[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 100 (Wednesday, June 11, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2622-H2623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 ELECTION PROMISES MADE, PROMISES KEPT

  (Mr. Haridopolos of Florida was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. HARIDOPOLOS. Mr. Speaker, I bring good news today talking about 
what is happening right here in our great House.
  First and foremost, what I am most pleased about is, isn't it 
refreshing that when politicians talk during election time, they 
actually for a change keep the promises that they made to the public. 
The President promised the idea that we would get America back on 
track, secure our border, and reduce taxes for those hardest hit over 
the last 4 years.
  When people look at the tax bill they are working on, what is called 
the big, beautiful bill, the great thing about it is that who gets 
helped most. Those folks who earn overtime, who earn tips, who have 
earned Social Security, those are the folks being helped by this tax 
package we are putting together.
  One of the myths that is out there, over and over I hear on this 
floor every day, is that somehow this is a big tax cut for the rich.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. Speaker, let me inform the public very clearly: The current tax 
rate for the rich is 37 percent. Under this bill, the tax rate will be 
37 percent.
  When you look at the actual tax cut package to those folks who are 
hardest hit with high food prices, rent prices, and gas prices and are 
now, finally, getting relief, let alone families who are enjoying the 
largest tax cut in American history with this package, it is smart 
policy to reward those families that make America work every single day 
and to recognize that sometimes the government has left them behind and 
that we need to step up and help those folks most in need.
  The second issue that a lot of people talk about--in fact, in my 
campaign the most--was the issue of the border. They talk about almost 
10 million people coming here, not just illegally, but we don't even 
know who the heck they are. They could be all kinds of vicious. We want 
to make sure that we let people into this country who are the right 
people who assist and contribute to society as opposed to taking from 
it, let alone commit violent actions against society.
  The good news to report is that the number of people coming across 
the border is down 99 percent. It didn't take a new law. It simply 
meant enforcing the law. Those people who are enforcing the law are 
actually men and women in the military, including my own son, who is in 
the United States Air Force.
  The great news is that because America's spirit is back, the 
enlistment numbers are at record levels. A year ago, they were at 
record lows. Now, they are at record highs.
  That is the kind of enthusiasm that people have, once again, for 
America. The chants of ``USA, USA'' will permeate not just, of course, 
at the baseball stadium tonight but across America because we believe 
that America is back. The respect is back, especially after the 
failures of what happened in Afghanistan.
  With this in mind, how do we move forward? One of the things that has 
really disappointed me is this debate we have had about Medicaid. I 
happen to know a lot about Medicaid because I

[[Page H2623]]

am a former member of the Florida State Senate, and Medicaid is the 
fastest-growing government program in our State.
  Just so everyone understands, it is not Medicare. It is Medicaid. 
Medicaid is the program that is simply known as welfare healthcare, 
which helps people most in need: persons in nursing homes, the 
disabled, kids from low-income families, and pregnant women. That is an 
essential program, and we want to help those people who truly are most 
vulnerable.
  Yet, the demagoguery on this issue has really gone over the top, and 
it is really frustrating, as a person who actually understands 
Medicaid, that we are not cutting one single person out of that program 
who truly qualifies for that program.
  The only people who will be out of that program or ``lose 
healthcare'' are people who lied on their applications and are no 
longer eligible.
  Second, if a person is an illegal alien, they will not get Medicaid. 
People will say that is not true. Ask the Governor of California. He 
even talked about how he is going to make sure that we can't allow 
illegal aliens on Medicaid.
  Third and finally is the issue that if you are able to work, you 
should work. You should not be a ward of the State. You should not be 
getting free healthcare when other people are working hard to pay their 
$1,500 or $2,000 a month to get healthcare.
  These are commonsense realities. This is something that Bill Clinton 
and others talked about in the late 1990s, the idea of for welfare to 
work, that it should not be a permanent state because God did not put 
you on this Earth to be a ward of the State.
  I am proud to support the One Big Beautiful Bill Act because it keeps 
the campaign promises that the President talked about. We helped the 
people hardest hit over the last 4 years, and we bring the American 
Dream back to America by investing in people instead of investing in 
more and more government.
  I am looking forward to working with the President and, more 
importantly, to signing this bill later this year so that we can see 
these programs in action, move this country forward, and empower 
America.

                          ____________________