[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 199 (Tuesday, November 16, 2021)]
[House]
[Page H6273]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             RECONCILIATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MANN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the gross misuse of a 
noble process called reconciliation and the President's apparent lack 
of concern for the well-being of rural and middle-class Americans.
  The reconciliation process exists to do exactly what its name 
suggests--to direct Congress with a tool of compromise to reduce the 
national deficit with a simple majority vote in both Chambers. 
President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and House Democrats are, instead, 
using this process to jam partisan legislation through a deadlocked 
Congress. This is shameless, and American taxpayers will bear the cost 
in both their wallets and their consciences.
  The reconciliation package is chock-full of policy moves that will 
damage our country and compromise our integrity as a nation. Among them 
are the expansion of welfare without work requirements. At a time when 
our supply chains are in crisis and we have help wanted signs at every 
corner, this will only worsen the issue. Another troubling provision 
would give the IRS $80 billion to hire 87,000 new agents and ramp up 
audits on individuals and small businesses.
  Just a few other terrible provisions include increasing penalties for 
businesses who don't comply with OSHA vaccine mandates which are an 
egregious Federal Government overreach, imposing new fines on the oil 
and gas industry, and punishing States like Kansas who have opted not 
to expand Medicaid.
  Perhaps the worst part of the entire reconciliation package, though, 
is what is not included. Democrats have excluded the Hyde amendment, a 
longstanding bipartisan amendment that protects Americans who oppose 
abortion from being forced to pay for these abortions from their tax 
dollars.
  While the President is on a tax-and-spend spree for his party's 
leftist wish list, the price of nearly everything is skyrocketing in 
this country. Americans are heading into the holiday season more 
financially insecure because of this administration's policies. 
Consumer prices have increased over 6 percent since last year--the 
highest rate of inflation in over 30 years. Should this massive 
spending package become law, Mr. Speaker, you can expect prices to keep 
going up.
  While the White House has stated this bill will cost $1.75 trillion, 
the true cost of the reconciliation package could be as much as $3.98 
trillion according to some models. As if adding to our Nation's already 
enormous debt wasn't enough, this bill will drive up inflation and end 
up taxing the middle class.
  This bill is twice as long as the Bible, it is toxic for the American 
people, and it is a gross misuse of a usually noble process. I stand in 
opposition to it on numerous counts.
  Mr. Speaker, the BBB is bad, bad, bad for America, and I urge this 
Congress to join me in strongly opposing it.

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