Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, last Friday marked the 1-year anniversary of the Biden bailout bill. This $2 trillion package has directly led to worker shortages, billions in waste, and the worst inflation in 40 years.

The Biden bailout didn't rescue our economy. It ruined a recovery that was already underway.

Madam Speaker, $500 billion spent to incentivize business closures, lockdowns, and antiscience masking policies; billions wasted, misused, or repurposed for projects unrelated to the pandemic: Florida golf courses, checks for prisoners and Japanese citizens, trees for New York, libraries in the President's home State. The list goes on.

And as a result, American families are finding it harder to put food on their table, clothes on their backs, and gasoline in their cars.

President Biden sold the American people a COVID package that spent less than 9 percent on fighting COVID. He created a massive worker shortage and instigated the highest inflation in a generation. That is his legacy.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member from Illinois for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, before we vote on new legislation, it is very important that we have an honest look at the price tag. As Republican leader of the House Budget Committee, it is my responsibility to track how new spending impacts our Nation's bottom line.

Every time Washington passes unpaid-for legislation that adds a new benefit or program, or expands an existing one, our fiscal problems get much worse. At each one of these moments, we take another step toward either raising taxes on middle- and low-income working-class Americans or asking China for another IOU.

Look no further than the $2 trillion Biden bailout bill that was passed back in March. It added trillions to our Nation's debt.

Also, the $5 trillion BBB that was passed out of this House would add trillions to our debt. According to the Congressional Budget Office, which is the official scorekeeper for Congress, the true cost of the bill before us is hidden. The true cost before us is hidden. Why?

On paper, the bill appears paid for. However, the new spending does not begin until 2025, and then the expansion of benefits does not go into effect until after the budget window in 2032. Meanwhile, the pay- fors all go away within the 10-year window. This is a creative way for Democrats to use budget gimmicks and delay program start dates to push through billions in unpaid-for spending.

These types of budget gimmicks are exactly what Democrats have been doing with the $5 trillion spending bill that was called out and why Senators on the other side of the building will not support the legislation.

Congress must stop kidding itself with fanciful accounting. Stop pretending that creating and expanding government programs, especially mandatory spending programs, won't come with a real fiscal impact. Start being honest with the American people about the true price tag and the consequences of their reckless actions.

Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, we will consider an amendment to the rule to replace the socialist $5 trillion tax-and-spend reconciliation instructions from the fiscal year 2022 budget with a new call for committees to draft legislation to reduce the deficit, to combat runaway inflation and help get Americans back to work.

This country has been through a lot in the past year under one-party rule by the Washington Democrats and President Biden.

We have an inflation crisis; we have an energy crisis; we have a border crisis; and we have a supply chain crisis. Contributing to it all is a leadership crisis in the Oval Office.

With all of these problems, you would think Democrats would finish the year addressing just one--just one--of those issues.

But instead, Mr. Speaker, we are here on the last day of session for the year, and Democrats have chosen to spend this valuable time attacking former President Trump and his staff, attacking members of the Republican Conference, and they have even found room to include a $2.5 trillion increase to the debt ceiling.

In fact, since Speaker Pelosi took the gavel in the House in 2019, House Democrats have added more than $9 trillion--House Democrats since 2019 have added more than $9 trillion to the national debt, which is more than the combined deficits under all 72 years that Republicans have ever been in the majority.

The American people, Mr. Speaker, they deserve a Congress that is focused on the problems that they are facing in their everyday lives; a Congress that is delivering on policies to stop the runaway rise in prices, a problem that has now reached a 40-year high.

Even President Biden's budget in May predicted inflation at 2 percent, Mr. Speaker. We are now at over 7 percent, the highest inflation in 40 years.

The White House administration says that inflation is a high-class problem, Mr. Speaker. I will tell you, the people across America believe it is a real problem. They care about the prices in the grocery store. They don't care about the prices in the stock market.

But you know what, House Democrats argue and say inflation is transitory, yet now they are finally agreeing that these rising costs in prices are actually having a real impact.

We could be working on legislation to actually help American families by reducing the cost of energy during the winter.

To do that, we need to get rid of the reconciliation instructions in the Democrats' budget, the same reconciliation plan that has paralyzed Washington for months as Democrats fought over how to spend $5 trillion.

Even the Congressional Budget Office on Friday confirmed that what passed out of this Chamber a few weeks ago does not cost zero. It cost $5 trillion.

