Transcripts For CSPAN U.S. House Of Representatives 10042017 20171004

The chair lays before the house a communication. The clerk the honorable the speaker, house of representatives. Sir, pursuant to section 3 of the elliss spotted bear commission on native children act, public law 114244, i am pleased to appoint dr. Dough lore rest big foot to the commission on native children native children commission. Thank you for your attention to this appointment. Signed, sincerely, nancy pelosi, democratic leader. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition . For what purpose does the gentlewoman from tennessee seek recognition . Mrs. Black mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and includeheir remarks and extraneous material on h. Con. Res. 71, currently under consideration. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Pursuant to House Resolution 553 and rule 18, the chair declares the house in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for the consideration of house concurrent resolution 71. The chair appoints the gentleman from colorado, mr. Lamborn, to preside over the committee of the whole. Is the in he house the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration is the in the committee of the whole house on the state of the union for consideration of house concurrent resolution 71 which the clerk will report by title. The clerk concurrent resolution establishing the congressional budget for the uted States Government for fiscal year 2018. Extending forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2019 through 2027. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the concurrent resolution is considered as read the first time. General debate shall not exceed four hours with three hours confined to the congressional budget equally divided and controlled by the chair and Ranking Member of the committee on the budget. And one hour on the you subject of economic goals and policies equally divided and controlled by the gentleman from ohio, mr. Tiberi, and the gentlewoman from new york, mrs. Maloney, or their designees. The house will come to order. He committee will be in order. The gentlewoman from tennessee, mrs. Black, and the gentleman from kentucky, mr. Yarmuth, each 90 minutes of debate on the congressional budget. The chair asks members to take their conversations outside the chamber. The committee will be in order. The committee will be in order. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman from tennessee. Mrs. Black mr. Chairman, the house is still not in order. The chair the gentlewoman is correct. Members will please take their conversations outside the chamber. The chair recognizes the gentlewoman fromtown tfpblet mrs. Black mr. Chair, i yield myself such time as i may consume. The chair the lady is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today in support of house con. Res. 71, our budget building a better america. Our budget takes real tangible steps to balance the budget, build a stronger military, unlock tax reform, and support an economy that creates opportunity for all americans. In the past years, our budget resolution was a vision document, but this year is different. With the election of President Trump, our budget goes from being a vision document to being a governing document that outlines how we build a better america for our children and our grandchildren. The opportunity to our promises to the American People. Balancing the budget mr. Chairman, the house is not in order. The chair the gentlewoman from will suspend. Members are asked to take their conversations outside the chamber. The gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Black balancing the budget by 2027 is our top priority. Our National Debt stands at 20 trillion with 9 trillion our p American People. Balancing the added over just the last eight years. For too long, both parties in washington have failed to abide by a simple principle that all American Families and Small Businesses do. That we must live within our means. Balancing the budget requires us to make some tough decisions. But the consequences of inactio far outweigh any Political Risk we may face. Unless we take bold steps to bring our excessive spending and debt under control, a sovereign debt crisis is the natural conclusion. Failure to take swift and Decisive Action is not only inexcusable, it is immoral. The budget resolution before us takes real steps to put our country on a sound fiscal path that balancing in 10 years. And will allow us to start paying down our National Debt. Building a better america also assumes bold reforms to strengthening programs that our seniors and our most vulnerable citizens rely on and ensure that these programs can continue to serve them for generations to come. While our budget includes reforms to discretionary spending, we also strongly believe that mandatory spending addressed in this budget resolution and in budget resolutions to come. Mandatory spending is already more than 2 3 of all addressed l spending, and that number will only continue to grow. And thats why our committee felt strongly about addressing mandatory spending programs in this budget through reconciliation. Mr. Chairman, the house is still not in order. The chair the gentlewoman will suspend. Will members please take their conversations off the chamber floor. The gentlewoman is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. Our budget requires 11 authorizing committees to find a minimum of 203 billion in savings and reforms over the 10year budget window. With an expektation that the reforms will result in significantly higher sings. This package of mandatory reforms is the largest since the 1990s through reconciliation, and it is the first step to change the culture of washington and our spending. Our budget also promotes tax reform and Regulatory Reform to get the federal government out of the way and allow our free market economy to thrive. The larger the government, the less freedom for individuals and businesses have to thrive, grow, hire, and innovate. The obama economy left millions with with over 14d Million People leaving the labor work force in just the last eight years. Through reconciliation, our budget specifically paves the progrowth tax reform will reduce taxes for the middle class americans and ee up american businesses to grow and to hire. It will also simplify the tax code, allowing about nine out of 10 americans to file their taxes on a simple postcard. Many of our friends across the aisle and in the media said that a 1. 9 Economic Growth is the new normal. And that were doomed to continue the economic stagnation of the oma years. They have a pessimistic view of our nations ability to create jobs and to build will reduce t middle class americans and free up american businesses to grow and to hire. Our foundation of greater opportunity for all. America has the greatest workers, the greatest innovators, and the entrepreneurial ethos to far surpass the Economic Growth of the last eight years. If only the federal government would get out of the way. In this budget, we put our trust in the American People, but a stronger economy is not enough. Wmust also strengen our military. The number one job of the federal government is to protect its citizens. Over the last eight years, the weak Foreign Policy of president obama has led to an increase in threats from all corners of the glob while the funding for our men and women in uniform has failed to keep pace. Building a better america 621. 