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Floor Speech
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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor to join my friend and colleague from South Dakota to oppose the Democrats' reckless tax- and-spending spree.
There are 18 days left until Christmas. So who is on the Democrats' shopping list this year?
Well, it is the same people who are on the list every year: illegal immigrants, union bosses, professional activists, and the donor class of millionaires.
In the Democrats' reckless tax-and-spending bill, they all get big presents from the government. The rest of America gets more spending, more taxes, more debt, and higher prices as they are already struggling and suffering under the largest, highest inflation in the last 30 years.
Democrats call the bill Build Back Better. For most Americans, it is a break-your-back bill.
In this bill, Chuck Schumer's hometown will get tens of billions of dollars to bail out their public housing authority.
Joe Biden likes to say, if you want to know somebody's values, he says, look at their budget.
Well, let's look at the budget that the Democrats are putting forth, because the second most expensive item in this bill is a tax break for millionaires and billionaires in New York, in New Jersey, in California, and in Chicago.
The cost of that sole component: $275 billion, which will have to be paid by the hard-working men and women in this country.
This is one of the bill's top expenses because it is a top priority for Democrat elites. Under the Democrats' bill, the bottom 60 percent of Americans would get zero of those dollars; $275 billion to the richest of the rich.
In 2016, nearly half of the money went to just four States: California, New York, Illinois, and New Jersey.
Rural States like Wyoming, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and West Virginia received the lowest amounts of tax relief. Democrats want the people in States like Wyoming and West Virginia to pay for these tax cuts for the millionaires of California and New York.
Under this legislation, low-tax States would essentially subsidize high-tax States. What is this going to do to the high-tax States? Well, it will encourage them to raise State taxes, which is probably another reason that Democrats support it.
Democrats also have lots of Christmas presents in this bill for people who come to this country illegally. The Parliamentarian said Democrats can't pass amnesty for illegal immigrants in a previous version of the bill, but Democrats want illegal amnesty so badly that they are going to try all over again.
Let me remind you: This is a spending bill; it is not an immigration bill. Democrats know that they don't have the votes to pass the immigration bill that they would like to see. Frankly, they know they will never have enough votes in the Senate for an amnesty bill for illegal immigrants. So they are trying to cram it into a spending bill. Democrats are hoping that the American people won't notice.
If Democrats have their way, this spending spree would be the most consequential immigration bill in half a century. The bill would give amnesty to 6\1/2\ million people in the country illegally. It would also give them five new entitlements.
The bill includes new permanent welfare programs. There would be no work requirements--not a single one--and no citizenship requirements. This includes free childcare, free preschool, and even free money for college. Now, this is in addition to the $300 check every month for every child Democrats already send to illegal immigrants that they have sent earlier this year.
So it is shaping up to be a long December for American workers and taxpayers, and people know it because we already had the most expensive Thanksgiving ever.
On Friday, we saw one of the most disappointing jobs reports in a disappointing year. The jobs report says we created less than half the number of jobs that the experts predicted we would produce last month. Still, there are almost 4 million fewer Americans working than before the pandemic. At the same time, inflation is only getting worse.
People in all our States are wondering if they are going to be able to afford to have presents under the tree this year; wondering if they can afford a tree at all because, of course, the cost of Christmas trees are up 30 percent--30 percent more this year than last.
More and more Americans find they are heading to shop at the dollar stores. Yet many dollar stores, you have seen in the press, aren't dollar stores anymore. Dollar Tree is selling more and more items for $1.25. Dollar General is opening new stores with a $5-or-less business model. Prices are going up everywhere you look.
One of the reasons for inflation in Joe Biden's economy is the rise in cost of energy. Natural gas is at a 7-year high. Winter is almost here, and prices are up dramatically. The price of gas at the pump is at a 7-year high as well. Yet Biden and the Democrats say everything is fine.
It is just fascinating. Last week, the Democrats' headquarters sent out a tweet. It was a graph showing gas prices had dropped by 2 cents over a week. The caption was ``Thanks, Joe Biden.'' I actually thought it was a joke. It was serious. They actually said: Hey, good, the price of gas is up $1.25 since he took office, but it dropped 2 cents last week, and let's celebrate the success of Joe Biden.
This is just another example of Democrats' bad math. It is an example also of Democratic leaders who are completely out of touch. Gas is up $1.25 a gallon since Joe Biden took office. A 2-cent drop is hardly enough.
So here is my 2 cents' worth: The American people don't want pennies from Joe Biden; they want a refund from the last election. That is what they deserve. They want affordable, available, reliable American energy.
Joe Biden said last week:
I have used every tool . . . to address price increases.
On the contrary. President Biden has used every tool to drive up prices. He has attacked American energy. He has driven up costs for all Americans. He has shut down the Keystone Pipeline. He is threatening other pipelines. He has blocked oil and gas leases on Federal land. He has threatened to raise taxes on the production of natural gas. We are now producing about 2 million barrels of oil a day less than before the pandemic.
The Secretary of Transportation thinks he has a simple solution to the energy crisis. This is what Pete Buttigieg said. He said it is easy. He said last week that families who buy electric cars ``never have to worry about gas prices again.'' Well, it is simply false. You would think somebody as educated as the Secretary of Transportation would intuitively say: Gas prices affect grocery prices. Gas prices affect retail prices and the price of just about everything else.
Look, even for the Biden administration, this is really out of touch with mainstream America or people who live anywhere outside the bubble of the beltway. People who are struggling with inflation can't afford to go out and buy an electric vehicle. Seniors and families just starting out aren't going to go out and buy an $80,000 electric vehicle.
We know who buys these luxury vehicles. More than 80 percent of the Federal subsidies for electric vehicles go to people making more than $100,000 a year, and, unlike the rest of the people on the roads, these drivers use the roads for free. Yet Democrats make sure to include electric vehicle owners on their shopping list this year.
This bill would give $12,500--$12,500--to couples making up to half a million dollars a year if they buy a luxury electric vehicle. This includes vans, SUVs, and trucks costing up to $80,000. The bill also includes $900 payouts to people who buy electric bicycles.
It has already been a long December for the American people, and we are only at December 7. Yet it must be an exciting time for the Democrats' favorite groups. Democrats have always liked to play Santa Claus, and this year, they have a list of who they consider America's good little boys and girls. Who is on the list? Well, as I said a few minutes ago, it is illegal immigrants, union bosses, professional activists, and the millionaires who live in the penthouses of New York and the mansions of San Francisco and Hollywood. Working-class, Middle America, those families--they are the ones who are going to get stuck with the bill.
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