American Rescue Plan Act of 2021

Floor Speech

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Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to thank Congressman Jason Smith for his work as the ranking Republican on the Budget Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I know the Democrats in the House are excited because all their work has even transpired all the way to Nevada, because now the socialist Democratic wing of the party has taken over there as well.

From H.R. 1 to voting to defund the police, House Democrats have abandoned any pretense of unity. They passed three major bills in one month with zero bipartisan support.

Today, they plan to pass another. Like the others, it represents a missed opportunity for Congress to focus on the real needs of the American people. At $1.9 trillion in new spending, the so-called American Rescue Plan is the most expensive single bill in American history.

Let's put that number in context, Mr. Speaker. If you put it in today's numbers, World War II cost our government $4.8 trillion. But if we pass this bill, our country's total relief, COVID relief, spending will now total $5.5 trillion. This so-called relief bill will end up costing every hardworking taxpayer in America more than $5,000 each. You send the government your tax dollars, but you only get a fraction of what you pay for, at the very best.

You know, we warn people on the internet about email scams. It is like one of those emails where you get a promise you will get millions of dollars, but first you have to wire them some money. That is exactly what is happening here today.

This is the reality of the bill before us. It showers money on special interests, but spends less than 9 percent on actually defeating the virus. But it gives San Francisco $600 million, essentially wiping out 92 percent of their budget deficit.

Think about that: 9 percent on the virus. But, Mr. Speaker, San Francisco, the home to our Speaker, gets to wipe out 92 percent of their budget deficit.

Where does that money come from?

Well, every American is now going to pay more than $5,000 so we can send it to San Francisco and give them 92 percent of their budget deficit. Interesting how socialism works.

In both the House and the Senate, the only bipartisan vote has been against this. And after five relief bills, it is on track to be the first passed by strictly party lines.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard people across the country say this bill today is costly, corrupt, and liberal. Now even the Biden White House agrees: It is very liberal. They called this the most progressive piece of legislation in history.

For those who are watching, progressive means socialism, the same party that runs here, and now the Democratic Party of Nevada is the socialist Democratic Party.

So let's be clear. This isn't a rescue bill. It isn't a relief bill. It is a laundry list of left-wing priorities that predate the pandemic and do not meet the needs of American families. No wonder even House Democrats have said they are embarrassed by what is in it. And just this week, one of their own Members said, ``There is no question there is some waste in there.'' But they will still vote for it anyway.

In fact, if you are a member of the swamp, you do pretty well under this bill. But for the American people, it means serious problems immediately on the horizon.

Consider this: Mr. Speaker, it will only be Democrats who vote for this bill that will cause $36 billion in cuts to Medicare starting this year. What they choose to do is cut Medicare to those who need it and send $600 million to San Francisco to pay for 92 percent of their budget deficit.

Or consider K-12 education. Democrats say they need $130 billion to reopen schools, but their bill only allocates $6 billion to help schools this fiscal year. Two-thirds of the total funding for education won't even be spent until 2023 or later.

But don't worry, San Francisco will get their money now. The schools need to wait. You have priorities.

Do Democrats expect schools to reopen 2 years from now?

I guess that is what they are saying with this bill. They have no plan to get children back in the classroom full time.

This week marks the 1-year anniversary of school districts across the country switching to school behind a screen. We still don't know the full effects of this decision, but we do know keeping classrooms closed has created an education and mental health problem for students and parents. It has been a lost year for our children's education. And even more devastating, one in four young adults has struggled with suicidal thoughts.

Experience and scientific evidence say reopen schools now. It is necessary and it is safe.

Mr. Speaker, the last time this bill was on the floor, we offered an amendment to take that money for that subway just outside of San Francisco and put that money for the children's mental health and others. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, all the Democrats said was, no; that subway by San Francisco was more important.

But, fortunately, we were able to remove that from the bill in the Senate. But luckily here, all the Democrats were able to think the priority is not children; it was San Francisco. But because Democrats are following the demands of special interests, not science, they are telling children to wait with no end in sight.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I want to applaud the Democrats on the other side because they put their money where their mouth is. They are telling the American public: First give me $5,000. I know you have to work harder, but what I am going to do--because this is how socialism works, the Democrats are now going to decide who should get that money. And you know what? At least they give it to the people they respect the most.

So let's go through this. Compared to the subsidies for the swamp, Democrats want to give Federal employees, who have not been laid off, an extra $21,000 to help cope with virtual schooling. But if you are in the private sector or if you have been laid off, you don't get any of that. But what they want to do is take the money from you, give it to any Federal employee, who gets a bonus of $21,000, even though they have never been laid off work.

