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SELF-INFLICTED CRISES OF THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 4, 2021, the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
General Leave
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Louisiana?
There was no objection.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, during what should be a period of sustained economic recovery, job growth has stalled, consumer prices are skyrocketing, and many shelves are empty thanks to supply chain chokepoints.
Nevertheless, House Democrats are forging ahead to pass their 2,100-
page reckless tax and spending spree before they even know how it impacts the budget and before the American people can understand even what is in it, which is certain to drive up consumer prices even further and make job growth that much harder.
Make no mistake, this bill is a clunker. If you can stomach the price tag and look underneath the hood, you will see tax breaks for the rich; you will see incentives to stay home instead of going back to work; massive taxpayer subsidies for inefficient green energy sources; and fewer cures for rare diseases.
The bill eliminates jobs. It reduces paychecks. It increases government dependency. It crushes small businesses. It repeals longstanding protections against taxpayer funding of abortions. And it taxes American companies at a higher rate than Communist China. Yes, that is all in the bill.
During our time this afternoon, in addition to the House Democrats' disastrous left-wing agenda, my colleagues and I will be discussing the many self-inflicted crises of the Biden administration. Whether it is the most expensive Thanksgiving in history, inflation, skyrocketing gas prices, or our overwhelmed southern border, one thing is for certain, the answer to the countless Democrat-caused crises is not more Democrat-authored policies.
I thank my colleagues for being here today, and I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson).
Mr. JOHNSON of Ohio. Madam Speaker, this administration's assault on American energy--oil, natural gas, and coal--is causing energy prices to surge. They say they are doing this to address climate change, but make no mistake, this is not about carbon, it is about control. President Biden and his liberal allies in this body do not want our Nation to return to the energy independence we had just 2 short years ago because it means they would have less control over our daily lives.
They want working families to feel economic pain in order to force them to change their behavior and reject fossil fuel generated electricity.
Consider this. Gas prices are up 61 percent over last year.
It is estimated American families could face a 54 percent increase in their home heating bills this winter.
When asked about its plan to lower energy prices, the Biden administration essentially told us that high energy prices are punishment for using fossil fuels--oil, gas, natural gas, coal--and that sacrifices must be made to make progress on the climate crisis, something China and Russia are absolutely not willing to do.
Surging energy prices in the Biden administration's out-of-control government spending that is causing inflation to surge to more than 6 percent is causing everything to cost more, from gasoline to groceries.
Yet, while this Thanksgiving could be the most expensive in history, one administration official called this inflation tax a ``high-class problem.''
Put simply, when inflation increases, wages decrease. Everyday goods cost more. It hurts the poor, the middle class, our seniors, and those living day-to-day on a fixed income the most.
Make no mistake, hardworking Americans can't afford this administration's agenda and its complete lack of compassion and respect for working families any longer.
I urge my colleagues to stand up to this administration's far-left social reengineering agenda and the assault on fossil fuels that will continue harming the very Americans they claim so much to want to help the most.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin).
Mr. C. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of families who will enjoy Thanksgiving with their loved ones next week. This American tradition is an opportunity to give thanks for all our many blessings.
Yet through no fault of their own, millions of hardworking families are struggling to count their blessings this year. Thanks to liberal policies enacted by the Biden administration and congressional Democrats, inflation is soaring, gas prices have spiked more than 50 percent, and supply chain disruptions are leaving store shelves empty. The cost of Thanksgiving dinner this year will be the highest in history, and it will cost more for folks to drive or fly to spend their holidays with loved ones.
American families are hurting.
My Democrat colleagues and their liberal elite mouthpieces in the media claim to be champions of the poor and the working class, yet an NBC correspondent claims it's a dirty little secret that Americans can afford to pay more for their groceries because they saved money when they were trapped in their homes during the COVID pandemic. She also had the audacity to say that because more than half of Americans are invested in the stock market and it has been doing well that most people are actually better off now.
How out of touch can she be? First, clearly she has zero regard for the half of the country that isn't fortunate enough to have a stock portfolio. Second, good luck trying to eat your 401(k) for Thanksgiving. Those are designed for retirement so tax penalties for early withdrawals are harsh. Here is the real dirty little secret: She knows that, but she is so beholden to the left that she is willing to provide them free cover.
Washington Post and Bloomberg op-ed writers are telling us we should lower our expectations and live more like Europeans by simply getting used to the idea of empty store shelves. These out-of-touch elites are channeling a let them eat cake mentality while American families are suffering.
Recent elections have shown that Americans reject these attempts to fundamentally change our Nation from a prosperous environmental country into a suffering socialist regime.
Inflation, intrusive government regulations, and overreaching policies have left American families with less money and limited buying power.
No American should ever have to lower their expectations while living in the most prosperous country in the world. As Americans, we are blessed to live in a country where we are free to pursue economic prosperity, even during difficult times.
