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Floor Speech
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Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, I come to the floor today because for the last few years, I think we can best describe the time in America as a time of record high prices and wide-open borders. Prices soared by over 20 percent, which was a 40-year high; 10 million illegal immigrants flooded across our Nation's borders; American families struggled; and communities were unsafe.
So in November of this past year, the American people said: Enough. They rejected the chaos and the extremism of the Democratic Party and the Democratic leadership, and they chose Republicans in order to get the country back on track.
So the bill that we are voting on this week is the Republican plan: a plan for a safer and more prosperous America. It is a plan to cut taxes, lower prices, secure the border, and, of course, to strengthen our Nation. It is the blueprint to renew, to rebuild, and to restore our Nation. Here is how.
First, our bill stops a $4 trillion tax increase. Now, that would be the biggest tax increase in the history of the country. Every Senate Democrat has vowed to stop the bill. That is because the Democrats are the party of record high taxes. They want people's taxes to go up to a tune of $4 trillion. If the Democrats have their way, every working family in America will pay more in taxes. They will see a higher tax bill next year.
So if you make between $30,000 and $80,000 a year, when our bill passes, you are going to get a 15 percent tax cut. We cut taxes on overtime, on Social Security, and on tips. If you are a waiter or a police officer or a nurse, you are going to keep more of what you earn. If you are on Social Security, you will see more money at the end of each month through a larger deduction. Now, this is real relief for the American people who have been suffering through 4 years of record high prices.
Additionally--and, as a doctor, I think this is critically important--our bill strengthens Medicaid. Medicaid exists for the vulnerable: for children, for pregnant women, for the disabled. That is who it was set up and established for. But, right now, Medicaid is failing them. And the problem, of course, is the waste and the fraud and the abuse and the corruption that has been allowed to get into that system as a result of the last 4 years of liberal leadership in Washington.
Experts tell us that over the past number of years, over $1.1 trillion has been wasted on improper payments alone. And Washington was happy to shovel the money out of this city to big States and big cities. In States such as California, money meant for the vulnerable was siphoned off; it was diverted for free healthcare for illegal immigrants. Well, our bill stops all of that.
We also believe and add the fact that there needs to be work requirements--work requirements for able-bodied, working-age people. If people can work, they should work. That is how you move people from poverty to a paycheck.
Additionally, our bill secures the border and deports illegal immigrants. The border has been wide open for the last 4 years. Over 10 million illegal immigrants have come into the country. We have seen the numbers. We have seen the videos, the crime, the chaos allowed by the previous administration, and we have seen how quickly things can change with real leadership in the White House. It is dramatic. It is the improvement that the American people have wanted.
Our bill invests $160 billion in public safety--hiring 10,000 new Immigration and Customs agents, hiring 3,000 new Border Patrol agents, finishing the wall, giving our officers a well-deserved bonus for keeping our communities safe.
Additionally, the bill we have unleashes American energy. Under Joe Biden, energy prices rose 31 percent in 4 years. We fix that by producing more energy right here at home in America. We open up energy production onshore, offshore, and in Alaska. That means affordable gas prices, lower energy bills, good-paying American jobs. It powers innovation here at home. America is an energy superpower, and once again, we are going to act like it.
Additionally, our bill restores American strength. For 4 years under Joe Biden, the world saw American weakness. This bill, as well as our actions last weekend, sent a clear message: America is strong again. We invest $150 billion in our military, we build 13 new warships, and we boost shipbuilding capacities.
Remember, strength deters. Weakness invites aggression. A ready America is a safe and strong America. That is what Americans want, it is what they need, and it is what Americans voted for in November: lower taxes, safer communities, secure borders, a strong economy, leaders who put common sense ahead of chaos. And that is exactly what this bill delivers.
This bill keeps the promises that we made to the American people, while a vote against the bill--and that is what the Democrats are coming to the floor and they are promising, saying: We have to beat this thing. That would saddle hard-working Americans with the largest tax increase ever, with open borders, with a weaker economy, a weaker country. And that is what they come to the floor and say they are fighting for.
I ask the American people: Whose side do you stand on? What is it that you want for your future and your country? Because we know what works. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan tamed inflation, cut taxes, and stood strong. It was morning in America. And then in the 1990s, in a bipartisan effort, Republicans worked with President Bill Clinton to reform welfare. Millions moved from poverty to paycheck. We need to do that again.
In 2017, we cut taxes, we rolled back redtape, we unleashed American energy, and it created the best economy in my lifetime. Middle-class incomes rose by nearly $6,000 across the board. Energy was much more affordable. We did it before. With this bill, we will do it again.
So, today, Senate Republicans stand united: united to deliver lower prices, higher wages, and more jobs here at home. This bill that we will vote on this week opens the next chapter in our great American comeback story. Republicans are ready to get America back on track.
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