Mr. Speaker, the official congressional scorekeepers said on Friday that the build back broke bill that passed out of here a couple weeks ago did not cost $1.5 trillion, did not cost $2 trillion, but cost $5

trillion. But this administration will say it costs zero.

The American people see right through it. They see right through this mess. And they know one thing. They know that this is nothing but hogwash. It is hogwash, Mr. Speaker. And we should instead replace all of these reconciliation instructions to bring forward a plan to reduce the deficit and stop the inflation that is destroying family budgets.

Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to defeat the previous question, so that we can actually work on legislation to help American families at the supermarket, to help combat a price spike that is pushing working families to the brink and to actually provide some real solutions this week on behalf of the American people whom we represent in this body.

Madam Speaker, what a mess. Truly, what a mess.

Just about 9 months ago, I stood on this floor when we were debating the Biden bailout bill, and I warned the gentleman from Nevada how much the seniors in his State were going to lose in Medicare cuts. I said it State by State for everyone who spoke. You know what? Everyone on that side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, acted like it wouldn't happen. They still wanted to spend $2 trillion.

But guess what? Reality has set in, and we are here. Unless you try to wipe away the scorecard for your reckless spending, seniors are going to have cuts. Why? Because of a law that Democrats passed in 2010, the Pay-As-You-Go Act.

Nancy Pelosi loved the act then. President Obama signed that act into law, Madam Speaker. You guys just want to wipe the slate clean.

Madam Speaker, we are here today for two reasons. First, because Democrats blew up a bipartisan agreement this afternoon--this afternoon--and second is because there are looming cuts to seniors and farmers and to programs that millions of Americans rely on because of reckless Democrat spending.

Republicans have warned since March that these cuts would happen. In fact, the $2 trillion Biden bailout bill that Democrats rammed through Congress is what triggered a sizable portion of these cuts in the first place under the Pay-As-You-Go Act.

Their bailout bill is the largest tranche of spending ever added to a paygo scorecard in the history of Congress--in the history of Congress--the $2 trillion expenditure back in March.

Speaker Pelosi said in 2009 that pay-as-you-go budgeting ``will help return our Nation to sound fiscal health.'' It was President Obama who signed paygo into law, as I stated. But now the Democrat deficit spending is forcing cuts, and they are singing a much different tune.

In fact, just today--just today--the chairman of the House Budget Committee said about paygo: It ``has never been an effective tool of fiscal policy.''

The fact is, Democrats should be working in a bipartisan way to protect seniors from these cuts, including those stemming from the Budget Control Act sequester and the Medicare physician fee schedule. But in typical fashion, Democrats have decided to abandon bipartisanship and just kick the can down the road over and over again.

We can stop these cuts, but we should do it in a responsible way, one that addresses wasteful spending and puts in place some commonsense reforms.

How about rescinding money from the Biden bailout bill that is fueling inflation? Maybe Congress could tighten up our laws so Federal benefits and payments aren't flowing to illegal immigrants instead of American citizens, or put commonsense work requirements in place for Federal programs so American businesses can reopen.

Legislation I have introduced today does just that, and I would hope my colleagues across the aisle would support this effort to save seniors and others from cuts.

This includes those cuts Democrats have directly caused with their reckless spending this year. Since the beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have passed $7 trillion--$7 trillion--in new spending.

We have an inflation crisis, a border crisis, an energy crisis, and Democrats also chose to create a debt limit crisis that they want Republicans to help solve. One party, one rule, this is what you get.

We have been clear from the beginning: If Democrats are going to pursue a partisan agenda that adds trillions to the debt, they can find the votes to raise the debt limit themselves. Republicans will not cosign a loan to enact a radical socialist agenda.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, this is an absolute disgrace. It is beyond belief how terrible this moment is. It is embarrassing to the people of the United States what is going on.

We have seen three versions of this bill written behind closed doors in Speaker Pelosi's office. As we stand here this second--as we stand here, Madam Speaker, this second--they are rewriting a fourth version of the bill in Speaker Pelosi's office.

We will be recessing shortly, sometime during this debate, so the Rules Committee can present a fourth version of a 2,000-page bill. Once again, in this House, Speaker Pelosi is trying to pass a bill before anyone knows what is in it, so then the American people can read it after it has been passed.

