[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 195 (Friday, November 5, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6213-H6230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT; AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules,
I call up House Resolution 774 and ask for its immediate consideration.
The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:
H. Res. 774
Resolved, That upon adoption of this resolution it shall be
in order to consider in the House the bill (H.R. 5376) to
provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con.
Res. 14. All points of order against consideration of the
bill are waived. An amendment in the nature of a substitute
consisting of the text of Rules Committee Print 117-18,
modified by the amendment printed in the report of the
Committee on Rules accompanying this resolution, shall be
considered as adopted. The bill, as amended, shall be
considered as read. All points of order against provisions in
the bill, as amended, are waived. The previous question shall
be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, and on any
further amendment thereto, to final passage without
intervening motion except: (1) two hours of debate equally
divided among and controlled by the chair and ranking
minority member of the Committee on the Budget or their
respective designees and the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective
designees; and (2) one motion to recommit.
Sec. 2. House Resolution 188, agreed to March 8, 2021 (as
most recently amended by House Resolution 716, agreed to
October 12, 2021), is amended by striking ``November 18,
2021'' each place it appears and inserting (in each instance)
``December 3, 2021''.
Point of Order
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order
against consideration of the resolution because the resolution waives
all points of order against consideration of H.R. 5376.
The resolution is therefore in violation of section 426 of the
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 prohibiting the consideration of a
rule waiving the application of section 425 of the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act of 1995.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. DeGette). The gentleman from Missouri
makes a point of order that the resolution violates section 426(a) of
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.
[[Page H6214]]
The gentleman has met the threshold burden under the rule and the
gentleman from Missouri and a Member opposed each will control 10
minutes of debate on the question of consideration. Following debate,
the Chair will put the question of consideration as the statutory means
of disposing of the point of order.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, we have seen a circus here for
the last 7 hours. We saw history: The longest vote held in this body in
modern history, a motion to adjourn, just so some backroom agreement
could be made.
This point of order, the whole purpose of it, is to make sure that
this budget bill that is before us--before there is a vote--that we
know the true cost of this agreement from the Congressional Budget
Office. That is what the rules are.
We know that there are more than 150 different programs being created
in this legislation, and we know that there are a lot of many--numerous
different possibilities of unfunded mandates that would go to the
States, that would go to individuals. And before there is a vote on
this bill, a vote on this rule, we need to make sure that there is a
Congressional Budget Office score. We do not need to violate the House
rules and Federal statute by forcing through this piece of legislation
without knowing exactly the cost.
Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter that was sent to the
Speaker of the House from five different Democrats of this body,
following our lead, what we just said here, that there should not be a
vote on this bill until the Congressional Budget Office does a score.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, November 2, 2021.
Hon. Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives,
Washington, DC.
Dear Madam Speaker: As we work to put the COVID-19 crisis
behind us and build back better than ever before, we applaud
your focus on infrastructure and on measures that help
children and working families across America.
We continue to ask that you please schedule a floor vote on
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework as soon as possible,
and we are pleased by the progress we are making on the Build
Back Better (BBB) Act. As we enter the home stretch of these
negotiations, we ask that you please provide additional
information so that we may make more informed decisions that
better serve our constituents.
First, we applaud the commitment from both you and the
President that the BBB Act will be fully paid for. In order
to ensure the final bill is indeed fiscally responsible, we
must first have the proper CBO/JCT scoring information before
any floor consideration. Therefore, we cannot lend our
support to advancing the BBB Act until we have had a chance
to review these scores which provide the true cost of the
legislation. Moreover, the U.S. Senate cannot even consider
the BBB Act under reconciliation rules until it has received
an official CBO score.
Secondly, we appreciate your public statements committing
to properly pre-conferencing the BBB Act with the U.S.
Senate. We continue to urge you to only bring a bill to the
floor for which we have a strong level of confidence that the
provisions in the bill will be ruled in order by the Senate
Parliamentarian and earn passage in the U.S. Senate.
Finally, consistent with House rules and considering the
magnitude and complexity of the BBB Act, we ask that the
final text of the bill be posted at least 72 hours before its
consideration so that we--and, more importantly our
constituents--have time to review the bill before any vote.
While we understand the needs of the nation are great, we
believe our job as legislators is to provide the due
diligence required to properly serve our constituents. It is
better to get this done right than to needlessly rush its
consideration only for our constituents to discover the
negative impacts of our unintended consequences.
Sincerely,
Ed Case.
Josh Gottheimer.
Kurt Schrader.
Jared Golden.
Stephanie Murphy.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I hope that the five Members
that are on this letter to the Speaker will follow through with the
same commitment that they allowed on November 2, and to make sure that
the American people get a valid, transparent score so that they know
what exactly is in this piece of legislation.
We know it is the largest spending bill in the history of the United
States. We just don't know exactly how much. It is at least $4.5
trillion, but we don't have the Congressional scorecards of doing it.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Massachusetts is
recognized.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler).
Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend, Ranking
Member Smith, for yielding.
Madam Speaker, it was just 4 short years ago that Speaker Pelosi
tweeted, ``Republicans shouldn't vote without an updated CBO score.''
Those were the Speaker's own words 4 years ago.
The Speaker even doubled down later in that tweet. She accused
Republicans of attempting to ``jam this bill through without an updated
CBO score of its impacts.'' Again, that was the Speaker 4 years ago.
Apparently, the Speaker has forgotten those words, because later
today, Democrats plan to ram through this Big Government tax-and-spend
proposal with no information from the nonpartisan CBO about the true
cost and the true economic impact their spending spree will have on the
American people.
So I guess it is fair to say that the Speaker subscribes to that age-
old adage, ``do as I say, not as I do.''
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the
gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson).
Mrs. HINSON. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Missouri for
yielding today.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this massive tax-
and-spend plan that was only posted late last night.
This entire process has been a sham. It has been full of nothing but
partisanship, disrespect for taxpayers and late-night and all-day
antics. No wonder my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are in
disarray.
Late last night, the 2,100-page bill was finally posted. We certainly
have not had adequate time to fully read or digest what is in it, let
alone figure out how much it is going to cost my constituents.
Iowans deserve to know how much of their hard-earned paychecks are
going to be wasted on frivolous, misguided priorities, like funding for
butterflies or desert fish when my constituents are busy trying to put
food on their tables, provide for their kids, and keep their family
farms operating.
But no, we can't even get the most basic information. We don't have
an official cost estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget
Office. Instead, we have nonsense numbers, totally made-up numbers,
handed down from the White House in the middle of the night. That is
not how we govern responsibly in this body.
Madam Speaker, I came to Washington, D.C., to be an advocate for
taxpayers, to make sure that Iowans' voices are heard and to bring a
little bit of that Iowa commonsense to the Capitol. This place clearly
needs it.
Working families in Iowa sit around their kitchen tables, they talk
about what is important to them, they build a budget that fits within
their means and they stick to it.
I know what that is like. Moms across the country know what that is
like. It is not easy. We have to make hard choices. And frankly, it is
disrespectful and embarrassing that we are even having this debate
right now.
How can we spend taxpayers' money without knowing how much we are
spending?
In the Speaker's own words, we shouldn't vote without a CBO score. I
agree. Americans deserve to know the impact legislation will have on
their lives. The best estimates that we have, which don't even include
all of the provisions that Speaker Pelosi stuffed in there last night,
ring up in the trillions.
We are spending approximately trillions of dollars on nonsense
priorities when Iowans are dealing with real challenges, and we can't
even give them the respect of waiting for a proper cost estimate. This
bill bankrupts the economy, it benefits the wealthy, and it builds
bureaucracy. It is a bust. Vote ``no.''
[[Page H6215]]
{time} 1530
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, we have heard repeatedly from the President
of the United States that this bill costs nothing. That is obviously
not true, it costs lots of money.
Last night, my very good friend, the Rules Committee chairman, the
distinguished Member from Massachusetts (Mr. McGovern), said it is
fully paid for. I know he believes that. Unfortunately, he doesn't know
that.
We don't have a Congressional Budget Committee score. We have had
five Members of the other party say they would not vote for this bill
unless they had a CBO score. I hope they hold true to that.
Madam Speaker, we should simply not proceed until we have a CBO
score. We will have our differences of opinion, fair enough. But the
American people and all of us in this Chamber ought to know what this
bill costs before any of us are asked to cast a vote.
Madam Speaker, I would urge the support of my friend's point of
order.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, it has been quite a groundhog day when you watch what
has been going on with this legislation over and over. It started out
with a 2,400 page bill; last Thursday a new 1,700 page bill was
dropped; this week on Wednesday an additional 2,135 page bill was
dropped, and none of the bills have been completely scored.
What we do know, after 11 p.m. last night they made additional
changes to the 2,135 page bill that was dropped on Wednesday. And you
know what their priorities were in those changes? It was to give
millionaires larger tax breaks. That was their priority, to give
already millionaires larger tax breaks.
They try to tell you that this legislation was about the kids and the
babies and it is all about the children. That is a bunch of hogwash,
Madam Speaker. This bill is all about giving tax breaks to the
millionaires. The largest portion in this bill, over $300 billion, goes
toward their tax breaks for millionaires.
They don't want a score because they don't want the American people
to see the giveaways that they are giving to the most wealthy at the
expense of the working class. That is unacceptable. We need to make
sure that the only thing that is bipartisan in this legislation is
bipartisan opposition.
There is bipartisan support to make sure that this bill is scored
before a vote, to make sure that the American people know what is in
this bill. Don't you dare try to sneak this through. Don't you dare.
The people of the United States deserve the huge tax break you are
giving your millionaires in this legislation. Madam Speaker, I hope the
five Democrats that sent this letter to the Speaker join with us and
makes sure that we know how much the price tag is in this legislation,
in this proposal, so we can tell everyday working-class Americans how
much their cost of goods are going to be going up because of the
reckless, irresponsible spending of the people on that side of the
aisle.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair will remind all Members to address
their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, let me first begin by suggesting, and I say this
seriously, that the gentleman from Missouri take a chill pill. We ought
to be able to discuss serious matters without getting hysterical and
yelling and screaming all the time. The American people expect us to
debate serious issues seriously.
First of all, let me just say, this is another tactic to try to
derail an effort to help reduce premiums for more than 9 million
Americans, lower prescription drug costs, ensure that seniors never pay
more than $2,000 a year for their drugs under Medicare part D.
This is an effort by my Republican friends to derail a bill that
would lower insulin prices; it offers access to universal and free
preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, which would save American families an
average of $8,600 per year per child. That is what they are fighting
against here.
This effort by my Republican friends is an attempt to derail a bill
that would support the construction of affordable homes, boost our
housing supply, deliver much-needed rental and downpayment assistance
to our constituents; it would enhance and expand home energy and
efficiency tax credits; it would bolster our domestic supply chains;
creates thousands of new good-paying jobs right here in the United
States of America; it would make historic investments in coastal
restoration, forest management, and soil conservation; provides
resources to reduce emissions and support our farmers; it creates a
diverse new workforce for the establishment of the Civilian Climate
Corps, which will conserve our land and improve resilience.
Now, my friends on the other side of the aisle were talking about the
cost. They are worried about the cost. Boy, it is nice that they
finally worry about the cost of things. They rammed through a tax cut
bill for the wealthy, for billionaires, for big corporations, and they
never paid for it. It added $2 trillion to our debt. Where were they
then?
But here is the good news, Madam Speaker. This bill is fully paid
for. The Joint Committee on Taxation and the White House has provided
much of the detail. I appreciate the fact that my friends would rather
shout than debate, but the American people expect a debate, expect a
conversation.
When people, by the way, come to the Rules Committee, they get as
much time as they want to be able to speak, and we welcome the
diversity of opinion.
Madam Speaker, we also know that the Build Back Better bill will not
become law without a CBO score. It will not go through the Senate
without a CBO score. That will be coming, and my friends know that.
So the bottom line is, this is a red herring. They are not concerned
about a CBO score. They are not concerned about cost, they never have
been in the past on any of their legislative priorities that benefit
the well-off and the well-connected. The idea that somehow they are
fighting for the middle class or those struggling to get in the middle
class; give me a break. People know the record of my Republican
friends, they know the priorities of the Republican Congress, they know
the priorities of the previous occupant of the White House.
Nobody buys that this is about protecting the middle class because
most of my friends on the other side of the aisle never gave a damn
about the middle class or those struggling to get into the middle
class.
So this is an effort to try to basically derail or stall or obstruct
all the things that I mentioned. Madam Speaker, there is no merit to
what my friends are complaining about here today, but they will
complain, and they have a right to do so. We will grin and bear it. At
the end of the day we will deliver for the American people.
