Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the distinguished career and retirement of Sheila Dacey after 26 years of service at the Congressional Budget Office. Sheila has been Chief of the Income Security and Education Cost Estimates Unit in CBO's Budget Analysis Division since 2015, following two decades as an analyst in that unit. Sheila served in numerous capacities as an analyst, including long stints analyzing welfare programs and Social Security.

It is hard to overstate Sheila's role in analyzing the budgetary impacts of income security legislation over the past two decades. Sheila was instrumental in providing insightful and objective estimates of the effects of much of the important income security legislation that the Congress has considered, debated, and enacted since 1995. Notable examples include the Welfare Reform Act of 1996, subsequent changes to the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program, numerous bills to improve child support enforcement, and legislation affecting Social Security benefits. As a unit chief, she was instrumental in managing CBO's work related to unemployment insurance benefits provided during the COVID pandemic.

Sheila has worked tirelessly with Members of Congress and staff on both sides of the aisle throughout the years. During many hours of discussion and patient explanation, she was always methodically forthright and fair, embodying CBO's commitment to nonpartisan analysis. She helped us understand the key levers to move an estimate and the need to focus on making the language match the intent.

Sheila has been a mentor and guide to numerous analysts at CBO. Thanks to her efforts, those analysts have learned to dig deeper and consider all the possible outcomes of a bill. The high standards that she set for herself and for other analysts will continue to be a benchmark for CBO's analysis going forward.

On behalf of the House Budget Committee, I thank Sheila for her years of dedicated service to the Congress and extend to her our best wishes for a well-earned retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize the outstanding service and contributions of Simone Thomas, who is retiring after 37 years as a skilled and dedicated public servant at the Congressional Budget Office.

For many years at CBO, Simone has served as a trusted, expert adviser to senior management and staff on the most effective use of the agency's intra net and new communications tools. She has been the driving force spurring intranet enhancements and innovations that have made it easier for staff to collaborate on analytical work for the Congress, such as CBO's periodic volume of budget options.

She has made significant contributions to enhance internal communications as CBO's SharePoint Administrator, enabling CBO's staff to stay better connected and informed. She has distinguished herself with her hard work and resourcefulness during the pandemic. She came up with creative ways to instruct CBO's staff in the use of new communications tools to help them work more effectively on a remote basis.

Simone's expertise also extends to CBO's public website. She was responsible over the years for publishing time-sensitive, high-profile cost estimates as well as the agency's major recurring reports. That work sometimes required working during the evening or on weekends, which Simone always took in stride.

To her colleagues, Simone has been a constant source of knowledge, support, and kindness. She has received accolades over the years for her prompt customer service, patience, reliability, and ingenuity in troubleshooting complex SharePoint challenges.

She is a consummate professional, always seeking out opportunities to learn, grow, and share her expanded knowledge with others. She has also led by example in her philanthropic efforts, devoting significant time and energy to spearheading CBO's efforts each year to raise money for breast cancer research. She has helped raise thousands of dollars for that cause over the years. She will be missed by her colleagues, who have benefited greatly from the depth of her knowledge, as well as her generous spirit, warmth, and collegiality.

I know my colleagues will join me in extending our thanks and appreciation for Simone's service to our country. We wish her a relaxing, well-deserved retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a man who has served the nation in various capacities for more than 41 years and is now retiring from his position as Chief Administrative Officer of the Congressional Budget Office. Joseph Evans began his service with 4\1/2\ years in the U.S. Air Force, where he was a financial management specialist. He then joined the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), where he took on steadily increasing responsibilities during his 19-year tenure--first as an accounting technician, and then as Human Intelligence Financial Resource Manager, Chief of Budget Formulation Integration and Funds Control, Senior Finance Resource Manager, and ultimately as Senior Financial Resources Expert. In that capacity, he provided expert advice and guidance on all budgetary, financial, and force structure management to the DIA's Chief Financial Executive and directed the planning and coordinating of the DIA budget. For his important contributions to DIA's work, he received the DIA Award for Meritorious Civilian Service.

Mr. Evans then put his financial skills to work in the legislative branch, joining CBO as its Chief Financial Officer and then taking on broader responsibilities as its Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Management, Business, and Information Services. Over his 18 years at CBO, Mr. Evans provided superb leadership, pushing for continuous improvement, developing high-functioning teams of professionals, maintaining focus on the needs of the client, and treating all employees with respect and kindness.