Let me tell you, Madam Speaker, I will tell you what is in the version of the bill right now. It is the worst piece of legislation that I have seen in my entire life of public service. It is transformational. It will completely change America as we know it, all at the expense of working-class families.

They call it the Build Back Better bill. Let me tell you what those three b's stand for: bankrupts the economy; benefits the wealthy; and builds the Washington machine.

We are standing here because this is a budget bill. It originated in the Budget Committee. Speaker Pelosi said that a budget is a statement of your values. Well, let's see the Democratic Party's values by what is in their bill.

Of this 2,100-page bill, it bankrupts the economy. They will try to tell you that the bill is less than $2 trillion. They will try to tell you that a $4.5 trillion spending bill will cost zero. Well, the American people are not stupid. You don't spend $4.5 trillion and it costs zero. That is one of their talking points.

Even Senator Manchin, a Democrat Senator from West Virginia, says that this bill creates shell games.

We know there are all kinds of budget gimmicks to try to make it look like it only spends $1.5 trillion. In fact, it spends $4.5 trillion. Even The New York Times agrees that it spends a whole lot more money than what the Democrats are saying.

It is also not only the largest spending bill in the history of this United States; it is the largest tax increase in the history of the United States. It increases taxes on working-class families of all income levels, all at a time when we are facing record inflation.

Since Joe Biden has taken office, inflation is over 7 percent. In my home State, inflation is over 8 percent.

Madam Speaker, the folks on the other side of the aisle will say that inflation is just a high-class problem. They will say that it is only transitory. But I can tell you, the people of Missouri and the people across this country care about those increasing prices in the supermarket, not the prices in the stock market.

This bill only punishes Main Street while rewarding Wall Street, and you should be ashamed of what is going on in this bill, Madam Speaker. This bill benefits the wealthy beyond belief.

The Democrats always say that they are the party of the working class. Well, in fact, the 10 most wealthy congressional districts in this body are all held by liberal Democrats. In fact, Wall Street spent more than $70 million to defeat Donald Trump and to elect Joe Biden. Why are they doing this bill? They are doing this bill to reward their political friends, their constituents, their allies, their donors.

The second largest program in this bill is a tax cut for millionaires, $250 billion for a tax cut for millionaires. A millionaire family will get $25,900 in a tax break in this bill, but a middle-class family will get $20.

They are just rewarding their friends.

But, Madam Speaker, do you know what?

Those millionaires also get $12,500 to buy luxury electric cars.

Guess what, Madam Speaker?

Those millionaires also get government taxpayer-paid family leave. The list goes on and on about the benefits to the wealthy. This body should be ashamed of what is about to happen.

The third B, it builds the Washington bureaucracy. This bill creates more than 150 new Federal programs.

It is all about control. This bill is about controlling every aspect of Americans' lives whether it is their paychecks, whether it is their healthcare decisions, or whether it is their kids' education. I would think that the Democrats, after seeing what happened a few weeks ago in Virginia, New Jersey, and all across this country, would know that the American people are fed up with government control. In fact, over the weekend, a poll said 60 percent of Americans believe that Joe Biden and the Democrats are expanding government control beyond belief.

If we want to protect working-class families, if we want to protect our freedoms, and if we want to save America, we have to kill this bill.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the good gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I would like to read a quote of a Senator who happens to be the budget chair on the other side of the aisle. He is quoted, ``You can't be a political party that talks about demanding the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes and then end up with a bill that gives large tax breaks to many millionaires.

``You can't do that. The hypocrisy is too strong. It's bad policy, it's bad politics.''

Madam Speaker, I agree with Senator Bernie Sanders. In this bill the hypocrisy is way too strong.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the great gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Madam Speaker, only in this Chamber will you hear people say that if you spend trillions more dollars it will only make inflation go down. The American people aren't that stupid.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the fine gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino).

Madam Speaker, as the gentlewoman from Texas says, this helps a lot of people, especially if you are a millionaire. That is why it is the second largest provision in this bill. It is tax breaks for millionaires.

In fact, Senator Tester from Montana is quoted, he is ``not a big fan because I think it gives tax breaks to the wrong people: rich people.'' That is a Democrat Senator from Montana.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the fine gentleman from New York (Mr. Jacobs).