We have two major pieces of legislation that we want to get enacted
into law: one is the Build Back Better initiative, which I just talked
about all the priorities in it; the other is the infrastructure bill
that was bipartisan over in the Senate, and maybe we will see if it is
bipartisan over here, I hope so. It is about investing in our roads and
our bridges and our water and our sewer facilities, and giving America
basically a facelift because we have neglected our infrastructure for
too long.
And here is the difference. When they were in charge, when the
previous occupant of the White House was in charge, we got
infrastructure weeks and infrastructure months and infrastructure press
releases, but no money, no resources to help build one single
infrastructure project. That is going to change with this majority and
this President.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject what my friends are
peddling here today and vote ``yes'' on the question of consideration.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is, Will the House now consider
the resolution?
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
[[Page H6216]]
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 215,
nays 212, not voting 7, as follows:
[Roll No. 368]
YEAS--215
Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Auchincloss
Axne
Barragan
Bass
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bourdeaux
Bowman
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brown (MD)
Brown (OH)
Brownley
Bustos
Butterfield
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson
Carter (LA)
Cartwright
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Cooper
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crist
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis, Danny K.
Dean
DeFazio
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Delgado
Demings
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Fletcher
Foster
Frankel, Lois
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Golden
Gonzalez, Vicente
Gottheimer
Green, Al (TX)
Grijalva
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Higgins (NY)
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Huffman
Jackson Lee
Jacobs (CA)
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Jones
Kahele
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Khanna
Kildee
Kilmer
Kim (NJ)
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Krishnamoorthi
Kuster
Lamb
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lawson (FL)
Lee (CA)
Lee (NV)
Leger Fernandez
Levin (CA)
Levin (MI)
Lieu
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Luria
Lynch
Malinowski
Maloney, Carolyn B.
Maloney, Sean
Manning
Matsui
McBath
McCollum
McEachin
McGovern
McNerney
Meeks
Meng
Mfume
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Moulton
Mrvan
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Neguse
Newman
Norcross
O'Halleran
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Phillips
Pingree
Pocan
Porter
Price (NC)
Quigley
Raskin
Rice (NY)
Ross
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan
Sanchez
Sarbanes
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schneider
Schrader
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherman
Sherrill
Sires
Slotkin
Smith (WA)
Soto
Spanberger
Speier
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Suozzi
Swalwell
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Trone
Underwood
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wexton
Wild
Williams (GA)
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
NAYS--212
Aderholt
Allen
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bentz
Bergman
Bice (OK)
Biggs
Bilirakis
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Bost
Brady
Brooks
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Budd
Burchett
Burgess
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carl
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Cawthorn
Chabot
Cheney
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Comer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
Davidson
Davis, Rodney
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Duncan
Dunn
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franklin, C. Scott
Fulcher
Gaetz
Gallagher
Garbarino
Garcia (CA)
Gibbs
Gimenez
Gohmert
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez (OH)
Good (VA)
Gooden (TX)
Gosar
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hagedorn
Harris
Harshbarger
Hartzler
Hern
Herrell
Herrera Beutler
Hice (GA)
Higgins (LA)
Hill
Hinson
Hollingsworth
Hudson
Huizenga
Issa
Jackson
Jacobs (NY)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Katko
Keller
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kim (CA)
Kinzinger
Kustoff
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Latta
LaTurner
Lesko
Letlow
Long
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Mace
Malliotakis
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
Meijer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Mullin
Murphy (NC)
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunes
Obernolte
Owens
Palazzo
Palmer
Pence
Perry
Pfluger
Posey
Reed
Reschenthaler
Rice (SC)
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rosendale
Rouzer
Roy
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sessions
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Wagner
Walberg
Walorski
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Young
NOT VOTING--7
Bush
Gomez
Jayapal
Ocasio-Cortez
Pressley
Tlaib
Zeldin
{time} 2018
Messrs. WITTMAN, GRAVES of Louisiana, LaHOOD, and ISSA changed their
vote from ``yea'' to ``nay.''
Mses. SANCHEZ, ADAMS, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. LAWRENCE,
Messrs. DeFAZIO, GOTTHEIMER, RUPPERSBERGER, CLEAVER, Ms. DAVIDS of
Kansas, Messrs. HOYER, BLUMENAUER, Ms. LEE of California, and Mr. WELCH
changed their vote from ``nay'' to ``yea.''
So the question of consideration was decided in the affirmative.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I missed Roll Call 368 on November 5,
2021. Had I been present, my vote would have been yea.
Members Recorded Pursuant to House Resolution 8, 117th Congress
Axne (Clark (MA))
Babin (Nehls)
Baird (Mooney)
Barr (McHenry)
Barragan (Huffman)
Bilirakis (Fleischmann)
Boebert (Franklin, C. Scott)
Brooks (Moore (AL))
Buchanan (Smucker)
Bucshon (Banks)
Cardenas (Gomez)
Cawthorn (Nehls)
Clarke (NY) (Kelly (IL))
Costa (Sanchez)
Crawford (Stewart)
Crenshaw (Ellzey)
Cuellar (Veasey)
Demings (Kelly (IL))
Deutch (Rice (NY))
Duncan (Rice (SC))
Frankel, Lois (Clark (MA))
Gaetz (Greene (GA))
Gibbs (Smucker)
Gonzalez (OH) (Meijer)
Gonzalez, Vicente (Gomez)
Gosar (Greene (GA))
Green (TN) (Joyce (PA))
Hagedorn (Carl)
Hartzler (Walberg)
Kind (Connolly)
Kinzinger (Rice (SC))
Kirkpatrick (Stanton)
Krishnamoorthi (Spanberger)
Lawson (FL) (Evans)
Lesko (Miller (WV))
Long (McHenry)
Luetkemeyer (McHenry)
Maloney, Carolyn B. (Clark (MA))
McEachin (Wexton)
Meeks (Kelly (IL))
Meng (Clark (MA))
Moolenaar (Bergman)
Mullin (Lucas)
Napolitano (Correa)
Newman (Manning)
Obernolte (Steel)
Payne (Pallone)
Pingree (Kuster)
Porter (Wexton)
Reed (McHenry)
Rodgers (WA) (Herrera Beutler)
Rush (Underwood)
Sewell (Kelly (IL))
Sires (Pallone)
Smith (WA) (Courtney)
Speier (Scanlon)
Steube (Franklin, C. Scott)
Strickland (Clark (MA))
Swalwell (Gomez)
Tiffany (Fitzgerald)
Van Duyne (Jackson)
Walorski (Banks)
Waltz (Salazar)
Wilson (FL) (Hayes)
Wilson (SC) (Timmons)
Yarmuth (Beyer)
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Ms. DeGette). The gentleman from
Massachusetts is recognized for 1 hour.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield
the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess),
pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose
of debate only.
General Leave
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
be given 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, yesterday the Committee on Rules
reported a rule, House Resolution 774. The rule provides for the
consideration of H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act, under a closed
rule. The rule provides 2 hours of debate equally divided among and
controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Budget and the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on
Ways and Means. The rule self-executes a manager's amendment from
Chairman Yarmuth and provides one motion to recommit.
Finally, the rule extends recess instructions, suspension authority,
and same day authority through December 3.
Madam Speaker, when Franklin Roosevelt stood before the American
people in Chicago, Illinois, and accepted the Democratic nomination for
President nearly 90 years ago, he promised them a New Deal, one built
on equality
[[Page H6217]]
and fairness. That work is bigger than a single President or a single
era, and it continues to this day.
All these years later, this Congress is working to fulfill that
promise. We will be considering a bill that will transform the lives of
most people in this country for the better.
The Build Back Better Act will help Americans access stronger and
more affordable healthcare, better family care, and will set up a
stronger response to the climate crisis. It will lower prescription
drug costs, capping the cost of insulin at $35. It will establish paid
family and medical leave and provide universal and free pre-K.
Madam Speaker, I have talked to so many of my constituents who are
sick and tired of working hard but falling behind. All they want is a
country and a Congress that looks out for their interest and puts their
needs first. That is what the policies contained in this bill will do.
These are the kind of priorities that make me proud to be a Democrat.
They are the kind of advancements that the American people have been
demanding for decades.
The Build Back Better Act finally turns the page on four decades of
failed trickle-down economics. It invests in the people who built this
country; in our workers, the middle class, and everyone fighting hard
to get there. And at a time when the wealth gap between the richest and
the poorest families in this country has more than doubled, this bill
will stem the rising tide of income inequality by asking those at the
very top to pay what they owe, to pay their fair share. It is bold. It
is consequential. And it will transform the lives of so many Americans.
By expanding the child tax credit, more than 35 million families with
children will see their taxes go down.
Older Americans and those with disabilities will also see expanded
access to home care as part of this bill. People working two or three
jobs to make ends meet--17 million of them--will have hope for a better
future with access to an education that extends beyond high school.
Parents of three- and four-year-old kids can breathe a sigh of relief
as they gain access to universal pre-K, meaning that they can go to
work safe in the knowledge that their kids are learning while they are
earning.
Nine million Americans will save money on their premiums through
changes to the Affordable Care Act, and folks in States that have been
cut out of healthcare--four million of them--will finally get
healthcare because this bill closes the Medicaid coverage gap.
By making the biggest investment ever to combat climate change, the
Build Back Better Act will advance environmental justice and give more
communities a fighting chance to respond to this crisis. There are
resources here to cut pollution, grow small businesses, improve care
for our veterans.
This bill accomplishes all of this while being fully paid for. It
finally demands that the largest corporations and the wealthiest
Americans pay their fair share. And importantly, it keeps the
President's promise not to raise taxes on those making under $400,000,
not even one single penny.
This is a seismic shift after my colleagues on the other side of the
aisle exploded the deficit to give tax cuts to the rich and the well-
off.
And let me just say to all those Republicans who have been urging
action on the COVID-caused supply chain issues, you should join us and
support this bill because there are provisions here to bolster our
supply chain and prepare for the next pandemic and future supply chain
issues.
Madam Speaker, I will put the values contained in this bill against
the priorities of my colleagues on the other side any day of the week.
It is about damn time that the wealthy were asked to pay their fair
share. It is about damn time that workers and small businesses get a
tax break. And it is about damn time that we focus on the middle class
for a change.
My Republican friends may stand here today and complain about the
process, but the truth is 13 committees of jurisdiction have spent more
than 165 hours marking up this legislation. They considered more than
850 amendments. And all that was before the Committee on Rules did its
work. Before the Committee on Rules met, not once, but twice, and
talked about this bill--even before it was final.
The committees have done their work. Members in this Congress, in
this House and all across the Capitol have debated this bill over and
over and over again.
The American people are demanding action. Now is the time. Time for
us to make real the promises of the New Deal. Time for us to put our
government back on the side of working people in this country. And time
for us to deliver the agenda that the American people voted for last
November.
Madam Speaker, I thank Members on both sides of the aisle, and
especially staff. I know that this has been a long day and a long week.
We have our differences, but I thank all of my colleagues for their
patience.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman, the chairman of
the House Committee on Rules for yielding me the customary 30 minutes,
and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, you have to ask, What in the world have people been
thinking today?
Congress--which doesn't enjoy a high approval rating in general--the
Democratic leadership and Speaker have shown such disrespect and
disdain for every Member on both sides of the aisle that it will be
very, very difficult to repair that damage.
Now, exactly 12 hours late, we are considering a rule that provides
for the consideration of a so-called Build Back Better Act. The final
text of the bill, of course, does not have an opinion from the
Congressional Budget Office, and the final text of the bill has been
difficult to obtain, but now, there for all to see but none to read, it
certainly does not provide for the American people.
So let's just briefly recap the series of events: in an emergency
August session, the House deemed passed on a procedural vote the budget
resolution--not a real vote, a procedural vote--setting the top line
reconciliation levels. In September, the 13 committees of jurisdiction
did markup their portions. The Budget Committee held a markup on a
Saturday night on a zoom call without a score from the Congressional
Budget Office.
{time} 2030
Speaker Pelosi, Democratic Senators, and the White House then engaged
in a new round of negotiations, guaranteeing that after over a month of
work--very partisan work--this bill would become wholly new legislation
before heading to the House floor.
With only a few hours' notice, the Rules Committee met last week on
rushed reconciliation text that did not include language for every
title. In the middle of this hearing, Speaker Pelosi decided to
abruptly end testimony as her hastily crafted agreement completely
collapsed.
We were then called back on Wednesday of this week to restart
consideration on even newer text with very little time to review. I
wish I could tell you everything that is in this bill, but we really
haven't had the time. I guess we will have to follow the lead of
Speaker Pelosi at another time when she said we will have to pass the
bill to find out what is in it.