5 billion of our on our military, and 75 billion specifically for global war on fiscal year 2018. These resource ao help our men and women in uniform complete the mission with which they have been tasked. Building a better america presents us with an 621. 5 bill to change the trajectory of our country forever. The election of President Trump was a signal to all of us that the American People will no longer accept status quo. This budget is also a very personal one for me as i and my committee have gone through the long and arduous process of getting this budget to the floor. And think o stop about not just what were doing but where were going. I have a picture of and think about my six grandildrenaped to the back of my voting card. I was a nurse for more than 40 ars and still hold my license today. Government and Public Service was never an aition of mine. But when i saw what was ppening in my state and in this country, i couldntit back and do nothing. Every time i put my voting card into a slot, im reminded of why i left the career that love to join the political fray. Itsor them. Its for my children and grandchildren and for yours as well. I grew up in an amrica where a poor girl whose parents only a vision was for her to finish high school could graduate from college, become a nurse, and eventually become a member of the house of representatives. I grew up in an ameca that was the land that is the land of opportunity and was the land of opportunity then of strength and of compassion. But that america is slippingway from us. For too many young people in this contrirk the opportunity to live the American Dream is out of reach in this country, the opportunity to liv in america dream is out of reach. The government of, by, and for the people has left them behind. Building a better erica requires a governme that spends within its means. A military with the resources to complete the mission. And a economy that creates the opportunity r all and a federal bureaucracy that taxpayers. But it also requires an understanding that the greatness of america does not lie in the grand buildings and stone pillars of washington, d. C. The greatness of america lies in the spirit and tenacity of the people. We design building a better america to put this vision into practice, to empowerndividuals to live their version of the American Dream future generations of americans are counti on us and failure is not an option. I want to take this opportunity to thank the members of this committee for their hard work that they have done. For the months that we have worked tirelessly to come a budget thatld reflects o pnciples. It hasnt been easy, but producing a budget that puts our vision for fiscal sanity into practice will be worth it, and i thank each and every one of you r your hard work. A budget that flects our principles. You, mr. I reserve the balance of my ti. The chair the gentlelady thank reserves. For what purpose does th gentleman from kentucky seek recognition . Mr. Yarmuth to eak the time of theinoritin the house. The chairthgentlemans recognized. Mr. Yarmuth yield myself such time as i may consume. Mr. Chair, the republican budget were debating here today is a shockingly extreme document that gives to the rich and takes from everyone else. It calls for more than 5 illion in spending cuts that threaten our economic progress annational surity. And it willfully ignorethe needs and priorities of the American People. This budget isnt about conservative threaten our economic progress and policy or reducing the size of our debt and deficits. Its not even abt American Families. This budget is about one thing, using budget reconciliation to ram through giant tax gave aways to the healthy and big corporations and to do it without bipartisan support. This budget and the taxuts it exists to support are buildon a built on a foundation of lies they are part after dangerous and deceptive threestep process republicans have used before with seriousonseqnces for our nation and the american peop. This is what they do. First, my republican colleagues call r massive tax cuts for the rich. Claiming they will generate so much economic groh that they will pay for themselves. It benefits the weathy at the expense of everyone else. Yes. Said trilonwith a t. For exampleunder this ta plan, millions of familis mang50,000 a year would be subject to a tax increase. Increase. While millionaires get a 230,000verage taxut. Thats notax reform thats a shakedown. In total, individualwill see their taxes go up by more than 450 billion while coorations, wealthy passthrough entities and rich estate get a tax cut totaling 2. 9 trillion. One might justifiably ask why yone uld want to do that. After all, the income disparity in the United Statess greater than most every other country on earth and is getting larg. Just few decad ago the wealthiest 1of americans earned with 4 of all national income. Today its close to 4. Yet, once this plan is fully phased in, 80 o the entire tax cut in this plan goes to just the top 1 . While 45 of all households with childr see a tax increase you could be someoneho gets 1 million salary,wns llions in cporate stockbe a rtner in a hedge fund or just the heir to a massi fortune. No matter the type of millia you are, republicans make sre youll get a x cut. And no matter how many time President Trump,ectary mnuchin or m colleagues across th aisle say it and how muc they hpe the American People will fall for i theseax cuts wont p for themselves. Thsot jusmy argument. Thats the conclusion of the federal reserve, the Congressional Budget Office and specte economists of all strip. Conservate economists and former c. B. O. Director douglas ean said, quote, theres just no evien that the tax cuts actuay pay for themselves, end quote. Even Goldman Sach Goldman ch, secretary mnuchins former employer, says any growth will be minimal. May up to. 2 . Bruce bartlett, the man who td reaganomics congressast week that now thinks its bu. We, thats half of the word he used but you get the idea. The historicarord is clear. We went through this in the early 1980s, the early000s r george w. Bush,nd we recently saw it play out to disastrous effect inansas. Now congressionalepublicans want try it again. Well know the truth. That tax cuts in this plan will inease deficits and debt by proxitely 2. 4 trillion in the first 10 years alone and trillions min the years after. Thisudget will blow enormous holein the federal budget which brings me to the second part of the republican deception. When the growth fails to happen as promised and these tax cuts keep digging our economy down deeper and deeper, republicans will bemoan the horrors of deficits and debt. These cries will lead us to the third and final part of the plan. They will call for ressional action, not to for the wealthy, but to drastic programs that people need, education, health care, research, infrastructure and Veterans Benefits are already threatened in this budget. It includes an astonishing 5. 4 trillion in spending cuts. 1. 5 trillion for medicare and medicaid alone. It even assumes 49 billion in cuts to Veterans Benefits. The enormity of these cuts and the severity of the consequences for American Families cannot be overstated. But more cuts will be coming if my republicans get their way with this budget. We will see more attacks on medicare, medicaid, Social Security, nutrition assistance, on important benefits and services that help American Families get ahead and on key investments that keep our economy and our nation strong. To be clear and with all due respect to my friend and colleague from tennessee, by voting on this budget, for this budget, they are jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 515,000 hungry children in tennessee so that the wealthiest person in that state who has a net worth of 8. 