Floor Statements

Madam President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Now on Build Back Better--I want to return to a comment made recently by the other side that crystalizes the difference between how the two parties see today's challenges.

``A gold mine.'' ``A gold mine.'' Those three words were used by my colleague, the junior Senator from Florida, when talking about Americans struggling with rising costs. A gold mine for them.

If you want to know why Americans can get frustrated with Washington, look no further than the comments like the one from the gentleman from Florida.

The Republicans, who voted for a giant tax break for millionaires and billionaires, don't have any solutions for working families, but they see political gold in exploiting their struggles.

Families are still struggling to pull themselves out of a once-in-a- century economic crisis brought about by COVID. They want to pay less for things like groceries, healthcare, prescription drugs, and childcare. They want us to find ways to make that happen, and that is just what Democrats are doing in Build Back Better. But, unfortunately, Republicans appear more interested in politics than progress.

It is simple: If we want to fight inflation, if we want to create more jobs--so many businesses are short of workers--and if we want to lower costs and

make sure families have more money in their pockets, the best thing-- the best thing--we can do is pass Build Back Better.

Seventeen Nobel Prize-winning economists--and more from both sides of the political spectrum--have said that this bill will help relieve inflationary pressures over the long term.

And this morning, an exclusive by Reuters confirmed that, for all the Republicans howling at the Moon about inflation, Build Back Better will not--will not--increase inflation.

And here is what the leading economist at Moody's said:

The bills do not add to inflation pressures, as the

policies help to lift long-term economic growth via stronger

productivity and labor force growth, and thus take the edge

off inflation.

Stronger growth, less inflation. I will say it again: If you want to fight inflation, if you want to lower costs and grow the economy, support Build Back Better. If you want to fight inflation, support Build Back Better.

Build Back Better is going to help families save money by making childcare more affordable. It is going to give parents a tax break so they can pay for diapers and groceries and gas. It is going to lower the cost of prescription drugs, like insulin and cancer treatments; and it is going to put more Americans to work, help our economy grow in the long term.

The American people want these things.

Why won't a single Republican come out and vote for them--a single Republican? Why do Republicans seem so intent on opposing lowering the price of insulin or giving parents a middle-class tax break?

Given the choice between helping families afford childcare and leaving them to fend for themselves, Republicans are telling families: You are on your own.

Listen to the list of things I just mentioned: middle-class tax breaks, lowering prescription drug costs, childcare. These aren't handouts. These aren't luxury items. To so many families, they are daily essentials, and they are just the beginning of what the BBB would offer.

While Democrats are fighting to pass legislation to lower costs, Republicans, who spent years under Donald Trump trying to repeal healthcare and give tax breaks to the ultrarich, are opposing tax cuts to the middle class while rooting for prices to go up and up--a gold mine.

Americans won't forget who in Washington is fighting for them and who is spending their time trying to exploit their hardships.

Madam President, later today, the Senate is scheduled to take the first procedural step to begin consideration of the annual defense bill.

Our Republican colleagues have said for weeks that we need to move quickly to take up the NDAA and pass it through the Chamber.

This morning, we are continuing to work with our Republican colleagues to strengthen the substitute with as many amendments from Senators as possible. We are making really good progress, and so we will give the Armed Services Committee more time this morning to review the text and come to a final agreement.

But the Senate needs to move forward on this bill, and quickly. With so much bipartisan interest in getting NDAA done soon, I see no reason why we can't finish this legislation or come to an agreement to finish this bill quickly.

I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle, and especially our committee chairs. I thank them because they are propelling this important legislation forward.

Finally, the Kigali Amendment. Yesterday, the Senate received a message from the White House calling for us to approve a treaty amendment that will curb our country's use of dangerous hydrofluorocarbons, or HFCs.

Commonly known as the Kigali Amendment, 120 countries have agreed to the amendment. Even China is on the list. We should join it too.

HFCs are dangerous greenhouse chemicals found in everyday appliances from air-conditioners to refrigerators. They are thousands of times more damaging to our atmosphere than carbon dioxide. We had made progress in eliminating these chemicals before the Trump administration characteristically, unfortunately, took us backwards.

Phasing out these HFCs is very important and will go a long way in fighting climate change and protecting the environment for future generations. And it is supported by the business community too, as it will open up companies to markets for HFC alternatives overseas, promoting investment, innovation, and greater economic activity.