This is the most expensive piece of legislation in the history of the
United States House of Representatives. The spending in this bill is
five times America's annual defense budget, seven times the cost of the
interstate highway system, five times annual Medicare spending, and
more than the gross domestic products of Canada and Mexico combined. If
enacted, new spending will be more than the total combined annual wages
of the American people. Think about that for a minute. If you tax the
American people every single dollar they earn, you still would not be
paying for this bill, but Democrats seem unconcerned with this
discrepancy.
This bill includes a Methane Emissions Reduction Program. Methane is
a pollutant if released into the atmosphere, but it is also a valuable
commodity in the form of natural gas; it heats homes, it runs our
plants that generate electricity. Domestic energy protection has
skyrocketed over the past few decades, and yet at the same time methane
emissions in the United
[[Page H6218]]
States of America have fallen 15 percent over that timeframe.
Instead of building on this progress and welcoming the innovation,
this provision would provide millions of taxpayer dollars to create a
new natural gas tax, increasing the cost of residential natural gas by
up to 34 percent.
During the Rules Committee meeting, I submitted an amendment that
would strike this methane language and instead provide incentives to
build the infrastructure necessary to get this valuable product to
consumers.
Stranded gas in the Permian basin could be shipped to major
population centers in the eastern part of the the country, or shipped
overseas, but we couldn't find the necessary money to do that in a $5
trillion bill.
This package also provided billions of dollars to roll out electric
vehicles and electric vehicle infrastructure--basically toys for rich
people. There are also subsidies for electric vehicles manufactured
using union labor. Ironically, these pro-labor provisions could put
thousands of nonunion auto workers out of a job. The subsidies would
also breach international trade agreements. I submitted an amendment to
remove this language, but it too was not considered.
This bill contemplates an expansive drug pricing provision. This
proposal claims to protect research and development, yet the Secretary
still has the ability to set the price of any new drug at any level the
Secretary wishes, even zero. There is no judicial review of arbitrary
decisions.
Additionally, disagreeing with the prices set by the Secretary will
result in a 95 percent excise tax. Under this bill, the government will
be the deciding factor determining which drugs and which cures can come
to market and be available to the American people.
I am specifically concerned about funding for some of the
disproportionate share hospitals being cut from 100 percent of what is
expected to be provided to 87 percent; and it will prohibit
nonexpansion States from implementing uncompensated care pools, who
provide healthcare to the uninsured and underinsured.
When the American Rescue Plan was signed into law, it included a vast
expansion of the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies. While these
subsidies were intended to be temporary, this bill will provide a cliff
that people will fall off in 2025, and premiums having risen during
that time, people will be left in the lurch. It is bad that this has
very shortsighted, very punitive policy on some of the poorest people
in the country, and it hurts the very people we should be trying to
help.
Additionally, the American Rescue Plan eliminated the eligible income
cap for the Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, permitting those
with very high incomes to qualify. Experts estimate this will cost $34
billion over the next 2 years and incentivize businesses to stop
offering group health insurance. So 190 million Americans could be in
jeopardy of losing their healthcare coverage. Remember that one, If you
like your insurance, you can keep it?
I am also concerned that during last night's Rules Committee meeting
not one chairman or ranking member could tell me when I asked, All of
these new gifts that are being given by this bill, in addition to the
ACA credit, the paid time off, do any of these new benefits require
American citizenship? Absolute silence from every chairman and ranking
member because the answer is no. These benefits will be available to
people who cannot provide proof or show that they are citizens of this
country.
The magnitude of the changes contemplated in this reconciliation
package require the full input of Congress, not just a few privileged
in a secret room somewhere; like we have seen all afternoon.
Madam Speaker, I urge opposition to the rule, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), a member of the
Rules Committee.
Mr. MORELLE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the distinguished chair
of the Rules Committee and my colleague for his incredible work and
leadership.
Madam Speaker, today we continue to make good on our promise to
deliver real results for working families by moving another step
forward with the Build Back Better Act.
The pandemic put significant strains on my constituents, including
increased costs of childcare and healthcare, amid continued disruptions
in our labor markets. Today it is clear, we have their back.
This landmark legislation will help 163,000 people alone in the State
of New York gain much-needed health coverage, and save Monroe County
families hundreds of dollars on healthcare costs annually.
By lowering the cost of prescription drugs, like insulin, we can
ensure no one ever has to choose between putting food on the table or
paying for lifesaving medication.
We are making long overdue investments in infrastructure that will
result in good-paying jobs, upgrades to roads and bridges, broadband
internet, and public transit, all without raising taxes on working men
and women.
We are expanding access to high quality and affordable childcare for
over 1 million children, giving parents the resources they need to get
back to work while supporting their families.
These are real, impactful policies that will have a profound effect
on my district and support middle class Americans at a time they need
it the most.
Madam Speaker, I look forward to voting in favor of the rule, and I
remain focused on delivering real results to insure our families can
thrive and succeed.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), the ranking member of the House Committee on
Rules.
Mr. COLE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend for yielding, but
most of all, I want to thank him for waiting here hour after hour after
hour, as our friends who couldn't get their show in order, broke arms,
broke knees, did whatever they had to do to bring this to the floor.
Thank you for being here and making sure that things were done
appropriately in a procedural way.
Madam Speaker, we have purportedly a $3 billion package in two
different parts in front of us today. We are not going to talk a lot
about the first part of the package, the so-called infrastructure
package, but I want to talk about it because it didn't come through the
Rules Committee, it didn't need to, and it is not going to be subject
to much debate here, but we ought to talk about it.
Now, of the two bills that we are purportedly going to deal with, it
is the better of the two. It is abominable. It is unpaid for. The CBO
has told us it is $400 billion--$398 billion to be precise.
{time} 2040
The Senate process that produced it did not go through the committee
of jurisdiction. Worst of all, it is the most egregious surrender of
House prerogatives I have seen in my time here. It has not come through
any committee. We have not had anything to do with it. We are going to
simply accept what a few Senators negotiated and went through and call
it a victory and call it bipartisan. It is nothing of the sort.
Worse than that is the bill that this rule is to advance, and that is
the so-called BBB bill. Now, my friends call it the Build Back Better
bill. I call it the bad bad bad bill. It has been cobbled together in a
convoluted process of missed deadlines, broken promises, and
legislative sleight of hand. The defects are almost, Madam Speaker, too
many to mention.
My friends will say it is paid for. It is not. Quite frankly, they
have about $1.5 trillion of revenue as far as we can tell, and they
have ``$1.75 trillion'' with expenditures. But they intend to make
every program here for 1 year or 3 years or 5 years permanent. So if
you add them all together, it is a minimum of $4 trillion with $1.5
trillion of revenues. So it is an outrageously unbalanced bill.
Some of my friends are going to vote for this because it has
immigration in it. Really? Immigration, frankly, will not survive the
Senate Parliamentarian, and everybody on your side knows it.
Some of them are going to vote for it because it has State and local
tax reform, which is a nice way of saying, my gosh, tax breaks for
millionaires and billionaires in blue States. That too, by
[[Page H6219]]
the way, will probably be changed in the United States Senate if you
believe Senator Sanders and Senator Warren and look at what they have
to say about this thing.
Finally, we have some people who say: Well, I am going to vote for it
because it is just the right thing to do.
It is the wrong thing to do for the American people.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the
gentleman from Oklahoma.
Mr. COLE. This bill, by the way, will not get better in the Senate.
Now, when it was sold to your side, you were told that we are not
going to move ahead until we have an agreement the Senate will accept.
The Senate won't accept this bill. We are going to send it over there,
and a few Senators are going to write it and send it right back. If you
don't like it now, you are going to like it less when it gets here.
Madam Speaker, we should defeat the rule; we should defeat the
infrastructure package; and when it comes, we should defeat the bad bad
bad bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are, once again, reminded to address
their remarks to the Chair.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am not going to spend any time
debating my friend from Oklahoma. We have spent 12 hours in the Rules
Committee debating. But I do want to say that I have genuine admiration
for him as well as for Dr. Burgess, Mrs. Fischbach, and Mr.
Reschenthaler. We have strong disagreements, but I respect their
service to this Congress and to this country.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education
and Labor.
Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, every investment in the Build
Back Better Act addresses an urgent challenge facing families, workers,
and our economy.
Within the jurisdiction of the Education and Labor Committee, this
proposal makes childcare more affordable and invests in securing free,
universal, and high-quality preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. These
provisions will give millions of parents the opportunity to reenter the
workforce without having to worry that their children are safe.
The Build Back Better Act makes nearly 9 million more children
eligible for free school meals and invests in helping more children get
healthy nutrition over the summer. It lowers the cost of higher
education by increasing the value of Pell grants and making another
major investment in historically Black colleges and universities and
minority-serving institutions.
The bill invests in high-quality job training programs so that
workers can build their skills and increase their paychecks, and it
will help employers find the skilled workers they need to grow their
businesses.
It shields workers from wage theft, unsafe workplaces, and violations
of their right to organize by strengthening enforcement and increasing
penalties for companies that break the law.
And it funds service opportunities and job training programs that
will help protect our communities from the climate crisis.
The Build Back Better Act strengthens programs that provide vital
services to millions of older Americans and Americans with
disabilities.
It lowers the cost of prescription drugs, particularly insulin.
Madam Speaker, any of these provisions individually would
meaningfully improve the lives of our constituents, but taken together,
this historic proposal will lower costs for nearly every family, create
millions of good-paying jobs, and set a strong foundation for the
future of this country. It is fully paid for by making corporations and
the wealthiest pay their fair share.
Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting the
Build Back Better Act and taking a critical step toward a monumental
victory for the American people.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Minnesota (Mrs. Fischbach), who is a valuable member of the Rules
Committee.
Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I thank the Representative from Texas
for yielding to me.
Madam Speaker, this bill has gone through several versions just this
week--possibly just today--too many for even the bill's sponsors to
keep up with.
During one of the several Rules Committee hearings, committee chairs
could not even explain specific provisions of the bill.
How does the majority think the American public can really know what
is in this bill?
The majority will stick very closely to the talking points, using
words like ``transformational,'' ``bold vision,'' and ``values-based
leadership,'' and they will say things about affordable housing,
universal pre-K, and drug pricing.
But do we know where all that money is really going? Our constituents
deserve to understand each of these programs but also the ones that
they don't include in their talking points.
They have eliminated the bipartisan Hyde amendment protections that
for 40 years have been preventing tax dollars from being used to pay
for abortion. It is being reported that there is approximately $756
billion in a welfare spending increase.
How is that money being used? Where is it going?
The bill also includes at least a few budget gimmicks. The bill
offers partial funding for some programs, creating temporary programs
that are clearly meant to be permanent. This means the cost estimates
for the bills are not accurate into the future.
The committee chairs even have a hard time explaining how those
budget gimmicks work. One of the biggest ticket items is the $320
billion in tax subsidies for electric vehicles, solar energy, wind, and
other green energy, and an additional $25 million for the President to
establish an environmental initiative.
The American public might want to know that almost $45 billion is
going to the IRS for increased enforcement and digital monitoring,
especially since the Democrats have proposed spying on Americans' bank
accounts.
This bill pours billions of dollars into government agencies to
further insert government bureaucrats into the daily lives of American
citizens.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), who is the distinguished
chairwoman from the Committee on Financial Services.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman McGovern for creating
this opportunity for me to share a few remarks with you this evening.
For decades, we have failed to make the kinds of investments that
allow families to access equal opportunities and communities to thrive,
so I rise today in strong support of the Build Back Better Act to
deliver the urgent investments our country needs to thrive.
I have spent my career fighting for the dignity of safe and decent
homes for all. In 2019, I coined the phrase ``housing is
infrastructure.'' It hasn't been easy getting to this point, but I am
incredibly proud to discuss the more than $150 billion for housing
investments included in today's bill that will create or preserve over
1 million homes.
These investments include $65 billion to repair and rebuild our
Nation's public housing; $25 billion for new rental assistance to
support hundreds of thousands of people struggling to afford rent and
help people escape homelessness and domestic violence; $26 billion to
create and preserve hundreds of thousands of affordable and accessible
housing units; and $10 billion in downpayment assistance to make the
dream of homeownership possible for the millions of first-generation
home buyers.
Housing is at the heart of building back better.
Madam Speaker, I urge Members to vote ``yes'' and help make safe,
decent, and affordable housing a reality for every family.
{time} 2050
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Roy), the designated conscience of the Conference.
Mr. ROY. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for
yielding.
I am interested to hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle
[[Page H6220]]
who designate themselves as moderates running around saying that they
need a CBO score. Yet, we know this isn't paid for. We all know it is a
lie.
