[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[House]
[Pages H6598-H6605]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




PROVIDING FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 5376, BUILD BACK BETTER ACT

  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, 
I call up House Resolution 803 and ask for its immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 803

       Resolved, That during further consideration of the bill 
     (H.R. 5376) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title 
     II of S. Con. Res. 14, pursuant to House Resolution 774, the 
     further amendment printed in the report of the Committee on 
     Rules accompanying this resolution shall be considered as 
     adopted.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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 Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Reschenthaler), 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 
may have 5 legislative days in which 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, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, today, the Rules Committee met and reported a rule, 
House Resolution 803. The rule self-executes an additional manager's 
amendment to H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act.

[[Page H6599]]

  Madam Speaker, I don't think I will surprise anyone here when I say 
that reconciliation can be a challenging process. The legislation we 
pass here must be vetted to comply with the Senate's procedural rules 
so that it can be considered there as quickly as possible. This is why 
we are here tonight, to ensure the historic Build Back Better bill can 
be taken up across the Capitol without delay.
  There was some concern that this process might negatively impact the 
policies and programs contained in the legislation. But I am proud to 
report tonight, Madam Speaker, that this rule makes only very technical 
changes.
  As the summary states, it makes ``technical changes to narrow U.S. 
Code citations and references to comply with Senate procedural 
requirements.''
  Now, let me put that in plain English, Madam Speaker. The Build Back 
Better Act remains virtually unchanged.
  That means U.S. workers will see the establishment of the first-ever 
national paid family and medical leave guarantee.
  People will see the largest expansion of healthcare coverage since 
the Affordable Care Act was passed nearly a decade ago.
  Nine million Americans will see their premiums reduced through the 
expansion of the premium tax credit.
  Four million people who are uninsured today will have access to 
quality care through the closing of Medicaid's coverage gap.
  Those who take prescription drugs will see lower costs since Medicare 
is finally--finally--allowed to start negotiating drug prices.
  The more than 25 million people who rely on insulin in this country 
will see the cost of insulin capped at just $35.
  Families will save an average of $8,600 per child every year through 
the establishment of universal and free preschool for 3- and 4-year-
olds.
  Five million students will see their Pell grants get a boost, and 
Dreamers will be eligible to receive them.
  Roughly 40 million American families will see a tax cut through the 
extension of the child tax credit. This was first enacted in the 
American Rescue Plan and will help cut child poverty nearly in half.
  And, yes, Madam Speaker, future generations will have a more livable 
planet through historic investments that we are making here to combat 
the climate crisis.
  Now, I know this has been a long process at times. The Rules 
Committee has spent more than a dozen hours over multiple meetings 
considering this bill, and that is in addition to the work of all the 
other committees.
  But now, Madam Speaker, the numbers have been crunched; the technical 
language has been vetted; and we are on the doorstep of passing this 
historic bill.
  The Build Back Better Act is a transformational bill at a historic 
moment, and it is up to all of us to seize this opportunity.
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this rule and advance this 
transformational legislation so that we can deliver for the American 
people.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman 
from Massachusetts for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, in Joe Biden's America, 70 percent of Americans 
describe this economy as poor. It is not hard to see why that is.
  Inflation is at a 31-year high. This makes it harder for everyday 
Americans to purchase everyday items. It is also wiping out wages.
  Gas prices alone are at a 7-year high.
  American families are facing the most expensive Thanksgiving on 
record.
  The backlog of ships that are waiting to deliver goods has grown by 
43 percent since President Biden promised to fix our supply chain 
crisis last month.
  Yet, here we are, about to consider the most expensive bill in 
American history. We are doing this instead of addressing the real 
problems that are facing real Americans.
  Democrats are now doubling down on their failed tax and spend 
policies that will make Joe Biden's economic crisis even worse than it 
is now.
  President Biden once said: ``Show me your budget, and I will tell you 
what you value.'' Well, the bill before us today makes one thing clear: 
Democrats value millionaires and billionaires over blue-collar workers 
and American families.
  The Democrats' Big Government socialist spending spree provides tax 
cuts of up to $25,900 for millionaires, home buying and childcare 
subsidies for couples making over $200,000, and electric vehicle 
subsidies for couples who bring in more than half a million dollars a 
year.
  Those are the values of my colleagues across the aisle. In total, 
there are $250 billion in tax breaks for the top 1 percent.
  Who will be paying for the wealthy to buy a new mansion or maybe put 
a new Tesla in their five-car garage? That is easy. It is going to be 
middle-class Americans, working families who have to subsidize these 
extravagances.
  The left-leaning Tax Policy Center found this bill would raise taxes 
on middle-class Americans by 30 percent. That doesn't even factor in 
the hidden tax of inflation that is over 6 percent now.
  This tax scheme will also destroy up to 1 million U.S. jobs.
  Just like millionaires and billionaires, China benefits from this 
bill, thanks to a ban on domestic mineral production and policies that 
make it better for foreign businesses to manufacture outside the United 
States rather than right here in America.
  Far-left news organizations also luck out with a new tax cut, while 
millions of illegal immigrants will be granted amnesty and will be 
eligible for $45,000 a year in government benefits.
  Butterflies, freshwater mussels, and desert fish also receive 
millions of dollars in this bill. There is also $2.5 billion for so-
called tree equity.
  How about middle-class Americans? We already know that they will be 
paying more in taxes and seeing fewer economic opportunities. But, 
surely, there is something in this bill for them.
  Well, for starters, Democrats are hiring 87,000 new IRS agents to spy 
on their bank accounts. Their proposal will double the chance of being 
audited, with nearly half of all audits hitting families making less 
than $75,000 a year.
  The Democrats are also implementing Big Government socialist price 
control schemes on prescription drugs, meaning that fewer cures and 
fewer treatments will be available for seniors and patients.
  Also, thanks to a natural gas tax and more than $550 billion spent on 
Green New Deal policies, Americans can expect to pay higher prices for 
home heating costs, electricity rates, and gas prices. Keep in mind 
that heating bills are already expected to be up as much as 54 percent 
for some American households this winter.
  So if President Biden's words are true and a budget is demonstrative 
of values, then it is very clear what my friends across the aisle 
value, and that is millionaires and billionaires, illegal immigrants, 
bugs and fish, and even this concept of tree equity.
  Those are the values that are prioritized in this budget over the 
concerns and needs of everyday Americans, working-class and middle-
class families.
  The Democrats' Big Government socialist spending scam is full of far-
left priorities and will further fuel the highest inflation and the 
highest spike in prices that we have seen in four decades. Sadly, it is 
going to be American workers, job creators, and families who will be 
forced to foot this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a November 17 Reuters article 
titled ``Rating agencies say Biden's spending plans will not add to 
inflationary pressure.''