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from New York, but I would just like to point out, in his home State, a family of four with two children under six, in just over a year, will face more than a $3,200 tax increase. But yet, a millionaire in his State, for the next 10 years, will receive a tax break of over $25,000 a year.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the fine gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Georgia.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of North Carolina (Ms. Foxx).

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert). She is someone who is a warrior, a fighter for conservatism and, apparently, even the Budget chairman is threatened by her.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).

Madam Speaker, as the gentlewoman from California said, there is $150 billion in this program for housing assistance. What is unfortunate, which she didn't share, is that it also allows felons of domestic violence to get those grants, which is unacceptable.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to read a quote from the Democrat Congressman from Maine, talking about the huge tax break for the millionaires. He says: ``The fact that more people and organizations on the Democratic side aren't up in arms about this is wild.''

I am surprised with a lot of my colleagues on the other side who want to help working-class Americans, who instead are going to be supporting a bill that helps wealthy Americans.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Good).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte).

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a document from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget that shows the true cost of the bill is over $4 trillion.

[From the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Nov. 5, 2021]

House Build Back Better Bills Are Built on Shaky Foundation

The House is slated to vote today on two parts of the

President's Build Back Better agenda--the bipartisan

infrastructure bill (https://www.crfb.org/blogs/ infrastructure-plan-will-add-400-billion-deficit-cbo-finds)

and a reconciliation bill addressing climate change, child

care, health care. and other priorities.

The following is a statement from Maya MacGuineas,

president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:

A fiscally responsible Build Back Better agenda should be

fully paid for, gimmick-free, well-targeted based on the

country's needs, and enacted in the context of a broader

budget. While policymakers should be commended for their

efforts to scale back costs and include real offsets, these

bills still fall far short of those goals.

While President Biden and Members of Congress pledged their

agenda would not add to the debt, it is likely that both

bills would increase the deficit based on official estimates.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill--negotiated by Democrats

and Republicans--will add roughly $400 billion (https:// www.crfb.org/blogs/infrastructure-plan-will-add-400-billion- deficit-cbo-finds) to the debt over the next decade. While we

still don't know the true fiscal impact of the reconciliation

legislation, it is likely that it will add modestly to the

deficit as well. No one should vote for this bill prior to

seeing a CBO score.

The bills are also riddled with gimmicks. The bipartisan

infrastructure bill claims it is fully paid for by taking

credit for saving (https://www.crfb.org/blogs/whats- bipartisan-infrastructure-investment-and-jobs-act) that had

nothing to do with the bill itself. The reconciliation bill

keeps its official cost down through arbitrary expirations--

the Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit expansions

after one year, Affordable Care Act expansions after 3 and 4

years, and child care and pre-K after six years. If these and

other sunset policies are extended without offsets, it would

cost an additional $2 to $2.5 trillion through the end of the

decade.

And then there's the last-minute addition of a SALT cap

increase, which will deliver a huge tax cut to very high

earners (https://www.crfb.org/blogs/72500-salt-cap-costly- and-regressive) at a cost of nearly $300 billion over the

first five years. The proposed SALT cap increase would cost

more than the bill's Child Tax Credit, health coverage

expansions, housing initiatives, or education funding, and

roughly 98 percent of the benefit would go to those making

six figures. This is egregious in light of the objectives of

the bill. This tax cut would be offset on paper with a

sleight of hand where policymakers extend the SALT cap beyond

2026 but leave other accompanying parts of the TCJA for

future lawmakers to extend.

All of this is being considered in the context of near-

record levels of debt, trust funds years away from

insolvency, and an unsustainable fiscal situation that few in

either party are even trying to address. Given the current

budget outlook, we should ideally be pursuing long-term

deficit reduction, rather than limiting deficit increases.

And we should be doing it in the context of an actual

detailed budget for the nation.

Washington's credibility is on the line, and we need to get

this right. Rather than rush through irresponsible

legislation before it has even been scored, the House should

fix the flaws in the current bills to ensure the Build Back

Better agenda--both reconciliation and infrastructure--is

honestly accounted for and truly paid for.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman from Illinois, and I remind her that government spending is already helping fuel an inflation fire that is on pace to raise prices at the fastest rate in 40 years. In her home State of Illinois, food prices currently are up 8 percent, clothing is up 9 percent, and gasoline prices are up 62 percent.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I will point out that since Joe Biden became President on January 20, the policies that he enacted by executive order in his first week in office have created an incredibly awful border crisis.