So if you are in Washington, in the swamp, you are part of the team. If you are a hardworking taxpayer, sorry, you just send a bill. But if you are in San Francisco, we are going to help pay for your deficit.

What does it say to the millions of mothers and fathers who had to quit their job to take care of their kids at home or in school? Or compare that to Title X. This bill will allow organizations like Planned Parenthood to access $50 million.

You know, Mr. Speaker, for decades in this body we respected one another's opinion. We created the Hyde amendment that said we would not use taxpayer funds for abortion, but when there is a pandemic and a socialist reign, we are going to charge you $5,000 regardless of how you feel about it, and that is where the money is going to be spent.

Now, the Democrats believe schools should wait a couple years to get their money, but not Planned Parenthood. We have to get that money there quick.

Or compare it to how we fund States, Mr. Speaker. We have always had a formula, but, Mr. Speaker, now that we are going to do the bill this way where there is only one-party rule, we are going to change the formula of how States can get their money.

So let's analyze that. Democrats claim States and local governments need $350 billion.

Now, where do they get that number?

Well, if they read the headlines, it would confirm States are not in financial distress. Nearly half saw an increase in revenue last year. And some, even including my home State of California, they have a budget surplus.

Now, Mr. Speaker, I understand in Washington they maybe don't understand what the word ``surplus'' means; that means you have more money, that you actually saved money. What California is going to get is a windfall.

Remember, San Francisco is in California. Mr. Speaker, that just happens to be the Speaker's district, as well. They have a $650 million deficit.

Now, some of the challenges that San Francisco has--you see, if you are in San Francisco and you are homeless, they will pay for your alcohol and they will pay for your cannabis. So it costs more money. So that is why you have a deficit.

But it is okay because we don't need to send the schools money today, we can send that years from now, but we need to get San Francisco 92 percent of their deficit taken care of.

Now, we have a pandemic going on, and we are going to spend $1.9 trillion, but only 9 percent of that needs to go to COVID because San Francisco needs a lot of money.

So what they have done now is they reward bad behavior. That is one of the few places that is facing a shortfall. They are actually punishing States that did it right. American taxpayers didn't vote for this, but thanks to the blue State payout, they are. The bill rewards bad behavior.

Now, President Biden, he hasn't had a press conference, but he did say one time, and someone picked it up, ``Show me what to cut.''

Well, the Senate actually cut tens of billions of dollars in spending from the Biden bill that the House passed.

Now, I feel bad, Mr. Speaker, because Speaker Pelosi at first had, like, $112 million for that really important COVID subway just outside of San Francisco. Now, before that bill was able to get to the floor and the public found out about it--I guess it got good press because they added more money to it--it got to $140 million.

Now, when it came to the floor here, there was a group of people-- well, Mr. Speaker, let's just say who it was, it was the Republicans, they thought a better priority was to spend that $140 million for children with mental health issues because we have watched study after study of children being left out of school; suicide, obesity.

What about those children who have parents who don't work for the Federal Government? They don't get a bonus. And some of those parents had to quit their job to care for their children.

So Republicans thought--I know it is a small amount compared to $1.9 trillion--we thought, wouldn't that be a better use of the money? So we offered that on this floor, Mr. Speaker. But unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the Democrats said ``no'' to that, that this subway was more important than the children.

Well, luckily on the Senate side, they took that out. Whoa, Mr. Speaker, the American public thought for one moment maybe the price could get a little lower and that Americans wouldn't have to pay $5,000 a person. Maybe they saved a little money. No, no, no, no, no.

You see, Mr. Speaker, the Democrats are in charge of the Senate, too, so they now decided since they couldn't build a subway, they would just plus that money up.

So where did they spend it? Well, Mr. Speaker, you have got to give them credit. They took the same advice that the Democrats in the House had. You see, they added an extra $25,000 bonus for State employees. Let's just not reward the employees of the Federal Government that haven't been laid off, let's reward the State employees who haven't been laid off. They get a $25,000 bonus.

Isn't that amazing? I wonder where the money comes from?

Oh, yes, Mr. Speaker, it comes from the American people, the hardworking taxpayers. You see, they all need to send the government $5,000 so you can decide where to spend it. And if you are part of the swamp, that is a pretty good reward. $25,000.

And then they added $15 billion for taxpayer-funded healthcare subsidies that illegal immigrants are eligible for.

Now, you know this, Mr. Speaker, based upon your district and others, you know what is happening down at the border. President Biden has created a new border crisis. There are more people able to come in, not being tested for COVID, but lo and behold, they are now going to get subsidized healthcare. Luckily, we can spend more money on that, Mr. Speaker. There is probably much more coming now with the Biden border crisis.