                     [From Reuters, Nov. 16, 2021]

Rating Agencies Say Biden's Spending Plans Will Not Add to Inflationary 
                                Pressure

                          (By Kanishka Singh)

       U.S. President Joe Biden's infrastructure and social 
     spending legislation will not add to inflationary pressures 
     in the U.S. economy, economists and analysts in leading 
     rating agencies told Reuters on Tuesday.
       Biden has spent the past few months promoting the merits of 
     both pieces of legislation--the $1.75 trillion ``Build Back 
     Better''

[[Page H6600]]

     plan and a separate $1 trillion infrastructure plan. read 
     more
       The two pieces of legislation ``should not have any real 
     material impact on inflation'', William Foster, vice 
     president and senior credit officer (Sovereign Risk) at 
     Moody's Investors Service, told Reuters.
       The impact of the spending packages on the fiscal deficit 
     will be rather small because they will be spread over a 
     relatively long time horizon, Foster added.
       Senator Joe Manchin, a centrist Democrat, has previously 
     raised inflationary concerns in relation to Biden's social 
     spending plan, with a report earlier this month suggesting he 
     may delay the passage of the Build Back Better legislation. 
     read more
       ``The bills do not add to inflation pressures, as the 
     policies help to lift long-term economic growth via stronger 
     productivity and labor force growth, and thus take the edge 
     off of inflation,'' said Mark Zandi, chief economist at 
     Moody's Analytics, which operates independently from the 
     parent company's ratings business.
       Zandi said the costs of both the infrastructure and social 
     spending legislation were sustainable.
       ``The bills are largely paid for through higher taxes on 
     multinational corporations and well-to-do households, and 
     more than paid for if the benefit of the added growth and the 
     resulting impact on the government's fiscal situation are 
     considered'', he said in an interview.
       Charles Seville, senior director and Americas sovereigns 
     co-head at Fitch Ratings, said the two pieces of legislation 
     ``will neither boost nor quell inflation much in the short-
     run.''
       Government spending will still add less to demand in 2022 
     than in 2021 and over the longer-run, the social spending 
     legislation could increase labor supply through provisions 
     such as childcare, and productivity, Seville told Reuters.
       The House of Representatives passed the $1 trillion 
     infrastructure package earlier this month after the Senate 
     approved it in August. Biden signed the bill into law on 
     Monday.
       The Build Back Better package includes provisions on 
     childcare and preschool, eldercare, healthcare, prescription 
     drug pricing and immigration.
       ``The deficit will still narrow in FY 2022 as pandemic 
     relief spending drops out and the economic recovery boosts 
     tax revenues'', Seville said. ``But the legislation (Build 
     Back Better) does not sustainably fund all the initiatives, 
     particularly if these are extended and don't sunset, meaning 
     that they will be funded by greater borrowing.''
       The Congressional Budget Office anticipates publishing a 
     complete cost estimate for the Build Back Better plan by 
     Friday, Nov. 19. Biden said on Tuesday he expected the Build 
     Back Better legislation to be passed within a week's time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, just yesterday, economists and analysts 
made clear that the Build Back Better bill would not add to 
inflationary pressures. Let me remind those on the other side that 
there are provisions in this legislation to bolster our supply chains.
  If we want to talk about values, our values are that we want to lower 
the cost of prescription drugs for our senior citizens. Our values are 
that we think it is outrageous that drug companies charge so much for 
insulin, a drug that has been around forever, yet families are being 
gouged by these drug companies. There is a provision in this bill that 
caps insulin costs at just $35 a month. Those are our values.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Colorado 
(Mr. Neguse), a distinguished member of the Rules Committee.
  Mr. NEGUSE. Madam Speaker, with all the respect in the world to my 
colleague from Pennsylvania, to the extent he wants to talk about Joe 
Biden's America, let's stick to the facts.
  In Joe Biden's America, wage growth is up, and unemployment is down. 
In Joe Biden's America, family income is up, and prescription drug 
pricing is poised to go down.
  That is why I am excited to be here today, Madam Speaker, to support 
the Build Back Better Act and speak in support of this transformative, 
historic legislation that will inure to the benefit of each and every 
American.
  There is a lot to be proud of in this bill, such as the tax cuts for 
working families that it will deliver, the jobs that it will create, 
and the costs for working families that it will lower.
  But for me, personally, the part that I am most enthused and excited 
about is universal pre-K because, as the Speaker knows, I am a father. 
I have a young 3-year-old daughter who started preschool this year. 
There is nothing that can bring a smile to my face more than seeing my 
daughter after a day at preschool, seeing how much she has enjoyed it 
and how much she has learned. We are lucky to be able to send her to 
school, but many families in Colorado and across the country are not.
  Thanks to President Biden's vision, universal pre-K for every 3-year-
old and 4-year-old in the United States of America will be a reality.
  So let's pass this bill. Let's send it to the Senate. Let's get it 
across the finish line. And let's deliver for the American people.

