fill them. The 
Build Back Better plan, by establishing universal pre-K and also 
beefing up childcare options, gives those parents the ability to go 
back to work and fill those jobs and power our economy.
  What do you think, Representative Tonko?
  Mr. TONKO. Will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. TONKO. Representative Cartwright mentioned, Madam Speaker, the 
strength of manufacturing and growing our manufacturing jobs. The 
pandemic alerted us to a supply chain crisis. The Build Back Better Act 
speaks to addressing the shortages that we had for manufacturing. 
Supply shortages. That is critical.
  We also combined the efforts for manufacturing to be more profitable 
and provide more jobs by addressing retrofitting manufacturing, so it 
is energy-smarter as an outcome.
  Now, we know we have a very robust plan, a goal that is very robust 
by the year 2050 to have net-zero greenhouse gas emissions. If we are 
going to achieve that, we have to reach to every sector of the economy 
in order to attain those goals; so we need to look to manufacturing.
  Retrofitting manufacturing, making certain it is energy-smart, making 
certain it can compete in a global marketplace with all the tools at 
their fingertips is an important standard that is established in the 
Build Back Better Act.
  So the President says we are at an inflection point. I couldn't agree 
more. We are now in a focus mode where we are going to determine the 
best outcomes by combining legislation and resources that will speak to 
the most forceful, sharpest competitive edge for our business 
community, for our manufacturing base to address our supply chain, to 
hold down energy costs, reduce costs, reduce the tax burden on 
households, and provide a vision that will get us to where we need to 
be.
  It is about time that we had this sort of leadership; not just 
reducing programs, cutting down government, not seeing the 
effectiveness of sound government. Now we have a leader who understands 
the public-private partnership--business working with government--to 
address the needs of those businesses, their workers, worker training, 
and having the resources to be robustly competitive so that we grow a 
more fair, more just, more robust, and a more sustainable economy. It 
is a powerful opportunity.

                              {time}  1930

  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Tonko. The 
gentleman has repeated the word ``competitive'' about three times just 
now, and I couldn't think of a more appropriate word because, Madam 
Speaker, it is a tough world out there. We Americans may think the 
world owes us a living, but it doesn't. We have to get out there and 
compete. Our businesses have to compete, and our people have to 
compete.
  We have to be at the top of our game to win and keep those jobs and 
make sure they don't go to Europe or Russia or China. Those countries 
are investing in themselves. They are building fast railroads; they are 
building their roads and bridges; and they are investing in high-speed 
internet--all of these things. As a result, we had better be at the top 
of our game.
  That is what we do with the Build Back Better Act and these 
infrastructure investments.
  Now, I have talked about jobs and tax cuts, but cutting costs for 
American families has to be covered as well. As Representative Tonko 
mentioned, this bill will save most families more than half their 
spending on childcare and deliver free pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-
old in America, as we talked about. That will free up moms and dads to 
go to work. It will also provide money for senior care.
  There are a lot of folks at home who can't leave the house because 
they are taking care of an elder at home. That is another thing that 
these bills help.
  Just think about what it means to a working family in northeastern 
Pennsylvania or anywhere else in this country that they can be freed up 
to go back to work and fill jobs that are going begging right now. It 
means parents can go to work and fuel our economy knowing their kids or 
their elderly parents are taken care of. That is good for our entire 
economy.
  Now, we know that eldercare and childcare isn't the only thing 
keeping parents up late at night. It is about making ends meet and 
making sure they can afford good healthcare coverage. These bills beef 
up the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to the point where we 
almost have universal healthcare in this country. That is so good 
because it keeps our hospitals afloat.
  Madam Speaker, do you know what happened in Pennsylvania before we 
got the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act? We started 
losing rural hospitals. Madam Speaker, it is no longer a theoretical 
thing. When your hospital isn't there because it went under, your 
actual healthcare suffered, not your coverage. Your chances of making 
it if you had a heart attack or a stroke go way, way down if the local 
hospitals are not financially sound and robust.
  This will lower healthcare costs by strengthening the Affordable Care 
Act. It is a very important part of this bill.
  Madam Speaker, maybe the most important thing that people miss about 
these bills that we are working on right now: The Build Back Better Act 
is paid for. It is fully paid for by making sure that the ultra-wealthy 
and corporations pay their fair share. It will not add to the deficit, 
and no one making less than $400,000 a year will pay a penny more in 
taxes. In fact, working families are going to see their taxes cut 
because Build Back Better rewards work and not wealth.
  This contrast is worth repeating, Madam Speaker. When Democrats 
control the Congress, we cut taxes for working people. When Republicans 
do, they cut taxes for millionaires and corporations. No more.
  As the President often says, for far too long, this economy has 
worked great for those at the top while hardworking Americans who built 
this country have been cut out of the deal. Democrats are dealing 
working people back into the deal by building an economy that gives 
them a fair shot. We are going to make sure it is paid for by asking 
the ultra-wealthy to pay their fair share. It is only right.
  Madam Speaker, it is so important that we pass these bills. 
Representative Tonko has spent some considerable time talking about the 
importance of rebuilding, maintaining, and expanding our bricks-and-
mortar infrastructure. That is so important. These are assets that were 
passed down to us from the Greatest Generation.
  Who are we to think that we don't have to maintain them, take care of 
them, expand them, make them better, and make them work for a modern 
economy and all the needs that American workers and businesses have to 
stay competitive in the world?
  I say let's pass these bills, let's get the job done, and let's 
fulfill the vision for the American workers, the American people, and 
our entire Nation.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko).
  Mr. TONKO. Madam Speaker, I will also cite the fact that some of the 
greatest looking institutional buildings in our districts are from the 
FDR era: libraries that speak significantly to the cityscapes, 
institutional settings, schools that really laid out an