He has skillfully overseen the areas of human resources, finance, editorial and publication services, security, and information technology--the largely behind-the-scenes activities that enable CBO to perform its vital services for the Congress. Under his leadership, CBO has received a continuous series of clean opinions on its financial statements. CBO's measures to protect privacy and security have never been stronger. Mr. Evans also played a crucial role leading CBO's working group on diversity and inclusion. During the pandemic, CBO continued to meet the needs of the Congress while protecting CBO employees, thanks in large part to the incredible work of Mr. Evans and his team. They provided the technology and support needed to transition seamlessly from working in the office to a full-time telework environment and developed new ways of performing important tasks, such as hiring new staff, overseeing security efforts, and supporting employees' well-being and safety.

I thank Joe for his more than four decades of dedicated and skillful work for the American people and wish him well in his retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor and recognize the outstanding service of Cynthia R. Cleveland on her retirement after nearly 43 years of distinguished public service, the past 39 years of which were spent at the Congressional Budget Office. At CBO, Cindy rose to the level of Division Administrative Assistant, mostly for the Director of the National Security Division.

Cindy's public service began at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1976, where she spent three years as a clerk typist. Over the ensuing four decades at CBO, Cindy's expert skills grew as the tools and processes for producing cost estimates and reports evolved--from typewriters to Sharepoint, and from landline calls to virtual meetings. All along, Cindy provided rock solid support and a positive and friendly spirit, one that was contagious to those around her.

Her responsibilities also evolved and grew over the years, moving from supporting the chief of the Natural Resources Unit in the Budget Analysis Division, where she helped produce cost estimates for publication, to the assistant to the director of the National Security Division, where she kept the division running and also managed the division's document holdings and its clearance processes. Along the way, Cindy's portfolio expanded to include supporting the Macroeconomic Analysis Division and eventually the Financial Analysis Division. She helped organize and support the semiannual meetings of CBO's Panel of Economic Advisors, organized travel and training for all three divisions, and managed the background investigation and clearance process for all of CBO. Throughout her career at CBO, Cindy embodied the agency's ethos of doing things carefully and with high quality.

Cindy's colleagues, current and former, are deeply indebted to her for all that she has given to CBO and the people that make the agency what it is. Cindy knew everyone and everyone knew her. They will miss her gentle, friendly, and positive influence on the workplace and, most of all, will miss her laughter ringing down the halls of the Ford building.

I know my colleagues join me in extending our thanks and appreciation to Cindy for her long service to our country. We wish her well in her future undertakings.

Madam Speaker, democracy is not static. It is not self- effectuating. It requires a concerted effort to keep and a willingness to stand up against those who would seek to undermine it.

The bill before us reaffirms our commitment to democracy, transparency, accountability, and a strong system of checks and balances.

Our Founders knew that the power of the purse would be fundamental to the separation of powers and to our democratic government itself, and they explicitly gave that power to Congress, the branch most responsive to the will of the people.

However, over the past few decades, the executive branch has encroached on our constitutional spending authority, and dangerous precedents have been set. Presidents and agencies of both parties have pushed the boundaries, seeking more control of spending powers. The previous administration's disregard for the rule of law and contempt for institutional norms made even more clear the need for laws that can withstand a lawless executive.

The commonsense reforms in this landmark legislation will restore Congress' central role in funding decisions, increase executive transparency, and add teeth to our budget laws. None of these provisions or the many others in this legislation is partisan. After all, this bill was introduced during the Trump administration, and it is being advanced during the Biden administration. It is solely about shoring up the separation of powers and maintaining the rule of law.

Therefore, I encourage my colleagues on both sides to uphold our sworn duty to defend the Constitution and vote ``yes'' on the Protecting Our Democracy Act.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Ellen Balis, staff director of the House Budget Committee, who recently retired after 37 years of exceptional service to the Congress and the Executive branch.

Ellen began her career in Federal service at the White House Office of Management and Budget in 1984. She spent more than 20 years at 0MB participating in the annual development of the President's Budget and advising senior administration officials on budget policy. In 2007, Ellen joined the Democratic staff of the House Budget Committee to serve as the senior budget analyst in charge of all the ``numbers.'' In that role, she led development of the estimates for Democratic budget resolutions and advised Members and staff on budget policy, concepts, and scoring. She quickly demonstrated her invaluable expertise and became a go-to person for analysis and advice. In 2017, when I became the Ranking Member of the Budget Committee, I asked her to serve

as our Staff Director. Her knowledge, temperament, strategic acumen, and drive for thorough and accurate analysis made her the obvious choice.