Many of the economic challenges faced by American families today were created by the policies of an out-of-touch liberal ruling class, yet we stand on the brink of ramming through the largest and most expensive tax and spend initiative in history.
It reminds me of the final scene in the movie ``Thelma and Louise'' when the lead characters drive their car off a cliff rather than face the consequences of their actions. Democrat Party leaders are willing to figuratively drive our country off the cliff if that is what it takes to pass the build back broke program in an electric car, I am sure.
As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, I ask my Democrat colleagues and media elites to take a long, hard look at what their policies are doing to working-class Americans.
Just say no.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
Mr. BABIN. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague and neighbor from Louisiana across the Sabine River for hosting this Special Order tonight.
Madam Speaker, it has been 10 months since Joe Biden took office, and look at the state of our country. Our southern border is eroding before our very eyes. Gas prices are skyrocketing. Inflation has gone up every month. Our currency is diminishing at an alarming rate. And now Americans are about to sit down to the most expensive Thanksgiving in history.
How can anyone justify the fact that a bag of carrots has a price tag 48 percent higher than just a year ago?
My colleagues across the aisle know full well that every American is hurting because of their bad policies. They conveniently avoid the topic, telling people that inflation is actually a good thing.
Give me a break. Try telling that to those hardworking Americans at the grocery store or at the gas pump now.
What will it take for the left to finally come to their senses and say no more?
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Is commonsense and wisdom something of the past? Outdated and disregarded? Democrats criticize us for telling the American people that they are destroying the country. They try to divert the American people's attention by censuring a Republican congressman over a cartoon; but I would ask them to simply look around. We are in a state of crisis and decay; and hardworking, law-abiding, freedom-loving Americans fear the inevitable outcome should we continue down this path. That outcome, what is it? Socialism, folks.
Today, I ask my Democrat colleagues to look at the burden that they have put on the American people and face the fact that history has so clearly written--a socialist utopia simply does not exist.
Today, I ask them, on behalf of every single American in this Nation, to find the courage and rise and say enough.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for that reminder that socialism never worked and never has. It is a fool's errand.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).
Mr. ROSE. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana for the opportunity to address the House today.
This week, President Biden signed into law the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act, which focuses more on pushing Democrats' far-left socialist policies than on America's crumbling infrastructure needs.
Madam Speaker, the signing of this bill comes on the heels of Democrats' reckless taxing-and-spending spree and senseless policies that have created an economic crisis of monumental proportions.
As the Biden administration takes a victory lap, the American people are in no mood to celebrate. Inflation is at a 30-year high as prices on everything are more now than they were just 1 year ago. Gas is up 49 percent; beef is up 20 percent; home heating bills are up 28.1 percent.
Under the Biden administration, working families are getting crushed. Increased costs at the grocery store and the gas pump and higher home heating bills are squeezing Americans dry. Skyrocketing inflation is driving down real wages for hardworking middle-class families and making it more difficult for those living on fixed budgets to make ends meet.
Instead of addressing the root cause of inflation--which, by the way and for the Record, is largely caused by out-of-control government spending--House Democrats are continuing to push their sweeping $1.75 trillion build back broke act.
This package would once again hand out cash to households and create new paid leave benefits with no expectation of work. However, as we all know, an engaged workforce is key to invigorating economic recovery and slowing inflation. Make no mistake, wasteful and increased spending by Democrats, much of which is being funded by even more borrowed money, won't slow inflation; it will supercharge it.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge President Biden and Democrats in Congress to reconsider the devastating economic consequences they are proposing to enact.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. He is so right about that. The hardworking American families are feeling the pain from Tennessee all the way to California.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte), my good friend.
Mr. OBERNOLTE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I rise today deeply concerned that this body is scheduling a vote on what will likely be the most expensive spending package in the history of the United States without knowing the true cost of that package.
Our own House rules, House rule XIII, requires us to wait for a score from the Congressional Budget Office before voting on a budget bill, and the budget reconciliation and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires the CBO to issue that score. But unfortunately, we are rushing through this vote without even knowing the true cost of the bill.
Last week, I led a group of almost half of the House of Representatives in sending a letter to the Speaker urging her not to vote on this bill until its true costs are known. I am sure most Americans saw the President of the United States go on television two weeks ago and tell the American public that this spending bill will not add a single dollar to the national deficit. And our response to that is, if that is the case, Mr. President, prove it. Prove it by waiting for the CBO to issue a score on that bill.
The reason why we are so concerned about this issue is that any economist will tell you that deficit government spending is dangerously inflationary, and we are already seeing the highest inflation in the United States in over 40 years.
Folks in my district are paying over $20 more today to fill the gasoline tank on their cars just to go to work than they were just a year ago. This inflation is hurting everyday Americans and it will hurt them more if this bill spends more than it takes in in taxes, and every indication is that it will.