But you know what you don't need a CBO score for? You don't need a
CBO score to tell you that there is a 900 percent increase in OSHA
fines because you are going to cause small businesses to go out of
business because of mandates.
You don't need a CBO score to know that there is an amnesty provision
in here right when our border is completely on fire to provide amnesty
for 7 million.
You don't need a CBO score for the $500 billion of a unicorn energy
strategy that is already crippling the country, causing gas prices and
electric bills to go up while President Biden is across the Atlantic
begging for oil and taking cold baths in Glasgow.
You don't need a CBO score for that, and you don't need to know what
is in this garbage bill that is going to hurt the American people.
Reject it resoundingly this evening.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished chairman of
the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Build
Back Better Act.
The Build Back Better Act builds on our efforts to make healthcare
more affordable and accessible for all Americans. It extends premium
subsidies that make healthcare more affordable for millions of
Americans, and, finally, expands access to uninsured Americans who are
unfairly caught in the Medicaid coverage gap.
The legislation also provides critical relief at the pharmacy counter
by finally giving Medicare the ability to negotiate lower drug prices
with the pharmaceutical companies. It also caps out-of-pocket
prescription drug costs for seniors at $2,000 a year, lowers insulin
prices for Americans with diabetes to $35 per month; and penalizes Big
Pharma companies that unfairly raise prices.
It permanently reauthorizes the Children's Health Insurance Program,
dedicates long overdue resources to provide maternal healthcare; and
provides, for the first time, comprehensive hearing benefits under
Medicare part B.
The legislation also includes $150 billion in funding for home and
community-based care so seniors and people with disabilities can get
the care that they need in their homes.
The Build Back Better Act also aggressively tackles the climate
crisis with historic investments, moving us toward a clean energy
economy while also producing millions of good-paying American jobs. The
new $29 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund will accelerate
innovation in low- and zero-emission technologies, while also
prioritizing the needs of environmental justice communities.
Rebates for homeowners to electrify and make their houses more
efficient will save them money and reduce emissions. Investments in a
21st century electric grid will get more renewable energy online. A new
Methane Emissions Reduction Program will drive down pollution from the
oil and gas industry.
There is no time, Madam Speaker, to delay. Bold climate action is
needed now, and the Build Back Better Act is a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to invest in the American people and our future. It
deserves strong support today.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler), a valuable member of
the Rules Committee.
Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend and fellow
Rules Committee member, Dr. Burgess, for yielding me the time.
Madam Speaker, let's just look at the cost of this. This bill comes
in at $4.1 trillion. That is more than double what my friends across
the aisle claim this comes in at. And how do we pay for this?
I will tell you how, crippling taxes and budget gimmicks. This bill
would levy $420 billion in tax increases on our Nation's small
businesses, $800 billion in tax hikes on American companies, as well.
So what does this mean for Americans? What does this mean for the
American consumer? Well, it means fewer jobs. It means higher prices.
It means more reliance on China for our everyday goods.
If you thought that today's sky-high inflation, if you thought that
our supply chain crises were bad, just wait until this bill goes into
effect. H.R. 5376 includes a new tax even on retirement plans. It bans
production of domestic energy, and it raises taxes on natural gas. All
of these policies, all of them would be disastrous for American job
creators, disastrous for American workers, and disastrous for American
families.
But it is not bad news for all Americans, Madam Speaker. Millionaires
and billionaires have it made under this bill. This bill restores the
SALT deduction, giving the wealthy up to $72,500 in tax breaks each
year. These are the individuals that benefit under this, the wealthy,
the elite.
This legislation also includes $550 billion in green subsidies,
ensuring that the top 1 percent that already benefits under this bill
can put another Tesla in their garage.
You can clearly see where the Democrats' priorities lie. It is not
with the American worker. It is with the American top 1 percent elite.
Americans deserve better.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the distinguished
chairwoman for the Committee on Appropriations.
Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Build Back
Better Act that is before us today, a package of legislation that I
believe ranks alongside the New Deal and the Great Society in its
impact.
We must pass this legislation. It delivers a once-in-a-generation
investment in children, families, and caregivers, and, finally, a scale
of investment in combating climate change that cannot wait.
The Build Back Better Act expands and improves the child tax credit,
the biggest cut in taxes for working families with children, a
groundbreaking and transformative policy that I have been fighting for
nearly 20 years. I am proud that families with children under 6 receive
$300 a month, and children 6 through 17 receive $250 a month. It is a
lifeline for the middle class, and it lifts over 50 percent of children
out of poverty. It allows us to emerge from the shadows of the
pandemic. It is Social Security for children.
The Build Back Better Act adds to this with a first-time investment
in childcare that guarantees that its costs will not exceed 7 percent
of income. I am so proud that this package includes paid family and
medical leave, which finally responds to the needs of workers and their
families so that they can take time off to care for themselves or for a
loved one when they are ill.
We have an opportunity to build the architecture for the future for
working families in this country. Working and middle-class families
across the United States are counting on us to build a better and a
stronger America.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 1 minute to
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger), one of the newest members of
the Texas delegation from out in west Texas, the Permian Basin.
Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for
yielding.
Madam Speaker, transparency, the American people deserve
transparency, and they resoundingly rejected the bad policies proposed
by the Democratic Party this week. Yet, my colleagues on the other side
of the aisle are doubling down to pass legislation that will radically
change our country for the worse.
We are talking about transparency. We need transparency right now to
understand the tax increases on all Americans; the outsourcing of
energy and manufacturing jobs outside this country; and a half a
trillion dollars to misguided, new green policies that will, no doubt,
bankrupt this country and saddle our children and grandchildren with
more debt.
The misprioritized placating of green special interests that this
administration has rushed to are unbelievable. It is Midland over
Moscow; it is Odessa over OPEC; it is the Permian Basin over Putin, not
the opposite. But blue State millionaires and journalists and those
purchasing electric vehicles now, apparently--in the 2,000-plus pages--
are going to get a handout.
[[Page H6221]]
I am voting ``no'' on this radical legislation, and I urge my
colleagues to do the same.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, in a moment I will ask to amend the rule
to correct a clerical error in the Rules Committee report. The
amendment reinserts the text of the manager's amendment posted on our
website yesterday which was inadvertently omitted from the copy of the
report filed today. This is purely a clerical fix.
Amendment Offered by Mr. McGovern
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to amend the
pending resolution with an amendment that I have placed at the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the amendment.
The Clerk read as follows:
In the first section of the resolution, strike ``the
amendment printed in the report of the Committee on Rules
accompanying this resolution'' and insert ``Rules Committee
Print 117-19''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Massachusetts?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The resolution is amended.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Dr. Burgess and Ranking
Member Cole for their courtesy.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr.
Nadler), the distinguished chairman on the Judiciary Committee.
{time} 2100
Mr. NADLER. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and
the Build Back Better Act. There are so many important provisions of
this legislation, but I want to highlight just a few of the Judiciary
Committee's contributions, which invest in our communities, our
economy, and our people.
We invest in communities by supporting community violence
intervention programs, and we invest in our economy by providing
resources to the antitrust enforcement agencies for their work to
protect competition.
We also invest in people by improving our immigration system to
provide protections and stability to those who have made significant
contributions to our economy.
This legislation provides an opportunity for immigrants who have
lived here since January 1, 2011, to receive temporary protection from
removal, as well as work permits, if they are not inadmissible on
criminal, national security, or other grounds.
While this is not the permanent protection so many of us wanted, the
peace of mind that comes along with protection from deportation is life
changing for these people and their families. This legislation will
provide security and stability to millions of people, including an
estimated 1.6 million Dreamers, 1 million farmworkers, and 2.6 million
other essential workers who kept us safe during the pandemic.
The bill would also restore the availability of over 400,000 unused
immigrant visas lost due to COVID-19 or bureaucratic delay and would
enhance green card processing.
This historic and transformative legislation makes the investments we
need to continue growing our economy and strengthening our communities
for many years to come. I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule
and the Build Back Better Act.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice).
Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong
opposition to the build back broke act. A vote for the underlying bill,
along with the infrastructure package, is a vote for trillions in new
taxes and spending that will cause inflation to skyrocket and make
businesses in America less competitive. Together, these bills would
lead to nearly $3 trillion in spending before the government is even
funded for next year.
Of the many concerning provisions in this bill, perhaps the worst are
those concerning American energy. Americans are already paying the most
for a gallon of gas in 7 years; and now the Federal Government is
warning Americans that their home heating bills could cost 54 percent
more this winter as compared to last year. How is that helping middle-
income families?
Many of my constituents have contacted me about a provision in this
bill to assess a $1,500 tax on each ton of methane emissions. This
would devastate oil and gas producers in my home State of Oklahoma,
where this industry accounts for nearly 134,200 jobs and over $57
billion in economic output, over a quarter of my State's GDP. Not only
would this policy kill tens of thousands of American jobs, it would
also destroy a major source of my home State's tax revenues, totaling
over $13 billion annually, that fund schools, roads, hospitals, and our
first responders. This is unconscionable.
Madam Speaker, this rule would enable House Democrats to ram through
a poorly written and ill-conceived bill that is not supported by the
large majority of Americans.
Despite the Biden administration's claims that it is fully paid for,
a new analysis by the Wharton School of Business shows the full costs
of this measure being nearly $4 trillion, with only $1.5 trillion being
paid for. The Democrats' claims that this bill wouldn't raise taxes on
middle-class Americans is also false. This bill is full of regressive
taxes that will hurt middle- and low-income Americans, while it gives
huge tax breaks to the wealthiest 1 percent in high-tax States.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the distinguished chairman of the Committee
on Homeland Security.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman
from Massachusetts for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and the
underlying legislation.
President Biden has a bold vision for getting our country back on
track after a devastating pandemic and years of policies that ignored
the struggles of so many Americans.
What we are doing here today is about making government work for
working people.
The Committee on Homeland Security, which I lead, has used this
historic opportunity to make significant long-term investments in three
areas: cybersecurity; the protection of houses of worship and
nonprofits from domestic terrorism and other threats; and reducing the
Department of Homeland Security's environmental footprint. These are
three critical challenges confronting our Nation and my constituents in
Mississippi today.
Last week, we marked 3 years since the deadliest attack on a Jewish
community in United States history when a mass shooting took 11 lives
in a Pittsburgh synagogue.
Today, through the homeland security title of this act, we will be
able to give $100 million in new funding to help protect our houses of
worship.
This act also includes targeted funding to bolster the Nation's
cybersecurity posture in significant ways. With the $500 million
included there, we can do just that.
Finally, we include $900 million in strategic investment to help DHS
reduce its carbon footprint. Such investments have far-reaching and
direct impacts on our national security.
I thank Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth and Speaker Pelosi
for their months of hard work and for prioritizing homeland security in
this transformational legislation.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meuser).
Mr. MEUSER. Madam Speaker, after elections where the American people
rebuked the left's tax, spend, and Big Government control agenda, our
Democrat colleagues are doubling down on failed and unpopular policies
that will exacerbate inflation, workforce and supply shortages that are
hurting everyone, including waste, abuse, and fraud.
Madam Speaker, this reconciliation bill has no return on investment
for the American people. In fact, independent analysis shows it
decreases GDP and it will weaken U.S. economic strength worldwide.
The bill raises $420 billion in taxes on small businesses while
giving a massive tax break for high earners in high-tax states.
It gives amnesty and driver's licenses to illegal immigrants while a
crisis rages at the border. It spends big on entitlements that
disincentivize work and, as stated, are ripe for fraud. As well, it
misses any mark for pay-for by $2 trillion to $3 trillion.
This irresponsible spending bill, coupled, by the way, with a
bipartisan
[[Page H6222]]
Transportation and Infrastructure bill, has made it very,
unfortunately, impossible to support both, because the net effect of
these dependent bills is detrimental to our economy, national security,
and global competitiveness.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), the chairman of the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure.
Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5376, the Build
Back Better Act. By passing this landmark legislation, House Democrats
are making lasting investments in the American people, our
infrastructure, and are lowering taxes for working families across this
country.
It fights inflation. It is fully paid for. We accomplished this by
making sure big corporations and the wealthiest pay their fair share,
all while creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs that don't
require a college degree. It is no wonder why this bill is popular with
a strong majority of Americans and very unpopular with the Republican
minority.
As chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, I
am particularly proud that the Build Back Better Act will provide a
vital down payment in the fight against climate change. The
transportation sector is the largest source of carbon pollution.
Important investments in my committee, and others, included in this
bill to decarbonize transportation will address the climate crisis with
the urgency it deserves, something I have been pushing for a long time.
The nearly $40 billion from the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure will support climate investments by reducing carbon
emissions from surface transportation, aviation, ports, and public
buildings; ensure critical transportation connections to affordable
housing and reconnect bisected neighborhoods; robustly fund high-speed
rail; supply ports as they struggle with the supply chain crisis; and
ensure climate-resilient and affordable investments in our wastewater
infrastructure.