                              {time}  1815

  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I just want to cite something. While campaigning for 
the White House last year, President Biden repeatedly, repeatedly 
stressed that he would not directly raise taxes on individuals making 
below $400,000.
  Information in an analysis by the Joint Committee on Taxation 
released Tuesday showed that the House version of President Biden's 
bill will start raising taxes as early as 2023 on middle-class 
families.
  Additionally, tax increases fall heaviest on the lower and middle 
class, while the super-wealthy receive a generous tax cut until at 
least 2025.
  I know my good friend from Colorado was talking about wages 
increasing. What is not being considered is that if wages are not 
increasing at the amount of inflation, people are actually having less 
purchasing power. So unless your wages have increased by 6.2 percent, 
your money earned is actually not what it was just a month or two or 
three ago.
  So, yes, wages may be rising, but they are not keeping pace with 
inflation, so everyday Americans are paying what economists call the 
invisible tax of inflation, which hurts working-class and middle-class 
families the most, particularly when you look at the amount they have 
to pay for gas prices, which are at a 7-year high. By the way, the last 
time gas prices were this high, President Biden was again in the White 
House.
  Additionally, something to consider, the budget resolution has three 
committees that are well over the budget resolution amount, which I 
believe is going to cause a problem in the Senate.
  First, the Committee on Homeland Security was at $500 million in the 
budget resolution. It is almost three times that amount on the current 
CBO score. It is just under $1.5 billion.
  If you look at the Committee on the Judiciary, you had a budget 
resolution number of just about $108 billion. The CBO came back at $115 
billion, just over $115 billion, with $369 billion from 2032 to 2041.
  Then you have the Committee on Oversight, which is almost just as 
egregious as Homeland Security's number. It was in the budget 
resolution as $7.5 billion. It is almost twice that, at $13.8 billion.
  I am not the Senate Parliamentarian, but from my understanding, this 
is going to cause significant issues at the Senate.
  But, Madam Speaker, I just want to talk about the previous question. 
If we defeat the previous question, I will offer personally an 
amendment to the rule to strike provisions in this bill allowing 
millions of illegal immigrants to live and work in the United States 
indefinitely and setting them on the path toward citizenship.
  Madam Speaker, I ask for unanimous consent to insert the text of my 
amendment in the Record along with any 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 Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume 
to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), my good friend and the former 
ranking member of the Judiciary Committee to explain the amendment.
  Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, in 10 months we have gone from a secure 
border to complete chaos. We don't have a border anymore. We don't. We 
now have what Secretary Clinton said she wanted when she ran for 
President 5 years ago. We have a borderless hemisphere.
  You don't believe it? Just look at the numbers. March was the highest 
month on record for illegal crossings at our southern border, the 
highest month on record until April, and then April was the highest 
month on record until May,

[[Page H6601]]

and then May was the highest month on record until June. June was the 
highest month on record until July, when there were 212,000 illegal 
encounters on our southern border.
  This past month it went all the way down to 164,000. 1.7 million this 
year alone. A record.
  And guess what? Thousands more in a caravan are on their way. And all 
the terrible things that happen in these caravans are there because of 
the policies of the Biden administration and the Democrats who control 
the Federal Government.
  But don't worry. Don't worry. Secretary Mayorkas said this, ``The 
border is closed. The border is secure.'' If the effects and what 
happens to kids and families on these treks wasn't so serious, if it 
wasn't so bad, you would almost have to laugh because there is no way 
anyone can describe the border as closed and the border as secure.
  In this big spending bill, this $2 trillion monstrosity, what is the 
Democrats' response to that chaotic situation on our border?
  Amnesty for over 6 million people who are in our country illegally. 
Think about that. That is their response.
  Oh, and don't forget--don't forget what the Justice Department is 
getting ready to do. When they are not spying on parents, when they are 
not treating parents as a domestic terrorist threat, our Justice 
Department is getting ready to pay people who illegally entered our 
country $450,000. I mean, you can't make this stuff up. It is why 
people all across this country are just throwing their hands up. What 
is going on?
  The cost of the immigration policies in this legislation are almost 
half a trillion dollars over the next 20 years. Half a trillion 
dollars. But, again, don't worry, Joe Biden says that half a trillion 
dollars in spending on immigration policies and all the other spending 
in this bill is going to help the inflation problem.
  There is not a rational, sane person on the planet who believes that. 
And why the President of the United States would make such a statement 
is beyond me.
  Record high inflation. The highest we have had in 31 years, and Joe 
Biden says spending half a trillion over 20 years on immigration 
policies in this legislation and all the other spending is going to 
lower inflation.

