Most Expensive Thanksgiving in History
Floor Speech
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Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, it is very much an honor to share the podium with my colleagues from Utah. Utah is a very special, very unique place.
At this time of Thanksgiving, I would like to focus on what Utah really is. We often get lauded as having the lowest unemployment in the country and the strongest economy in the country, or as the fastest growing State in the country. What Utah is, is the most philanthropic State in the country. It shares more volunteer hours and dollars than any other State. That is the type of stuff that our delegation and Members of Congress, the community that we serve, are really proud of. We reflect on that often, particularly during this time of year.
We are more than a week away from Thanksgiving Day. Like Utahns across the State, my family--and I have three little boys, a fourth boy on the way, and an amazing wife who deals with a lot during this crazy time of my time in Washington. We look forward to this annual opportunity to come together, enjoy each other's company, and give thanks for all of our many blessings.
Turkey and stuffing are staples, but each Thanksgiving Day looks a little different from the last. That is okay. Unfortunately, this year's Thanksgiving is going to be much more difficult than others.
Americans are bracing for this year's turkey tax, which we expect to be the most expensive in modern history as inflation rates hit their highest level in decades.
My colleagues from Utah can talk about this a little bit better than I can because they are a little bit older than I am, but they talk about how this hasn't been this high in the last 40 years. That is how old I am.
I don't want to experience this type of inflation. I haven't had to yet, and I am very concerned about what we are going to have to experience.
That was not a cut at their age.
According to the Department of Labor, the Consumer Price Index for October was 6.2 percent, the highest in over three decades. This high rate means that, compared to last year, home heating will be 50 percent more expensive, a gallon of gas will be 61 percent more expensive, and the cost of groceries will be 5.4 percent more expensive. Beef is 20 percent higher; pork is 14 percent higher; and the cost of used cars is 26 percent higher.
This is data. This is directly related to policy decisions here in Washington.
As Utahns get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving and find reprieve from this challenging past year-and-a-half, inflation is threatening to stifle this entire time of year.
In fact, real wages have decreased in 7 of President Biden's first 9 months in office. As President Biden rushes to spend trillions more, as he is doing now, to spend trillions more as of this week, economic pressure will only continue to drive everyday costs up and incomes down.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board said: ``The current burst of inflation isn't an accident. . . . This is the result of reckless policy.'' This is simply incompetence.
CNN noted President Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan fueled inflation by sparking demand that it could not keep pace with.
Even The Washington Post editorial board--I did not expect to ever be using sort of liberal media outlets to defend some of my points when I came to the House floor. But The Washington Post says that you cannot ignore that the American Rescue Plan bears some of this blame.
We cannot simply spend more. We have to stop President Biden's tax- and-spend monstrosity.
All of this comes as the administration botched a military exit from Afghanistan, created a sustained crisis at the border, and has failed to address a looming debt crisis.
With this as the backdrop, Thanksgiving may feel uniquely challenging. Yet, through the most difficult times in our Nation's history, Thanksgiving Day has been a celebration when communities come together to give thanks for life's great blessings.
Following the Battle of Gettysburg in October of 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving to be a national holiday to ``heal the wounds of the Nation.''
As our Nation experiences great challenges, I can't think of a better holiday to observe this coming week.
My colleagues and I in the Utah delegation are working every day to carve a more prosperous path forward for our State and communities. There is hope on the horizon.
Earlier this month, Democrats and Republicans in this House came together to pass the Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution, which I cosponsored. If agreed to in the Senate, this resolution will mandate the U.S. Comptroller General conduct an annual joint session before the members of the House and Senate Budget Committees to provide a report on the fiscal health of our Nation.
This is a huge, important time to have done something like that after what we have seen over the last year. This expertise would provide our leaders with the information they need to correct our course and back away from our patterns of destructive spending.
Back home, I have also convened a debt and deficit task force, which has provided me an opportunity to work with local leaders to begin crafting innovative solutions to our Nation's debt crisis.
My colleagues from Utah and I genuinely hope to help those in our home State find more blessings in the days, months, and years ahead. As we work toward those brighter days, let us reflect and be grateful for the good moments we have had this year.
Though our year has been filled with difficulty, it has also been filled with, in the words of Lincoln, ``the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies.''
Today, I am back in Washington with my colleagues to continue the important work we do on behalf of Utahns. I look forward to next week when I will join my family and the community in Utah in celebrating this important holiday.
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