8 billion can get a massive tax cut. Democrats have a different bument and a far different budget and a far different vision for our country and our priorities reflect the priorities of the American People. We invest in programs that will grow our economy, create goodpaying jobs and provide real support for working families. Public investments that lead to a Brighter Future such as rebuilding roads, bridges and other vital infrastructure. Retirement security for seniors now and for millions of americans who fear they will never be able to afford to stop working. Affordable education so that young people will be able to compete with the careers of the future. Affordable, Quality Childcare for hardworking parents and affordable, Quality Health care for all americans. We believe in a government that helps individuals with nowhere left to turn and a tax code that helps families get ahead. Those are american priorities, and they should be the priorities of this congress. I therefore urge my colleagues to oppose this budget and support the democratic alternative. I reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chair. And it is now my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman that is the vice chair of the Budget Committee, mr. Rokita. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Rokita i thank the chair and i thank the chairwoman. I thank all the members of the Budget Committee who voted for this budget and now its on the floor. And i encourage all members of the house to vote in favor of this budget, and thats because our National Debt continues to grow exponentially every day, every hour, every minute and every second. We cannot afford to have any more time waiting to address the spending crisis that were in. This budget begins to put these irresponsible elitist policies behind us and creates a culture around here that makes sure that our friends and neighbors who really need the help get the help without forcing our nations bills on our children and grandchildren, future generations, some of whom dont even exist yet. Specifically, this budget reforms mandatory spending so its focused on those, mr. Chairman, in our communities who really need help. This will ensure our country will focus limited resources those who are most vulnerable while encouraging a culture of selfreliance instead of government dependence. We should be measuring, mr. Chairman, success of these programs on how many people we get off them, not how many people we trap in them. You know, mr. Chairman, as the chart im holding shows, because mandatory spending is over 2 3 of our total annual spending, reforming this part of our spending is the only way to really get our debt and deficits down, and this budget, for the first time, starts addressing this part of the pie. 203 billion worth and thats because of the leadership here and republicans in the house of representatives. This budget also protects our friends and neighbors by making sure our families are safe, that the military has the tools that they need and that the administration has the money it needs to secure our border. This budget also jumpstarts tax reform which will put money back in the pockets of hardworking hoosiers and all americans. Mr. Chairman, in closing, as president Ronald Reagan once said, quote, we dont have 1 trillion debt because we havent taxed enough, we have 1 trillion debt because we spend too much. And that is still true today, mr. Chairman, except that 1 trillion is now 20 trillion and growing. Again, i encourage all my colleagues to vote in favor of this budget, and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The lady from the gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth i would note for my colleague from indiana that by voting for this budget, he seniors, 1,150,533 disabled individuals and other seriously ill individuals in indiana. And a net worth of 8 billion can get a massive tax break 8 million can get a massive tax break. I yield to the gentleman from massachusetts for two minutes, mr. Moulton. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Moulton i want to thank my colleague from kentucky for yielding. Mr. Speaker, i rise today as a member of the Budget Committee to express my strong opposition to this budget resolution which if passed would leave countless working families behind. And not to mention would in fact raise the federal debt by at least 3 trillion over the first decade and by at least 6. 6 trillion by the end of the second 10 years. This proposed budget is an atrocious representation of our values. As more americans find it harder and harder to get by, this budget guts what people need to be most successful. It takes away dollars from education. It takes away dollars from the programs we rely on for retirement, for switching between jobs, for health care. We should be focused on funding the things that will enable the work force to prepare for the 21st century, not gutting programs that will leave them falling further behind. Rather than funding Luxury Travel for the trump administration, lets invest in quality education, job skills training and properly fund the state department and foreign aid programs that secretary of defense mattis and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff dunford have said are critical to our National Security. This budget puts working families, our economy and our National Security at risk. Passage of this budget would also pave the way for republican tax reform, if you want to call it that, which would favor big businesses that destroy our small towns. It shouldnt be easier for them to get a robot than training employees. We need to incentivize businesses to invest in their workers rather than treat theme like a burden. We need to make taxes and fairer for working families, not give handouts to the rich. I urge my colleagues to vote no on this proposed budget so we can go back to the table or actually, madam chair, to go to the table for the first time as democrats and republicans and have a conversation about funding the resources that will actually move our economy and country forward into the 21st century and beyond. I yield my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. Its now my honor to yield four minutes to the gentleman from florida, who is also a member f the of our committee and the approps committee, mr. Diazbalart. Mr. Diazbalart let me start by thanking the chairwoman for her excellent work on this bill. There are a lot of things i could talk about but i want to emphasize how it prioritizes our National Security. With the growing threats around the globe its imperative we fund defense of our nation in an appropriate and substantial way. We need to invest in our armed forces. We have to upgrade our Defense Systems and weapon systems and we have to ensure the readiness of our military. The United States must continue to lead on a global scale. And this budget takes us in that direction by investing in our National Defense and obviously coupled with targeted soft diplomacy funding, we accomplish that. This budget takes us, as i said, in that direction and it does so in a very, very positive way. I believe this budget makes those critical investments. Mr. Chairman, i dont have to tell you under the Previous Administration cuts to our defense spending left a world a more dangerous place and left our country in a more vulnerable place. Thankfully the Current Administration recognized the failure, recognizes the failure of the last eight years and is, again, willing to lead again and now its up to us. Its up to us to do our part to provide the resources to allow the administration and our military to again lead. This budget gets us there. Im pleased to support it. I want to thank the chairwoman for her invaluable leadership. I urge my colleagues to do the same and, again, make sure that we stand toe to toe with our adversaries and we stand most importantly with the National Security interests of the United States. With that i yield back. Thank you. The chair the gentlelady reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to note for my friend and colleague from florida that by voting for this budget hes jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 1,448,000 hungry children in florida so that the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of 13. 