Unfortunately, 1.4 million people have illegally crossed the southern border since Joe Biden has taken office. And what does this legislation do?

This legislation will only make it worse by providing over $100 billion in this legislation for backdoor amnesty.

This bill also provides roughly $45,000 of benefits to illegals over U.S. citizens. That is unacceptable. The American people are opposed to that, and they are not liking it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I hear all the time in this Chamber people say it is for the children or it is for the kids. What hogwash from the other side to say that this bill helps the children with the child tax credit.

Your child tax credit is for 1 year, but your tax break for millionaires is for 10?

You are spending $250 billion in tax breaks for millionaires and $130 billion for 1 year for families.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Less than one-third of this budget bill is scored. Less than one- third. But what we do know is that it will not be fully paid for, and over the next 5 years it will add roughly $800 billion to debt. We do know that.

This bill only bankrupts the economy. It benefits your wealthy political friends, allies, and donors, and it only builds the Washington machine.

If working-class Americans are considered millionaires, then this bill is helping them because it is all about the millionaires.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order against consideration of the resolution because the resolution waives all points of order against consideration of H.R. 5376.

The resolution is therefore in violation of section 426 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 prohibiting the consideration of a rule waiving the application of section 425 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995.

Madam Speaker, we have seen a circus here for the last 7 hours. We saw history: The longest vote held in this body in modern history, a motion to adjourn, just so some backroom agreement could be made.

This point of order, the whole purpose of it, is to make sure that this budget bill that is before us--before there is a vote--that we know the true cost of this agreement from the Congressional Budget Office. That is what the rules are.

We know that there are more than 150 different programs being created in this legislation, and we know that there are a lot of many--numerous different possibilities of unfunded mandates that would go to the States, that would go to individuals. And before there is a vote on this bill, a vote on this rule, we need to make sure that there is a Congressional Budget Office score. We do not need to violate the House rules and Federal statute by forcing through this piece of legislation without knowing exactly the cost.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a letter that was sent to the Speaker of the House from five different Democrats of this body, following our lead, what we just said here, that there should not be a vote on this bill until the Congressional Budget Office does a score.

Congress of the United States,

Washington, DC, November 2, 2021.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Dear Madam Speaker: As we work to put the COVID-19 crisis

behind us and build back better than ever before, we applaud

your focus on infrastructure and on measures that help

children and working families across America.

We continue to ask that you please schedule a floor vote on

the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework as soon as possible,

and we are pleased by the progress we are making on the Build

Back Better (BBB) Act. As we enter the home stretch of these

negotiations, we ask that you please provide additional

information so that we may make more informed decisions that

better serve our constituents.

First, we applaud the commitment from both you and the

President that the BBB Act will be fully paid for. In order

to ensure the final bill is indeed fiscally responsible, we

must first have the proper CBO/JCT scoring information before

any floor consideration. Therefore, we cannot lend our

support to advancing the BBB Act until we have had a chance

to review these scores which provide the true cost of the

legislation. Moreover, the U.S. Senate cannot even consider

the BBB Act under reconciliation rules until it has received

an official CBO score.

Secondly, we appreciate your public statements committing

to properly pre-conferencing the BBB Act with the U.S.

Senate. We continue to urge you to only bring a bill to the

floor for which we have a strong level of confidence that the

provisions in the bill will be ruled in order by the Senate

Parliamentarian and earn passage in the U.S. Senate.

Finally, consistent with House rules and considering the

magnitude and complexity of the BBB Act, we ask that the

final text of the bill be posted at least 72 hours before its

consideration so that we--and, more importantly our

constituents--have time to review the bill before any vote.

While we understand the needs of the nation are great, we

believe our job as legislators is to provide the due

diligence required to properly serve our constituents. It is

better to get this done right than to needlessly rush its

consideration only for our constituents to discover the

negative impacts of our unintended consequences.

Sincerely,

Ed Case.

Josh Gottheimer.

Kurt Schrader.

Jared Golden.

Stephanie Murphy.

Madam Speaker, I hope that the five Members that are on this letter to the Speaker will follow through with the same commitment that they allowed on November 2, and to make sure that the American people get a valid, transparent score so that they know what exactly is in this piece of legislation.

