[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                           DEMOCRATIC AGENDA

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, now on implementation, as President Biden 
pointed out last week during his State of the Union Address, the 
Democratic agenda is already bearing fruit across this country. There 
will be tens of thousands of projects funded. Last week, for instance, 
I joined with President Biden to talk about Gateway in New York, which 
is something New Yorkers have waited for for decades and is vital to 
continuing the health of our bistate--New York-New Jersey--economy as 
well as the economy of the Northeast.
  When the President came and we actually started working on the 
project, you could feel exaltation and excitement in the city. That is 
going to start happening again and again everywhere--in urban, 
suburban, and rural areas--as Democrats make it a priority to get the 
word out about all the good things that are coming the American 
people's way. It is one thing for Americans to read about things that 
Congress has passed, but when they can actually feel and see these 
accomplishments play out in their communities, it makes a world of 
difference. We have a responsibility to make the connection between 
what happens in this Chamber and what is going on in people's 
backyards.

  This morning, I sent out a Dear Colleague with Senator Stabenow about 
how Democrats are going to get the word out on implementing our agenda 
in the coming weeks. We have a great story to tell the American people 
and no shortage of examples of how our agenda is making the country 
stronger and making Americans' lives better.
  Let me give a few examples: Seniors on Medicare, for instance, can 
now, already, take advantage of Democrats' historic $35-a-month cap on 
insulin. After years of hard work, this is no longer an aspiration; a 
$35 insulin cap is now the law of the land. Seniors, who were up nights 
worrying how they were going to pay $400, $500, $600, $700 a month for 
this vital drug when you have diabetes can now breathe easy. Millions 
of people--the seniors and their families and friends--can breathe 
easier because of what we have done.
  Now--let's not forget--we should be expanding the cap to all 
Americans, not just to those over 65. And in this Congress, Democrats 
are going to work hard, try to work with our Republican colleagues--we 
hope they will join us--to make that happen.
  Here is another one: Very few people know of this, but we are 
spreading the word. Seniors on Medicaid can take advantage of free 
shingles vaccines. These two benefits alone--the insulin cap and free 
shingles vaccines--could mean hundreds in savings every year for 
seniors on Medicaid. And so many seniors are.
  On the infrastructure fund: Communities across the country can now 
apply for new grant funding to fix their roads, their bridges, their 
highways. These are perhaps the most obvious examples of our agenda at 
work. People are going to start seeing more orange vests, more 
hardhats, and good-paying union jobs in their communities as the 
communities get the updates they sorely need.
  And the Inflation Reduction Act is already doing exactly what its 
name suggests: saving people money. The tax credits alone can give 
families as much as $14,000 for making their homes energy efficient. 
People can put in heat pumps, get help to get those heat pumps, and 
their heating bills go down. It is a great thing.
  The examples go on. Democrats are going to make implementation a top 
priority in this Congress. After everything we have been through over 
the past 3 years, Americans deserve to hear some good news about how 
their leaders are working hard for them. That is precisely what we will 
focus on in the coming years.

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