For working families, the Build Back Better Act will provide
universal pre-K, childcare, lower healthcare costs, and establish a
permanent program of 4 weeks paid family medical leave. It makes
historic investments in housing and includes provisions to ensure
affordable pricing for certain prescription drugs. This legislation
also includes investments in tax enforcement to catch the tax cheats,
the wealthiest tax cheats in America. Again, the Republicans don't much
like that part of the bill.
It should be clear: The Build Back Better Act will lower costs for
families, put money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans,
create hundreds of thousands of family-wage jobs, and good benefits.
By passing this bill, along with the Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act, we are truly catapulting Americans into the modern era,
making the largest investments to combat climate change in American
history.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
{time} 2110
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the
rule to immediately consider the Illegal Immigrant Payoff Prohibition
Act, introduced by Mr. McClintock. This bill will prevent the Attorney
General from making settlement payments to individuals and families who
have entered the country illegally for claims arising out of the
illegal entry.
Madam Speaker, we have a crisis along our southern border, and this
will only incentivize further unauthorized immigration, overwhelm our
border officials, and expose additional immigrants to danger.
Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my
amendment into the Record, along with extraneous material, immediately
prior to the vote on the previous question.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, to explain the amendment, I now yield 2
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), my good
friend.
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, if the previous question is defeated,
we will take up the Illegal Immigrant Payoff Prohibition Act.
Last week, our Nation was stunned by the revelation that the Biden
administration is about to use our tax dollars to pay thousands of
illegal immigrants $450,000 apiece and up to a million dollars per
family.
Why? Because they were separated from their minor child when they
were arrested for the crime of crossing our border illegally.
Now, remember, any American citizen arrested with a child is
immediately separated from that child. The adult goes to jail, the
minor is taken into protective custody. That is what happened.
The penalty for illegal entry is supposed to be a fine and prison.
The Democrats are literally changing it into a million-dollar jackpot.
This administration has already made a mockery of our immigration
laws by refusing to enforce them. This has now produced the greatest
illegal border incursion in our country's history.
Working- and middle-class Americans are the most harmed by this
because it is their wages that are depressed by flooding the market
with low-wage labor. It is their classrooms that are strained with non-
English-speaking students. It is their emergency rooms that are
overwhelmed by illegal immigrants demanding basic services. It is their
communities that are made more dangerous as gang activity increases and
criminal, illegal aliens are released back into their neighborhoods.
And now, to add insult to injury, the Democrats propose taking their
tax dollars to make thousands of lawbreakers fabulously wealthy as an
apology for President Trump actually enforcing our laws and securing
our border. That is insane.
The American people understand that quite clearly. Republicans will
not allow this twisted travesty to go unchallenged. If there are any
sane Democrats left in this House, I invite them to join us by voting
``no'' on the previous question.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a November 4 Vox
article titled, ``This May Finally Be the Year Congress Lets Medicare
Negotiate Drug Prices.''
[Nov. 4, 2021]
Vox: This May Finally Be the Year Congress Lets Medicare Negotiate Drug
Prices
(By Dylan Scott)
Democrats in Congress have managed to revive a prescription
drug reform proposal that would allow the party to finally
deliver on a campaign promise they've been making for 15
years: letting Medicare negotiate drug prices and lowering
drug costs for patients.
The breakthrough was the result of negotiations with a few
moderate members of the Democratic conference who were uneasy
with an earlier version. That version was briefly dropped
from the Build Back Better Act, Democrats' wide-ranging
social spending bill.
Nothing can be considered final until both the House and
the Senate pass the legislation, but the new draft of the
Medicare drug negotiations proposal appears to make some
concessions to centrists who share the drug industry's
concerns about the effect of price controls on medical
innovation.
Still, the new plan would also be a rare loss for the
pharmaceutical industry, which fervently opposes every
version of such a proposal and has lobbied aggressively to
stop it.
Under the revised plan, the maximum price Medicare would
pay would be 75 percent of what commercial US insurers pay on
average for drugs that have been on the market between 9 and
12 years, with the maximum decreasing the longer the drug has
been available. Democrats had originally set a maximum price
of 120 percent of the average of what other wealthy nations
pay for the same drug. The change should lead to drug makers
losing less revenue, the goal of moderates, though no CBO
score is yet available.
Fewer drugs would also be subject to negotiation. Under the
new plan, the government would start by negotiating the cost
of 10 drugs in 2025, before gradually ramping up to 20 after
a few years. Under the original plan, the government would
have negotiated the price of 25 drugs immediately and that
number would have eventually increased to 50.
The plan now also includes a moratorium on negotiations for
drugs that have been on the market for less than 9 years (for
small-molecule drugs) or 12 years (for biologics). Drug
companies would be penalized for price hikes that are higher
than inflation under
[[Page H6223]]
the new proposal, a holdover from prior versions of the plan.
Overall, the new plan would save the government about half
as much money ($250 billion, by the White House's estimates)
as the original plan ($450 billion). That has forced Dems to
cut down their health care spending plans, for example, by
nixing a progressive proposal to add dental and vision
benefits to Medicare. Nevertheless, Democrats can take the
savings from their new drug pricing plan and use it to lower
drug costs for seniors.
The Build Back Better Act would set a hard cap on how much
seniors who enrolled in Medicare's prescription drug benefit
pay for prescription drugs: $2,000 out of pocket annually. It
would also require private Part D plans to cover more of the
cost of expensive drugs, which experts say may motivate those
plans to try to extract lower prices from drug makers on
medications not included in the new government-led
negotiations.
The new proposal also adds a provision that requires all
insurers to cover insulin, so patients pay only $35 a month
of their own money for the medication.
Democrats have finally built sufficient momentum to approve
Medicare negotiations for the first time. They have wanted to
do this since at least 2003, when Medicare Part D was first
created. While the party still has a long way to go on
figuring out what comes next in its health care agenda, this
was one priority they knew they wanted to get done.
And with the moment of truth upon us, it looks like they
will.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
With the Build Back Better bill, we are on the verge of finally
allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which will bring down the
cost substantially for consumers.
This has been decades in the making and is overwhelmingly supported
by the American people. There is even a provision that caps insulin
costs in this bill to just $35 a month. This is a big deal for so many
of our constituents.
We are making history here today. This bill will transform people's
lives for the better.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas
(Ms. Johnson), the distinguished chairwoman of the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support
of the underlying bill, the Build Back Better Act, and in favor of this
rule.
As chairperson of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and
a Member of this body, I am steadfastly committed to ensuring that our
country has a bright future. This bill provides the resources to help
accomplish just that.
The underlying bill we will pass, hopefully tonight, will make
critical investments that ensure that we are able to address the
challenges we face. These resources will help us address the climate
crisis, rebuild after the pandemic, and renew and repair our research
infrastructure. This bill and funding will strengthen our
competitiveness and bolster our position as a global leader in science
and technology.
I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill. Investments in
research and development now will pay untold dividends for the future
health and prosperity of our country.
I am proud to stand in support of the Build Back Better plan, and I
urge that we pass this bill swiftly, as soon as we can pass this rule,
and thoughtfully for the good of the American people today as well as
future generations who will benefit from these investments.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), a member of the Republican leadership and a
valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule,
but specifically against this massive, multitrillion dollar tax-and-
spend bill.
Of course, we just got the text last night, over 2,300 pages. As we
have been combing through it, I would like to point out a few pieces in
this bill.
Let's start with a natural gas tax. President Biden promised that
anyone who makes less than $400,000 a year will not pay a dime in new
taxes. He even whispers it into the microphone. The only problem is he
breaks the promise right here in the bill with a tax that, according to
the American Gas Association, will increase household electricity rates
by 30 percent. By the way, it is low-income families that will be hit
the hardest with that increase. Broken promise by President Biden right
there.
Then you go down and you look at amnesty. It has been talked about.
Millions of additional people will get amnesty in this bill, and it
comes at a time where President Biden is negotiating--initially, he
said he wasn't, and then the White House had to go back up and say the
Justice Department is negotiating--half-a-million dollar checks to
people who came across our border illegally. And then they are going to
give amnesty to millions more people. Estimates are 7 million more
people. Can you imagine the flood that will come over when they hear
that you can get half a million dollars per person if President Biden
gets his way?
Then you go down the line. There is more, unfortunately. We will comb
through IRS agents. How many of us have our phones ringing off the
hooks with people calling saying: Please add 87,000 more IRS agents to
the rolls? Not one of us has probably gotten that call. Yet they put it
in the bill.
They call this infrastructure. They call this equity. Whatever they
want to call it, it is an army of IRS agents that are going to comb
through our bank accounts.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1
minute.
Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, they are going to be combing through your
bank account.
Why? Because they have to generate hundreds of billions of dollars to
spend on more inflation-inducing spending. That is right, according to
the Penn Wharton Budget Model, you are going to have over $4 trillion
of spending with $1.5 trillion of new taxes.
By the way, that is $2.5 trillion of additional debt, even though the
President says there is no cost. No cost, just $2.5 trillion of debt.
But these IRS agents are going to have to account for over $200 billion
to find money from your checking accounts. That is what they are trying
to do by dark of night.
We started the morning at 8 a.m. We are here after 9 p.m. starting to
get into the details of this bill. No wonder they don't want a CBO
score. No wonder they want to do this by dark of night. This is going
to induce more inflation that is hurting families all across America.
Listen to what the voters of Virginia said. Stop the madness. Defeat
this bill.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority leader.
Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, by adopting this rule, we are now lining up
at the runway in preparation to land the plane on Build Back Better.
As we wait for the CBO to complete its work and produce its analysis,
which I believe will confirm an estimate from the White House based on
the Joint Committee on Taxation's analysis of the bill's revenue
impact, and the preliminary scoring from CBO that this bill is fully
paid for.
Now, I am not saying it doesn't spend money. It does not create debt.
When the Republicans passed their tax bill, of course, they gave
themselves a ceiling of $1.5 trillion that they did not pay for on the
assertion that that tax cut would pay for itself.
The problem is none of their tax cuts have ever paid for themselves.
None. Zero. Zip. This bill is paid for. And what it will do for the
American people will be life changing for working families and moms and
children in this country.
{time} 2120
Today, we are going to pass a rule, which will allow for the
consideration of this bipartisan infrastructure bill to invest $1.2
trillion.
I was talking about Build Back Better. I am now talking about the
bipartisan infrastructure bill, 69 Senators voting for the bipartisan
infrastructure bill, which will make an extraordinary difference in the
lives of the people in this country and, as importantly, job creation
in this country, a million jobs per year. That is what this rule will
do.
This bill will help our businesses create millions of good jobs here
in our country, and it will make significant investments in promoting
the deployment of clean energy technologies and making our
infrastructure more resilient against climate change. That is what this
bill will do.
[[Page H6224]]
And again, I am referring to the bipartisan infrastructure act passed
with 69 votes in the United States Senate, almost half of the
Republicans voting for it. This legislation will mean that our majority
has delivered a major victory for the American people in a bipartisan
way, and passing this rule will mean that next up is the
transformational legislation to invest in America's human
infrastructure--our children, our families, and opportunities for the
most vulnerable in our country to access the American Dream.
Unlike our Republican friends who passed their tax bill, which was
about 85 to 90 percent of it going to the wealthiest Americans, this
bill deals with all Americans, particularly those who are the most
vulnerable, most challenged, and having the most difficult time in our
country.
So let's get this done today and show the American people that their
Congress works for them. We ought to vote ``yes'' on this.
Now, let me say what this rule provides for: a bill which will add
1\1/2\ million jobs per year. This bill, the Build Back Better bill,
will add 1\1/2\ million jobs per year and, on average, across the whole
decade, increase labor force participation and accelerate the return to
full employment; increase our total GDP by $3 trillion throughout the
next decade; keep prices stable and decrease inflationary pressures as
we continue our recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Nation has long underinvested in its infrastructure.
Now, I am sure as my friends across the aisle will remember, in 2016,
President Trump was then campaigning for office, and he pledged to the
American people that he would present a trillion-dollar infrastructure
program for this country. 2017, no such infrastructure bill. 2018, no
such infrastructure bill. 2019, no such infrastructure bill. But in
early 2019, the President said $1 trillion is not enough; we ought to
do $2 trillion. That was President Trump. $2 trillion was his
suggestion.
And we asked him: Mr. President, we will support that. Tell us how
you think we ought to fund it. Oh, we have to fund it?
The President never came forth with either a bill or with funding for
a bill. So we didn't pass that.