We know it is the largest spending bill in the history of the United States. We just don't know exactly how much. It is at least $4.5 trillion, but we don't have the Congressional scorecards of doing it.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Reschenthaler).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, it has been quite a groundhog day when you watch what has been going on with this legislation over and over. It started out with a 2,400 page bill; last Thursday a new 1,700 page bill was dropped; this week on Wednesday an additional 2,135 page bill was dropped, and none of the bills have been completely scored.

What we do know, after 11 p.m. last night they made additional changes to the 2,135 page bill that was dropped on Wednesday. And you know what their priorities were in those changes? It was to give millionaires larger tax breaks. That was their priority, to give already millionaires larger tax breaks.

They try to tell you that this legislation was about the kids and the babies and it is all about the children. That is a bunch of hogwash, Madam Speaker. This bill is all about giving tax breaks to the millionaires. The largest portion in this bill, over $300 billion, goes toward their tax breaks for millionaires.

They don't want a score because they don't want the American people to see the giveaways that they are giving to the most wealthy at the expense of the working class. That is unacceptable. We need to make sure that the only thing that is bipartisan in this legislation is bipartisan opposition.

There is bipartisan support to make sure that this bill is scored before a vote, to make sure that the American people know what is in this bill. Don't you dare try to sneak this through. Don't you dare.

The people of the United States deserve the huge tax break you are giving your millionaires in this legislation. Madam Speaker, I hope the five Democrats that sent this letter to the Speaker join with us and makes sure that we know how much the price tag is in this legislation, in this proposal, so we can tell everyday working-class Americans how much their cost of goods are going to be going up because of the reckless, irresponsible spending of the people on that side of the aisle.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.

Madam Speaker, this resolution about the fiscal state of the Nation is an important step in the right direction. Now more than ever, Congress needs to take an honest look at government spending and the role it is playing in this inflation crisis.

All across America, families are struggling. Consumer prices rose 5.4 percent in September year over year. Inflation is on pace to hit the highest level in 40 years, and the Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that inflation has eroded the purchasing power of families.

Is it any wonder now that only 35 percent of Americans say that the economy is good? I will note that is just a bit smaller than the 37 percent of Americans who believe that President Joe Biden is competent as President.

Make no mistake, the high prices Americans are paying at the grocery store and at the gas pump are a direct result of the Democrats' reckless spending agenda. So it is a little laughable that my Democrat colleagues would bring up this resolution now when for the last 9 months they have rammed through trillions in new spending and debt. As we speak, they are trying to pass the largest tax-and-spending bill in the history--in the history--of our country without even a score from the Congressional Budget Office.

Here is a tip: Be honest with the American people about the price tag of your agenda and the higher prices that will be inflicted. Then a hearing on the state of our Nation's fiscal health will be much more successful.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for pointing out the truth. I am glad that I decided to wear my boots today because it is getting deep in the swamp up here today, listening

to the garbage on the other side of the aisle.

Let's put it this way: The Democrats have already pushed through $2 trillion of reckless, wasteful spending at the expense of working-class Americans, and now they are wanting to push through another $4.3 trillion reckless spending bill that will reward their political friends, their wealthy donors, and their allies, at the expense of working-class Americans.

Let me tell you, the Budget Committee chairman said we should increase the debt limit a gazillion dollars--a gazillion.

We have folks on the other side of the aisle just in the last 30 minutes that have said we should not have a debt limit. This is the Democratic Party. They do not believe there should be limit in debt. They have said this on the floor. But that is not what the American people want.

If you want to raise the debt $480 billion until December, guess what? Listen to the White House. Just last week, the White House said there is $480 billion of unobligated funds from your Biden bailout bill from March. Use that.

But, no, you want to continue to take more money from working-class Americans by putting in debt their kids and grandkids. Of course, on the other side of the aisle, they will tell you: Oh, we will never pay back the debt. That is what comes from the other side of the aisle.

Folks, we have so many crises right now: a border crisis, an Afghanistan crisis, an inflation crisis, an energy crisis, all as a result of Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer. And now they are trying to increase the debt $480 billion more that will fuel those crises.

The American people have had enough.

Madam Speaker, I truly hope that my Democrat colleagues don't believe the garbage that they have been spouting, but I would say that they probably do. Unfortunately, for months Democrats have been pursuing a radical partisan agenda that contains the most expensive piece of legislation in the history of Congress, all while ignoring our Nation's debt. Now they are scrambling.