Madam Speaker, I urge this body to wait for the Congressional Budget Office to score this bill before voting on it. It is the responsible thing to do. Anything less would be an abdication of our responsibility to the people that we represent.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).
Mr. VAN DREW. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana for doing this and for yielding and for all of his good work.
Madam Speaker, I rise today, a week before one of America's oldest, most deeply rooted holidays, ashamed of what this administration is doing to our great United States of America. American families look forward to a Thanksgiving feast where they are finally able to see distant relatives, reflect on their lives and, of course, share a table covered in food made from old family recipes.
Yet, this year, families aren't thinking about that. They are not thinking about what they will cook, but rather, how they will afford a Thanksgiving meal. Turkey prices are up 18 percent. Pumpkin pie is up 17 percent. Carrots, strangely enough, up 50 percent. Some families might not even have to worry about these rising food costs because they might not be able to travel to see their families due to soaring gas prices. A gallon of gas is up 61 percent, on average. If they are able to travel despite the price increases, they may enter a frigid home, as the cost to heat our homes has increased by 54 percent.
The root cause of these price increases is no big secret to anyone. They are the direct result of failed Biden policies. Policies that have led to rampant inflation, a crippled supply chain, and labor shortages on a scale that we never would have ever imagined.
Despite recent comments made by this administration and the media, inflation is a bad, bad thing. Buying a home? More expensive. Building a home? More expensive. Renting an apartment? More expensive. Gas, groceries, turkeys, and presents, more expensive. This is the Biden Thanksgiving tax.
Americans deserve a joyous Thanksgiving after the suffering our Nation has endured over the past 2 years. And this administration is on track to be known as the grinch who not only stole Christmas, but the grinch that stole Thanksgiving as well.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the comments of the gentleman.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louisiana.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to address a very important issue in our country. Crisis after crisis after crisis that we see, including last week where the President gathered with world leaders to discuss a fairytale climate agenda that will literally dismantle America's national security based on disinformation.
If we continue down this path, all Americans should worry about one thing: Where is our energy going to come from? We are told that we must dismantle the American oil and gas production to save the planet, but in 2019, U.S. harmful emissions were 13 percent less than they were in 2005. No other country has cut their footprint more in that short amount of time.
And what is responsible for this? Well, it is not electric vehicles. It is not unreliable energy sources. It's the American shale revolution. Clean-burning natural gas is critical in allowing us to achieve affordable, reliable energy supply without the harmful emissions and the increases like we see from major polluters like Russia and China. But instead of building on that progress, President Biden and Democrats are crippling the American energy sector and emboldening our foreign adversaries.
I am proud to represent the men and women of the Permian Basin and the job that they do to keep the lights on to make sure that we have that affordable, reliable energy, and that it is running every single day.
It is time to put Midland over Moscow. Any vote for reconciliation might as well be a vote for Russia. I am urging my colleagues to vote
``no.''
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. Midland over Moscow, we ought to print T-shirts with that one.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), where they are deeply concerned about this as well.
Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I thank Vice Chairman Johnson for yielding to me and the adequate job that he is doing.
Madam Speaker, I recently overheard some East Tennesseans talking at the gas pumps at the local Pilot station. And a fellow said, it is almost like these politicians want to make gas more expensive. Well, I think my constituents are on to something.
Conversations like this one I have heard at my local Pilot station have been happening everywhere all across this country. Americans are so displeased with gas prices, they are slapping these Biden ``I did that'' stickers on the pumps. I don't recommend doing that, but it seems to me somebody is taking the initiative to do it.
Madam Speaker, Joe Biden's war against affordable energy is hurting millions of Americans' ability to travel. Commutes to work, family road trips, trips to the park, airline travel--all are soaring in costs. The White House lacks any and all sympathy for what this crisis means for working Americans.
Joe Biden's Energy Secretary even laughed when asked how her department planned to stabilize gas prices. I thought that was the ultimate act of arrogance. It is the ``let them eat cake too'' kind of thing.
I guess this is easy for Joe Biden and his Cabinet to ignore. American taxpayers fund all their travel in those fancy private cars and jet airplanes they fly around in. Their attitude is insulting and it is arrogant. No wonder Joe Biden is blind to what is going on. He never sees a bill for any of it, not a doggone bit.
The holiday season is right around the corner, people will be celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas, and I predict holiday travel this year will be the most expensive on record. Americans will have Joe Biden's war on affordable energy to thank for their enormous travel expenses.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Johnson for the adequate work he is doing.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's adequate comments. And I will tell the gentleman that they are going to have to amend and print new stickers for the gas pumps because if our Democrat colleagues vote for this monstrosity, they are going to have to make a new sticker that says, ``I and the House Democrats did that.'' That is what is going down.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Hice).