This President said, no, we do need infrastructure, and the figure
that Trump used is not, certainly, what this country needs, but it is a
very good start. So he sent down a bill to accomplish that objective.
That bill was not the one we passed because eight Senators from the
Republican side of the aisle and eight Senators from the Democratic
side of the aisle got together and talked about what we can agree upon.
I hear so much, particularly when I have colloquies with the minority
whip about bipartisanship, that we ought to come together, that we
ought to work together. Well, eight Senators on the Republican side and
eight Senators on the Democratic side did exactly that. And what
happened? They then went down to the White House; they talked to the
President; and the President worked with them, and they agreed.
So this is a bill that the President, 19 Republican Senators, and 50
Democratic Senators agreed was good for America. And that is what we
are enabling tonight.
The Nation, unfortunately, has long underinvested in its
infrastructure and social needs and has been slow to respond to the
threat posed by climate change. Our national security apparatus,
including the four-star generals who lead our various service arms, has
said the most existential threat to the security of the United States
of America is climate change, global warming. This bill deals with that
existential threat.
The policies being considered would direct the benefits of the
stronger growth to lower income Americans. Now, that may be why it is
sort of not what my Republican friends think ought to be done. Although
the whip talked about that somewhat, that is not what their bill did.
It addresses the long-running skewing of income and wealth
distribution in America, the richest country on Earth, where we have so
many people in poverty, so many children who don't have a good
education, so many children who don't have the healthcare they need.
This bill addresses those issues.
On November 3, 2021, according to the Economic Policy Institute,
``The Build Back Better Act's macroeconomic boost looks more valuable
by the day.'' They said their analysis shows that the U.S. economy is
not overheating due to too much fiscal relief and recovery provided
earlier this year. Expert after expert says that.
Did we have pent-up demand? We did. Are we having a supply side
problem because of the pandemic? That is absolutely accurate. The Build
Back Better agenda will ease bottlenecks and improve the resiliency of
our supply chains.
It also boosts long-term growth and economic security through public
investments and deeper social insurance. It provides a macroeconomic
insurance policy against aggregate demand growing too slowly in coming
years.
An open letter from Nobel laureates in support of the economic
recovery agenda said this: ``Success in the 21st century will require
building upon the bipartisan infrastructure deal that has passed the
Senate, which prioritizes investments in our Nation's `hard'
infrastructure.'' That is what this rule will provide for.
Furthermore, they say: ``The President's Build Back Better agenda
employs a broader conception of infrastructure by making critical
investments in human capital, the care economy, research and
development, public education, and more, which will reduce families'
costs.''
``Because this agenda invests in long-term economic capacity,'' they
went on to say, ``and will enhance the ability to more Americans to
participate productively in the economy, it will ease longer term
inflationary pressures.''
That was Nobel laureates talking about this economic recovery plan.
It was signed by 15 of those Nobel laureates.
Madam Speaker, the last 20 months have presented our Nation with
challenges we could neither have foreseen nor envisioned. A global
pandemic took the lives of nearly three-quarters of a million
Americans. If you went out to the lawn surrounding the George
Washington Monument, you saw rows and rows and rows of white flags
indicating those over 700,000, almost now 750,000 Americans who lost
their lives as a result of this pandemic.
We responded in a bipartisan way, and because of it, we did not go
into a depression. Because of it, we saved literally hundreds of
thousands of lives, maybe millions of lives.
{time} 2130
Because of our investment, we saved businesses. Because of our
investment, we saved jobs for literally millions of Americans.
From February 2020 to February 2021, 2.3 million women in our country
left the workforce, in many cases, to care for children who had to stay
home from school or care for a sick loved one. Very frankly, this bill,
as well as the Build Back Better Act, will address the critical
shortage of childcare in this country.
Thankfully, because of the swift development and deployment of
lifesaving vaccines, our economy is coming back. I don't know whether
any of my Republican friends mentioned that we created over 500,000
jobs last month. This administration has enjoyed over 5 million new
jobs in America. That is twice the number of jobs that Mr. Trump had in
his best year. And 7 million more jobs, because Mr. Trump in his last
year lost 2 million jobs--now that was because of the pandemic, we
understand that. But to say that 500,000 new jobs is not an economy
that is growing and providing sustenance for its people.
The delta variant continues to impact, of course, that recovery,
which is slower than we would like to see. Our economy, however, has
brought back nearly 5 million jobs since President Biden took office:
now 5.5 million jobs. Americans are getting back to work. And what this
bill will do is to encourage the continuance of the growth of our
economy, continue to grow the ability to educate and raise our
children, the ability of women and single parents--male and female--to
be in the workplace. We need their expertise, we need their talent, we
need their energy. And providing safe, reliable, affordable childcare
will make such a difference.
Madam Speaker, this bill that we provide for, being considered as we
end
[[Page H6225]]
this debate, will help America grow. And the bill that the rule
provides to consider at some time in the near future, will provide
Americans with a better, safer, more secure life. For them, for their
children, for their friends, and their neighbors, let's pass both of
these bills.
Let's pass the bipartisan infrastructure framework tonight. And let
us in the very near future, as this rule provides, pass the Build Back
Better Act.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains
on our side?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Texas has 3\1/2\ minutes
remaining. The gentleman from Massachusetts has 4\3/4\ minutes
remaining.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from
California (Mr. Khanna), my friend.
Mr. KHANNA. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, as a progressive, I rise today to say that our party
must unify, and we must vote ``yes'' today on both the rule and the
bipartisan infrastructure bill.
Now, I know there is all this jargon about rule and BBB and BIF, but
really, to me, this is very simple. The question is: Do you trust the
President?
I trust President Biden. I trust that President Biden cares about the
working class. And for 40 years, the working class has not had any
support. On the other side, for 4 years under Trump, they gave tax cuts
to the rich. President Biden wants to give money to working families in
the child allowance. He wants to give them a tax cut. He wants to make
sure they can pay for childcare. And he understands the working class
experience.
We will unify as a party. We will vote ``yes'' tonight. We will
deliver. And this President is going to make history by finally looking
out for the working class and the middle class in this country.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from
California (Ms. Pelosi), the distinguished Speaker of the House.
Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for his great
leadership in bringing this important legislation to the floor, a rule
of the House, to expand opportunity for so many people in our country,
to protect our planet for future generations, to do so with great
equity in a way that builds back better for women.
Madam Speaker, thanks to the tireless work of so many in the House
Democratic Caucus, all of our Members, our chairs of the committees of
jurisdiction, the members of those committees worked so hard bringing
their years of experience, knowledge, and judgment on how we would go
forward to fulfill the President's vision.
President Biden has a big vision for America and for our future, a
vision that has equity in it so that we are building with fairness for
all in our country to participate in the increased prosperity of our
Nation.
We thank the President for his great leadership, the vision that he
has put forth, the knowledge of all of his years in the Congress, and
as Vice President, in terms of legislation, and his respect for all of
our Members, paying so much attention to their concerns and, more
especially, to how we can work together to meet the needs of the
American people. This is build back better with women, build back
better for the people.
It will be one of the most significant legislative undertakings that
any of us has ever been part of. And I say that with great proprietary
attitude toward the Affordable Care Act, which was transformative and
historic. This is even bigger than that. In fact, it strengthens the
Affordable Care Act.
So if you are talking about how we want to have immediate and
enduring difference for the workers and families, creating jobs,
securing middle class tax cuts, lowering costs for families, and making
the wealthiest pay their fair share, all while contributing to reducing
the national debt--making everyone pay their fair share.
Did I hear a laugh over there? Did I hear a laugh from those who
added $2 trillion in tax cuts for the richest people in America, 83
percent of it going to the top 1 percent?
This is paid for. And more than paid for.
In terms of jobs, together with the also historic bipartisan
infrastructure bill, it will create an estimated 2 million jobs each
year, 20 million jobs into the next decade. And that is just
immediately to this legislation, not talking about what it will
generate as many more women are in the workplace. If you look at any
piece of the bill, it would be extraordinary.
Madam Speaker, if we came to the floor and just talked about
protecting our planet for our children, it is always about the
children, the green aspects of this bill are for the children and their
future. It is about creating good-paying jobs. It is about, again, a
generational challenge that we have. It is about healthcare, the air
our children breathe, the water they drink, an atmosphere in which they
can thrive. It is about jobs--again, good-paying, green jobs, making
America preeminent in the world in the new green technologies and
sharing that information with other nations and underdeveloped
countries, so that they can succeed as well.
It is also about security. National security experts come to us and
say that we must treat this as a security issue. Years ago, when I was
still on the Intelligence Committee itself--I am still ex-officio--but
then in the committee, we were even seeing the need for using our
technology and our knowledge in terms of protecting our country,
recognizing the assault on our planet that the climate crisis would be.
And why? Because as you know, with rising sea levels, encroachment of
deserts, drying up of rivers, the great rivers of Asia, all of the
things that are happening, the thermal management of the planet, the
list goes on and on, all of this has created, in many ways, drought,
famine, floods, violent storms of record proportion.
{time} 2140
So the experts say that the competition for habitat and resources
that this causes can increase conflict. Migrations and the rest can
cause conflict. We must anticipate that as a security concern, as it is
already.
And then when we talk about health for the children, jobs for their
families, security for our country, we also recognize that this is a
moral issue for us all. If you believe, as do I, that this beautiful
planet is God's creation, then we have a responsibility to be good
stewards.
But even if you don't share that religious belief, we all agree that
we owe it to our children--I would hope we all agree--that we owe it to
our children to pass this planet on to them and future generations in a
responsible way.
So even if this bill were just about that, it would be historic in
its proportion and its transformative nature, and worthy of just voting
for that. But it isn't about just that. We will make historic progress
to universal healthcare coverage in America, strengthening the ACA to
make coverage more affordable for those who buy insurance on their own.
It also contains the Medicare hearing benefit, making a major
difference for seniors.
As you probably know, Madam Speaker, I know you do, but there are
some States that would not expand Medicaid. This is a great
disadvantage to children, not only children but seniors who depend on
Medicaid for long-term healthcare and the rest. In this legislation we
expand not just Medicaid but the Affordable Care Act to draw those
people into the plan at practically no cost to them, except their
participation in an appropriate way.
Build Back Better contains historic Medicare prescription drug
negotiation. For the very first time, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services would have the power to negotiate lower prices for some of the
most expensive medicines our seniors use.
What is in the bill is a compromise. I have, for a generation, been
fighting for this important provision, for the Secretary to negotiate
for lower prices, really since, on this floor, we passed Medicare part
D, which was a real giveaway to the pharmaceutical industry. This now
reins that in.
Under this agreement, when people go to the pharmacy, instead of
paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for their insulin, their bill
will be capped at just $35 a month. Think of what the difference that
makes in people's lives and how important insulin is to them.
[[Page H6226]]
In total, the most that any senior would be allowed to pay for their
medications in Medicare part D per year is $2,000 and not one penny
more. Big Pharma's outrageous price hikes above inflation will be
halted, not only for seniors, but for all Americans. That is
remarkable. That was one of the strong points of this agreement. There
we are with healthcare.
Under the green framework, we talked about climate. Under the health,
we talked about the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, et cetera, and the
prescription drug benefit. Now we are talking about Build Back Better.
There is a hashtag: Care can't wait. Indeed, it can't, and help is on
the way. In terms of family care, Build Back Better is the most
transformative initiative in children and caregivers in generations.
For decades, hardworking families have been struggling under a system
that stacks the deck against them. A situation made even worse by the
COVID pandemic. And that COVID pandemic sort of pulled back the veil on
how hard it was for people to deal with many of these challenges.
Our legislation, the Build Back Better, builds back better because it
saves most families more than half of their spending on childcare;
delivers free pre-K for every 3- and 4-year-old in America. Just on
those two scores, parents earning, children learning. It is possible
because of childcare and the universal pre-K; giving more than 35
million families a major tax cut by extending the expanded Biden child
tax credit; putting money in the pockets of families with children;
expand access to high-quality home care for older Americans and
Americans living with disabilities.
Madam Speaker, even some of my colleagues in this body on both sides
of the aisle have frequently told me that they spend more time caring
for their parents when they are sick than they did when their children
were small and they were sick because their parents are older and more
in need of that attention.
Well, this not only provides the high-quality care for older
Americans and Americans with disabilities, it also recognizes the value
of those people who are providing that care, treating them with respect
and with proper pay.
Then we make a significant contribution to workforce development. If
we are going to build back better, even in this bill, the bipartisan
infrastructure framework, it is important to have people be trained for
the jobs; and not only in construction, but in home healthcare and in
other ways.