  Let's defeat the previous question. When it comes up, let's defeat 
the rule. And for goodness' sake, I hope we will vote down this bill, 
which is only going to exacerbate the already terrible situation we 
have seen. Every single policy that has come from the Biden 
administration and the Democrat-controlled Congress has been harmful to 
American families.
  We have gone, as I said, from a secure border to chaos. We have gone 
from energy independence to the spectacle of the President of the 
United States begging OPEC to increase production. We went from 
relatively safe cities to crime going up in every major urban area in 
this country, and we went from stable prices to a 31-year high in 
inflation.
  You want to buy a home? It is going to cost more.
  You want to rent an apartment? It is going to cost more.
  Put food on the table? It is going to cost more.
  Put gas in your car? It is going to cost more.
  Thanksgiving turkey is going to cost more. Christmas presents for 
your family are going to cost more in Joe Biden's America.
  This bill is so bad. Vote down the previous question, vote down the 
rule, vote down this bill for the good of the families of this great 
Nation.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I have to tell you, I think what is on display here 
really is the difference between Democrats and Republicans.
  I mean, this Build Back Better bill is about our values and about 
what we are for, about solving problems. And what we hear from our 
Republican friends is hate and vitriol, blaming Joe Biden for 
everything. It is a cloudy day out; it is Joe Biden's fault. I mean, 
everything. But no solutions, nothing that they are for.
  We passed a historic infrastructure bill 2 weeks ago. It is going to 
help rebuild our country. The overwhelming majority of my Republican 
friends voted against it, and the few that voted for it are now under 
attack by the Republican leadership and are being threatened with 
losing their committee assignments. I mean, that is their response to 
our infrastructure challenges.
  When the previous President, Mr. Trump, was in office, we had 
infrastructure week, infrastructure month, infrastructure press 
release, but no infrastructure money. Thankfully, because of the 
leadership of this President, and Members of this Congress who voted 
for it, we have an infrastructure bill.
  When you talk about policies that they are against, I mean, really, 
you are against the extension of the child tax credit, which has 
decreased child poverty by almost 30 percent?
  Are you against increasing the Pell grants and against investing in 
affordable housing?
  Are you against dealing with the climate crisis?
  Are you against, you know, the universal free pre-K for 3-year-olds 
and 4-year-olds?
  Are you against expanding the earned income tax credit?
  Are you against making historic investments in historically Black 
colleges and universities?
  I mean, I can go on and on and on. But these are the things we are 
for. What you hear from the other side is what they are against.
  I think the American people think it is more important for us to tell 
them what we are for. And what this bill is about is about being on the 
side of those who struggle in this country every day.
  And, by the way, there are investments in this bill to deal with our 
supply chain issues, which can also help with inflation, but I guess 
they are against that, too.
  I now yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn 
B. Maloney), the distinguished chair of the Committee on Oversight and 
Reform.
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I thank the 
gentleman for yielding and for his strong and important leadership on 
this historic bill.
  I rise in strong support of the Build Back Better Act and thank the 
Democratic leadership for their historic investment into the American 
lives and the lives of their families.
  We have no future if we don't get serious about combating climate 
change, and this bill is transformative in this area and so many other 
areas.
  The Oversight Committee's title would make the Federal Government a 
leader on combating climate change by electrifying the Federal 
Government's vehicle fleet. Our title includes nearly $3 billion for 
GSA and $6 billion for the Postal Service to purchase tens of thousands 
of electric vehicles and build the infrastructure necessary to support 
them.
  Electric vehicles are a sensible and cost-effective investment that 
will reduce emissions and help save our planet.
  The title also includes $4 billion for GSA to expand the use of 
emerging green technologies and to green Federal buildings.
  I am especially pleased that we have included dedicated funding for 
OMB to track labor equity and environmental standards and performance.
  It is critical that the House pass this bill as quickly as possible. 
Congratulations to everyone who is supporting this critically important 
bill.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, we are all here to represent our constituents, and I 
don't think it is a coincidence that House Democrats represent all but 
one of the 25 districts that benefit from the SALT tax provision. That 
includes Speaker Pelosi's own district. What this is, it is a tax break 
for millionaires and billionaires.
  Let's just look at the tax consequences of this bill. Analysis by the 
nonprofit Tax Foundation found, ``Over 96 percent of districts across 
the United States would eventually see a tax increase'' because of 
President Biden's and House Democrats' socialist, Big Government 
spending spree. Ninety-six percent of districts will have higher taxes 
because of that. This hurts the working and middle class.

[[Page H6602]]

  Even the left-leaning Tax Policy Center found that President Biden's 
and Speaker Pelosi's spending spree would raise taxes on middle-class 
Americans by 30 percent. That is 30 percent that you have to take into 
account when you have inflation at over 6 percent. In essence, it is a 
36 percent-plus tax increase on middle-class families and working 
families.
  This bill, though, delivers tax cuts to some people, and that is two-
thirds of the country's millionaires. Two-thirds of the millionaires in 
the United States under this bill actually receive a tax cut.
  Small businesses also get hurt. They don't get favored like 
millionaires and billionaires. This includes $400 billion in small 
business tax hikes, which some argue would take the effective tax rate 
of small businesses in excess of 57 percent.
  Additionally, this bill hires 87,000 new IRS agents that are going to 
be used to increase audits on everyday, working Americans. Nearly half 
of those audits will impact families earning $75,000 a year or less. 
About one-quarter affected will be Americans who earn just $25,000 per 
year. This will damage the working and middle class severely.

