Providing for Consideration of Senate Amendment to H.R. One Big Beautiful Bill Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. LANGWORTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the rule to consider H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The stakes for the American people could not be higher. We are rapidly approaching a fiscal cliff. If we do nothing, the Trump tax cuts, the most progrowth tax reforms in generations, will expire.

That means higher taxes on nearly every American. That means a gutted child tax credit. That means small businesses will lose the tools they need to survive and to thrive. That means less take-home pay for working families that have already been crushed by the Biden-era inflation.

This isn't some hypothetical scenario. This is the Democrats' game plan. They want to raise taxes. They want to punish success. They want more people dependent on government and fewer people building independent lives. Republicans will not let that happen.

With H.R. 1, we are stepping in to lock in the Trump tax cuts permanently and to provide targeted new relief to the workers and the families who keep this country running: seniors, tipped workers, and those putting in overtime to get ahead.

Mr. Speaker, this bill also takes a critical step to protect and strengthen Medicaid, a vital program for millions of Americans.

Let me be very clear about something: This isn't anything radical. We are restoring the same commonsense work requirements that President Bill Clinton signed into law in the 1990s, one of the most popular things he did.

Back then, a Democratic President worked with a Republican Congress to say that if you are able-bodied and adult without dependents and receiving government assistance, you should be expected to work, train, or volunteer and participate in the economy. It worked. Poverty dropped, employment rose, and millions of Americans moved from welfare to work and independence.

Democrats today have abandoned that model. They want permanent government dependency. They will oppose any form of accountability, and they will vilify anyone who dares to suggest that opportunity should come with responsibility. Republicans are standing up for what works and what is right.

We are saying Medicaid must remain a lifeline for the truly vulnerable: children, seniors, people with disabilities, and low-income parents.

However, for able-bodied adults without kids, yes, you should try to work, just like in the 1990s, just like under President Bill Clinton.

This isn't extreme. It is not partisan. It is proven policy that respects both taxpayers and lifts people up.

Mr. Speaker, this bill delivers economic relief, fiscal sanity, and basic fairness. It secures the future of our economy and our safety net.

Let's choose the path that has been tested and proven to work. Let's approve this rule. Let's pass the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and let's get this country back on track.

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