[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 10, 2023)]
[House]
[Page H2180]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             LOWERING COSTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Nickel) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NICKEL. Madam Speaker, it has been just over 100 days since I was 
sworn into office, and it is an amazing honor and privilege to 
represent the people of North Carolina's 13th District.
  Over the last few months, I have had the pleasure of hearing from so 
many of my constituents through phone calls, emails, texts, townhall 
meetings, and meetings all over the district.
  Right now, the reality is that North Carolinians need help keeping up 
with the rising costs of goods and services. Seniors and young parents 
alike deserve the opportunity to build their families and put down 
roots. However, with an unfair and overburdensome tax system, coupled 
with the increasing cost of living, making ends meet is tough.
  To show this, I commissioned an economic impact report using a sample 
budget based on the median costs for basic necessities through the 
Economic Policy Institute and the United States Census. The report 
shows that working families are finding it hard to pay for things like 
rent, groceries, childcare, and healthcare.
  Madam Speaker, when you take a closer look at the budget breakdown, 
it is a real wake-up call. A working family could spend about 19 
percent of their income on childcare, 21 percent on housing, and 22 
percent on healthcare.
  I have collected testimonials and survey responses from hundreds of 
constituents who shared their personal experiences dealing with the 
rising cost of childcare and the rising cost of housing.
  I heard from a former State employee and mother of three who shared 
that she spends 50 percent of her income on childcare. She noted that 
over the past several years, childcare prices have not decreased and 
that salaries are not commensurate with inflation and the cost-of-
living increases.
  I also heard from a family whose youngest son, a recent college 
graduate with a job at the median salary in North Carolina, can't pay 
rent or purchase a small home in Raleigh or in the suburbs. They are 
worried because we want our young people to succeed, but it is hard to 
do so under the current circumstances.
  Madam Speaker, it is clear, working families are struggling to keep 
up. Working families deserve to know that their leaders are willing to 
roll up their sleeves and find bipartisan solutions that will make a 
real difference in their lives and their budgets.
  I am working to do just that. In Congress, I am working in a 
bipartisan way to level the playing field for working families by 
lowering out-of-pocket costs and creating a fair tax system that 
benefits everyone.
  I am leading the charge against a proposal to implement a 30 percent 
national sales tax instead of a Federal income tax. That would be a 
disaster for working families.
  I have cosponsored the COVER Now Act to lower healthcare costs. I 
have cosponsored the Food Deserts Act which will increase access to 
grocery stores and help address the cost of food. I have cosponsored 
the Child Care for Every Community Act to expand access to affordable 
childcare.
  I have also just introduced today the ACRE Act to help lower mortgage 
costs for rural communities and enable North Carolina farmers to have 
greater access to credit through community banks.
  Madam Speaker, as I stand here in this absolutely magnificent 
Chamber, I am constantly reminded just how fragile our democracy is--
our government of the people, by the people, and for the people.
  As the Representative for the people of North Carolina's 13th 
District, I will keep working hard in a bipartisan way to find 
solutions to get results for our families, our friends, and our 
neighbors.

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