A bill to create a point of order against legislation making nondefense discretionary appropriations that would increase the deficit during a period of high inflation.

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

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.

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.