Mr. HICE of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the House Democrats have done this. It is all one big party. And while we are going to be celebrating Thanksgiving next week, families gather together giving thanks, I am absolutely confident there will not be one family in America giving thanks for the economic crisis created by President Joe Biden and the Democrats--the crisis, economically, that they are serving the American people.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, this is going to be the most expensive Thanksgiving in history. From turkey to potatoes, pumpkin pie--you name it--this is going to be the most expensive Thanksgiving ever; probably a whole lot fewer second trips for food, or thirds, or whatever your family is accustomed to.
Meanwhile, what is the answer that our Democrat friends are giving us? Democrats here in Washington have a great solution: Let's spend trillions of more dollars. Let's make inflation go up even more. Let's put more pain and suffering around the Thanksgiving tables and the pocketbooks of the American people. While Americans are pinching their pennies, literally, to live within their means, President Biden and his socialist cronies from the other side of the aisle here in Washington are wanting to spend even more of the hard-earned money of the American taxpayer and the American worker.
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The Democrat socialist gravy train has left the station, and the American people, I assure you, are not at the table. They are not on board with what is happening in this country.
Americans are the ones paying the price for this. They are paying the price for President Biden's budget-busting policies--more money at the gas pumps, more money at the Thanksgiving table this year, more money for everyday goods. We can go down the list.
It is high time--it is past time--that President Biden and the Democrats stop this reckless, runaway spending. Our economy cannot afford trillions more dollars that we don't have for unnecessary spending for socialist, Marxist spending, robbing us not only of our hard-earned income but our liberties, our freedoms that we love and cherish in this country.
It is time that we put a stop to this nonsense.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, that voice from Georgia is so strong. I think we are going to stick with that theme.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, too many falsehoods have been spread about the Democrats' multitrillion-dollar tax and spend bill, the most radical and expensive piece of legislation in our history.
The American people deserve to know the truth about the grave ramifications of passing this fiscally irresponsible liberal wish list.
Let's unpack some of these egregious Pinocchios.
For starters, the left has erroneously claimed that the so-called Build Back Better Act is fully paid for and will cost American taxpayers zero dollars. This is false.
While we have not yet received the official CBO score, models show that Biden's Big Government socialist spending package should cost more than double what Democrats have previously reported. The number could be upward of $4.5 trillion, with $3 trillion of it being in new debt.
Additionally, President Biden has touted for months that this legislation will not raise taxes on Americans earning less than
$400,000 a year. According to early reports from the Congressional Budget Office, this is completely false as well.
A recent analysis from the Tax Policy Center found that the reckless reconciliation bill would hike taxes for 20 to 30 percent of middle-
class families next year, yet taxpayers in the top 5 percent will see a combined total tax cut of $32 billion. What a slap in the face to millions of small businesses, hardworking employees, and their families.
Lastly, the President and his Democrat allies have absurdly stated that passing their pricey package will help ease inflation. Ease inflation? Really? This is completely illogical and defies all reason unless, of course, your intent is to deceive.
Injecting trillions of dollars of borrowed Federal money into the economy, with billions of it going to climate change, will only worsen the already burdensome effects of record-high inflation. The result will be Americans struggling to afford gas, groceries, and heating bills.
Keep in mind, the sole intent of the Biden, Bernie bankruptcy act's enormous cost is to fund unpopular and radical policies, such as taxpayer-funded abortion, weaponizing the IRS, and mass amnesty for illegal migrants. Oh, and don't forget about the 150-plus new government programs that will further expand the Federal Government's size and scope.
Simply put, the unfortunate truth is that by ramming through their Big Government socialist spending spree, Democrats are selfishly prioritizing their dangerous, far-left agenda over the needs of the American people.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Moore).
Mr. MOORE of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I appreciate your leadership on this.
Madam Speaker, I rise today alarmed by the unprecedented wasteful spending from Washington that is fueling inflation and risking the future of our Republic.
Last week, this Congress passed a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill. Despite the bill's characterization, less than 10 percent went to traditional--what us southerners and commonsense people call roads and bridges. But $200 million went back to a park in Speaker Pelosi's own backyard.
According to The New York Times, certainly not an ally of the Republicans, the Democrats' reconciliation bill before us this week includes a $4.1 billion tax break for people who buy electric bicycles;
$2.5 billion for tree equity--I am not sure what that is; and another
$2.5 billion to help contingency fee lawyers recoup expenses.
Madam Speaker, this captures exactly what is wrong with Washington. Too many politicians up here will gladly endorse trillions in new spending for a few pennies of pork to come back to their district. They put their political futures above our own Nation.
Well, I am sick of it, and the American people are, too. Congress is bleeding the American people dry with waste and pet projects it claims is being spent in their own best interests.
Sure, I would love for the Federal Government to build a new road in my district, but I refuse to sacrifice the health and viability of this Nation to get it. Most patriotic Americans would agree with me.