[[Page H6116]]

image of importance to children of how great education is. We have been 
taught by generations before us that there should be a commitment to 
people across this country, especially children, to invest in our 
tomorrows.
  How dare we just pass by and cut everything and not help build?
  We are hurting ourselves by not investing in those resources that 
will get us to a stronger economy, research money that will be part of 
the $555 billion that is part of the investment in climate change, the 
response to climate change. It is much stronger than that, but there in 
the Build Back Better Act is the opportunity to advance that effort.
  Now, that will include a number of jobs in the trades, installing a 
lot of the renewable energy and innovative concepts, retrofitting 
manufacturing and the like. But then there are going to be the white 
collar jobs as engineers and planners go to work on investing in the 
newness of discovery. That will come with many people working in labs 
and research centers who will get us to a stronger outcome.
  Where there is no vision, the people shall perish. We learn that when 
we open our Book. That should speak to us. It is important for us to 
have a boldness of vision that will take an investment but certainly 
render lucrative dividends for the people in this moment and those 
generations that will follow us.

  Let them look 100 years from now at this moment and say they got it; 
they invested; they received great assets from those before them; and 
they saw that they had to do likewise and contribute to the tomorrows 
that that group will enjoy 100 years out and beyond.
  This is our moment to really shine.
  The gentleman talked about the fact that this effort is paid for. 
That is a good balance that we bring into the House. We tell people 
that we balanced it so that there is a payment mechanism for all that 
we choose to do. That was not the case with the huge tax cut of 2016. 
They expected a trickle-down and that it would pay for itself.
  What did we see happening to the deficit? It bloated from that tax 
cut.
  Then, Madam Speaker, you will hear debate on this floor about raising 
the debt ceiling so that America can pay her bills. What was their 
message? They want this money so they can spend more.
  No, we are paying the dollars off that you incurred as bills when you 
were President and you were the Republican leadership in this House. 
That is paying for bills that came from the last several years. This 
payment mechanism will make certain we go forward with an investment in 
America that is paid for and that will reach the great many of us, the 
great middle-income community.
  The strength of America lies in her middle class, and the strength of 
the middle class lies in union jobs, which is part of this package. 
Thanks to our partners in unionized labor, union labor, they have 
worked with us to develop a blueprint for a sounder tomorrow.
  Let's get aboard. Let's get this done. Let's go forward and show 
people that America is strong and that she is at her best when she 
embraces that pioneer spirit that I saw when I mentioned the Erie 
Canal. There has always been that pioneer spirit within us. It is part 
of our DNA.
  How dare we deny it as we come together in this crucial moment where 
we are asked to come up with a response to a global economy, where it 
is not the U.S. running the entire economy of the world, where we have 
to compete and compete effectively, and where we give the people of 
this country the dignity of work where they can earn a great and fair 
check so they can support their families, pay for the roof over their 
head, set some money aside, and enable their children to enjoy that 
future set-aside?
  That is what this is about. This is speaking to America, her 
families, and those in need. It will result in a stronger and healthier 
workforce and one that has a sense of hope. If we can deliver the 
commodity of hope to the doorsteps of Americans, we will have achieved.
  So, Madam Speaker, I thank President Biden; I thank the leadership in 
the House; and I thank Representative Cartwright for leading us this 
evening in this great discussion.
  Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Tonko for his 
comments.
  Madam Speaker, you can tell when you get Congressman Tonko, a guy 
from Amsterdam, New York, revved up about the Erie Canal, he is going 
to give you a good speech. A good speech is what we need to be doing 
right now because we have to have people understand the importance of 
passing the infrastructure bill and the Build Back Better Act, and 
passing them together because they fulfill the vision not only of 
President Biden but a vision that we have all been waiting for for the 
longest time.
  Representative Tonko and I have been serving our entire time in 
Congress--for me, 9 years; for the gentleman, 13 years--waiting for 
infrastructure to happen.
  Representative Mary Gay Scanlon spoke earlier tonight about all the 
infrastructure weeks we had under the past administration. We had 
infrastructure week after infrastructure week. She said that as a joke 
because it never happened. We just labeled weeks ``infrastructure 
week,'' and nobody did anything about it under the Republican 
administration.
  We are here to say President Biden and the current Democratic 
majority in the House are going to deliver for the people on the vision 
of infrastructure and making our economy and our American people 
competitive on the world stage.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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