2 billion can get a massive tax cut. I now yield two minutes to the gentlelady from washington, the distinguished member of the Budget Committee, ms. Delbene. The chair the gentlelady from washington is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Delbene thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to this dangerous Budget Proposal. With many working families and businesses still struggling to adapt to a rapidly changing economy, our top priority in congress should be to help expand opportunities and sustain longterm Economic Growth and security so no american is left behind as we forge new paths ahead. To spur robust job growth, we must invest in our Education System to provide the training and skills workers need to be prepared for the jobs of today and tomorrow. We should invest in infrastructure that will put people to work and make our communities better places to do business. We should invest in growing a small middle class, the backbone of our economy. Instead were debating a budget that will go nowhere in the senate simply so it can be used as a vehicle to give the wealthiest americans a massive tax cuts on the backs of middle class families. This reckless budget cuts Early Childhood k through 12, and Higher Education programs. As well as job training and apprentice ships. It cuts nutrition assistance, which provides benefits to more than 43 million americans a year. Almost half of whom are children. Disruptive nues the cycle of negligenting our already crumbling infrastructure, even though we the he lodger we wait, more costly repairs will be in the future and the less economically competitive our communities will be. Slashing programs that help working families in order to line the pockets of the wealthiest americans has never led to jobs or Economic Growth. And it never will. Every dollar we spend is a reflection of our values, which is why im deeply disappointed that this budget demonstrates an utter disregard for middle class americans, a lack of vision for what our future could look like with smart, targeted investment, and a complete lack of empathy for the most vulnerable. To vote no lleagues and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky to reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from oklahoma, a member of the Budget Committee and also the Appropriations Committee. The chair the gentleman from oklahoma is recognized for two minutes. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank the mr. Cole thank you, mr. Speaker. I want to thank the gentlelady for yielding. I want to congratulate her. Shes bringing a budget that actually balances in 10 years. My good friends on the other side will bring us three budgets none of which come into balance in 10 years. And to be fair they follow a tradition that president obama set who never, ever brought us a budget that balanced and left us with a National Debt roughly twice the size of the one he had when he came into office. We dont do what chairman black suggests here, were going to be in exactly that same position. I particularly want to congratulate the chairman, have the courage to take on the tough issue of entitlement and mandatory spending reforms. 200 billion of t that sounds like a lot of money, its out of 30 trillion over 10 years. This is something we can do. Frakely we should do frankly we should do more of and thats the way to move toward balance. I also want to congratulate the chairman for actually working other imaginary document. Finally i particularly want to o help them identify the cuts that are real. They are not fictional things and commend her for wise investment in National Security. Thats a tough decision to make. But we have all seen the ravages left by see quester and sequester and continuing resolutions. The number one enemies of the United States military. We have actually under the last administration inflicted more damage on the military than any enemy could do on any battlefield, any place in the world. Our chairman, our committee stops that. Reverses that. And begins to invest. I just want toned by pointing out the longterm solution here to our problems. Really is entitlement reform. We have to get serious about mandatory spending. 2 3 of the budget now. Without changing the direction we go, it will be 81 a decade from now. Simply not sustainable. So its nice to talk about this Discretionary Program or that Discretionary Program, the fundamental problem that we face is mandatory spending. The chairman address it is in her budget. We can come back and build on what she does next year and continue to go after the area that really balances the budget. With that i urge the passage of the budget and yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. From tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. I would note for my friend and colleague that by voting for this budget he will force from reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth 678,763 seniors, disabled individuals, and other seriously ill people in oklahoma to pay more for lifesaving medicare. Also the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of 10. 2 billion can get a massive tax cut. I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from california, a distinguished member of the Budget Committee, mr. Carbajal. The chair the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Carbajal i rise today in opposition to the fiscal year 18 republican budget resolution. Budget that comes nearly six months late and days into the new fiscal year. This republican budget betrays millions of hardworking middle class families while showering billionaires with irresponsible tax cuts. By cutting 211 billion over the next 10 years for Student Loans and college aid, it makes it harder to send our kids to college. It abandons our nations crumbling infrastructure by cutting 245 billion over 10 years for transportation. It turns its back on families, putting food on the table with snap by cutting 150 billion from the program over the next 10 years. It neglects our grandparents and seniors with a 487 billion cut to medicare in the next decade. And it ist assumes the repeal of the Affordable Care act and it assumes the repeal of the Affordable Care act, leaving over 20 million americans uninsured. I offered two amendments during the markup of this budget. One to fully Fund Programs for our veterans. Nd two, to reject paying for a border wall both of which were blocked by my republican olleagues. This budget boosts defense spending 622 billion, 72 billion above the budget cap for defense. And well over even the president s request. And it underfunds nondefense spending at 5 billion below the cap. At the same time, republicans have included instructions to fast track a tax proposal that would add trillions to our nations deficit, trillions, end almost all itemized deductions, and according to the tax policy certainty, increase taxes for roughly center, increase taxes for roughly one in four taxpayers. This budget completely ignores a balanced approach to achieving the chair the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Carbajal this budget completely ignores a balanced approach to achieving fiscal sustainability and stack the deck even higher against middle class families, seniors, and students. I reject todays republican ask my colleagues to oppose it. I yield back. