Providing for Consideration of H.R. John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act; and Providing for Adoption of S. Con. Res. Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year and for Other Purposes

Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding me the customary 30 minutes. I will just say, it has been a long and bumpy road to get here so I am happy to finally be here on the floor with the rule.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, House Resolution 601 provides for the consideration of two controversial partisan bills and deems the $3.5 trillion reconciliation resolution adopted that strips away local control and adds trillions to the national debt.

The bill deemed adopted under this rule is S. Con. Res. 14, the $3.5 trillion tax-and-spending binge that passed the Senate earlier this month.

Madam Speaker, prices are at a 13-year high, and inflation is rising. President Biden has already spent $1.9 trillion and is now looking to spend an additional $3.5 trillion, all while his administration pays Americans not to work and stifles our robust economy.

Not only does this budget call for the highest sustained Federal spending level in American history, but it also amounts to a whopping $68 trillion over the next decade. It raises taxes on the American people, shifts jobs overseas, and taxes American employers at one of the highest rates in the world. It eliminates ``right to work'' protection and does nothing to address the historic flow of illegal immigration at the southern border.

Democrats know their proposals are unpopular. They can't even get their own conference to agree. Instead, they are resorting to smoke and mirrors to push it through and hoping the American people aren't paying attention. Where is the transparency?

If Democrats truly want to serve and help the American people, they need far more transparency and input from everyone, not just a few. This is no way to build a budget.

Madam Speaker, then there is H.R. 4, which would make changes to the Voting Rights Act and strips State and local governments of their ability to manage their own elections. The Constitution places the responsibility for elections at the State level, and we have a long history of letting each State run their own elections. But H.R. 4 grants the Federal Government unprecedented control over State and local elections. It empowers the Attorney General to bully States and forces those States to seek Federal approval before making changes to their own voting laws.

H.R. 4 also provides incentives for advocacy groups to file as many objections as possible to manufacture litigation in the hope of triggering coverage under the Voting Rights Act. We need safeguards that make it easy to vote and hard to cheat. H.R. 4 is not the solution.

Madam Speaker, finally, the final bill in this resolution is the Senate amendment to H.R. 3684, which provides for $1.2 trillion in new infrastructure spending.

Madam Speaker, I hate to say it, but my Democrat colleagues are using the bipartisan infrastructure framework to force their Members to also push through trillions more in their outlandish spending resolution. Our constituents are tired of Washington playing games with their livelihoods.

To be sure, investing in our Nation's infrastructure is critical. However, only a fraction of this $1 trillion-plus bill is for roads, bridges, and other projects the American people would consider traditional infrastructure. With tens of billions for electric vehicle plug-ins, Amtrak, and light rail, if you live in a deep blue city, this bill is for you. But if you are one of the millions of Americans in a more rural area, this bill leaves you behind.

Madam Speaker, our country's infrastructure should not be tied to the Democrats' partisan spending spree, especially during a pandemic. But here we are. Until Democrats stop playing games and work with their colleagues on a truly bipartisan compromise, I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the underlying bills.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), ranking member of the Budget Committee.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to provide for additional consideration of H.R. 5071, authored by Representative Gallagher.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, President Biden's failure to lead has resulted in a national security and humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan that we cannot ignore.

Now the Taliban is back and the United States is less safe. The President has offered no specific plan for getting those Americans out of Afghanistan safely.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher), from Wisconsin's Eighth Congressional District.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mast).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the minority whip.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

Mrs. KIM of CALIFORNIA. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Minnesota for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the rule that is being debated as we consider the $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation.

I rise today in support of workers, families, and businesses in communities I represent in California's 39th Congressional District.

Now is the time for Congress to show it can work together for the American people.

As our economy recovers during the COVID-19 pandemic and Americans across the country pay more everywhere from the grocery store to the gas pump, Democrats are once again bypassing bipartisanship and moving forward with a partisan $3.5 trillion budget.

According to Tax Foundation, this budget reconciliation would also raise taxes for people I represent in California's 39th District by an average of over $600. My constituents have been burdened enough by some of the highest State taxes in the country.

Now, our Nation is scrambling to keep promises we made in Afghanistan to Americans and Afghan partners. The last thing we need is trillions more in spending on unrelated priorities and more taxes. This makes no sense.

The majority's budget will increase prices, raise taxes, and take even more money out of taxpayers' pockets. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this reconciliation.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers), the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ellzey).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert).

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

Madam Speaker, Democrats continue to ram through controversial policies and reckless spending with a complete disregard for the rules and with no consideration of what those decisions will mean for future generations and what they have to pay back.

President Biden took office saying he would be President for everybody, but he certainly isn't acting like that. The legislation before us today that is included in this rule would leave rural communities behind, concentrate even more power at the Federal level, and tax and spend recklessly.

The President is too busy pressuring Members of his own party to support $5 trillion in spending to even address the crisis in Afghanistan.

Madam Speaker, I oppose the rule and the underlying bills, and I ask Members to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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Mrs. FISCHBACH. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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