Ellen is one of the most respected budget experts in Washington. And during her tenure as staff director, she was instrumental in the development and passage of several key pieces of legislation, including the 2021 concurrent budget resolution and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. In fact, she delayed her planned retirement for several months to help shepherd these two critically important bills through final passage. She knew we had the chance to implement transformative change for our country, and she stayed so we could benefit from her expertise and experience. This selfless dedication to the work of the Congress and service to the American people are emblematic of Ellen's character and entire career. It is impossible to overstate what an asset Ellen was to the Budget Committee and House Leadership overall. To make public policy that does what it is intended to do, that truly delivers for the American people, everything must, quite literally, add up. And when it comes to budget tables and congressional calculations, there were numbers, and then there were Ellen's numbers. Hers were the gold standard. Always reliable, always dependable--like Ellen herself.

Over the years, Ellen impacted scores of Capitol Hill staffers who worked for and with her. From interns to senior analysts, her kind and steady leadership has left an indelible mark on all of those who learned from her and the example she set as an effective and dedicated public servant. I want to thank Ellen for her candid advice, thoughtful analysis and most importantly, her friendship. I wish her nothing but the best in her hard-earned and well-deserved retirement.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 774, I call up the bill (H.R. 5376) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 5376.

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

Madam Speaker, the bill before us today marks a triumph for our Nation. After months of negotiations within our Caucus and our committees, with our colleagues in the Senate, and with the White House, I am proud to present the most consequential legislation for American families since the New Deal.

The Build Back Better Act makes historic investments over 10 years to overhaul and reimagine entire sectors of our economy and society so that everyone, not just those at the top, will benefit from a growing economy.

This bill delivers the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations, the largest effort to combat climate change in American history, the biggest expansion of affordable health coverage in a decade, the most significant effort to bring down costs and strengthen the middle class in generations, investments and key reforms to make our tax system more equitable, and more.

To be clear, if we were only making the largest investment in childcare in the history of the Nation, saving most American families more than half of their spending on childcare, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only guaranteeing universal preschool for all 3- and 4- year-olds, the first expansion of basic public education in our country in 100 years, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only making our Nation's largest investment ever to combat the climate crisis, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only capping out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under Medicare at $2,000, saving more than a million seniors an average of $1,200 a year, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only expanding the Affordable Care Act so that those who have been locked out of Medicaid can get good coverage and then requiring all insurance companies to provide insulin for no more than $35 a month, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only making the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in U.S. history, that would be a major victory for the American people.

If we were only providing one of the largest middle-class tax cuts in our Nation's history, that would be a major victory for the American people.

But in this bill, the Build Back Better Act, we don't just do one of these. We do all of them. Each of these investments on its own will make an extraordinary impact on the lives of American families. Together, they will be transformative.

Here is the kicker. Because our tax system has been so unjust, so tilted to benefit the well-off and the well-connected, we can pay for all this by simply making our tax code more fair.

It is a hell of a deal. It is why Nobel Prize-winning economists and other experts backed this paid-for and progrowth agenda, citing how it will make our tax system more equitable, ease longer term inflationary pressures, and help American families build a much stronger future.

That is what governing should be about. It is not a game. We aren't elected to make a scene. We are elected to make a difference and to make the lives of the people we serve better.

Enacting this legislation will be a momentous achievement for Congress. More importantly, it will change lives. It will save lives. It will deliver on the promise of the American Dream for generations to come.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, it must be easy to be a Republican in Congress these days because you can make things up. You can throw out numbers without any fear of being contradicted. But we will have, probably by the end of the day, a CBO score from the Congressional Budget Office which will undercut virtually every argument that the gentleman from Missouri made.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Education and Labor Committee and also a member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), who is the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), who is the Democratic Caucus chairman and a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

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

Madam Speaker, virtually every Republican who comes to the microphone today will say that this is an inflationary bill. We know that. They have said that time after time after time.

Unfortunately, the experts disagree with them. Seventeen Nobel economists have written a letter stating that they believe this, over the long term, will ease inflationary pressures.

Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who is as much of an inflation hawk as there is in this country, I think, said just last week, ``I'm for Build Back Better. I'm for it because of what it'll do for the environment. I'm for it because of what it'll do for the society.

