[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 18, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2566-S2567]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   Unanimous Consent Request--S. 4249

  Mr. SCOTT of Florida. Mr. President, last week, President Biden tried 
to blame me for the current inflation crisis. In a speech where he 
couldn't even get my State right--I proudly represent Florida, in case 
he needs another reminder--he attacked me and tried to blame the record 
inflation he created on Republicans. I guess he has also forgotten that 
he is the President and that it is his policies that created this mess. 
And, by the way, Democrats are in control of the House and the Senate.
  What is clear to the American people is that Joe Biden is to blame 
for the inflation that is hurting them more every day. Families I talk 
to in Florida are sick and tired of this President's failures. They are 
sick and tired of seeing an incoherent, confused man ramble on in the 
White House, with no plan but to blame everyone else but himself for 
the problems he created.
  Last week, the Biden administration reported that the Consumer Price 
Index, our main measure of inflation, increased 8.3 percent year-over-
year, and the latest Producer Price Index, released just a day later, 
showed wholesale inflation in April increased 11 percent over the year. 
These price hikes hurt real families, and they are impacting every 
industry. We see it in the price of groceries, like milk, eggs, and 
meat. We see it in the price of gas at the pump and electricity for 
your home. We see it in the price of used cars and in the cost of 
transportation. Everything is going up, and some products, like baby 
formula, are nearly impossible to find.
  It is causing families to make impossible choices. In March, a Census 
Bureau report found that over the last year, 24 percent of Americans 
reduced or went without basic items such as food and medicine as a way 
to afford their energy bills. In my home State, 26 percent of 
Floridians had to make this impossible choice.
  Let's be clear. The financial pinch families are facing, the supply 
chain crisis families are facing, and the skyrocketing prices families 
are seeing are because of the radical spending agenda being pushed by 
President Biden and Democrats in Washington. Their reckless government 
spending has sent our economy into a downward spiral. Our debt has 
grown to over $30 trillion, and Biden wants to push it up to $45 
trillion even as our GDP is contracting. Inflation has risen to the 
highest levels in over 40 years. It is wrecking our economy.
  We need bold action to fix this mess and help families struggling to 
keep up.
  I came to the floor to stop the insanity and introduce a budgetary 
point of order. My bill would stop any nondefense discretionary 
spending that would increase the deficit over the 10-year budget window 
when the average annual CPI inflation is 3 percent or higher. The 
Federal Reserve's target for inflation is 2 percent, so setting the bar 
for the point of order 50 percent above this target is totally 
reasonable.
  My point of order would not even apply during time periods when 
inflation is at or slightly above the Federal Reserve's target. Of 
course, we need flexibility for emergencies, so my bill would allow 
this point of order to be waived if two-thirds of the Senate agree that 
deficit spending during times of elevated inflation is desperately 
needed. Further, my point of order would not apply to funding our armed 
services nor would it apply to any mandatory spending, such as Medicare 
or Social Security.
  This is commonsense legislation. This bill would put in place the 
same scrutiny that families, especially poor families like mine when 
growing up, use in order to stay on budget. It is the same kind of 
careful examination that small business owners have to do to make sure 
they can pay their employees and make ends meet. The inflation we are 
seeing right now is unsustainable. It is time for action. I hope we 
will all come together to agree to this point of order.
  As in legislative session, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed

[[Page S2567]]

to the immediate consideration of S. 4249, which is at the desk. I 
further ask that the bill be considered read a third time and passed 
and that motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the 
table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  The Senator from Vermont.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, in reserving the right to object, if the 
Senator from Florida's bill were to pass, it would make routine 
domestic spending bills nearly impossible to be passed in the U.S. 
Senate, freezing spending at current levels.
  I worry that the Senator from Florida believes the false impression 
that inflation does not impact the millions of Americans who benefit 
from nondefense discretionary programs. These are people who have to go 
to work every single day and try to figure out if they are going to 
have enough money to put groceries on their table. This bill would make 
things worse for the American people, not better.
  As an example, this year, the cost of the veterans medical care 
system is expected to grow by $21 billion. We have all heard the 
patriotic speeches of how we stand behind our veterans when they answer 
the call, but I wonder how many VA hospitals and clinics in Florida 
would have to be closed if this proposal were to be approved. I know 
there are a lot all over the country that would have to be closed.
  Natural gas costs have grown by 35 percent this year. Do any of us 
who may be from a State where the weather can get warm want to tell our 
constituents who rely on the LIHEAP program to cool their homes ``No, 
you don't need air conditioning because the money is not going to be 
there''?
  If Florida is struck by another hurricane this summer and the Senator 
from Florida's constituents look to FEMA for fuel, food, and water, 
will the Senator tell his constituents ``Sorry. Inflation was too high. 
You are on your own. We can't respond to that emergency''?
  In 2017, Members on the other side of the aisle lined up to vote for 
a $1.9 trillion tax cut for the wealthy--a tax cut that I believe has 
contributed to the inflation we now see in the country. There is 
nothing in this request to roll back those tax cuts. So I object.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Objection is heard.
  The Senator from Florida.