First they claimed it was Republicans' responsibility to cosign a loan for their reckless spending bill, even though they control the White House, the House, and the Senate. Then they tried adding a debt ceiling increase to a bill to keep the government open, knowing it would fall on its face in the United States Senate.

Then they argued there wasn't enough time to raise the debt limit on their own, even though they have time and they have tools to do it. In fact, last weekend the House Budget Republicans gave Democrats a chance to address the debt limit by demanding their budget in a markup be revised. They refused. Then we offered to postpone the markup for just 48 hours to allow them to address the debt limit in reconciliation.

Since you love to do everything else in reconciliation, why not to raise the people's debt? You are spending it. It is time for you to get a loan for it. Folks, we are in a crisis right now. My counterpart on the House Budget Committee made the statement: We should raise the debt a gazillion dollars.

This is what we are dealing with, folks. The America people are fed up. They want fiscal accountability. We need a reasonable body in this House.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans and Democrats agree we need to invest in infrastructure, but today when our Nation is running historically high deficits, when Democrats want to add trillions of dollars to our debt, and inflation is nearly at the highest it has been in 40 years, we need to ensure these investments are paid for.

When it comes to this bill, the math simply does not add up. We are told that this bill has $589 billion in offsets. In reality, the CBO score shows just $180 billion in offsets, a $400 billion shortfall.

This bill does not pay for itself, not even close. The fact is, for House Democrats, this bill was never about infrastructure. The Speaker has had weeks to vote on it. Instead, she has turned a bipartisan negotiation into a hostage negotiation.

In exchange for fixing our roads, bridges, highways, and dams, House Democrats are demanding Congress pass the most expensive piece of legislation in history along with the largest tax increase in history. Unlike the infrastructure bill, which has a CBO score, less than 1 percent of their $4.3 trillion spending-and-tax plan is scored by CBO.

Republicans will not be bullied into paying a ransom to fix our infrastructure.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding.

For months, Democrats have been pursuing a radical partisan agenda that will pile on trillions to our debt, and we are here today where they are asking Republicans to basically help them get a loan.

They are pushing the most expensive piece of legislation in the history of the United States with the largest tax increase in the history of the United States. And yet Democrats are demanding we hold the door open so that they can ram through this partisan reckless agenda.

The debt limit is a chance for Congress to address government spending, something we have done since 1985.

Sadly, today, the Democrats are playing chicken with a government shutdown by tying the debt ceiling to a CR so they can enact their multi-trillion-dollar partisan tax and spending plan, which currently clocks in at $4.3 trillion, no matter the harm it will do, no matter how it will fuel more inflation that is crippling family budgets.

Budget Republicans sent a letter to Congressional leaders back in July outlining over half a dozen approaches Congress has taken in the past to address government spending with a debt limit increase.

But they have ignored all of our suggestions, because the fact of the matter is my colleagues have one goal in mind, an agenda of more spending, more debt, and more taxes on working-class Americans.

Democrats control the White House, they control the Senate, and they control the House. If they want to spend trillions of Americans' tax dollars, they can stand alone and ask for that loan.

But Republicans will not cosign a loan for the Democrats' reckless agenda that harms working families, fuels more record inflation, and rewards their political allies and donors.

Madam Speaker, my colleague, Mr. Yarmuth of Kentucky, and I would like to recognize the career of Bob Weinhagen, a senior counsel at the House Office of Legislative Counsel, upon his retirement and thank him for his distinguished service to the U.S. House Committee on the Budget and Congress.

Bob is retiring after 50 years of dedicated service to the U.S. House of Representatives. Bob was hired as the fourteenth attorney to serve in the Office of the Legislative Counsel in July 1970. During his career, Bob drafted various banking laws, ethics reforms, and the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. Bob worked closely with the House Committee on the Budget for most of his career, assisting Committee members and staff in fulfilling our responsibilities under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. Bob played an invaluable role in drafting budget resolutions from 1981 through 2021 and all budget reconciliation bills since 1981. He also drafted countless budget laws, including the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, the Budget Control Act of 2011, and the Bipartisan Budget Acts of 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019.

We greatly appreciate Bob's dedication and exceptional service over the past 50 years to the House Committee on the Budget and Congress. Bob exemplifies the Office of the Legislative Counsel's high standard of professionalism, expertise, and nonpartisanship. We wish him all the best in his retirement and future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding.