``I don't think it's going to have a meaningful impact on inflation. It spends less money over 10 years than we spent just last year. Its spending is largely offset by tax increases. And it includes measures that will actually increase supply.''

This is from the former Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who is a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

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

That is another thing we are going to hear continuously throughout the day, and that is that these are socialist programs; just as we heard last week that building infrastructure in this country was a socialist activity. And now childcare is socialist. Public education is socialist. Caring for our seniors is socialist. Dealing with climate change is socialist.

I would like to get a definition from my Republican colleagues about what socialism is because the American people see this very differently; and virtually every poll on this piece of legislation has shown overwhelming support for each the elements that we are proposing.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), a distinguished member of the Agriculture Committee.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the distinguished chair of the Financial Services Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), the distinguished chair of the Small Business Committee.

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

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), a distinguished member of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Beatty), a distinguished member of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining on both sides?

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, we have gone back and forth on this bill for months now, and my Republican friends have said, oh, they haven't had a chance to read the bill. The Budget Committee reported out the consolidated bill on September 25. There have been 180 hours of debate on this bill before today; so if they can't read the bill in 2 months, they have another problem.

But at the end of the day, it is clear this has not been a fair debate. On one side you have House Republicans. On the other you have myself and my Democratic colleagues, 17 Nobel-winning economists, former Treasury Secretaries, Jack Lew and Larry Summers, scores of other economists and experts, and most importantly, the overwhelming majority of the American people.

This hasn't been an honest debate either. Democrats have a plan to serve the American people. Republicans have an agenda to stop Democrats, period. And my friend from Ohio just had another description of GOP. I don't think it should be GOP at all; I think it should be NOP, the not our problem party. If it is healthcare, it is not our problem. Dealing with climate change, it is not our problem. Dealing with education, not our problem. Dealing with seniors, not our problem. Dealing with childcare, not our problem. Affording college, not our problem. Dealing with medical costs, not our problem.

Democrats see important challenges facing the American people, and we are finally dealing with them. It is time to close the curtain on the Republican charade and do our jobs.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' and send to the Senate the most transformative legislation for America and American families in a century.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 190th Anniversary of Presentation Academy. This home of academic excellence is not only the first Catholic school in Louisville, but also our city's oldest continually operating school.

In 1831, Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth founded Presentation Academy, and over the past 190 years, the city of Louisville and Presentation have grown and changed together. It is an honor to recognize this iconic institution and its commitment to educating and inspiring young women. In making diversity, inclusivity and individuality a core part of the learning environment at Presentation, you have prepared generations of young women to take on the challenges of the future.

Following a long tradition, senior Toppers sign Presentation's tower on their last day of school, and I am grateful to the many Presentation alumnae who have also left their signature on Louisville and beyond. I have no doubt that this legacy of service and activism will continue for years to come.

Madam Speaker, colleagues, please join me in extending our congratulations to the administration, faculty, staff, parents, students, and alumnae of Presentation Academy as they celebrate nearly two centuries of changing lives through education and service. They are an absolute treasure to our community, and I wish them the best as they come together to celebrate this incredible milestone.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee for both yielding and for his kind remarks.

Mr. Speaker, this is what our Republican colleagues won't tell the American people: The debt ceiling does not control spending. It is raised, as has been said multiple times now, to cover the debt we have already incurred.

In this case, a lot of that debt is from the 2017 Trump tax scam. Our Republican colleagues will tell you they voted to cover that debt. But here is the deal: That massive giveaway to wealthy corporations and individuals has a price tag of nearly $2 trillion.

This year, it added $271 billion to the debt. Republicans are refusing to pay that bill. Next year, it will add another $243 billion to the debt. Are Republicans going to pay that bill? How about in fiscal 2024 or fiscal 2025 or fiscal 2026?

They refuse to vote to pay those bills. This whole debate about the debt ceiling has become a dangerous lie, a very dangerous lie.

The truth is, the debt ceiling needs to be repealed or at least it needs to be reformed so we can put an end to this political brinkmanship that will continue to threaten our economy and the livelihoods of American families for years. It is time to end this charade.

Madam Speaker, today I would like to recognize and honor the outstanding service of Christopher Williams, who retires this week after 30 years as a public servant at the Congressional Budget Office.