In doing so, it was very important to President Biden and to all of
us, but this was a must for him in every aspect of the legislation, to
advance equity and opportunity with investments in maternal care,
nutrition, housing, and more. That equity is part of what is happening
in the infrastructure bill and here. We must have equity. We cannot
perpetuate disparities in income and living conditions and the rest,
and to do so with respect for work, honoring work, and to do so in a
way that has equity.
We have included permanent universal paid family and medical leave,
which is a pillar of our work for families. I hope that this will stay
in the bill.
We must get children learning, parents earning, as I mentioned, in a
way that assures women can follow a career path as they meet their
family needs. Just think of the liberation that this is, that women
will be able to go to work, follow their career path, help provide for
their families--maybe they are a single parent--provide for their
families, all the while knowing that their children, or if it happens
to be a parent, are well cared for. I am very excited about what it
does in that regard.
Again, I talked about the climate, and I won't go back into it,
except to say that with all that we want to do in the climate sector,
we have to meet our goals. If we are going to be true to any promise to
our children, grandchildren, or future generations, Build Back Better
will enable us to do so by cutting greenhouse gas pollution by over a
gigaton, helping meet the President's vision to cut pollution in half
by 2030, and protecting our children's health. It will drive forward
the clean energy economy, creating good-paying jobs and lowing
families' energy costs. It will advance environmental justice, back to
that equity issue, as it will educate a workforce for the future and
advance housing initiatives that are resilient and green.
The Build Back Better is fully paid for and reduces the national
debt. According to the nonpartisan Joint Committee on Taxation, this
legislation is fully paid for with its tax increase provisions in the
bill raising $1.5 trillion over 10 years, not including the additional
savings from the prescription drug pricing and the IRS tax enforcement.
Further analyses, based on CBO estimates, show that the legislation
reduces the deficit by over $36 billion over the next 10 years--are you
ready for this, Madam Speaker--then by at least $2 trillion over the
second decade.
{time} 2150
As it reduces the debt and grows the economy, Build Back Better will
not increase inflation, according to experts. As 17 Nobel Prize-winning
economists recently wrote: ``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.''
Inflation is very important. We must pay attention to it. That is why
it is so essential to pay for the legislation. But I am a pay-as-you-go
person. I always want to be able to pay for and offset any new
investments that we have, so this legislation is consistent with that.
President John F. Kennedy once said that to govern is to choose. To
craft and pass this bill, choices had to be made. We see it is big; it
is transformative; and it is historic, so it will be challenging.
Different Members will have different views of how we go about
prioritizing and the rest.
In this very Chamber, when people come here, I love to tell them
about the history of this Chamber. This is a chamber that abolished
slavery, a chamber that declared war in World War II and before. It is
a historic chamber, a place that we all must treat with great respect.
And we will enhance the luster of this institution if we pass this
historic, transformative legislation.
No piece of legislation contains everything, and once we pass Build
Back Better, more work will remain to strengthen the financial security
of America's working families, to improve families' healthcare, to
protect the planet, and more. But we cannot and will not miss the
opportunity to build back better for women, for children, and for the
people.
The Build Back Better agenda creates more jobs, secures more major
tax cuts for the middle class, and lowers costs to families while
making the wealthiest pay their fair share. It is not punitive; it is
fair share.
It is an agenda for workers, for families, for children, for the
planet, and, as I said, for women. The passage of this rule will take a
strong step in achieving this goal.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule. I do so
with, again, special congratulations and gratitude to the distinguished
chair of the Rules Committee, Mr. McGovern; the distinguished chair of
the Budget Committee, Mr. Yarmuth; and so many of the chairs that you
have heard from here this evening: Mr. Richie Neal from Ways and Means,
so important in all of this; Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce
Committee; and Bobby Scott in terms of the Education and Labor
Committee--these are three really important committees in the
legislation--and housing, Maxine Waters and her contribution in that
regard; Mr. Grijalva, in terms of climate issues, from the Natural
Resources Committee. The list goes on and on.
It is a list that is really a gallery of heroes, of people who have
brought their knowledge, their experience, their judgment, and their
legislative skill to bear to get the job done for the people.
We do all of this in such a way that it has equity.
We thank the President of the United States for his extraordinary
leadership, his encyclopedic knowledge of what is in the legislation
because he has been working on these issues so long, affording the
opportunity it will provide for families, children, dads, and moms who
need to have help at home and to do so in a way that treats people with
respect, respect for their work, respect for their families, and
respect for their future.
[[Page H6227]]
Madam Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the legislation.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, a couple of things come to mind. We are told that, by
2050, the United States will no longer have carbon emissions and that,
over that same 30 years, energy requirements in this country, energy
consumption, are going to increase 50 to 60 percent. Those two facts do
not match up.
It is strange that in this massive bill we have in front of us--$4
trillion, $5 trillion, $6 trillion, who knows--there is not one word
and not $1 for nuclear energy, for advanced nuclear energy, for new
nuclear technologies and reprocessing of spent fuel. You cannot produce
50 to 60 percent more energy with windmills and solar panels. China
can't produce enough solar panels for you to keep up with that kind of
energy demand in a zero-carbon future.
We have heard a lot this evening. In fact, the previous speaker
recalled President Kennedy. His was the first inaugural I remember,
back in elementary school, and he exhorted us, he exhorted the people
of our generation: Ask not what your country can do for you.
Yet, we find ourselves here tonight with this behemoth of a bill that
is going to spend our children's and children's children's inheritance
as far as the eye can see.
This bill was finalized by just a couple of you in some secret room
someplace in this Capitol behind closed doors with no input from
Members, Members who represent literally one-half of the country. No
one seemed to pay attention to when the voters spoke earlier this week
and said: We don't want Big Government, and we don't want this creeping
socialism that we are seeing.
Yet, the response of this House was to double down on that and jam
through this massive bill.
This bill, we are told, is a messaging bill for House Democrats. I
will say the Senate is going to rewrite it. I submit you will not like
what the Senate rewrites and sends back to you. But I will tell you
this: You will not have the opportunity to change anything. Once it
comes back from the Senate, it will be a straight up-or-down vote. You
will not be able to change one syllable of your bill, and it will
become law with whatever the Senate puts in it.
There is nothing here but a partisan social spending scam that is
meant to bolster Democrat prospects. Unfortunately, your prospects
really took a hit last Tuesday night.
This bill will fundamentally change life in America for every
citizen, and not in a good way. The magnitude of the changes
contemplated in this massive reconciliation bill should require the
full input of Congress.
This should call on us and our various generations to be
transformational. Instead, we have watched all afternoon while we are
mired in the transactional. You can't be transformational if you are
mired in the transactional.
Madam Speaker, vote against this rule, vote against this bill, and
vote against the infrastructure bill. Let's do the right thing for the
people.
I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Members are again reminded to address their
remarks to the Chair.
{time} 2200
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I don't know what my Republican friends find so
offensive about making historic investments in healthcare and family
care and combating climate change. Maybe we just have different values.
Maybe they are just angry that we are investing not in the wealthy as
they did, not in large corporations as they did, but in our workers,
and in the middle-class families all across the Nation.
I am proud that we are finally allowing drug prices to be negotiated,
proud that we are establishing universal free pre-K. I am proud that we
are making the biggest expansion in healthcare coverage in a decade;
proud that we are making the most transformative investments in
caregiving in American history; and I am proud that we are making the
biggest investments to combat climate change ever.
I didn't run for office to help the well connected or just to hold
the title. I came here to actually get something done for workers, for
students, and for the next generation so we are not saddling them with
a planet whose climate is out of control. I ran for office to pass big,
bold, transformative legislation like this.
This is the agenda the American people voted for in November. They
demanded a clean break from the Republicans. They entrusted a
Democratic Congress and a Democratic White House to use their power to
change people's lives for the better. Today, we are delivering.
I know it took a while to get to this point, some ups and downs, and
I know this isn't everybody's idea of a great and wonderful and fun
Friday night, but it is testament to this President, to the Speaker,
and to the Democrats on both sides of the Capitol.
We are on the doorstep of delivering once-in-a-generation legislation
that builds on the New Deal and the promise that President Roosevelt
made over 80 years ago. I urge all of my colleagues to seize this
chance to vote for this rule and the underlying legislation so that the
American people can truly have a fair shot in the 21st century.
The system, as it exists, is still rigged against workers, against
too many families, against too many who are struggling in our country.
Let us change that reality. Let us pass the infrastructure bill, the
BIF bill, and then let us pass the Build Back Better bill and let's
transform this country for the better. I am proud to be here today to
advocate for this legislation.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ran for Congress to
help people. To help people in Chicago, in Illinois and across the
country achieve the American dream. The Build Back Better Act
represents a transformative investment in children, families, workers,
businesses, and the planet that will improve health and well-being,
advance economic and environmental justice, meaningfully address
climate change, and grow our economy while asking the wealthiest and
most secure to pay their fair share.
The pandemic has harmed tens of millions of Americans--
disproportionately hurting African Americans and other communities of
color, women, seniors, and children. This legislation directly and
profoundly helps individuals, communities, and businesses build back
better by meeting immediate needs for food, shelter, medical care, and
child care as well as long-term needs for quality education, good-
paying jobs, safe roads and water, and a healthy environment.
I am deeply proud that many priorities that I have championed are
included in this historic bill.
It provides 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers so
that they do not face the inhumane choice of caring for loved ones or
financial ruin. As Chair of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over
paid leave, I have worked closely with Ways and Means Chairman Neal and
advocates to shape this amazing, equity-generating, universal benefit.
Lower-income workers and workers of color are much less likely to have
any paid leave, yet are more likely to need paid leave due to greater
health challenges and less savings to weather caregiving without pay.
Paid leave strengthens workers, families, and businesses, and I will
continue to fight to enact this provision into law.
The bill enhances the Earned Income Tax Credit to improve the
economic well-being and increase the labor-force participation of
millions childless workers and noncustodial parents--with special
improvements to assist younger workers, foster and homeless youth, and
seniors. This provision is expected to help 17 adults nationwide and
over 600,000 in Illinois. I've fought for these improvements since the
early 2000s as part of my Responsible Fatherhood Act.
It provides $2 billion to train workers with barriers to employment--
including people with records--for careers in the allied health
professions, simultaneously connecting people to the labor force and
addressing health profession shortages. This success will help Chicago
State which has a stellar Health Profession Opportunity Grant program
and expand programs like those offered by the Safer Foundation and
Johns Hopkins to help people with records become successful healthcare
professionals.
It helps vulnerable students by making Pell non-taxable and removing
the lifetime ban on the American Opportunity Tax Credit for past felony
convictions.
It incents substantial private investment in solar energy that will
put money in the pockets
[[Page H6228]]
of millions of low-income individuals by reducing electricity costs
while making the air they breathe safer.
It contains strong labor provisions so that our investments in green
energy benefit workers as well as businesses.
It includes $1 billion for to help justice-involved adults and youth
to obtain employment and training services via the Reentry Employment
Opportunities Program. It makes sure that people leaving prison have
Medicaid coverage to improve health and successful reentry.
It includes $2.5 billion for public health approaches to reduce
community violence and trauma interventions. I have championed these
interventions with Senator Durbin in our RISE from Trauma Act.
It helps restore fairness to the tax code by rolling back the
Republicans' punitive limit on the State and Local Tax deduction to
hurt citizens and public employees in blue states like Illinois.
The Build Back Better Act dramatically reduces child poverty via a
substantial Child Tax Credit for 2022 coupled with making the credit
refundable permanently, raising a projected 4.1 million children above
the poverty line and cutting child poverty by more than 40 percent. In
October alone, the advanced CTC gave caregivers in my Congressional
District over $30 million to provide food, shelter, and other
necessities for 121,000 children.
It makes Americans healthier via substantial tax credits to cover
health insurance, coverage for millions of people excluded from the ACA
because their states failed to expand Medicaid, $1 billion for
community health centers, Medicaid coverage for women after giving
birth, tremendous funding to reduce health inequities, Medicare hearing
coverage, and reduced medication costs. African Americans' risk for
diabetes is 77 percent higher than that for non-Hispanic white
Americans. This bill limits the co-pay for insulin to $35, which will
help so many people I know.
The bill addresses racial and economic inequities for communities of
color and rural and underserved communities.
It makes the largest investment in child care in our nation's
history, saving most families more than half of their spending on child
care. Child care is a fundamental component so that our economy and
families can recover. Further, it makes historic investments to care
for seniors and individuals with disabilities so that they can receive
care in their homes and communities, recognizing the need to care for
our aging population.
It makes the largest expansion of free education since our country
established public high schools a century ago. It provides universal
and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, promoting racial equity
in education. In addition, it expands access to affordable higher
education by increasing the Pell grants by $550 for more than 5 million
students, creating grants to close the college completion gap, and
investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority
Serving Institutions, including Predominantly Black Institutions like
Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, and Chicago State.