Approving this amendment will require two-thirds of the Senate. Reducing our country's use of HFCs has been a bipartisan priority in the past. In fact, last December, the Senate approved the first-ever agreement to phase down HFCs--a significant win for fighting the climate crisis. It should be a bipartisan priority right now.

In the wake of the President's visit to Glasgow, approving this amendment--which much of the world already embraces--is essential for telling the world we are committed to fighting the climate crisis. If we want to lead the world on this issue, it must--it must--get done.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to resume legislative session.

I move to proceed to Calendar No. 144, H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act.

Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 5142, which was received from the House.

I ask unanimous consent that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Mr. President, we just passed H.R. 5142, which awards the Congressional Gold Medal to 13 servicemembers. They are American heroes, and today the Senate will honor them as such.

Our Nation is forever indebted to these brave men and women and their families for their sacrifice that enabled the safe evacuation of more than 100,000 Americans and Afghan allies.

They risked their lives for our country, and their heroic efforts will not be forgotten.

Now, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of S. Res. 455, submitted earlier today.

I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, and that the motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that when the Senate completes its business today, it adjourn until 10 a.m., Thursday, November 18; that following the prayer and pledge, the morning hour be deemed expired, the Journal of proceedings be approved to date, the time for the two leaders be reserved for their use later in the day, and morning business be closed; that upon the conclusion of morning business, the Senate resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R. 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act, postcloture; further, that all time during adjournment, morning business, recess, and leader time count postcloture.

Mr. President, if there is no further business to come before the Senate, I ask unanimous consent that it stand adjourned under the previous order.

Mr. President, first, I know you will be taking the floor in a few minutes. I spoke about the bittersweet mood we all have of your departure--bitter in the sense that you have done so much for the Senate, for Vermont, and for America over the years that we will badly miss you; sweet because you will get to spend more time with Marcelle, your children, your lovely grandchildren. And you deserve it, after all these great years of service.

It is one of the most extraordinary records any Senator has compiled in the history of this country. So thank you for your service and your continued service through January of 2022.

Mr. President, now on infrastructure, yesterday, our country took a major step forward to prepare our economy for the challenges of the 21st century.

As we all know, the American people have been told for years--for years--that another infrastructure bill was coming, one infrastructure week after another. But, after yesterday, we can now tell the American people that an infrastructure law is here. The President signed it yesterday.

The enactment of bipartisan infrastructure legislation is so long overdue. There isn't a community in America that doesn't have some glaring need. Crumbling roads; dilapidated schools; untrustworthy bridges; overburdened airports, seaports, and railways--the new infrastructure law will tackle these challenges head-on.

I thank the President and my colleagues from both sides of the aisle--both sides of the aisle--for making yesterday possible.

The President's infrastructure bill can be summarized with a four- letter word: J-o-b-s. Jobs, jobs, jobs--more local jobs, more good- paying jobs, more union jobs. Unions, as we know, have been a ladder up through the decades, and they will continue to be under this bill, as there will be more of them.

And the jobs will put people to work on projects in every State and every community. In New York, my State, dependent on good transportation, major undertakings like Gateway, the Cross Bronx Expressway, the Second Avenue Subway, I-81 in Syracuse, and the north inner loop in Rochester. The list could go on and on and on. All of them will finally get going again. We have a great chance of that happening after years of paralysis.

And the Federal dollars that the government is sending to the States is already having an effect in my State. Yesterday, our Governor announced that, because of the Federal dollars, there won't be fare increases or cutbacks in services on the MTA and the commuter rail. That is really good news.

Well, what is happening in New York holds true in every other State in the Nation. Major projects that have been long awaited have a real good possibility of getting going. So there is great news, and jobs, jobs, jobs will rain down on every State.

So there is much to celebrate with yesterday's signing, and in the weeks and months and years to come, the American people will see the benefits with their own eyes. So I want to

thank President Biden for finally delivering on something that previous administrations have tried to do but have been unable to complete.

Mr. President, make no mistake, we will keep going in the weeks ahead by passing the rest of President Biden's Build Back Better agenda.

It is very simple. If we want to create more jobs, if we want to fight inflation, if we want to help families lower costs, the best thing we can do is pass Build Back Better.

Let me repeat that. Want to fight inflation? Support Build Back Better.

