Representative Malinowski Statement on Passage of Budget Resolution

Statement

(Washington, DC) Today, the House of Representatives voted to advance both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and a budget resolution that enables Congress to consider key parts of President Biden's economic agenda. Representative Malinowski released the following statement on today's vote.

"My objective for many months has been to pass an infrastructure bill that will rebuild America, create jobs and bring money back to New Jersey for projects like the Gateway Tunnel, and to advance a budget that supports the needs of the middle class families I represent.

I am very happy that we've now committed to send the bipartisan infrastructure bill to the president by the end of September, which ensures that funding for the Gateway project will be there when it receives its final approval. I am also pleased that we've started the process to develop -- through regular order -- a budget reconciliation bill that can move forward President Biden's Build Back Better Plan. As I continue to fight for the interests of my constituents, I will work to ensure that the following priorities, among others, are addressed in this legislation.

First, any budget reconciliation bill that affects individual tax rates must restore the SALT deduction for my hard working middle class constituents. The investments President Biden is proposing should be responsibly paid for by ensuring that corporations like Amazon actually pay taxes in America, and strengthening enforcement of existing tax laws. But we must also provide real relief to middle class taxpayers and finally restore tax fairness for states like New Jersey.

The Build Back Better bill must address the climate crisis head-on through market-based incentives that will reduce carbon emissions and transition America to a clean energy future. The storms, floods, and fires that Americans have experienced in just the last few months are a wakeup call, but also a reminder that America can prosper if our companies, innovators, and consumers win the race to develop the technologies that lead the world to clean energy. This legislation is our best opportunity in a generation to do so.

Our economic future also depends on ensuring that every young American has the opportunity to get a good education. Today, that requires access to high quality pre-school and a chance for every high school graduate to go to community college. The legislation we are developing must advance these goals. Congress must also ensure that when the student loan repayment moratorium expires, borrowers aren't faced with the burdens they faced before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Parents in my district need roads, bridges, and mass transit to get to work, but they also need high quality, affordable childcare. The bipartisan infrastructure bill addresses the first of these needs; the budget reconciliation bill must address the second.

Finally, the reconciliation package must include additional funding for the production and global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. This is the most important investment we can make to defeat COVID and prevent the emergence of even more deadly variants of the disease. Last month, I led 70 colleagues in a bicameral letter urging Congressional Leadership to include this funding.

While the current bipartisan infrastructure bill doesn't give us everything we want, it does give us much of what our country desperately needs, and I am hopeful that the reconciliation process will remedy some of its shortcomings. The enactment of both bills will make this Congress the most productive in decades, and help restore faith in the capacity of government to make people's lives better."

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