Roads and bridges come and go, but if we foolishly squander the Nation our forefathers fought so hard to create, we will selfishly allow this great American experiment to die because of our own greed. Shame on us because we will have ultimately failed those who elected us and sent us here to protect their best interests.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Madam Speaker, the spending spree continues this week as Democrats continue to try to ram their ridiculous reconciliation bill down our throats.
The radicals have been back-seat driving far too long. Our holiday cheer is now being threatened by this administration's refusal to cut up the credit cards. It is truly astonishing.
We are all set to experience the most expensive Thanksgiving in our country's history, thanks to these reckless spending habits perpetrated by the White House. Turkey prices are up 27 percent. Potatoes are up 13 percent. Carrots are up 47 percent. The beloved pumpkin pie from Costco is up 17 percent.
The Consumer Price Index is up 6.2 percent overall. This is an indicator of how much extra people are having to pay for their goods.
In addition, natural gas is up 40 percent, and home heating oil is up 60 percent. Americans are being forced to pay more to heat their homes at a time when the weather is at its coldest. Nowhere in America should hardworking taxpayers have to choose between heating their home and putting food on the table.
These are not pandemic-related issues anymore. They are government-
created issues. This is what socialism looks like. Joe Biden says: Get used to it.
Empty shelves, runaway inflation, and government control--this no longer looks like America. It looks like a failed socialist nation. That is what it looks like.
We will not cave to the desires of the far left. We will push back. America will remain free, and we will prevail.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Carter for that optimistic close. As Ronald Reagan said, we are the ``last best hope of man on Earth.'' We better hold it.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Miller).
Mrs. MILLER of Illinois. Madam Speaker, the only thing President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and the Democrats in Congress will be building back better is China's economy. Truly, they are building Beijing back better.
A new report released today shows that China has officially surpassed the U.S. as the richest nation in the world because Congress gave China most favored nation status under the Clinton administration. They have definitely tipped the scales for Chinese manufacturing.
D.C. politicians themselves have been enriched off of China, while the American middle class suffers. Now Democrats are pushing the Green New Deal policies that will make the middle class suffer even more with higher gas prices and home heating bills this winter.
Biden's policies enrich China because they manufacture solar panels, lithium batteries, and windmills, and taxpayers are going to be forced to subsidize this.
China mines these minerals for batteries and solar panels with child labor and slave labor. When asked about the slave labor behind the Green New Deal, John Kerry said it was ``not my lane.'' That is despicable.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend. It is a shame that China is being assisted by these Democrat policies, even as they openly challenge us. Another thing Ronald Reagan warned us about is that weakness invites aggression. This is a dangerous game.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Bentz).
Mr. BENTZ. Madam Speaker, American families and businesses across our country are facing a crisis, a crisis of inflation, the likes of which we have not seen for more than 30 years. Last month, the Consumer Price Index hit a 30-year high.
What does this mean for everyday Americans? Gas prices are up 50 percent from last year. Food prices are rising to the highest level in 12 years. The price of eggs is up 42 percent. The price of milk is up 17 percent. The price of a new car is up $5,000. Home prices are going through the roof.
Last week, I met with farmers and ranchers in central Oregon who are paying far more for fertilizer, feed, fuel, herbicides, and all crop inputs. This is on top of the incredible difficulties caused by historic drought, supply chain disruptions, and a shocking shortage of labor.
Given all this, what are President Biden and Speaker Pelosi doing to address the biggest inflationary spike in decades? Well, they have no plan except to spend even more trillions of our tax dollars on more and probably irreversible welfare programs.
The $2 trillion spending bill would raise taxes, increase our national debt, and drive inflation even higher. Sadly, American families will pay for this bill one way or another--but most immediately, right now, through inflated prices on everything from diesel fuel to the Thanksgiving turkey.
The $2 trillion Build Back Better bill is on top of the $1.9 trillion spent in March and the $1.2 trillion spent a few weeks ago. Even former officials from the Obama administration have warned that these unprecedented levels of spending will result in higher inflation. American farmers are now warning that this spending bill could result in the demise of many family farms and ranches.
Spending trillions upon trillions of dollars will cause more crippling inflation for American families and businesses. This radical reconciliation bill would not help us build back better. Instead, it will damage my State and our Nation for generations to come.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, it will damage all of our States.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff).
Mr. KUSTOFF. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Louisiana for arranging the time to talk to the Nation today about these very important issues.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to talk about the reckless spending plans put forward by Democrats, which I think, without a doubt, have put our country in a real economic crisis.
Let me take you back to March when, along purely partisan lines, Democrats pushed through a $1.9 trillion spending plan. Just 2 weeks ago, Democrats pushed through another $1.2 trillion in spending. This week, we may likely vote on the Democrats' social spending plan, which would drive the total spending to almost $5 trillion when you add together all three of these spending bills.