                              {time}  1830

  This isn't just numbers. We can talk about tax rates all we want, but 
when Americans go to Thanksgiving Day dinner, they will pay more than 
ever.
  If you just look at how much Americans are paying, steak is up 24 
percent. Bacon is up over 20 percent; fish and seafood over 11 percent; 
eggs, 11.6 percent. This will be the most expensive Thanksgiving Day 
dinner in the history of the United States, thanks to Joe Biden's 
economy.
  Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), my good friend and colleague.
  Mr. JORDAN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  The chairman of the Rules Committee said Republicans want to blame 
Joe Biden for everything. I am not blaming Joe Biden for everything; 
the American people are. Right-track, wrong-track polling says 71 
percent of our fellow citizens think our country is on the wrong track. 
I am not blaming Joe Biden; they are, the people we represent.
  Approval rating is 38 percent, and the Vice President's approval is 
28 percent. In the history of polling for Vice President and President, 
I don't know if I have ever seen anything that low. It is the American 
people who are fed up with what they see.
  The gentleman who chairs the Rules Committee said: What are they for? 
I will tell you what we are for. I will tell you what Republicans are 
for. I will tell you what the American people are for. We are actually 
for a secure border. Imagine that.
  We are for lower prices.
  We actually would like to have real wages be going up like they were 
under President Trump.
  We would like to have a secure border like we had under President 
Trump.
  We would actually like less crime in our urban areas like we had 
under President Trump.
  We would like to be energy independent like we were just 10 months 
ago. We would kind of like not to have the spectacle of the President 
of the United States begging OPEC to increase production at the same 
time your policies in this bill would discourage American companies 
from increasing production. What do you guys want, $8 a gallon 
gasoline?
  I will tell you what we are for. We are for a Department of Justice 
that doesn't target parents, doesn't target moms and dads for standing 
up and saying we don't want this racist curriculum, anti-American 
curriculum, taught to our kids.
  I will tell you what we are for. We are actually for not raising 
taxes on American families. That is what we are for. That is what 
American families want. They like to keep the money they earn, be able 
to put gas in their car, buy Christmas presents for their family, 
afford the things that just 10 months ago they could. Ten months ago, 
it was so much different. That is what we are for.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I don't even know how to respond to all of that. I would just say to 
my friends that the American people had what they had to offer. When 
they were in the majority, we had 4 years of Donald Trump, and guess 
what? They voted for Joe Biden and gave him a victory by millions and 
millions and millions and millions of votes. So, I don't think they 
want what they were selling.
  I just also say to my friends who are trying to lecture us on tax 
policy, my Republican friends can't be serious here. You added $2 
trillion to the deficit to give tax breaks to millionaires and 
billionaires and corporations at the expense of everyone else. It was 
shameful. It was shameful what my friends did.
  I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the 
distinguished chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
  Mr. TAKANO. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  I rise today in support of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs 
contribution to the Build Back Better Act of 2021.
  The committee has an important responsibility to advance measures 
that support veterans and honor their service and sacrifice, as well as 
that of their families, caregivers, and survivors.
  Last week, we celebrated Veterans Day. The Build Back Better Act is 
the perfect way to continue to show our gratitude with concrete, 
meaningful investment for all veterans.
  By making this critical investment at the VA, we can start rebuilding 
VA's capacity in terms of brick-and-mortar infrastructure, human 
capital, and support structures that serve our Nation's veterans.
  Now, I have a difficult time believing my colleagues across the aisle 
think that veterans are unworthy of this investment. The fact is, 
veterans from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Beaufort, South Carolina, and 
from Columbia, Missouri, to Clarksville, Tennessee, are among the 
districts that stand to gain directly from these resources.
  The most important piece of this legislation is the $1.8 billion for 
medical facility leases that fixes a longstanding backlog of lease 
authorizations. Take a look at VA's budget book, at the leases that are 
on that list. You will see it largely benefits Republican districts. Do 
my Republican colleagues not want VA facilities and clinics in their 
districts? I don't believe that for one moment. I know that they will 
attend the ribbon-cutting ceremonies, though, when this bill is passed 
into law and issue press releases when these facilities are open.
  Voting against this legislation would not only mean turning our backs 
on our most sacred promise to our Nation's veterans, but it would be a 
striking departure for many of my Republican colleagues who have long 
advocated for these investments.
  As demand for care and services at VA continue to grow, the lack of 
purposeful, usable clinic space will hurt veterans, including women 
veterans, because clinic spaces are not designed for them. A lack of 
access to healthcare providers will hurt veterans because we simply 
don't have enough providers in this country. Making investments in the 
next generation of healthcare providers is just common sense.

