Building A Better America

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize President Biden's and House Democrats' work in reducing the budget deficit, fighting inflation, and lowering the cost of goods in America.

Madam Speaker, it is no secret Russia's cruel war against Ukraine is driving up prices not only here in America but all over the globe. Putin's price hike has increased gas prices by $2 a gallon in many places since Russian troops began to threaten Ukraine, and families are seeing higher prices in the grocery aisles also.

But President Biden and House Democrats won't stand by and watch rising costs and inflation continue to burden our hardworking families. Putin may raise prices temporarily, but President Biden and House Democrats are fighting back with key legislation, and we will win.

This week alone, Democrats acted to lower costs and crack down on outrageous ocean shipping fees by passing the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act. These shipping fees have made goods more expensive for American small businesses and American consumers. This bill will correct this inequity and make sure that American consumers are not being overcharged.

Democrats soon will pass the Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act, which aims to lower prices for American families in the grocery aisle and at the gas pump by giving American farmers and ranchers the support they need to thrive. This bill will take massive steps, including lowering fertilizer costs in the field to lower prices at the grocery store; lowering meat and poultry costs by increasing meatpacking competition and capacity; and lowering prices at the pump by making cheaper, cleaner Unleaded 88 more available.

These are meaningful and practical steps we are taking to ensure lower prices and to lower inflation. But that is not all.

This week, Democrats have delivered for the American people and will continue to do so. Last March, we passed the COMPETES Act. Now it is in conference, and we are negotiating with the Senate. The COMPETES Act will strengthen our supply chain and lower costs big time.

This bill also will help us make more products right here in America. We will see ``Made in the USA.''

It also will include my bill, which has language to provide critical grants for maritime centers that would ensure our supply chain is not interrupted by work shortages and to ensure a pipeline of the future workforce. This will lower prices for our districts, like mine in Texas-29, and it will also create many good-paying local jobs for people in my district and all hardworking Texans.

Madam Speaker, I am hopeful that our negotiations with the Senate while we are in the conference committee will soon end and that we can find final passage of this very critical bill because this bill will make sure that America competes and that America will see products that say ``USA.''

Madam Speaker, one major accomplishment less talked about but so important to all of us today and tomorrow is President Biden's historic Federal deficit cut. In a nutshell, President Biden has delivered the largest Federal deficit cut in the past 16 months than any other President's first 16 months.

You see, Democrats understand that building a better America is not only about today, but it is also about our future generations. It is about building a better America for all of us here today but also for generations to come. That is why Biden is on track to drop the budget deficit by more than $1.6 trillion this year alone.

In contrast, the Trump administration and my Republican colleagues raised the deficit every year that Mr. Trump was in office.

President Biden and House Democrats will remain committed to lowering costs for working families, and I promise we will make good on that promise. We will continue delivering results for today and for generations to come.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source