For all of 2021, we have seen a historic and unprecedented economic recovery compared to where we were at the depths of the COVID crisis. But there is no denying that, as our recovery continues, we must work to address supply chain troubles that have exacerbated inflation in recent months.

Build Back Better is exactly what the doctor ordered. No fewer than 17 Nobel Prize-winning economists and economists across the political spectrum have said repeatedly that Build Back Better and infrastructure together will reduce--reduce--inflationary pressures.

In just, I think it was, this morning's Washington Post, Larry Summers, one of the inflation hawks in this country, recommended passing Build Back Better as a way to reduce inflation.

The childcare investments alone will save parents thousands of dollars a year. Right now, families pay an average of $10,000 annually on childcare for each kid under 4. Many pay more than that. That is a backbreaking expense that too many families--the majority--simply cannot afford.

Build Back Better will provide the largest investment in childcare ever. Extending the childcare tax credit will help parents save on things like diapers and groceries and gasoline.

And, of course, Build Back Better will finally empower Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices in Part B and Part D, lowering costs for millions of seniors and American families. On insulin alone, our plan would make it so that Americans with diabetes won't pay more than $35 a month for insulin.

Mr. President, none of the things I am talking about are luxuries; none are handouts. They are daily essentials that families need to thrive and which, over the years, have grown expensive.

And America is behind this. In every poll you see, they are for of all these things.

Why will not a single Republican vote for it? Why will not a single Republican vote to reduce insulin costs to $35, not a single Republican vote to help Americans with childcare, not a single Republican vote for the best way to reduce inflation, even though they talk about it a lot?

It is profoundly disappointing to see our Republican colleagues more focused on exploiting problems faced by the American people. Just recently, my colleague, the junior Senator from Florida, told Americans precisely how he feels about the rising costs, inflation costs, faced by families. His quote: ``[It] is a gold mine for us.'' It is a gold mine; that is what the Republican junior Senator from Florida said.

How cynical, how low, how wildly out of touch is that?

The same Republicans who spent years under Donald Trump cutting taxes for the wealthy are now opposing relief for the middle class and cheering for costs to go up. I hope the American people remember that. Democrats are fighting to pass legislation to lower costs. Republicans, on the other hand, think inflation is ``a gold mine'' for them and are rooting for prices to go up. These are the same partisan, shortsighted games that have frustrated American families, who have increasingly wondered who in government is looking out for them.

Well, yesterday, Americans got to see one shining example of what can happen when elected officials do look out for them. Build Back Better is another opportunity to do the same, and we will not let up until we pass Build Back Better and keep our promise to recapture that sunny American optimism that has long been the key to our success.

Madam President, I thank my colleague from Tennessee for yielding, and in a few minutes, I intend to take the first procedural step to begin consideration of the annual Defense policy bill. With cooperation, the Senate can and should move through this important legislation that we attend to each year.

This year, we will amend the Defense bill to include the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, the historic manufacturing and innovation bill that the Senate passed earlier this year on a strong bipartisan basis and which will help tackle our Nation's supply chain crisis. Our supply chain crisis needs attending to, and we cannot wait. Members from both sides of the aisle have expressed interest in getting this done.

Passing USICA would be an essential far-reaching step that Congress could take to help fight inflation, help increase American workers' wages, and relieve strained supply chains, particularly with regard to the current devastating chip shortage that is hurting the auto industry, the tech industry, and so many other industries. We cannot allow us to become dependent on foreign chips, especially when we do-- we do the groundbreaking technology.

We are also working with the Speaker and our colleagues in the House and Republican colleagues in the Senate to find a path forward to get this important legislation over the finish line before the end of the year.

It is also my intention to have an amendment vote on the bipartisan legislation, repealing the 2002 Iraq war AUMF. This measure was reported on a bipartisan basis out of the Foreign Relations Committee earlier this year,

and the NDAA is the logical place to have that vote on the Senate floor.

The Iraq war has been over for nearly a decade. An authorization passed in 2002 is no longer necessary in 2021. In no way will repealing this measure impact our ability to keep Americans safe nor impact our relationship with Iraq.

We will have other votes on amendments on the Defense bill as well. I look forward to working with our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to move this important process forward.

So now I am going to move cloture on the NDAA.

I have some words to say about my dear colleague, Senator Leahy, and some words to say on Build Back Better, but I will come at a later moment because I know my friend from Tennessee is waiting to do those things tonight.

Madam President, I move to proceed to legislative session.