[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 56 (Wednesday, March 30, 2022)]
[House]
[Page H3981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        PRESIDENT BIDEN'S BUDGET

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Rose) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, on Monday, President Biden released a budget 
proposal calling for the highest sustained level of government spending 
in American history.
  Unfortunately, despite record-high inflation caused by his 
administration's reckless and out-of-control spending, President 
Biden's budget request fails to fight inflation and leaves our military 
woefully unprepared if enacted as is. Instead, it uses budget tricks 
and misguided projections, combined with already-expiring spending 
programs, to forecast an unrealistic decrease in the deficit, all while 
raising taxes.
  In fact, the White House assumed inflation would only be 2.3 percent 
for this year when, in reality, the actual inflation rate is running at 
7.9 percent. Furthermore, they used an extremely low interest rate 
forecast, even though the Federal Reserve recently raised interest 
rates and signaled more rate increases would be on the way. Worst of 
all, they take credit for the temporary spending programs used to 
combat the pandemic that are already set to expire and are calling it a 
spending cut.
  The only explanation for such drastic errors and misguided messaging 
is that the Biden administration intentionally wanted to mislead the 
American people and save face for a failed first year of one-party 
Democratic control. It is absurd that President Biden thinks he can 
pull the wool over the American people's eyes and fool them into 
thinking he has taken the issues of inflation, the debt, and the 
deficit seriously.
  But we know that is not the case because President Biden and 
Congressional Democrats spent trillions of tax dollars during the first 
year of complete Democratic control to enact their ultra-leftwing 
agenda and satisfy their so-called progressive base, resulting in an 
increase in inflation every month President Biden has been in office.
  Even after a year of record spending on unnecessary social programs 
and burdensome environmental regulations that terminate American jobs 
and make us reliant on foreign energy, the President did not learn his 
lesson. His budget proposal spends billions of dollars on Green New 
Deal initiatives while doing everything possible to eliminate the 
American oil and gas industry.
  The worst part of President Biden's bloated budget is what it means 
for America's Armed Services. If we want the future of our military to 
be as strong as our current military then, at the very least, it would 
need to be funded at the same level of inflation. Instead, military 
spending only increases by 4 percent, well below the current level of 
7.9 percent and future projections.

                              {time}  1115

  Amid an active land war in Europe, President Biden's budget would 
shrink the Active-Duty Army to just 473,000 troops. That would leave 
the service at its smallest size since 1940.
  Before releasing his budget, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the 
President that inflation would make it difficult to buy the ships that 
the Navy needs to continue to develop new weapons and to pay our troops 
at a fair wage. Apparently, the President didn't listen.
  How can we expect to compete with China and other adversaries if we 
are decreasing the size and strength of our military and are unable to 
fund the research for new weapons? We simply cannot.
  It has become apparent that President Biden's White House has adopted 
a uniform policy when combating inflation. If you close your eyes, 
cover your ears, plug your nose, and bite your tongue, inflation ceases 
to exist. We know that is not the case.
  Madam Speaker, I have repeatedly called on the President to unleash 
America's energy independence, reign in government spending, eliminate 
the burdensome taxes and regulations on job-creating industries and 
families, and return to the policies that put America first.
  Thankfully, Congress will decide what to spend for the sake of our 
constituents, for our children, and those that follow after them. Let's 
hope we can come together and pass a budget that puts the brakes on 
inflation and prevents our country from driving off a fiscal cliff.

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