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to remind my colleagues from the other side of the aisle that during the time of the Previous Administration, that there was 9 trillion added to the debt. 1. 9 Economic Growth, and that was a high, that was the high of that period of time. And there were 14 Million People who left the labor work force. If their policies worked, we wouldnt see these statistics. It is my honor to yield four minutes to the gentleman from california, a member of our Budget Committee, mr. Mcclintock. The chair the gentleman from california is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Mcclintock i thank the gentlelady for yielding and thank her for her leadership on important issue. Mr. Chairman, for the first time in many years, this budget uses reconciliation for the purpose it was intended. To bring mandatory spending under control. Important issue. Mr. Chairman, for the first time in many years, the appropriations that dominate so much of the debate comprise less than one third of our total spending. Thats called discretionary spending. The budget sets a level, the appropriations process spends to that level. Doing everything from general government to defense. We have actually been able to control. Under but the other two thirds of spending is called mandatory spending. Its beyond the annual control of congress. It continues automatically until and unless the statutes that call for it actually change. Its the mandatory spending that is eating our country alive. Mandatory spending supposed to be controlled by reconciliation. Instructions are sent to the various authorizes committees to make whatever changes are necessary in current law to stay within our means. But this powerful fiscal tool has been ignored or squandered in past budgets, and this negligent is undermining the sol van hollency of our country. For the first time in many years, the house budget finally restrains mandatory spending by instructing our committees to find at least 200 billion in savings over the next decade. That means this budget will get within the alance decade and this is why its so important. If the democrats had their way, nd we maintain our current path, the Congressional Budget Office warns that in just four years, 2022, our deficits the commonwealth of puerto rico. Two years after that, in 2024, six years from now, the c. B. O. Warns that the annual interest cost on our debt will reach 654 billion. Thats more than we currently spend on defense. I would remind my friends on the cannot provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare. You cant pay for it antiability of our country to do so is being undermined by our the spending trajectory. We charge the highest Corporate Tax rate in the industrialized world. Sending trillions of dollars in capital and hundreds of thousands of jobs to other countries. In the last eight years we averaged only half of our post war Economic Growth. I remind my friends corporations do not pay Corporate Taxes. Corporate taxes can only be paid in one of three ways. By consumers through higher price, employees through lower wages, by investors through lower earnings. Cutting Corporate Taxes means lower prices for consumers, higher wages for employees, and hire earnings for investors. Tax relief is absolutely vital to reviving the economy, but experience does warn us that Revenue Growth only partially offsets revenue loss to tax reductions. Indeed, when were told that the choice between taxes and debt, those are two sides of the same coin. Taxes and debt are the only two possible ways to pay for spending. Once we have spent a doll a. We have already decided to tax t we either tax it now or we borrow it now and tax it later. Either way it is entirely driven by spending. By restraining spending this budget makes possible the tax relief that our economy desperately needs to grow. Frankly, we could do much more if we summon the political will. Such a budgetting tomorrow on behalf of the republican study committee. But this budget moves us a long way in the right direction. It sets in motion the policies that president s from Calvin Coolidge to john f. Kennedy to Ronald Reagan have all used to revive and expand our economy. It brings us closer to that day when families will awake to a new and such a budget tomorrow on behalf of the republican study committee. But this budget prosperous morn america. Yield back the chair the gentleman from yields back. The gentleman from kentucky virginia tech. Mr. Yarmuth i note for my colleague that by voting for this budget hes jeopardizing assistance for 2,319,000 hungry children in california so that the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of assistan 2,319,000 hungry 62. 4 billion gets a massive tax cut. I now yield four minutes to the gentleman from massachusetts, the Ranking Member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Neal. The chair the gentleman is recognized for four minutes. Mr. Neal the gentlelady, my friend from tennessee, remarked upon Economic Growth. Let me as one who was here at the time fraps correct the record. Perhaps correct the record. Bill clintons Economic Growth was higher than Ronald Reagans. Thats not in dispute. And Barack Obamas Economic Growth was higher than george w. Bush. We were losing 800,000 jobs a month at the end of the bush administration. To bring up one point which by the way its closer to 2. 1 . People here know i follow these issues like a hawk. The truth is, that this budget today thats being put forward is a threat to medicare and Social Security down the road. So the previous speaker said hes concerned about mandatory spending. I got you. Put out a plan. Put out a plan on Social Security and medicare and dont do it in the backdoor way here as they complain about deficits. They prepare to embrace a tax cut of 1. 5 trillion over 10 years, 2. 2 trillion on top of the bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003, which amounted to 2. 3 trillion. Were at 5 trillion worth of tax cuts and the Clinton Administration left us with four balanced budgets and 5 trillion worth of surplus. This is not a budget that supports meaningful tax reform. I am ready and she knows because of our working together in the to work with republicans on fundamental tax reform. The system is begging for it. Dont call tax reform, tax reform when its really a tax cut. Thats where this is headed. I think they know that as well. This is a partisan road map that has failed in the past. They are using reconciliation construction so that the majority can ram through a tax plan here. Thats all its about. As the details leak out. The tradeoff is in some states you can keep the mortgage deduction if you give up the state and local tax deduction. I guarantee you this right now, well end up keeping both and theyll have to add more to the debt as time goes on. So, is this a cut for the wealthy . 