  I will end by saying nearly three-fourths of the American people 
agree that it is time to update VA's infrastructure. The Build Back 
Better Act gives us the framework to do just that.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  My friend and colleague from Massachusetts was talking about taxes. I 
will stand here and talk about taxes all day because, at the end of the 
night, the American people will see that the second-biggest provision 
in this bill is actually a tax break to millionaires and billionaires.
  Facts are facts. If you look at it, the Committee for Responsible 
Federal Budgets found that the SALT tax carve-out would ``be nearly 50 
times as large as the benefit of the expanded child tax credits for a 
typical family over 5 years.''
  SALT gives tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires in blue 
States. Who pays for that? Working families all over the United States.

[[Page H6603]]

  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
Louisiana (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. This is our moment. Now is the time to deal 
the working people back in.
  We need to prove to the people that the government works for them, 
not just for those on top.
  Build Back Better lowers family healthcare costs by strengthening the 
ACA, capping the price on insulin, adding in hearing benefits for 
Medicare, and much more.
  This bill would be transformative for American families. With the 
child tax credit, childcare, and affordable, high-quality preschool, 
our Nation will finally invest in our children.
  We must address the climate crisis, and we can't leave any community 
behind. Our health, our culture, and our economy depend on it.
  We cannot wait another day to build back better for the working 
families of America. Let's start now.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  One thing we need to address here also is the tax on natural gas. 
This will increase nearly everything everyday Americans buy.
  We already know that there are projections that people will be paying 
more than ever this winter to heat their homes, almost a 50 percent 
increase in some places.
  If you look at the fees in this bill, the taxes, a $900 methane fee 
phases into $1,500 in production per metric ton. That just sounds like 
numbers, but think about it. If we are taxing natural gas, we are 
taxing Americans who use natural gas to heat their homes. We are taxing 
the industries that use petrochemicals to manufacture everyday products 
that we use and manufacture here in the United States. And consumers 
end up paying that tax, as well.
  We are also making it more expensive to manufacture here in the 
United States because as you tax natural gas, it costs more to 
manufacture goods here at home. Again, the American consumer will end 
up paying this tax.
  These taxes on natural gas will do nothing more than make it harder 
for Americans to heat their homes. It will make it more expensive for 
us to manufacture products, to pay for petrochemicals. It will make it 
harder for us to actually rebuild the economy.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Jones).
  Mr. JONES. Madam Speaker, I am so proud to have played a leading role 
in securing high-quality, affordable childcare for every family in 
America in the Build Back Better Act.
  This policy is personal for me. Growing up, I was raised by a single 
mom who had to work multiple jobs just to make ends meet. She got help 
raising me from my grandparents. My grandmother cleaned homes, and when 
daycare was too expensive, she had to take me to work with her.
  Madam Speaker, no family in America, no child in America, should have 
to accompany their guardian to work because childcare is too expensive, 
certainly not in the richest nation in the history of the world. That 
is why we are investing nearly $400 billion in childcare and early 
learning programs to ensure that we solve this affordability crisis.
  The childcare provisions will transform our childcare system and help 
bring unemployed parents back into the workforce without them being 
financially burdened.
  For these reasons and so many more, I urge my colleagues to vote 
``yes'' on this historic legislation.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
  Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, this monstrosity of a bill is the most progressive and 
expensive piece of legislation in our Nation's history. It will 
fundamentally alter the course of our great Nation by codifying the far 
left's dangerous policies, such as components of the Green New Deal, 
taxpayer-funded abortion, and the weaponization of the IRS.
  In fulfilling the far left's wish list, this bankrupts America. And 
it does so, Madam Speaker, all while Americans are reeling from record-
high rates of inflation that are crippling their pocketbooks, emptying 
shelves at the supermarket, and making gasoline prices skyrocket.
  This compounded with the fact that the Biden administration refuses 
to address the myriad of crises plaguing Americans across the country, 
I am convinced that my counterparts on the other side of the aisle have 
no desire to set America up to succeed, nor are they interested in 
embracing the freedoms that we know and love, the very freedoms that 
serve as the foundational underpinnings of our great democracy.

  No, this bill moves us not just one step toward socialism, it propels 
us into Big Government socialism. That is because this bill provides:
  Universal preschool childcare from birth to the tune of nearly $400 
billion, both of which are great opportunities for Washington-
controlled curriculums and bureaucrats to indoctrinate our children in 
the most developmental of years.
  $80 billion to double the size of the Internal Revenue Service, 
further weaponizing the agency and targeting hardworking American 
taxpayers. That should frighten every one of us.
  $100 billion to establish a backdoor amnesty program that will give 
5-year renewable visas to millions of individuals illegally residing in 
the United States.
  The child tax credit to those who enter the United States illegally 
by dropping the current law requirement for a Social Security number.
  $550 billion for the Green New Deal, including billions for a new 
climate green bank, environmental and climate justice grants, and the 
United States Postal Service to convert to an electric vehicle fleet.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to 
the gentleman.
  Mr. CLYDE. And $12.5 billion for tree equity and radical 
environmental justice initiatives.
  That is right, this bill leaves us knocking on the door of Big 
Government socialism.
  My constituents sent me to Washington, D.C., to protect and secure 
their freedoms and to put Americans first, not last, and I look forward 
to voting ``no'' on this travesty of a bill.
  I encourage all of my colleagues to also vote ``no'' on this Big 
Government socialism bill.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).
  Ms. STANSBURY. Madam Speaker, I want to take a moment this evening to 
dedicate my remarks to my dear friends Jon Baran, Caitie Padilla, and 
their beautiful daughter, Sophie.
  This week, we celebrated the signing of the bipartisan infrastructure 
bill. Now, it is time to pass the other half of the President's agenda 
to ensure that our families and our communities can build a brighter, 
more just, more equitable, and more sustainable future.
  As a proud daughter of New Mexico, I represent the strong, beautiful, 
resilient people of New Mexico's First Congressional District. Over the 
pandemic, we have used every ounce of our grit, our determination, and 
our heart to get by. Yet, so many families are still struggling.
  That is why we must pass the Build Back Better Act and why it is a 
must-pass bill for New Mexico.
  We must invest in healthcare and community well-being. We must invest 
in universal pre-K. We must invest in childcare and caring for our 
elders.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the 
gentlewoman.
  Ms. STANSBURY. Madam Speaker, we must invest in addressing global 
climate change because that is our charge. Our communities are counting 
on us, and that is why we must deliver this bill tonight.