Now, if you will focus for a moment on the runaway inflation that has really been exacerbated and inflamed by this massive spending, it was reported just last week that the Consumer Price Index, which measures this data, rose over 6 percent. That is the highest level in 30 years.
This means that the price of everyday goods has skyrocketed. I am talking about everything: cars, appliances, food, gas. Estimates are that the price to heat your home this winter could be 54 percent higher this year compared to last winter. Americans--our constituents--are getting hit really hard financially, and there is no end to it in sight.
Without a doubt, the huge social spending bill that we may vote on this week will leave severe and long-lasting consequences.
Madam Speaker, I want to point you to a story that ran yesterday in The Washington Times. Here is the headline: ``Biden's social welfare bill breaks pledge to not raise taxes on people making less than
$400,000.'' The newspaper cites the Joint Committee on Taxation.
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Now, here is the deal: with the social spending bill beginning in 2023, taxpayers making between $50,000 and $75,000 annually would see a tax increase. For people earning between $75,000 and $100,000 a year, the tax increase is 2.9 percent. Folks making between $100,000 and
$200,000 per year would see a tax increase of 7.4 percent in 2023.
Madam Speaker, let's listen to our constituents. Let's focus on the real-world problems that they are dealing with every day and that they talk to us about. Let's work on the supply chain. Let's focus on the threat from China. Let's stop this massive spending.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend for prosecuting the case. That was his background.
Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining in the hour.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 20\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Mrs. Bice).
Mrs. BICE of Oklahoma. Madam Speaker, I rise today to address the record-breaking inflation that will make next Thursday the most expensive Thanksgiving in history due to Biden's and Democrats' detrimental policy decisions. The American people will feel the impact of rising inflation this Thanksgiving and holiday season.
Prices of ingredients for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner are sky-high, with turkey costs up 27 percent, pumpkin pie up 17 percent, and carrots up 47 percent. Beyond the pricey meal, travel costs are surging because a gallon of gas costs 61 percent more than a year ago and airfare is expected to increase 18 percent, placing a burden on families to visit loved ones for the holidays. On top of this, simply staying warm this winter will cost more. Heating bills are projected to rise as much as 54 percent compared to last winter.
While these everyday prices are skyrocketing, wages are stagnant, which means decreased purchasing power for hardworking Americans. Not only will they have less money to spend on Thanksgiving traditions and holiday gifts that will have a damaging impact on our small businesses and our overall economy, but the livelihoods of Americans will be harmed by the difficulty to afford day-to-day necessities.
Madam Speaker, Biden's failed policies are hitting home. As shown through the significant drop in his approval rating, Americans are desperate for a solution to fix these insane price increases.
Instead, what is Biden's response?
Continue to push the partisan reconciliation bill that would pump the economy with trillions more dollars in spending for social programs that are not paid for, further exacerbating this inflation crisis and causing American taxpayers to suffer the effects for generations to come.
There are grave consequences to careless actions. I urge my colleagues and the American people to recognize this Thanksgiving as a direct result of excessive government spending and shutting down our country's energy production.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. The gentlewoman has said it very well.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I would like one more time to address the reconciliation package. We know that it is a very large spending package and will result in more welfare and, inevitably, we will have to have more taxes which will put a damper on the economy.
But let's look at the type of vision that the Democratic Party has for our country given what they are spending the money on. We know we have a big, illegal immigration crisis in this country--everybody knows 8,000 people in the country last July, 105,000 this July.
What are we going to do with it?
We have record amounts of fentanyl coming across the southern border. We respond with a provision giving 7 million people a path to amnesty which is a magnet to get more people here. We make it more difficult to remove people from the country if they commit crimes, including sex offenses and firearm convictions without any discretion from DHS. So, Madam Speaker, you want to make it more difficult to get even the criminal element out of the country.
But, finally, we promised anybody coming into the country free college. Pell grants that are designed for poor Americans are going to go to people who come here illegally. We want the average American to sit there at home paying $30,000 or $40,000 tuition, in debt until they are 30 or 40 years old, but if you come here illegally, boom, free college.
The second thing we get out of here is a new welfare problem in this country. We are encouraging people not to work. We are encouraging people not to get married.
How do they respond?
Look at the recent increase in food stamp benefits, the massive amount of money going to low-income housing, the increase in the earned income tax credit, and the larger Pell grants. Everywhere you look in this bill, Madam Speaker, is more money for people of a certain lifestyle at the expense of the person who is getting married and working harder.
Race preferences are throughout this bill. It seems like they are incapable of doing a program that benefits all Americans. It is always targeting somebody from this race or that race or this gender or that gender. It is a very divisive bill.
There is a great increase in government's role in raising children. It is the government that pays for all the 3- and 4-year-old kids. It is kind of the opposite of what America is supposed to be where the child's upbringing is family centered. Now we want to make the child's upbringing government centered.