80 of the tax cut goes to the top 1 in 2027. This is based on the tax center. In washington, how great is it to have a nonpartisan scoring committee offer us a snapshot of the future . The average tax cut for millionaires . 230,000 a year in 2027. The average tax cut for the top 1 is 1 million in the year 2027 . But people in this country who need tax relief are the middle class. We should be investing in Human Capital. Community colleges, we should be investing in vocational education. Oh, so 45 of all households with children will see a tax increase in 2027 . Among households earning between 50,000 and 150,000 . I look at this and say why arent we offering relief to middleclass americans. Why arent we investing in them . Do we have not enough faith in them to get them through difficult sometimes and costs mounting all the time . Its tax relief for people back at the top. I guess concentrated wealth in america is not a big issue. I guess the top 1 in america who arent by the way asking for tax relief, thats the irony of this. They arent asking for tax relief. Theyre arguing for more investment in america rather than concentrating more money in fewer hands. The American People deserve a tax code thats based on farrance. Our court should reward hardworking middleclass families, small business, innovation and make sure no one, no matter how wealthy they are, can afford paying their fair share. Our focus will be helping the middle class, creating jobs and boosting wages and giving people the assistance they need in a complicated economy with their grocery bills and childcare as well. Invest in Human Capital today, and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black i thank you, mr. Chairman. I now two minutes to the distinguished gentleman from ohio, a member of our committee, mr. Johnson. The chair the gentleman from ohio is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Johnson madam chair and mr. Speaker, thank you so much for the time to speak. You know, it kind of blows my mind. You look at the line that was just displayed by my colleague. It says the republican budget is a bad deal for working americans. Well, i dont know what americans you folks are talking to but the middleclass americans that i talk to, they want an economic growing, jobcreating, taxcutting budget and tax relief effort. Thats what they want out of the house. Thats what the republican plan is bringing. We not only rebuild our military, but we do something that has not been done in years. We begin to get in to that mandatory spending. And the outofcontrol spending that we have here in our nations capital. Former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff said the biggest threat to our National Security is our National Debt. How are we ever going to do that if we dont begin to address mandatory spending . Madam chair, we have brought a good budget, a responsible budget, one that balances in 10 years to the floor. We need to get every colleague in this chamber to get behind it because it is good for working americans. It is good for working families, and its the responsible thing to do. And with that i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to note for my colleague by voting for this budget he ill force 2,154,337 seniors, disabled individuals and other seriously ill people in ohio to pay more for lifesaving medicare. Also that the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of 6. 2 billion, can get a massive tax cut. And just in case my colleagues on the other side are wondering where this information comes from as to the wealthiest person in each state, its from that notoriously leftwing magazine forbes, this year. Now mr. Chairman, i yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, a distinguished member of the Budget Committee and ways and Means Committee, mr. Higgins. The chair the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Higgins i thank the Ranking Member and, madam chair. Any budget requires an examination of how and who pays for it and how that budget impacts the economy. We were told by President Trump and treasury secretary mnuchin that there would be no new tax cuts for the wealthy, and that this budget and its blueprint is a middleclass miracle. That was last wednesday. One week later, this wednesday, the facts are in. If you make 730,000 in america, next year your income ill rise by 8. 5 or 129,000 month. 50 a f you make 67,000, your income will rise 670 next year or a whooping 56 a month. This is no miracle. This is fraud being perpetrated against the middle class. Were told that tax cuts pay for themselves through the magic of dynamic scoring. Their budget will increase the deficit by 2. 5 trillion over 10 years. Where are all the deficit hawks . Where are any of the deficit hawks . Goldman alumnus mnuchin and gary cohn, the National Economic advisors, say this will grow the economy. Goldman economists said their budget will have no good impact in terms of growth for the federal budget over the next several years. Finally, infrastructure. The infrastructure budget for america, nation of 300 Million People, for the next 10 years is about the same we spent rebuilding the roads and bridges of yirke, afghanistan over the last iraq and afghanistan over the last 10 years. This is unacceptable. We can do much better, and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman, and i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from georgia, mr. Allen. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Allen thank you, mr. Speaker. And i thank the madam for her work on this incredible budget were talking about here today. And i rise today in support of the f. Y. 2018 budget entitled building beater america. Never has a budget had a more fitting title. The budget set forth by the house Budget Committee will balance the budget within 10 years, provides our military with the resources they need for National Defense and cuts more than 200 billion in mandatory spending. Picture this, 6. 5 trillion in total deficit reduction over 10 years. On that fact alone, i would hope my colleagues would support this legislation. This budget also paves the way for the recently released unified framework for fixing our broken tax code. On a telephone town hall with thousands of constituents on the phone from my district, 53 of participants reported their most important priority for tax reform is a simpler, fairer tax code. The framework does just that and more. I urge all of my colleagues to support the budget, to reduce the deficit and take a huge step towards progrowth tax reform that will increase paychecks, spur Economic Growth and make our tax code simple, affordable and competitive. And i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth id like to note for my colleague by voting for this budget he is jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 809,000 hungry children in georgia so the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of 12. 