The last 24 hours, we need to just step back and look at it. And I need to remind my colleagues and remind the folks across the aisle that what we just witnessed is a circus; and also remind them that this is the people's House. This is not Pelosi's palace, this is the people's House.

Madam Speaker, the middle of July, we were supposed to mark up a budget in the House Budget Committee, but the Democrats did not have the votes.

Madam Speaker, before the August recess, we were suppose to pass the House budget. The Democrats did not have the votes. Yesterday--up until about 1 a.m. this morning, in fact--we were going to pass the House budget, but the Democrats did not have the votes. So now they have a scheme before us, a scheme that they are putting Bernie's budget with the transportation bill, which is not even going to be voted on today, not even going to be voted on this week, not even going to be voted on this month, along with a voting rights bill, because they can't pass Bernie's budget. You know why they can't pass Bernie's budget? Because the American people are fed up with the Democrats' reckless spending.

Right now, we are facing the Biden inflation crisis. We are facing the Biden border crisis. We are facing the Biden energy crisis. And we are facing the Biden Afghanistan crisis. Yet, they bring forth a budget resolution that only makes those crises worse, $68 trillion in new spending, the most spending in the history of this country; $17 trillion of debt, the largest increase of debt, in fact, more debt than the entire economies of every country in the world, except for the United States.

Bernie Sanders may have lost the Presidential primary, but his policies have won. Bernie Sanders controls this Chamber, along with the liberal squad. But the American people are watching, and they are fed up. And they are letting the American people know whenever this Chamber changes and we actually bring order back to the House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Leadington Free Will Baptist Church of Leadington. Missouri, organized 100 years ago, under an old oak tree. It was in December of 1921 that J.L. Yancy and T.J. Mann organized the church. In 1923, church members voted to buy a little house in front of Woodlawn Cemetery where they worshiped until the present sanctuary was built in 1965.

From a founding congregation of 11, the church has grown to 89 members today. Ruby Lawson is the oldest of the current worshipers who has attended the church all her life. Wayne Patton is Associate Pastor. Every Sunday, they gather at 9:45 a.m. for Sunday School and 10:45 a.m. for worship.

Though the church's records from 1929 until 1946 have been lost. it is clear this house or worship has stood the test of time. It marks its centennial of service standing tall as a monument to its members' enduring faith and commitment to their community.

I am proud to represent this dedicated body of believers as they mark the 100th anniversary or Leadington Free Will Baptist Church on August 22, 2021, and to recognize them today before the United States House of Representatives.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma for yielding.

Madam Speaker, we are debating a spending bill under a budget that doesn't exist. Six months into Joe Biden's Presidency and a Democrat- controlled Congress, we have still not passed a budget for fiscal year 2022. In fact, Democrats have been in the majority for over 1,000 days and they have yet to put a real budget on the floor of the House of Representatives.

In this bill before us today, the Democrats want to give Washington bureaucrats an average increase of 21 percent. Their plan will fuel a massive growth in red tape that will harm small businesses. It will hurt working Americans and families, and it gives Washington more control over their lives and livelihoods.

But notice what they have left out.

What they have left out is, where is the money to protect our homeland?

Where is the money for our men and women in uniform?

Perhaps our colleagues have not brought these bills to the floor because they are ashamed to face the American people and explain why they want to flatline spending for our men and women in uniform.

Or how, during the largest and worst immigration crisis of the southern border in years, they refuse to put in one additional dollar to secure our border.

I suppose this shouldn't surprise us. Democrats have been very, very clear about their objectives. While we are debating a raise for bureaucrats, the Senate is figuring out how to abuse the budget process to spend at least $3.5 trillion more on their socialist agenda: amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants; subsidies for wealthy environmentalists; forcing States to expand Medicaid; and tax increases for working Americans while giving tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans.

This is the first year in the last decade without a spending cap agreement and look what is happening. Without missing a beat, the Democrats are opening the floodgates to reckless spending. While they argue over how many trillions to spend, we are just days away from reaching our debt limit. Democrats have ignored runaway government spending this year and look what is happening: Americans are paying more at the pump and in the checkout lines than they have in years.

The debate around our Nation's debt limit provides Congress with the opportunity to seriously address runaway government spending and rising inflation.

But as we are here today, Democrats would rather bypass their budget process and talk about their liberal wish list.