                              {time}  1845

  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I have heard a lot tonight about pharmaceuticals. This 
bill implements socialist price control

[[Page H6604]]

schemes for prescription drugs that will actually negatively impact 
seniors and negatively impact patients and those who have rare diseases 
in their families.
  There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding about this industry. 
On average, it costs $2.6 billion to take a drug to market. We, for 
whatever reason, focus on the cost per each dose. By the way, 
petrochemicals are used to make our pharmaceuticals, which this bill 
also taxes, as I said before. But there is a fundamental 
misunderstanding in how drugs are produced. If we get these socialist 
price controls in this bill, it will actually kill our innovation, or 
deincentivize any pharmaceutical company to actually reinvest and 
invest in new drugs and prescriptions, which will actually harm those 
with rare diseases and make it harder for those that are suffering from 
mental conditions to get the drugs they need.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, let's be clear. My friends are saying 
that putting a cap on the cost of insulin is somehow socialism or 
undercutting the United States of America.
  Give me a break. Talk to parents whose children have diabetes and how 
they anguish over the costs and how they worry about how their children 
will be able to support the cost of their prescriptions once they 
become 26 and are no longer on their parents' healthcare.
  So let's get real. This is a debate about values. We are on the side 
of capping the cost of insulin so that diabetes patients aren't gouged 
like they are now.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. 
Titus).
  Ms. TITUS. Madam Speaker, Democrats know that genuine recovery from 
this pandemic means more than returning to the status quo ante.
  Earlier this week, we made long overdue investments in our 
infrastructure. Now with the Build Back Better Act, we can expand 
healthcare coverage and lower costs. We can provide families with 
access to affordable childcare and universal preschool. We can reduce 
housing costs. We can cut taxes for working people while making the 
wealthiest pay their fair share; and we can make the grandest effort in 
American history towards combating climate change.
  How we choose to invest our resources is a reflection of our values. 
The previous administration prioritized handing $2 trillion to 
billionaires and big corporations.
  Let us instead invest in American workers and families and pass this 
Build Back Better Act now.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from 
Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), a distinguished member of the Committee on 
Rules.
  Ms. SCANLON. Madam Speaker, for decades Congress has based economic 
policy on trickle-down economics, eviscerating America's middle class 
in the process. But today, we reject that approach. The Build Back 
Better Act invests in American families, not hedge funds, in ways that 
will benefit all of us.
  I would mention two investments of particular importance to my 
district in Pennsylvania: Children and veterans.
  This bill builds upon the American Rescue Plan that we passed in 
March to expand benefits for families and support for childcare. In 
doing so, it will reduce child poverty more and produce generational 
benefits to our country. The bill also makes long, overdue investments 
in the aging infrastructure of our Veterans Administration; including 
upgrading medical facilities and finally digitizing service records 
that are required for veterans and their families to obtain the 
benefits our Nation has promised to them.
  With this bill, we can create real, sustained economic growth that 
benefits all Americans, and I am proud to support it.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I would just note that this bill 
does not include the Hyde amendment, which will allow taxpayer dollars 
to be used to fund on-demand abortions.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, in this season of giving, as we sit 
down to our Thanksgiving table, I hope the American people will know 
that we have handed them a gift over corporate greed that is insistent 
on raising the price of goods. We presented to them the Build Back 
Better Act.
  And for those naysayers who want to talk about inflation, Mark Zandi 
said, ``The bills do not add to inflation pressures, as the policies 
help to lift long-term economic growth via stronger productivity and 
labor force growth,'' that is from one of the renowned economists in 
this Nation.
  Madam Speaker, what I am fighting for is to make sure that Perla 
Rosalez in Texas has health insurance for the first time in decades. I 
remember that I cried when we were not able to give all of these 
uninsured persons insurance. We are giving them health insurance and we 
also--as chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland 
Security, and Investigations--are giving community violence dollars to 
stop the violence.
  Madam Speaker, this is a bill we should pass. Support the Build Back 
Better bill for the American people.

