[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 210 (Monday, December 6, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S8920]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                       Senate Legislative Agenda

  Now, Madam President, on a different matter, as we begin the first 
full week of December, there is much that the Senate must attend to 
before we reach the end of the year.
  First, Senate Democrats remain committed to taking up and passing 
President Biden's Build Back Better Act before Christmas. As I outlined 
in a letter to my caucus this morning, Senate Democrats have been 
working furiously to clear the necessary steps to achieve this goal. As 
we all know, the reconciliation process is not an easy one.
  The reason this timeline is so important is that this legislation is 
about lowering costs for American families. As we enter the winter 
months, American families deserve a little extra help in affording 
things like childcare and pre-K. They need help in lowering costs on 
things like prescription drugs and making healthcare more affordable, 
and families need to know that critical programs like the child tax 
credit will continue uninterrupted. This program has already done 
immense good for millions upon millions of families. Build Back Better 
will make sure these benefits stay in place.
  For these reasons, we are going to continue the process until Build 
Back Better is signed into law. This is arduous work. It takes time, 
precision, and a lot of pieces moving together. It has taken months of 
communication, negotiation, and countless late nights and weekend 
workdays to bring us to this point.
  I want to thank my colleagues, their staff, and the Parliamentarian 
for dedicating the full measure of their attention and talent toward 
this endeavor. We are close, and we will keep going until the job is 
done.