Finally, it creates more of a surveillance state. There are 87,000 new IRS agents.
What could they possibly do?
But, obviously, Madam Speaker, you can see where we are headed as a country. At a time when our factories and farms can't find anybody to work, we are going to take unemployed people and make them IRS agents.
In any event, I urge Americans to pay attention to where the money is going in this bill because it is the type of America our forefathers never would have imagined.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. I thank my friend for his common sense. We will continue with that theme.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird).
Mr. BAIRD. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for giving me the opportunity to speak.
Madam Speaker, at a time when Americans are facing the highest inflation rates in decades and small businesses are struggling to recover from the devastating impact of COVID-19, House Democrats will soon consider the most radical spending package in American history.
Unfortunately, instead of giving families and businesses a hand up by getting able-bodied Americans back to work and taking steps to resolve our supply chain crisis, Democrats' far left socialist package will do little more than exacerbate our inflation crisis and harm the growth of small businesses.
Earlier this month the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business released a model that found the bill will cost more than twice the estimated cost. If that is not bad enough, the Tax Policy Center recently found that this spending spree would raise taxes on middle-
class Americans by up to 30 percent.
This anti-growth package will destroy thousands of jobs, burden many business owners with restrictive taxes intended to help pay for this bloated spending bill, and will surely be a death knell for many businesses on struggling Main Street and hardworking Americans struggling to contend with soaring inflation rates.
Month after month we have watched the Biden administration deliver disappointing jobs reports with the labor force participation rate falling to 61.6 percent in September alone. This labor shortage is only fueling our economy and supply chain crisis, but instead of encouraging Americans to get back to work, President Biden and House Democrats are including provisions that discourage unemployed Americans from finding a job.
If Democrats really want to build back better, they should be championing policies that actually help our small business owners and the middle class, not exacerbating the problems they are struggling to overcome.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Any time a Bronze Star and Purple Heart recipient speaks, we ought to listen.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline.)
Mr. CLINE. Madam Speaker, I want to thank my friend for yielding and for sponsoring this evening's Special Order.
Madam Speaker, this week the Labor Department's consumer price index jumped 6.2 percent in October from a year earlier, reflecting an increase in the cost of goods and services as well as energy and food. Fuel costs surged 30 percent.
I have a quote from someone here in Washington about that. This politician said, ``By all accounts, the threat posed by record inflation to the American people is not transitory and is instead getting worse. From the grocery store to the gas pump, Americans know the inflation tax is real and DC can no longer ignore the economic pain Americans feel every day.''
Now, that wasn't my colleague, Congressman Johnson. That wasn't Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy or Congressman Jim Jordan. No. That was Senator Joe Manchin who said that just today. He is recognizing that not just West Virginians, but all Americans are feeling the pain at the pump, at the grocery store, and all across the economy.
It is coming from legislation that our President pushed earlier this year and that House Democrats helped get behind--the so-called American Rescue Plan. No less than our President himself said this about public frustration, ``And people are feeling it. They're feeling it. Did you ever think you'd be paying this much for a gallon of gas? In some parts of California, they're paying $4.50 a gallon.
``That's why it's so important that we do everything in our power to stabilize the supply chain.''
But what he did through passage of this American Rescue Plan is actually cause inflation to jump that much further forward, and he conceded on Wednesday that inflation is at a three-decade high because people have more money now as a result of the $1.9 trillion stimulus legislation.
And what has he proposed to do now?
Double down and spend an additional $2 trillion.
What does he think that will do to inflation in this country, Madam Speaker?
He has already said, ``And the irony is: People have more money now because of the first major piece of legislation I passed. You all got checks for $1,400. You got checks for a whole range of things. . . . It changes people's lives.
``But what happens if there's nothing to buy and you got more money?
. . . It creates a real problem.''
He did say that, and it did create a real problem. It creates a problem to the tune of inflation rates at a 30-year high and gas prices up 61 percent from last year.
So if the President recognizes that his last multitrillion-dollar bill caused the economics peril we are facing, then why is he proposing spending an additional $2 trillion on social programs we don't need and we can't afford--150 new government programs?
Propping up the Green New Deal won't solve the economic crisis. Weaponizing the IRS against Americans won't lower inflation. Taxing middle-class families won't put more money in the people's pockets.
Do you know what would actually help get this country's economy back on track, Madam Speaker?
Fiscal responsibility. Americans want a Thanksgiving meal that won't be the most expensive in the history of the holiday, not a progressive wish list that will only make the situation worse.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. We are going to feel the pain. My friend is exactly right.
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions).
Mr. SESSIONS. Madam Speaker, I thank Congressman Johnson for this opportunity.
Madam Speaker, we are here to talk to the American people about ideas that roam across our Nation. They are conversations that take place around every table, and next week at Thanksgiving we will have those conversations at my table and others around the country.
