Inflation Threatens Future of America's Economy

Floor Speech

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Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to discuss the threat of inflation on the future of America's economy.

In other places around the Capitol at this time, people are discussing a new infrastructure bill. They are talking about a new 2022 budget. People talk about the importance of not raising taxes on the poor. Earlier this year, they rejected a possible gas tax hike because it would have fallen disproportionately on the poor. But there is no surer way to penalize the poor of this country than to inflate the currency.

Look at where we already are on other commodities: aluminum, lumber, soybeans.

How are our young people going to buy that first house?

The cost of food, and even prepared food, is going up.

Why is that?

Take a look at the charts showing the amount of currency in banks. M1 currency, which is up by a factor of 5 times; not 5 percent, not 50 percent, but a factor of 5 times in the last year.

Look at M2, up 30 percent in the last year. Of course, the cost of commodities is spiraling through the roof.

America is a wealthy country because our dollar has been the envy of the world. But this Congress has not been acting like a Congress with the world's reserve currency. This Congress is acting like the Congress of a country such as Zimbabwe, and we all saw on TV what happened there.

It is time for the people who are not only negotiating the infrastructure bill, but negotiating the 2022 budget, to take into account what they are doing to the poor of this country or the middle class of this country as they inevitably stoke inflation.

Think of the people on almost fixed incomes, on Social Security. Think of all of the people on pensions, who are locked in at $15,000 a year, $20,000 a year, and think how their purchasing power will go down if we continue along this path, including the bloated budget proposed by President Biden himself.

We must rein in our spending. The poor and the middle class are the ones paying the price. I beg the negotiators to stand up to the people who think that printing hundreds of millions of dollars more in the infrastructure bill or passing this bill with an excessively high spending increase in the regular 2022 budget will not affect the average guy. It is going to affect the average guy. It is going to erode their savings. It will shrink the values of their pension or Social Security. It will be a true disaster for middle class and poor America. Questions for Vice President Harris on Her Trip to the Southern Border

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Mr. GROTHMAN. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to, first of all, applaud the fact that Vice President Harris is going to the southern border. I don't know whether she has done this on her own accord or with prodding from President Biden, but, either way, I am glad she is going down there.

I have been to the border several times this year. I think it is very difficult to learn all you should learn in one day. There are nine sectors to the southern border, and what you learn in El Paso is very different from what you learn in Yuma. It is very different from what you learn in San Diego. It is very different from what you learn in McAllen.

Nevertheless, I am glad she is going down there, and I would like to make some suggestions for her, which we will forward to her as questions she should be asking or things she should learn about the southern border.

First of all, Madam Vice President, the Migrant Protection Protocols caused the Mexican Government to hold asylum seekers on the south side of the border. President Biden has since walked away from the protocol. What effect did the nullification of this agreement with the Mexican Government have on the number of people crossing the border? And what effect will it have on the number of people from around the world who will come here in the future?

Secondly, we also had Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries that held people south not only of the Mexican border, but south of Mexico. What effect did President Biden's ending the Asylum Cooperative Agreements with Central American countries have on the number of people entering southern Mexico? And what effect will this have on people coming through Mexico from around the world?

Third, I want the Vice President to find out what type of drugs are coming across the border. Has there been a change in the fraction of marijuana versus fentanyl coming across the southern border? How lethal is fentanyl?

Fourth, I hear horrific stories from the border guards as far as women and girls being sexually assaulted on their journey through Mexico. What percentage of women and girls are sexually assaulted as they travel to enter the U.S. illegally?

Fifth, you will find when you get down there, Madam Vice President, that families consist of adults and children, find out how many times a family supposedly shows up and the Border Patrol suspects that the children are not part of the family, and what happens when DNA tests are given to children and the adults they are entering with?

Six, how much does it cost for the migrants to enter our country? And by that, I mean how much are they having to pay the drug cartels? I think you will find different numbers for the cost of a Mexican, a Central American, a Brazilian, and Asian. But you should ask these questions when you are on the southern border.

Seventh, got-aways are when people come in this country and have no contact with the Border Patrol. As the Border Patrol must spend time doing paperwork with the huge increase of unaccompanied children coming here, has the number of got-aways, increased from this time last year to now?

Eighth, I think you should look at some demonstrations with some dogs. How effective are dogs in looking for fentanyl and other drugs, and should we be purchasing more dogs in this budget?

Next, I ask you to look at the border wall which you will find is 30- feet high and 8 feet underground. Talk to the Border Patrol, talk to ICE, talk to local law enforcement, and see what they think of that wall and whether it would be worth expanding it or whether your administration was right to just cut it off with equipment just sitting in the open sun.

Next, Madam Vice President, you said you want to focus on the root causes from countries whose citizens are coming here. I ask you to find out what countries are sending its citizens here and which countries have sent a significant amount of people. I think you are going to be surprised that it is not just a matter of people coming here from Mexico or Honduras. They are coming from around the world, but you should report back on the number of countries you would have to improve to prevent the demand from going up further to come here.

Next, in the opinion of the Border Patrol, have you and the President's public comments during your campaign and after the campaign had an impact on the number of people coming to this country? I would ask members of the Border Patrol.

The twelfth question is: Have your comments, as well as the fact that you have decided to take 13 weeks before you decided to go to the border, had an effect on the morale of the Border Patrol? You and the President have not visited the border, which I think is the biggest crisis facing your administration since you were both sworn in. What do they think about that, and what can you do to make up any dispiriting of these brave people due to your inaction to this point?

Thirteen, and one of the scary things that I don't think we have talked about: Ask the Border Patrol if they keep track of how many people drown in the Rio Grande trying to come here every year, and how many people dehydrate in the Arizona or New Mexico or Texas deserts as they try to come here.

And, finally, look for what policies we can implement from Washington to make your job of securing the border easier.

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