Stop the Republican Affordability Crisis
Floor Speech
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, just over a year ago, I was part of a talented and diverse group of 33 freshmen Members of Congress. We were veterans, doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers, small business owners, and State legislators who were sent by our constituents to make their lives better. They sent us to Congress to protect their healthcare, lower the costs of their groceries, and make life more affordable.
Democrats are working on bills that would meaningfully help families deal with the affordability crisis. There are bills that have been introduced that stop price gouging at the grocery store, make housing more affordable, and make healthcare accessible for all, but Republicans have yet to take up any of these proposals.
We are in midst of an affordability crisis, and Republicans are refusing to work with us to address it. We are 13 months into our first term in Congress, and my colleagues and I have yet to see a meaningful piece of legislation from Republicans that makes life less expensive for our constituents.
Over the past year, Republicans chose to rename the Gulf of Mexico, redefine what a showerhead is, rename the Kennedy Center, look into annexing Greenland, regulate fridges and gas stoves, and perhaps the most egregious one is to make the largest cuts to healthcare in our country's history in order to give billionaires more tax breaks.
The fact that Trump and Republicans are prioritizing these bills over lowering the cost of living is insulting to our constituents. I fail to see how renaming the Gulf of Mexico, redefining the definition of a showerhead, or annexing Greenland will help families in our districts afford groceries or pay their rent.
Because of Donald Trump and Republicans' policies, families across the country paid an average of over $1,600 more due in everyday expenses. Californians are paying over $2,300. However, do you know who is benefiting from the Trump administration? Billionaires.
With the big, ugly bill, Trump and Republicans have implemented the largest cuts to healthcare in the history of our country and worsen the affordability crisis just to line the pockets of their billionaire donors.
The big, ugly bill is also the largest cut to food assistance in American history. The bill cuts SNAP benefits by 20 percent for all participants, or roughly $200 billion, jeopardizing SNAP benefits for more than 40 million people, including 16 million children and 8 million seniors who rely on this for nutritional assistance.
Republicans turn their backs on making life affordable for our most vulnerable in order to help billionaires afford another yacht.
My House Democratic Caucus freshmen colleagues and I are focused on making life better for the American people and driving down grocery prices, utility bills, rent and mortgage payments, and childcare and elder care costs so that hardworking people can breathe easier.
To help working families, especially multigenerational households, deal with the rising costs of living, I am introducing the Multigenerational Family Tax Credit Act. My bill gives multigenerational families a tax credit for expenses that they incur when they upgrade their houses to make them more accessible for their aging parents who live with them. This includes upgrades like grab rails in the shower, an additional bathroom or bedroom, or even assistance to go up and down stairs. This tax credit will help multigenerational families afford to make the upgrades necessary for seniors to age gracefully in one place.
Tonight, we will hear from some of the freshmen of the Democratic Caucus and the work that they are doing to make life more affordable for their constituents.
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Ms. RIVAS. Elfreth).
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ms. Elfreth for her remarks.
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, over the past year, Republicans have chosen to focus on nearly everything except addressing the affordability crisis.
One of those items includes renaming the Gulf of Mexico. As a member of the House Committee on Natural Resources, I saw this bill make its way through the committee thinking that it was a joke. I was correct to think that because the origin of renaming the Gulf of Mexico was from a joke.
In 2011, Stephen Colbert joked about renaming the gulf during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, stating that: ``I don't think we can call it the Gulf of Mexico anymore. We broke it; we bought it.''
When the big, ugly bill was being marked up in the Natural Resources Committee, I led an amendment that would make this unserious proposal more beneficial for working families in my district. My amendment made it so that the gulf cannot be renamed until Secretary Burgum can assess how the bill will actually lower grocery prices, improve the GDP, lower unemployment, and create jobs. Of course, Republicans rejected my amendment.
That seems to be the pattern that we are all seeing, and that is why we are here today to share the stories on how the affordability crisis is affecting our constituents.
Dexter).
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, in July, Republicans voted to betray our values as a Nation and turn their backs on children, working parents, veterans, and our most vulnerable.
Under direct orders from the President, the big, ugly bill ignored the concerns of a majority of Americans to instead cater to billionaires. For over a year, Republicans have done nothing to save Medicaid, protect immigrant communities, provide food for needy families or children, or address the skyrocketing cost of living. Republicans voted to stand with billionaires and make life harder and more expensive for working families.
What Republicans somehow fail to see is how the big, ugly bill would harm their constituents. House Democrats all voted to save Medicaid and SNAP, protect our immigrant communities, and stand with working families across the San Fernando Valley and across the country.
As you heard from many of my freshmen colleagues who participated today, Republicans are turning their backs on everyday Americans. We all have constituent stories, constituents who have reached out to us to share the impact of these policies on their daily lives.
Just recently, I heard from an elderly couple in my district from Valley Village who are facing serious health concerns, including chronic heart problems and cancer. He and his wife make regular visits to the oncologist and are going through multiple rounds of chemotherapy. They live on a fixed income from Social Security. Between regular visits to the doctors and the monthly increase in their rent, they are struggling to make ends meet.
No one should have to make the choice of paying for their rent or a visit to the doctor that they need in order to survive. Unfortunately, these are the decisions that this administration is forcing everyday Americans to make. Republicans must work with House Democrats to bring these costs down for families in the San Fernando Valley and across the country.
Mr. Speaker, how much time do I have remaining?
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Ms. RIVAS. Mr. Speaker, the work we do in Congress should improve the lives of our constituents, not focus on vanity projects for an egomaniac or line the pockets of people who don't need it.
We heard from several talented and dedicated Democratic freshmen tonight about the work that they are doing to make life more affordable for their constituents.
The true test of how great we are as a country is how we treat and care for our most vulnerable. Time and time again, Democrats are rising to the occasion to pass this test and make life more affordable for all. By doing literally everything except for addressing the affordability crisis that they created, Republicans are failing that test.
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