It makes the largest investment in affordable housing and community
development in half a century. It addresses the housing crisis with $25
billion for rental assistance, $65 billion for public housing, $15
billion to build or improve affordable homes, and another $40 billion
for critical housing initiatives. The pandemic has hit Black renters
with children especially hard, with 29 percent--or an estimated 1.7
million renters--reporting that their household is not caught up on
rent.
It feeds the hungry with $10 billion for nutrition, including
expanding free school and summer meals. In 2020, Black and Latino
families with children were more than twice as likely to suffer food
insecurity as white households. Hunger has no place in the United
States.
This bill invests billions in small businesses, including $1.6
billion for minority owned business and $105 million for education and
financial assistance for the formerly incarcerated to form businesses
to create jobs in their communities. It invests over $3 billion in
capital access for small employers and entrepreneurs. The SBA lending
programs have been lifelines to local businesses during the pandemic
and these funds will help businesses build back better post pandemic.
This legislation ensures the largest effort combat climate change in
American history by: putting money back in people's pockets as they
shift to clean energy; promoting the manufacturing of clean energy
technology in the US, creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying
jobs; and advancing environmental justice to deliver benefits to
disadvantaged communities.
I am honored to vote for this once-in-a-generation legislation. I
came to Congress to make this type of momentous change to make life
better for tens of millions of people. I urge my colleagues to pass it.
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this historic
legislation and the related Rule to propel American progress. The
infrastructure bill along with the Build Back Better Act will usher in
a transformational 21st century for the American people. Rebuilding our
nation's infrastructure will create millions of living wage jobs for
the American people coast to coast. It will add value through work in
every state, hamlet, district and territory of our nation.
This measure rewards work in every sector--in both hardware and
software. The motor vehicle industry, new carbon free energy systems,
modern highways, airports, bridges, ports, rail grade separations,
broadband, and so much more. These bills strengthen America's families
and communities by relieving economic burdens that have held them back.
It allows millions of Americans to access affordable health insurance
and medications, child and elder care, and robust education and
workforce training to meet new horizons in this new era.
Major investments in education and health care for our children and
seniors have been long overdue. And, the environmental provisions to
heal our earth in an era of climate change will restore clean water,
clean air, healthy forests, and regenerative soils.
Please let me thank all the Committees and Members who have worked so
very hard on this measure. The cost of the related bills is paid for
and, as more jobs are created, and the overall wealth of our nation
increases, not only the annual deficit but also the accumulated
national debt will begin to be repaid. By passing these bills, this
Chamber meets its obligations to the American people of today and
tomorrow. Let us pass this transformative legislation as a critical
step in advancing its content to the other body. We acknowledge more
changes will likely occur as the bill moves forward. But tonight, this
House embraces the future.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as a senior member of the Committees
on the Judiciary, on Homeland Security, and on the Budget, I rise in
strong support of the rule governing debate, as well as the underlying
bill, which is the Build Back Better Act (RCP 117-18, H.R. 5376 ),
legislation making visionary and transformative investments to change
for the better the health, well-being, and financial security of
America's workers and families.
Madam Speaker, the federal budget is an expression of the nation's
values and the investments made to Build America Back Better are a
clear declaration of congressional Democrats' commitment to ensuring
that our government, our economy, and our systems work For The People.
Madam Speaker, these long-overdue investments in America's future
will be felt in every corner of the country and across every sector of
American life, building on the success of the American Rescue Plan,
accommodating historic infrastructure investments in the legislative
pipeline, and addressing longstanding deficits in our communities by
ending an era of chronic underinvestment so we can emerge from our
current crises a stronger, more equitable nation.
The Build Back Better Act makes the transformative investments that
we need to continue growing our economy, lower costs for working
families, and position the United States as a global leader in
innovation and the jobs of the future.
This $1.75 trillion gross investment will build on the successes of
the American Rescue Plan and set our nation on a path of fiscal
responsibility and broadly shared prosperity for generations to come.
The Build Back Better Act is paid for by ensuring that the wealthy
and big corporations are paying their fair share and Americans making
less than $400,000 a year will not see their taxes increase by a penny.
Let me repeat that: No American making less than $400,000 a year will
not see their taxes increase by a penny.
In sum, Madam Speaker, the investments made by the Build Back Better
Act will expand opportunity for all and build an economy powered by
shared prosperity and inclusive growth.
During general debate, I will discuss in greater detail all of the
salutary aspects of the Build Back Better Act, but today I will confine
my remarks to discuss how the legislation holds substantial benefits
for my home state of Texas.
The Build Back Better Act will bring down costs that have held back
families in Texas for decades by cutting taxes and making child care,
home care, education, health care, and housing more affordable.
These investments will provide new learning opportunities for
children, help parents and especially working parents make ends meet,
and position the economy for stronger growth for years to come.
The Build Back Better Act will create good-paying jobs for residents
of Texas, combating climate change, giving our kids cleaner air and
water, and making America the leader in global innovation and 21st
century manufacturing.
Specifically, Madam Speaker, the Build Back Better Act delivers the
largest investment
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in child care and early education in history by providing access to
affordable child care.
Child care is a major strain for families in Texas, where the average
annual cost of a child care center for a toddler is $9,428, meaning
that a Texas family with two young children would on average spend 21
percent of their income on child care for one year.
The lack of affordable options also makes it difficult for parents,
and especially mothers, to remain in their jobs, contributing to the
26.1 percent gender gap in workforce participation between mothers and
fathers in Texas.
The Build Back Better Act will enable Texas to provide access to
child care for 2,011,503 young children (ages 0-5) per year from
families earning under 2.5 times the Texas median income (about
$205,204 for a family of 4), and ensure these families pay no more than
7 percent of their income on high-quality child care.
The Build Back Better Act will provide universal, high-quality, free
preschool for every 3- and 4-year-old in America.
In contrast, today, only 24 percent of the 775,102 3- and 4-year-olds
in Texas have access to publicly-funded preschool, and it costs about
$8,600 per year for those who cannot access a publicly-funded program.
The Build Back Better Act will enable Texas to expand access to free,
high-quality preschool to more than 588,286 additional 3- and 4-year-
olds per year and increase the quality of preschool for children who
are already enrolled.
Parents will be able to send their children to the preschool setting
of their choice--from public schools to child care providers to Head
Start--leading to lifelong educational benefits, allowing more parents
to go back to work, and building a stronger foundation for Texas's
future economic competitiveness.
The Build Back Better Act cuts taxes and reduces some of the largest
expenses for workers and families, like education, health care, and
housing.
Madam Speaker, the average cost of a 2-year degree in Texas is $2,885
per year, and $11,096 per year for a 4-year degree, straining many
student budgets.
To help unlock the opportunities of an education beyond high school,
the Build Back Better Act will increase maximum Pell Grant awards by
$550 for students at public and private non-profit institutions,
supporting the 486,377 students in Texas who rely on Pell grants.
The Build Back Better Act will also invest in Texas's 112 minority-
serving institutions and the students they serve, including
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges
and Universities (TCUs), and Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs).
Madam Speaker, of the world's biggest economies, the United States is
second to last in investing in workforce development, and funding for
federal job training programs has dropped by almost half since 2001.
The Build Back Better Act invests in training programs that will
prepare Texas's workers for high-quality jobs in fast-growing sectors
like public health, child care, manufacturing, IT, and clean energy.
Fifty-nine public community colleges in Texas will have the opportunity
to benefit from grants to develop and deliver innovative training
programs and expand proven ones.
Madam Speaker, 18 percent of children in Texas live in food insecure
households, harming their long-term health and ability to succeed in
school.
The Build Back Better Act will ensure that the nutritional needs of
Texas's children are met by expanding access to free school meals to an
additional 1,642,000 students during the school year and providing
3,631,226 students with resources to purchase food over the summer.
When it comes to housing costs, more than 1.7 million renters in
Texas are rent burdened, meaning they spend more than 30 percent of
their income on rent, while homeownership remains out of reach for many
families.
The Build Back Better Act expands rental assistance for Texas
renters, while also increasing the supply of high-quality housing
through the construction and rehabilitation of over 1 million
affordable housing units nationwide.
The Build Back Better Act addresses the capital needs of the entire
public housing stock in America, and it includes one of the largest
investments in down payment assistance in history, enabling more first-
generation homebuyers to purchase their first home.
Madam Speaker, access to affordable quality health care should be a
right, not a privilege, and residents of Texas facing illness should
never have to worry about how they are going to pay for treatment.
The Build Back Better Act will close the Medicaid coverage gap to
help millions of Americans gain health insurance, extend through 2025
the American Rescue Plan's health insurance premium reductions for
those who buy coverage on their own, and help older Americans access
affordable hearing care by expanding Medicare.
In Texas, that means 1,554,000 uninsured people will gain coverage,
including the 771,000 who fell into the Medicaid coverage gap, and
1,066,400 will on average save hundreds of dollars per year.
In addition, the Build Back Better Act will support maternal health
and invest in national preparedness for future pandemics.
Finally, the Build Back Better Act will expand access to home- and
community-based care to more of Texas's senior citizens and disabled
citizens and improve the quality and wages of caregiving jobs.
Prior to the pandemic, 15 percent of children under the age of 18 in
Texas lived in poverty.
The Build Back Better Act will bolster financial security and spur
economic growth in Texas by reducing taxes on the middle class and
those striving to break into it.
Specifically, the Build Back Better Act extends Child Tax Credit
(CTC) increases of $300/month per child under 6 or $250/month per child
ages 6 to 17, which will continue the largest one-year reduction in
child poverty in history.
And critically, the agreement includes permanent refundability for
the Child Tax Credit, meaning that the neediest families will continue
to receive the full Child Tax Credit over the long-run.
The Build Back Better Act will also provide a tax cut of up to $1,500
in tax cuts for more than 1.5 million low-wage workers in Texas by
extending the American Rescue Plan's Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
expansion.
From 2010 to 2020, Texas experienced 67 extreme weather events,
costing up to $200 billion in damages.
The Build Back Better Act will set the United States on course to
meet its climate targets--a 50-52 percent reduction in greenhouse gas
emissions below 2005 levels by 2030--in a way that creates good-paying
union jobs, grows domestic industries, and advances environmental
justice.
The Build Back Better Act represents the largest ever single
investment in a clean energy economy--across buildings, transportation,
industry, electricity, agriculture, and climate smart practices in our
lands and waters.
And the Build Back Better Act will create a new Civilian Climate
Corps that will enlist a diverse generation of Texans in conserving our
public lands, bolstering community resilience, and addressing the
changing climate, all while putting good-paying union jobs within
reach.
In clean energy and in other sectors, the Build Back Better Act will
also strengthen domestic manufacturing and supply chains for critical
goods, benefiting American businesses, workers, consumers, and
communities.
To put it all in perspective, Madam Speaker, we have before us a once
in a century opportunity to make gigantic progress in making ours a
more perfect union, and to do it in a single bound with enactment of
the Build Back Better Act, the most transformative legislation passed
by this Congress since the Great Society and the New Deal.
Madam Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in voting for the rule
and voting to pass H.R. 5376, the transformative, life-changing Build
Back Better Act.
The material previously referred to by Mr. Burgess is as follows:
Amendment to House Resolution 774
At the end of the resolution, add the following:
Sec. 3. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the
House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the
bill (H.R. 5854) to amend title 28, United States Code, to
prohibit payments of compromise settlements arising out of
certain violations of the immigration laws, and for other
purposes. All points of order against consideration of the
bill are waived. The bill shall be considered as read. All
points of order against provisions in the bill are waived.
The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the
bill and on any amendment thereto to final passage without
intervening motion except: (1) one hour of debate equally
divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority
member of the Committee on the Judiciary; and (2) one motion
to recommit.
Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the
consideration of H.R. 5854.
H.R. 5854
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Illegal Immigrant Payoff
Prohibition Act''.
SEC. 2. NO PAYMENT OF COMPROMISE SETTLEMENTS ARISING OUT OF
CERTAIN VIOLATIONS OF THE IMMIGRATION LAWS.
Section 2414 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``No payment of a compromise settlement may be made in
relation to a civil action brought by an alien who is
inadmissible under section 212(a)(6)(A) or (7)(A)(i)(I) of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(A)
or (7)(A)(i)(I)), or who entered the United States in
violation of section 275(a) of the Immigration and
Nationality
[[Page H6230]]
Act (8 U.S.C. 1325(a)), in connection with conduct described
in any such section, unless expressly authorized by law.''.
Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and
I move the previous question on the resolution, as amended.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on ordering the previous
question on the resolution, as amended.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question
are postponed.
____________________