Christopher Williams joined CBO in 1991. He has served for many years as a principal analyst in the Macroeconomic Analysis Division. In that capacity, he played a pivotal role in producing and describing CBO's economic projections. Christopher developed and maintained the econometric model used to produce those projections and, later in his tenure, he took primary responsibility for generating and explaining CBO's projections of consumer spending and the components of national income. Christopher contributed regularly to CBO's annual reports, including The Budget and Economic Outlook, and worked on numerous CBO studies, which covered topics ranging from national health expenditures to the effect of foreign aid in economic development and the effects of tax policy on labor markets.

By all accounts, Christopher's colleagues at CBO appreciate his dedication, dependability, collaboration, and breadth of experience. They will miss his generosity with his time and knowledge and, especially, his kindness.

I know my colleagues will join me in extending our thanks and appreciation to Christopher for his service to our country. We wish him well in his future endeavors and hope that the Nation will continue to benefit from his expertise and commitment.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of John Walczak, the longtime Director of the Louisville Zoo, as he enters retirement.

John joined the Louisville Zoo in 1985 and assumed the role of Director in 2004, just a few years before I got to Congress. In my first year, I got to take a behind-the-scenes tour with John where I had the good fortune to spend a day interacting and playing with the animals. I felt like a kid all over again, and it's a day I'll never forget.

I also saw firsthand the attention and love that John and his staff brought to every animal in their care. It's a passion that has spread throughout our community and the tens of thousands of Louisville families who have happy memories at the zoo.

The Louisville Zoo has long been an asset to our community, but in John's 35 years there, its place in our hearts has solidified and grown. During his esteemed tenure, John oversaw the construction of several award-winning exhibits, including the Gorilla Forest and Glacier Run, and created renowned educational programs that taught our community about the beauty of the natural world. In the last 17 months when threats to public health seemed impossible to avoid, John and his team quickly adapted, ensuring that the zoo could be a safe place for families to enjoy.

Under John's leadership, the Louisville Zoo has won the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Significant Achievement in Education Award for the School and Zoo program, introducing hundreds of children to the importance of wildlife conservation. He also facilitated the creation of the Little Penguin Conservation Center and the Cub House, the Zoo's first early childhood learning space. After over 35 years of service, John's commitment to his staff, his community, and the animals under his care has helped establish the Louisville Zoo as one of Kentucky's finest cultural institutions.

In short, the Louisville Zoo is an absolute treasure to our community and the region, touching and improving countless lives, and providing a happy home for nature's wonders. John Walczak is a huge reason why, and we are grateful for his service.

On behalf of the people of Kentucky's Third Congressional District and the city of Louisville, thank you, Mr. Walczak, for your leadership and service. I wish you the best in your retirement.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of two remarkable young women from my Congressional District, Jacqueline Teague and Amelie Beck. After witnessing their grandparents struggle to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine, Jacqueline and Amelie created the program VaxConnectKY to help seniors make vaccination appointments online. Between their classes at Sacred Heart Academy, they answered emails and calls from seniors across the Commonwealth and guided them through the vaccination process.

Since February, Jacqueline and Amelie have helped more than 2,000 seniors receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In recognition of this outstanding work, Jacqueline received the 2021 Diana Award, which honors young people around the world for their humanitarian efforts.

On behalf of the people of Kentucky's Third Congressional District and the city of Louisville, I thank Jacqueline and Amelie, for their life-saving service and leadership. They are both incredible role models, and l have no doubt that they will continue to make our Commonwealth proud in their future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of William ``Bill'' Wagner, a dedicated public health servant in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, who will soon retire after more than four decades of selfless work for our community.

For the last 40 years, Bill has helped lead Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center that has grown in size and scope to become one of the largest non-profits in our area, providing health care to more than 45,000 individuals annually. Serving as Family Health Centers' CEO since 1998 and as Assistant Director for 17 years prior to that, Bill oversaw the growth of their brick-and-mortar footprint in our area, expanding the number of health center locations in our region. He also helped oversee their tremendous growth in services provided, in patients served, and certainly in the rise of positive health outcomes for the countless Louisvillians that walked through their doors seeking care.

During consideration and the subsequent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Bill was at the forefront, advocating for increasing access to care while using his voice and passion for those often unheard. As we worked to expand services across our city, it was Bill's guidance I sought out in order to be sure that we could do the most good possible for the most people. And so, it was no surprise when we saw our uninsured rate plummet as people began receiving the free preventive and other health services now available to them--just like Bill said they would if we'd just work together to make it happen. Along the way, he and his staff never hesitated to go above and beyond what was needed to make sure that our community was well-served, that people received the quality care they needed, and that everyone he crossed paths with knew that Family Health Centers was there and ready to help.

