[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 26, 2023)] [House] [Pages H1960-H1977] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-26
Chamber: HOUSE
Mr. COLE: I yield myself the balance of my time. I begin by thanking my friend for engaging, as he always does, in a spirited debate. We don't agree on a lot of things, but I admire my friend's passion and appreciate his partnership on the Rules Committee, both when I was in the minority and now that I am fortunate enough to be in the majority. We do look at the world a little bit differently. My friend worries about a $2 trillion tax cut which, by the way, was stretched out over 10 years, much of which paid itself back in economic growth, but forgets about a single bill that spent $1.9 trillion last year that they managed to do. Look at the results. When the President walked in pre-COVID, the economy had the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, growing. Even after going through that, the Biden administration walks into a V-shaped recovery and a 1.4 percent inflation rate. In less than 2 years, they managed to flatten that out and give us the highest inflation rate in over 40 years.  How did that happen? That happened by unrestrained Democratic spending, out-of-control budget proposals by the President, a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic House that wouldn't say ``no.'' Well, those days are behind us. I understand the agony of my friends, that they actually have to sit down now and talk with the Republicans and come to agreement. Now, we have come forward with a proposal that we think makes a lot of sense. My friend is worried about us driving up the debt. Why are we passing an extension of the debt ceiling? That is exactly what this legislation does. We are saying we just want to talk. Here is our opening proposal. We don't expect you will take everything or agree with everything. We know you control the United States Senate. We know the President of the United States has a veto, but you are going to talk with us, and you are not going to get a clean debt ceiling. We are not going to give you what you can't get yourself in a Democratic United States Senate. We are going to have a real discussion about what we need to do as a country.  Now, my friend says we have different values. In some ways, we do. We have a common commitment to the institution. We have a common belief in democracy. I think we believe in civil discourse, even when we disagree. We have many things beyond that that we agree on, but we do differ in some ways. We believe we ought to live within our means, and that is a good thing to try and do. We think the American people ought to be able to keep more of their own money to spend on their own family and their own investments. We are willing to put some ideas forward how to do it. We think out- of-control spending is going to make life worse. The cruelest tax of all is inflation. My friends are worried about the poorest of the poor. I know that is sincere. I also know the inflation that this Democratic House and Senate of 2 years ago and the administration inflicted on the American public is a curse to the poorest of the poor. Let's sit down, find some common ground. We have done it before. We act as if it is extraordinary to actually debate around debt ceiling spending restraints. That is the way it is normally done, particularly in divided government. That is what the American people have given us. I suspect they want us to work together. We have done our part of the bargain. We will finish that out today. We will extend the debt ceiling, as we promised we would do. We will put forward a series of suggestions and proposals. We think they are good. Our friends won't agree with them all, but at the end of the day, they are going to have to come to the table. If they can't pass a clean debt ceiling--or if you can pass a clean debt ceiling in the Senate, go ahead and do it and come to the table with that, but I don't think you will be able to. We are going to sit down and find some ways to begin to restrain this out-of-control spending, and we are going to do it because there is a Republican majority in the House that demands that we do it; that we begin to live responsibly; that we not inflict inflation on the American people; that we prioritize our spending in some reasonable and rational way. The material previously referred to by Mr. McGovern is as follows:  An Amendment to H. Res. 327 Offered by Mr. McGovern of Massachusetts  At the end of the resolution, add the following: Sec. 3. Immediately upon adoption of this resolution, the House shall proceed to the consideration in the House of the resolution (H. Res. 178) affirming the House of Representatives' commitment to protect and strengthen Social Security and Medicare. The resolution shall be considered as read. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on the resolution and preamble to adoption without intervening motion or demand for division of the question except one hour of debate equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees. Sec. 4. Clause 1(c) of rule XIX shall not apply to the consideration of H. Res. 178.