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Floor Speech

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Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, first, I just want to say for the record that it has been 36 days since Republican colleagues voted down the strongest border security bill in decades. So that is a reality.

But what I wanted to speak about was the President's budget. When he was growing up, President Biden's dad used to say this: Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.

Well, President Biden's budget just came out, and I will tell you what he values. President Biden values investing in the middle class so that families are able to work hard and get ahead and build a better life for their children. He values ensuring that teachers and firefighters aren't paying more taxes than billionaires. And he values Social Security and Medicare, programs that have lifted up millions of older Americans out of poverty--a whole generation--a great American success story.

Meanwhile, we have the Republican nominee, the former President, in a CNBC interview vowing to cut Medicare and Social Security.

Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value.

The Biden budget invests in growing our middle class, continuing the policies that have made our economy the strongest in the world.

Since President Biden and Vice President Harris took office, the economy has added about 15 million new jobs, the most ever in the first term of a President.

The unemployment rate has stayed below 4 percent for 2 years in a row. We haven't seen that in more than 50 years.

Wages are up. The stock market is up. New small businesses are up.

Meanwhile, the Republican agenda slashes investments in our families while cutting taxes for the wealthy.

Republicans like to talk about cutting the deficit. Meanwhile, President Biden is doing it. His budget would reduce the deficit by $3 trillion by making the wealthy pay their fair share and cracking down on tax cheats.

The Biden budget lowers costs for families in a number of ways. It invests in affordable childcare so that working families aren't scrambling to find quality care at a price they can afford. It increases affordable housing and helps American families buy their first home and achieve their dream. Meanwhile, it makes higher education more affordable and cuts the burden of student debt, and it continues to lower prescription drug costs, helping people afford the medications they need.

And, best of all, it restores the expanded child tax credit, which was enacted as part of the American Rescue Plan. The expanded child tax credit helped cut child poverty in half in 2021. And President Biden's budget brings it back, giving families some breathing room.

We also know that families are concerned about our national security. The Biden budget invests in a secure border through technology that detects fentanyl, more Border Patrol officers, more immigration judges, and more asylum officers so decisions can be made quickly on who should be allowed to remain in the country.

And, finally, the Biden budget protects and strengthens Social Security and Medicare. These aren't just government programs. They are a promise that, after a lifetime of hard work, you will be able to retire in dignity.

Meanwhile, Republicans continue, through their Presidential nominee, to focus on cutting programs that break that promise.

Show me your budget, and I will tell you what you value. A thriving middle class, safe communities, security for our seniors, and ensuring that the wealthy pay their fair share--that is what the President values.

We have come a long way. It is time to build on our progress.

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