Madam Speaker, you just heard a good discussion about inflation. But part of inflation comes from government spending, and part of government spending comes from policy that this President and this administration's Democratic Party supports.
Madam Speaker, 1.6 million people have come to our borders and come across, and we are doing things that will encourage them to come here. We are doing things that will encourage them when we give them free education, free healthcare and to pay for them to do those things.
{time} 1745
So, Madam Speaker, tonight we want to speak specifically about this thing that is called inflation. Inflation is related to Federal monetary and fiscal policy. Inflation is that thing that occurs in the economy when the price of goods and services rise and rise exponentially.
Normally, an administration would look at about a 2 percent growth, a 2 percent inflation rate, which would be, generally speaking, an acceptable growth for a GDP model as well as inflation rate.
This administration, however, began with President Biden going down and visiting the king of inflation, former President Jimmy Carter, talking to this Nation about how great Jimmy Carter's service was. Well what he really meant to say was I admired his policies, progressive liberal policies that took this country to have 16 and 18 percent interest rates, interest rates that raised prices an excessive amount of money for families for a generation that could not buy homes.
Madam Speaker, the Republican Party is here speaking, just as the American people are, and we recognize that this administration has made dear and great friends with the conditions that create inflationary spiral.
This administration knows exactly--they have smart people there, but it is their policies that they demand to have, and those policies bring about results that end up making friends with inflation: Higher prices for goods and services; more government spending. This is big expensive government spending across the board.
And so the American people will have the most expensive Thanksgiving in years; the highest inflation rate in 30 years. Oh, that would be back to Jimmy Carter. No wonder President Biden visited his favorite--
or second favorite President, Jimmy Carter, because he wants to make friends with the conditions that create inflation: Big government spending, prices rising, government control of the goods and services.
And just like Jimmy Carter, he had a Senate, a House, and a Presidency to be very successful.
Madam Speaker, the American people spoke again last night in local elections down in South Carolina. They spoke a week ago in State elections.
Madam Speaker, the American people deserve better. Better comes from policy, and better comes from adults who will recognize that it is not just politics, it is about the American people who want and need to have more take-home pay and more ability to take care of themselves; not big, expensive socialist government that even breaks the laws of this country.
Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his service to this conference but, more importantly, for making sure that the American people hear the other side of the story.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, that was so well said, and the American people are going to speak again next fall; we know that for certain.
Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).
Mr. CLYDE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Jackson County Deputy Lena Marshall, whose picture is displayed beside me right here.
Last week, Jackson County lost a mother and a heroic law enforcement officer. After responding to a domestic call that spiraled into a violent shootout, Deputy Marshall tragically lost her life while serving to keep Georgians in our community safe.
While I never had the privilege of meeting Deputy Marshall personally, I am deeply moved by her immeasurable sacrifice and willingness to put Georgians' safety above her own.
As a resident of Jackson County myself, I believe I can speak for all of us in the county in saying that we are forever thankful for Deputy Marshall's dedication, her service, and her bravery.
My wife, Jennifer, and I continue to pray for Lena's family and for her fellow Jackson County officers during this difficult time.
May God bless our men and women in blue who selflessly put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).
Mr. LaMALFA. Madam Speaker, I rise tonight as we talk about this issue with our upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, expected, of course, to be the most expensive meal in the history of that holiday.
This is more proof that the Democrats are driving up inflation with their spending policies. Spending piles of dollars does not create an economy, it actually hurts the value of the dollars.
USDA's Turkey Market News Report showed the price of turkey itself is going to be up 22 percent from last year. Pumpkin pie, potatoes, cranberries, all up in price.
Inflation, of course, is the most regressive of actual taxes on the people because it hits those on a fixed income the hardest. Low and middle-income have tough decisions to make on whether it is going to be--how they are going to handle their food costs and upcoming heating oil and gas to stay warm this winter.
Democrats have been touting that they will tax billionaires and the rich and corporations but, instead, we have seen them advocating for policies that lead to inflation, directly harming those low and middle-
income Americans, as well as making tax breaks for the rich while they are touting them.
Congress cannot spend its way out of a problem, as some in the administration have suggested. It would only make the issue worse.
We must stop passing massive spending bills and, instead, work on the burdensome regulations and get out of businesses way so they can thrive, expand their businesses, and hire employees.
Indeed, we need to work on the important supply chain issues that are still clogging our ports, keeping our products from being exported, from agriculture, all those things that need to be shipped out. Instead, we aren't cutting very good deals with China when they can just send their stuff over to us.
So that would insulate our economy from inflation by having a real economy at home that is not dependent upon borrowed dollars for big spending.
Indeed, I keep asking, Biden administration, whose side are you on?
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, how much time is remaining?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 5 seconds remaining.
Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank my friends for participating tonight, and I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 200
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
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