Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2021
Floor Speech
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Mr. HORSFORD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 11.
And before I start, I want to just let the ranking member know, my job is to get as many resources to my State as possible from this COVID relief. So, I hope you report how much money my State has received, and please say ``Nevada'' correctly when you do it.
That money is needed to help workers, families, and small businesses who are struggling during the worst pandemic that we have experienced in a generation.
Now, 3 years ago, Republicans pushed through the biggest tax cuts in American history for the wealthiest Americans and the biggest corporations. Those tax cuts added nearly $2 trillion to the national debt without a whisper about fiscal conservatism from my colleagues on the other side.
Now, in the middle of a pandemic, one that has resulted in more than 400,000 deaths of our fellow Americans, millions of jobs that have been lost, and countless small businesses that have been shuttered, my colleagues on the other side want to talk about the deficit.
Well, I am calling your bluff. This isn't about the deficit; it is about obstruction. And if Republicans would rather watch their constituents--to the ranking member, you have the same constituents. You have talked to me about the fact that your district is one of the poorest districts in the country. You and I have talked. You are also a member of the Ways and Means Committee. I have relatives in Missouri, so I am just as concerned about those workers, those families, and those small businesses.
We want to crush the virus, but in my home State, we can't recover and reopen our economy until we crush this virus. So, I need you to work with us. There is nothing in this resolution that says Republicans can't join on board. The President said today that he is willing to entertain suggestions on how to move forward.
But my vote for this resolution is a call to my colleagues to work with us to get this done because our constituents are counting on us, not blue State constituents or red State constituents but American constituents.
I represent rural parts of my district that are conservative, and I have urban parts of my district that are not. I am fighting for all of them.
I am taking a stand, and I am asking you to work with us to pass this American Rescue Plan for all families, for all workers, and for all small businesses that have suffered for far too long. I know that these are divided times, but bipartisanship can change that.
Mr. Ranking Member, I am asking you to work with us, not in the majority, but as colleagues to do the right thing on behalf of all of our constituents because that is why each one of us was elected. Courage is what American people deserve most, Mr. Speaker.
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