Bill had previously announced his plan to retire in early 2020, but as the COVID-19 pandemic reached our borders and began to spread, he put Louisville families first and stayed at the helm of this critical public health organization in order to help lead us through this public health crisis. Bill's tremendous knowledge on public health matters, his early efforts to help ramp up testing in the communities he serves, and in his continued focus to this day on making sure that vaccines are available and accessible in every neighborhood in our city--especially those that are so often overlooked or underserved--has been invaluable.

Reflecting on his upcoming retirement, Bill said, ``I've been guided by the belief that health care is a right not a privilege. We have a long way to go to achieve this goal in our community, but we have made significant strides over the decades.''

I'm proud to share that belief, but I'm even more proud to say that those strides would not have been possible without Bill's selfless dedication to his profession, his wealth of knowledge in the public health field, and his unyielding commitment to improving the lives of our fellow Louisvillians.

Bill has not only improved lives, but has saved them and left a lasting mark on our city, our commonwealth, and this great Nation. I wish him nothin but the very best in retirement and look forward to seeing him soon. Congratulations and thanks for a job well done, my friend

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1868) to prevent across-the- board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 1868.

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

Madam Speaker, today, the House meets on the heels of huge milestones for our country: more than 180 million vaccine shots in Americans' arms and more than 150 million rescue checks in Americans' bank accounts.

As the resources included in the American Rescue Plan continue to strengthen our Nation's fight against COVID-19 and deliver critical relief to American families, today's legislation will ensure our healthcare providers--who have been on the front lines of this pandemic--are supported during this difficult time.

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress came together to provide financial support to healthcare providers by temporarily pausing the sequestration of the Medicare program created by the Budget Control Act of 2011. This pause, originally enacted in the CARES Act and then further extended in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, was slated to expire on March 31, 2021. Today's legislation will extend the suspension through the end of this year.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased that this bill received bipartisan support in the Senate, and it is my hope that it will receive broad bipartisan support in this Chamber as well.

However, I would be remiss if I did not state my disappointment that the needed legislative fix to exclude the American Rescue Plan from the statutory paygo scorecard was dropped from this measure.

Many of my House Republican colleagues supported this bill in its original form, which would essentially put the American Rescue Plan on equal footing with our other COVID relief packages and ensure it is treated the same as the previous reconciliation bill passed by Congress.

So while today's action is an important step, our work is not done. Next, we must enact an additional legislative fix to prevent a separate paygo sequester and avert painful and indiscriminate cuts to Medicare, farm supports, social services, resources for students and individuals with disabilities, and other programs Americans rely on.

I am committed to passing this bill today, and enacting a second sequester fix before the end of this session of Congress. I invite all my colleagues to join me in these important efforts.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Texas an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, as the gentleman from Missouri mentioned early on, this bill passed the Senate by a 90-2 margin, and I anticipate it will pass the House by a significant margin as well.

Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 233, I call up the bill (H.R. 1868) to prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 1868.

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

Mr. Speaker, because of the American Rescue Plan, relief checks are already being deposited in Americans' bank accounts, furloughs have already ended for tens of thousands of workers, and we have averted the unemployment cliff. But we have a loose end to tie up before our work is finished, and that is the bill before us.

Enacting COVID relief through budget reconciliation was always plan B, but the American people could not afford any more delays, and Congress needed a path forward for the American Rescue Plan and the transformative support it provides. Because paygo requirements cannot be changed in reconciliation bills, we knew from the outset that this additional legislative fix was needed to avert painful and indiscriminate cuts to Medicare, farm supports, and other programs.

The language of H.R. 1868 should look familiar. Over the past year, Congress has enacted multiple COVID relief packages to address the crises facing the American people and our economy. Each time, we excluded these bills from statutory paygo calculations because of the dire impact sequestration would have on our Nation's seniors, students, farmers, and others.

Today's bill will ensure the American Rescue Plan is treated the same as these previous relief measures and treated the same as the last reconciliation bill passed by Congress. That was in 2017, when Republicans used reconciliation to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Following the bill's passage without Democratic support in either the House or Senate, Republicans proposed this same legislative fix, albeit buried in a problematic continuing resolution. Enough House and Senate Democrats joined Republicans to prevent harmful across-the-board cuts to critical programs I mentioned, even though we opposed the short-term CR and the massive tax giveaways to the wealthy.

