Putting People Over Politics

Floor Speech

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Ms. GARCIA of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to sound the alarm. Extreme MAGA Republicans have an economic plan that will hurt working families. For 2 years House Democrats have delivered for everyday Americans.

The economic progress that House Democrats and President Biden have led is simply remarkable. So let's talk about this significant growth Democrats have made possible by President Biden's economic plan.

We created 11 million jobs. Under Trump we lost 2.9 million jobs.

The unemployment rate is at 3.5 percent--one of the lowest rates in our history. Under Trump it was 6.3 percent.

We lowered healthcare costs for working families. Under Trump, 3 million more people lost their insurance.

We capped insulin at $35 for our seniors on Medicare.

We expanded Medicare and Social Security benefits.

This is progress, but this progress is threatened by extreme MAGA Republicans.

While most Americans are worried about post-COVID prices at the grocery store, the extreme MAGA Republicans in charge of the House GOP want to increase the average family's costs for groceries and everyday essentials by hundreds of dollars every month. That is right, Madam Speaker, raising it by hundreds a month.

They are doing this by championing a new 30 percent national sales tax. The House MAGA Republicans would jack up the prices on the products that we rely on. Imagine paying in my district 30 percent more when you go to HEB for your groceries.

This kind of blanket tax increase is failed economic policy that attacks the foundation of our economic growth and hurts working families.

My Republican friends all talk about responsible spending and balanced budgets. Families will not be able to balance their own budgets if the extreme MAGA wing gets its way.

Madam Speaker, we have already witnessed what this so-called leadership looks like. The very first bill the GOP put before the House will make it easier to hand tax breaks to the wealthy and well connected.

They are not just trying to make it easier for the ultrapowerful to pay even less in taxes. Sadly, extreme Republicans want to gut Social Security, eliminate Medicare, and reverse new lower drug prices House Democrats just fought hard to get for working families.

If they have their way, Social Security and Medicare as we know it will end. Working families will lose the benefits they have earned by paying into a system for decades.

In my home district, there are more than 80,000 people living on their Social Security income. That is more than 10 percent of my constituents. These are retired workers, disabled workers, widows, and children who need these critical funds to survive.

Let me repeat: They earned their benefits by paying into the system for many, many decades.

When extreme MAGA Republicans fight and say they don't want to raise the debt limit, I want everyone to know what that really means. It is not economic theory; it is political posturing.

They raised the debt limit every time Trump was in office, and in fact, Trump is responsible for 25 percent of our current debt.

When they say they are going to fight, it really is about hurting people. It would mean Social Security payments won't be sent, and people already living hand to mouth won't get the money they earned. This is totally unacceptable.

The full faith and credit of the United States means more than paying our government's bills on time. It means keeping groceries in the refrigerator and medicine in the cabinet for many people in my district.

House Democrats will continue to fight for working families. It is the middle class that makes our country strong.

We will always put people over politics. We will always put people first.

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