  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, while I have tremendous respect for 
my colleague from Texas, I do want to point out that according to 
Moody's Analytics, consumer prices will rise 2.24 percent higher after 
the Biden infrastructure and the American Rescue Plan and the Build 
Back Better spending spree then in a Biden-free economy.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman 
from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).
  Mr. CONNOLLY. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, Mr. McGovern, for 
yielding.
  Madam Speaker, when I served in local government, I helped to write 
and pass 14 consecutive budgets. If I learned one thing from that 
process, it is that budgets are statements of values. When Republicans 
last used the budget reconciliation process, it was to pass a $2 
trillion tax giveaway to the wealthy. Before that, they used it to rip 
healthcare away from more than 20 million Americans. They stated their 
values loudly and clearly.
  Well, here are our values in this bill. We value working Americans, 
and are using reconciliation to cut their taxes; not the rich. We value 
American children and parents, and are using reconciliation drastically 
to lower childcare costs, provide paid family leave, and guarantee 
access to preschool. We value the health and well-being of the American 
people, and are using reconciliation to expand access to vital health 
services, especially our seniors. And we value our environment, and are 
using reconciliation to make the single largest investment in the fight 
against climate change in history.
  These are our values. This is how we build back a better America, not 
only for the rich and well-connected, but for all Americans.
  Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of this important investment in our 
future.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I think it should be noted that 
this bill actually impedes and bans domestic energy and mineral 
production, which will actually increase our dependencies on resource 
suppliers, from OPEC, Russia, and China. I just think that should be 
noted.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida 
(Mrs. Cammack), my good friend and colleague.
  Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Speaker, I thank my good friend from Pennsylvania 
(Mr. Reschenthaler) for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I am going to read a statement from one of my 
Democratic colleagues here today.
  ``Because of last-minute late-night changes to the latest version of 
the Build Back Better Act, two-thirds of millionaires would get a big 
tax cut for the next 5 years under the bill. That is one reason that I 
refuse to vote for the bill without time to review the changes made to 
it a little over a week ago. Now we know. The tax benefits to

[[Page H6605]]

these millionaires over 5 years could be 50 times as large as the 
benefit of the child tax credit for a typical low- or middle-income 
family. The bill spends more on tax breaks for millionaires than on 
childcare assistance, education, seniors, and even more than all of the 
healthcare provisions combined.''
  This is from one of our Democratic colleagues. If one of our 
Democratic colleague is stating this, then we know that there is 
bipartisan opposition to this bill, a bill that we know is going to 
kill every single American's American Dream. This is a socialist 
nightmare that we can simply not afford.
  One in 25 people in this country is here illegally, and this bill 
will create a pathway for amnesty and all of the social welfare 
programs that go with it. We cannot afford this. We cannot agree to 
bankrupt our children and our grandchildren because of a political 
agenda. It is unfair. It is not right. It is un-American. I urge all of 
my colleagues, consider your children, your grandchildren.
  Madam Speaker, 10 years ago, I, myself, was homeless, and under this 
bill, had these programs been in place, I probably would have never 
been able to be standing here today because the American Dream is 
bankrupted under this bill.
  Madam Speaker, I urge every single one of my colleagues, think with 
your hearts and your heads rather than the political agenda that you 
have been tasked with executing. Vote for the American people.
  Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, you have to love these Republicans. They get up and 
talk about everything but what is in this Build Back Better bill. When 
all else fails, they get out and they bash immigrants again, blame 
immigrants for everything.
  Having a tough time at work? Well, blame an immigrant.
  Having a problem with your marriage? Well, blame immigrants.
  But the bottom line is, they come to the floor and they tell us what 
they are against but they don't tell us what they are for. This bill 
includes an extension of the child tax credit, which has already 
reduced child poverty in this country by 30 percent. They are against 
that? We are for that.
  This bill actually caps the cost of insulin to $35 a month. Talk to 
your constituents who have to rely on insulin to save the lives of 
their children. I mean, really? You are against that? We are for that.
  We actually care about our children's future. That is why there is 
money in here to deal with the climate crisis; while my friends deny 
that there is even a climate crisis to be concerned about.
  So give me a break. Give me a break. This is a statement of our 
values. This is what we are for. We don't hear what they are for. All 
we hear is what they are against.
  Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Soto).
  Mr. SOTO. Madam Speaker, headline: Democrats deliver for the American 
people again. Democrats deliver for Central Florida, again. Lowering 
prescription drug prices and capping costs for seniors. Extending child 
tax credit payments. Paid family leave and lower childcare costs for 
Central Florida families.

  Providing nearly 1 million Floridians with an expansion of the ACA, 
boosting affordable housing, immigration reform, the largest effort to 
combat climate change in history.
  And unlike the GOP tax scam that busted the deficit by $400 billion 
and $4 trillion in debt, we pay for ours with major corporations, and 
the wealthy paying their fair share.
  Madam Speaker, the Republicans are doing nothing but divide. The 
Democrats are delivering for America.
  Mr. RESCHENTHALER. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Madam Speaker, with record high inflation and gas prices, supply 
chain shortages, and what is going to be the most expensive 
Thanksgiving on record, Democrats should focus on addressing real 
economic crises that are facing real Americans and real American 
workers every day. But instead, this bill before us would actually 
double lower- and middle-income earners chances of being audited. It 
would make it more expensive for them to heat their homes and fill 
their gas tanks, and it will actually drive businesses and jobs 
overseas; further damaging our economy.
  Democrats are extending tax breaks in this bill, extending tax breaks 
for millionaires and billionaires and jamming through far-left radical 
policies that will only drive prices higher and make our paychecks 
lower.
  If President Biden and congressional Democrats get their way, average 
Americans will be pinching pennies while our country's coastal elites 
will be legally evading taxes and getting tax subsidies and tax breaks 
to put another Tesla in their five-car garage.
  Madam Speaker, for that reason, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no,'' 
and I yield back the balance of my time.



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