This time the situation is flipped, but the same nonetheless. House Republicans opposed the American Rescue Plan. I don't understand their position. This bill is supported by more than 70 percent of Americans and will directly benefit far more. But that is the choice they made. Either way, a statutory legislative fix for paygo is now needed and, historically, that has been enacted with little dispute.

Even in the wake of contentious legislation, Congress has come together to prevent sequestration and to protect Medicare, farm support programs, social services, resources for students and individuals with disabilities, and other programs Americans rely on. This time should be no different.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, and also a member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the gentleman from Virginia that in 2017 when Republicans passed an almost identical amount of tax cuts, 83 percent of which went to the top 1 percent and major corporations, Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor: Sequestration has never happened, will not happen now, and will never happen. His words were prophetic because it is not going to happen today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), a distinguished member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), who is a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the gentleman from Mississippi, along with all the other Members of this body, that his citizens will receive, in total, $900 million from just the $1,400 checks. That is the average that every congressional district is going to receive, and I hope that at some point they will realize the benefits of that injection of capital into an economy that is struggling.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), who is a distinguished member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Bustos), a distinguished member of the Committee on Agriculture and Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

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

Mr. Speaker, the last couple of months have been an incredibly busy time. The work that was done on the American Rescue Plan, from start to finish, was extraordinary, and we owe our staffs an enormous debt of gratitude, and not just the Budget Committee staff, but the staff of the 12 committees that also contributed to the drafting of the American Rescue Plan.

I would like to take this time to read the names of the Budget Committee staff who pulled all-nighters, all-weekenders, and went way beyond the call of duty in doing the work on the American Rescue Plan:

Erika Appel, Ellen Balis, Samantha Carter, Edward Etzkorn, Jose Guillen, Jocelyn Harris, Emily King, Sarah Lee, Sheila McDowell, Diana Meredith, Leyla Mocan, Kimberly Overbeek, Barbara Pike, Katie Raymond, Scott Russell, Laura Santos, Raquel Spencer, Greg Waring, Alexandra Weinroth, Christie Wentworth, Jennifer Wheelock, Sam Wice, Ted Zegers, and Grady Stevens. I want to thank all of them personally for their work on behalf of the House.

In closing, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say this: You know, we have heard a lot of newly found concern about the deficit and the debt today. We heard it during the debates. This is the same party that drove up the deficit 3 years ago, 4 years ago now, with a $2 trillion tax cut, most of which benefitted the wealthiest Americans, and, according to virtually everyone who has looked at it, didn't even come close to paying for itself.

What we have done in the American Rescue Plan is give an incredible boost to the American people, the American people who need the boost most. Not one dollar in the American Rescue Plan goes to the top 1 percent of Americans. The vast majority goes to middle- and lower- income people struggling to get by.

I am kind of amused when people talk about their States being cheated. The gentleman from Georgia talked about how Georgia was cheated. Under the American Rescue Plan, Georgia gets over $8 billion, twice as much as Georgia got under the CARES Act. That doesn't even count all of the money that is going to the Georgia citizens.

As I said, in every congressional district in this country, on average, the people, the citizens we represent, will get $900 million, every congressional district.

My friend from Missouri talked about his family of four. I know his math is better than this, but a family of four doesn't get $1,400, as he mentioned. A family of four gets $1,400 times four, which is $5,600, and then two children, depending on their ages, get at least $3,000 each. So that family of four is going to get $11,000 out of this bill.

The talk about future generations, I love that. You know, I am sure that when the national debt reached $1 billion under Abraham Lincoln, there were people saying: ``Wow, we are laying an incredible burden on our grandchildren.'' When it reached $1 trillion under Ronald Reagan, I am sure there were people saying the same thing. And when it gets to $50 trillion, as it probably will in the next couple of decades, people will be saying the same thing.

We have been accumulating debt for our entire history, and yet no one has ever been asked to pay for that debt, and no one ever will.

So all in all, we are very proud of the American Rescue Plan. The American people love the American Rescue Plan. This fix, which we ask for today, is something that, again, is just what the Republicans asked to do in 2017. It is a routine measure. Nobody wants to cut Medicare to providers and certainly benefits to our citizens. I am sure we will have a bipartisan vote on this today, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1868.

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