But will this help the people get back to work? Nope.

Will this help students get back in the classroom? Nope.

But will it help vaccines get to those who want it? Nope.

But will it help take care of 92 percent of San Francisco's budget deficit?

Oh, yes, it will. Yes, it will.

It just throws out money without accountability even though there are a trillion dollars sitting there right now that have already been appropriated that can go out to help.

Remember what Margaret Thatcher said, Mr. Speaker: ``The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.'' You have been doing a very good job of it so far.

There is still work to do to defeat the virus, but it is clear we are nearing the final phase of the fight. For 12 terrible months, the American worker has struggled through lockdowns, sacrificed through closures, and suffered through mandates. They persevered through it all. And now their government wants to take $5,000 more of it to make sure a Federal employee that wasn't laid off, a State employee that wasn't laid off gets bonuses. And lo and behold, we have got to make sure San Francisco gets their deficit taken care of. Not in 2 years like the schools, but today.

President Trump's Operation Warp Speed, previous bipartisan efforts in Congress, and the American people worked tirelessly toward that outcome. President Biden was set up for success both economically and with vaccines, but in that short amount of time what have they been able to accomplish down at the Biden administration? They have raised our gasoline prices, so not only are you asking them to pay for this bill, you are taking more out of their pocket, and at the same time by a stroke of a pen he laid off millions of those workers.

Mr. Speaker, I know this for sure, I know where you serve, and I know your passion for serving. I know the people in your district that are getting laid off for the XL pipeline. I know that wasn't your wish. It is harder to pay a bigger tax bill when you don't have a job.

It is even worse when that job was taken away by your President.

It is even worse when you go out to look for a new job and that same President has changed the policy along the border, and now you are competing with people who are not even Americans; and they are getting subsidized healthcare because of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I believe the American public wants something different. I believe they are proud of the fact we did something here that was bipartisan.

I believe they were proud of the fact that because of Operation Warp Speed we now have three vaccines.

I believe they were proud when we were energy independent.

I believe they were proud when they had more money in their pocket, and they didn't have to pay so much for gasoline.

Mr. Speaker, socialism has destroyed many countries. I just watched Venezuela offer new currency. What was it, a million, a billion dollars is worth 50 cents today? How did it all start? I have watched socialism grow in this country. I have watched it grow in this body. I see within your own party you no longer even fear to say that you are Democrats anymore, Mr. Speaker. You are socialist Democrats. That is the lead of the Democratic party. Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the Senate Budget Committee isn't even registered as a Democrat. So what would you think would be produced?

Mr. Speaker, whoever votes for this bill, I want you to look the people in the eye. I want you to think about that hardworking taxpayer. I want you to explain to them why only 9 percent goes to defeat COVID. Why do they have to give $5,000, and you redistribute it to people who weren't even laid off? You give bonuses to the things you care most about.

Mr. Speaker, I have heard our Speaker say many times where you spend your money shows your values. Well, she does represent San Francisco, Mr. Speaker, but we don't. Ninety-two percent of the budget deficit of San Francisco is going to be paid with this bill.

But for that parent out there who has been struggling for the last year that has had to be the teacher, the tutor, the coach, the music instructor, the recess participant, help is not on the way. Help is not on the way.

For those who studied government and always thought working something bipartisan would be positive, that is no longer the case.

For those who thought they could have a fair debate on the floor, you take away even the offer to have an amendment. And when we do and we prioritize the children of this Nation over a subway in a district not far from our Speaker, the majority party walks in line.

Mr. Speaker, we are so much better than this. We proved it five other times. What a difference it makes by a simple new control of a power that people want.

Mr. Speaker, when you study history, there is a saying in a book called ``The Prince'' by Machiavelli: ``Absolute power corrupts absolutely.'' The first indication to know if it happens, take a look at the vote. There will be a bipartisan vote against this bill.

You can wave to me. It is okay. I want you to wave to the American public when they have to wave away $5,000, so a Federal employee that never has been laid off gets $21,000 to deal with their children being at home. Who is going to represent them? Who is going to be their voice?

Mr. Speaker, I will promise you this: We will never stop listening to those voices. We will never stop fighting for those voices. And there will be a day that that will be the majority voice in this House. Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, I have not seen that this year.

History will not be kind about what transpires today, but I still believe that America is a great hope for the future, that we are all conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that we are all equal.

But in this body it seems as though only one can have a voice, but that will not last long and that will change shortly.

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