6 billion can get a massive tax cut. I now three minutes to the gentleman from maryland, the democratic whip, mr. Hoyer. The chair the gentleman from maryland is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Hoyer i ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks. The chair without objection. Mr. Hoyer mr. Speaker, the budget act adopted in 1974 requires that the house complete work on its budget for he next fiscal year by april 15. Thats 172 days ago. Yet, we now have a budget resolution on the floor. Already into the fiscal year or which the budget supposedly is planned. Some may ask why. The answer is a simple one. This is, first of all, not a realistic budget, which could or should stand as a budget resolution. No. This budget is about putting our country is not about putting our country on a sustainable fiscal path, and this is indisputable, it is not a budget to inform the appropriators of Budget Priorities and constraints. No. The Appropriations Committee will not be informed. Why . Because weve already passed the appropriation bills. This budget doesnt have anything to do with the appropriation bills. Theyre passed. Theyre gone. Theyre in the senate. This is merely a vehicle for achieving partisan tax reform of the kind that President Trump and Republican Leaders in congress outlined last week. Despite what this sham of a budget pretends, their plan is to push through tax changes that massively increase deficits. I call it the granddaddy of all debt increases, while shifting even more wealth from the middle class to people like donald trump. According to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, 80 of the tax cuts in this proposal would only to those who make over 900,000 a year. Hear me. The tax cuts mainly go to those making in this nation over 900,000 per year. Despite promises from President Trump and republicans here in the house, their plan actually raises taxes hear me while cutting taxes over 900,000, it actually raises taxes on one in three middleclass families who earn 50,000. 50,000 and 1 even though they say tax cuts pay for themselves, no responsible economist believes that. Not one. Responsible is the operative word. The Tax Policy Centers analysis found their tax cuts would add 2 mr. Yarmuth an additional one minute. Mr. Hoyer tax cuts would add 2. 4 trillion to deficits over the next 10 years. The previous speaker said this balances the budget in nine years. Thats alice in wonderland balance. It will never happen. Ive been here for 36. Ive heard those comments all the time. It never happened. But its even worse, mr. Speaker. The budget resolution also proposes to disinvest in job creation. Pretends the republicans were able to repeal the Affordable Care act. It hasnt been repealed. Yet, they pretend its been repealed to make those with preexisting conditions uninsurable. It guts medicaid and would end medicare guarantee. Furthermore, it would severely cut programs that reduce poverty and provide the kind of job training proven to get more people back into the work force. This resolution is a grab bag of all the worst republican policies, partisan tax cuts for the wealthy that leave the middle class behind, the cruelty of trumpcare mr. Yarmuth i yield one minute. The chair time has yielded. Mr. Hoyer partisan tax cuts for the wealthy that leave the middle class behind, the cruelty of trumpcare and tra doanian reductions draconian reductions in domestic speck. The product is just as its bad as the sum of its parts. Indeed, its worse. Instead, we should be working together to enact bipartisan tax reform thats fiscally responsible and focused on the middle class. I urge my colleagues to defeat this resolution, and i ask republicans who believe that tax reform must be permanent and therefore partisan be bipartisan to join us in doing so. The debt under Ronald Reagan, only one person can stop spending and thats the president of the United States. He can veto spending bills. The debt increased 189 . Under bush one 55 . He had four years. Under clinton, 37 . Under bush two, 86 . Under obama who was dealing with the deepest recession of our lifetime, 87 . Ladies and gentlemen, a budget is supposed to inform the Appropriations Committee of how it ought to proceed. This budget comes off the fact and is only for tax cuts for the wealthy and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. I want to remind my colleagues on the other side we are talking about the budget. Were not talking about the tax reform. We are going to have an opportunity to talk about that later. Our budget does not assume that tax cuts pay for themselves. And our budget does not reflect that claim. Our budget includes a host of progrowth economic policies, including comprehensive tax reform as one of those, but Regulatory Reform, reforming improper payments, restoration of incentives for people to work and save and invest so most economists believe this bundle of progrowth tax policies will lead to a stronger economy than what we have currently under the current law, but we are talking about the budget here so i would like for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to speak about the budget and well talk about the well talk about tax reform at another time. Id like to now yield 2 1 2 minutes to a member of our Budget Committee, the distinguished member from arkansas, mr. Westerman. The chair the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for 2 1 2 minutes. Mr. Westerman thank you, mr. Chairman. I commend chairman black on her leadership and tireless efforts. Much has been said about our 20 trillion debt. I would like to add that we know that that debt can only be paid back with tax dollars that will be extracted from future taxpayers. We debated and passed 12 appropriation bills in this chamber. As heated as those debates were, they were on less than 1 3 of federal spending. To attack our debt we have to attack mandatory spending. This budget does that. Madam chair, as i traveled around my district, and ive talked to people in my district, ive been pleased to hear that business is good. That businesses want to grow, they want to expand. But ive not been pleased with those who told me that they cant find employees. So i went back and looked at data. Arkansas has our lowest Unemployment Rate ever right now. But weve also got the lowest Labor Participation rate. In the years from 2008 to 2016, we saw a 5 5. 7 population growth. We saw a decrease in 4 ployment from 6 down to or 5. 5 down to 4 . But we had fewer people actually working in 2016 than we had in 2008. E had a decrease of. 8 of people working and a decrease of 2. 4 of people in the labor force. During that time period. We have to put plans and programs in place to get our economy growing. We have to get more people back to work. During that same time, we saw an increase in snap benefits we saw 330,000 people 330,000 people or 14 of our states population of ablebody idea workingage adults getting their Health Insurance through medicaid expansion. We need to focus on addressing our budget woes. We need an economy thats growing and labor force that is working. We need a military that is strong and we have to address the 70 component of spending that is driving our debt. This budget is the first step in achieving those results and i urge everyone to vote for this budget. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. He will force seniors, disabled individuals and other seriously ill people in arkansas to pay more for lifesave medicare by voting for. This also the wealthiest person in his state, who has a net worth of 38. 5 billion, can get a massive tax cut. I now yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california, distinguished member of the budget and Appropriations Committee, ms. Lee. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from cal the chair the gentlelady from california is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Lee thank you very much, mr. Chairman. First i want to thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership as our Ranking Member on our Budget Committee. I rise in strong opposition to the republicans socalled budget plan. Im a member of the budget and Appropriations Committee and i know, because we work on this each and every day, that our National Budget is a statement of our National Priorities and our values. And i know very well that the republicans have put forward, quite frankly, a sinister budget whose chief purpose is to hand tax breaks to billionaires. Budgets are moral documents. They should not be rigged in favor of special interests and the wealthy few. But the republican budget is. Our nations budgets should prioritize working families and the middle class, too many of whom are making low wages and living below the poverty line. It should assist those struggling to find a job and invest in Work Force Training and education and job creation and job training. Instead this republican budget creates tax cuts for billionaires, millionaires and corporations. Our budget should expand and protect health care for all. Instead this budget steals nearly 2 trillion from lifesaving medicaid and medicare. Our budget should also invest in our crumbling infrastructure, which of course creates jobs. But the republican budget cuts funding for our roads, our bridges and our railways. Finally with nearly 40 million americans living in poverty, our nations budget should contain a serious and effective strategy to end poverty, especially for communities of color and Rural Communities who have higher poverty rates. The House Republican budget does not do this. In fact, it slashes programs that help create good paying jobs for struggling families by 5. 4 trillion. No family in america should be forced to go hungry. Yet because wages are so low across this country, millions of families now rely on nutrition and Food Assistance. Yet this budget cuts 150 billion from snap and Food Assistance and nutrition assistance, which will create more poverty for people who are working. It doesnt make any sense. Once again, republicans are may i have another 30 seconds . Mr. Yarmuth i the gentlelady the gentlelady another 30 seconds i yield the gentlelady another 30 seconds. Ms. Lee thank you. Once again, republicans are determined to balance their budget on the backs of the most vulnerable, to hand tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and corporations and slush funds for pentagon contractors. I tell you, this budget is cruel and unusual punishment for those who are not rich. I urge my colleagues to reject this unamerican, heartless budget and vote no. The chair the gentleladys time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. Its my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina, mr. Sanford. A member of our Budget Committee. The chair the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Sanford i thank the gentleman. I would say to my colleague from kentucky, i think the rhetorical device hes using at the end of each speaker is very effective. And its persuasive. But i would challenge him with this. I think one of the things we have to struggle with as a body, both republicans and democrats alike, is not being selective on the issue of deficits. What we cant say is, deficits are ok if it involves more spending for all of us as a body to distribute as we see fit, but deficits are not ok if they involve a tax cut and sending money back to individuals within each of our communities. And its for that reason, again, ive voiced my concerns with regard to some of the components of this budget. But i think that the big issue for me is simply, we cannot continue to spend as we are and have the ship of america sail forward. The democratic chief of staff to former president clinton obed, we are walking our way toward the most predictable financial crisis in the history of man, if we dont get our arms around spending. And so for me, while not perfect, and id certainly cede that point, i think the Building Blocks of what this budget is trying to get toward is a sustainable economy. And how do you have a sustainable economy . Many of the things that my democratic colleagues have talked about in terms of education, Work Force Development and those things, but its also about the foundation of is our spending sustainable . You cant go on spending more than you take in forever without having bad things happen. At the individual level, at the corporate level, and certainly at the governmental level. You know, i think its about is our tax load sustainable . You know, spending drives tax loads. Whats interesting, i pulled a chart. For the first 100 years of our countrys existence, we spent about 3 of g. D. P. Then it bumped up after world war ii. We were now roughly around 20 . And were on our way to 30 . The question we have to ask in this budget or any other budget like it is, can we continue to do this without going to the exact spot that he was talking about . And finally id simply make this point. Not only can you only squeeze so much blood from a turn in, and there are turnip, and there are certainly limits that have shown themselves could i will the gentlewoman yield me one more minute . Mrs. Black ill yield you 30 seconds. The chair the gentleman has 30 seconds. Mr. Sanford which is around 18 , 20 of g. D. P. , regardless of tax rate, up, down. Theres that. But theres also this question you can pay me now or you can pay me later in life. A deficit is simply a deferred tax. A debt is simply an accumulation of deferred taxes. And so one of the things, again, we have to get our arms around is, were stacking up deferred taxes, were stacking up an accumulation of taxes with debts and deficits. This budget, i think, begins to nudge us in the right direction in doing something about it. With that id yield back. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. I appreciate the comments of my colleague from South Carolina. I certainly have a great deal of respect for his thoughtfulness. But i also must note that if he votes for this budget, hes jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 366,000 hungry children in South Carolina, so that the wealthiest person in his state, who has a net worth of 3 billion, can get a massive tax cut. I now yield three minutes to the gentleman from virginia, the Ranking Member of the education and Work Force Committee, mr. Scott. The chair the gentleman from virginia is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Scott thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise in opposition to the republican budget resolution and its intent to fast track tax cuts to the wealthiest americans and corporations. This resolution, first of all, is not serious. It assumes 800 billion in savings from the repeal of the Affordable Care act. Which we know will not happen. And we have the treasury secretary being quoted as saying that massive tax cuts will actually reduce the deficit. We know how that works. You cut taxes for the wealthy and say theyre going to pay for themselves, but that doesnt work and the deficit explodes, you come back and demand massive tax and massive cuts in medicare, Social Security and education. Any way the republican budget resolution, even if it did add up, makes the wrong choices for america. By calling for trillions of dollars in spending reductions, the republican budget undermines americas investments in infrastructure, the environment, Scientific Research and much more. But i want to use my limited time to focus on the harmful impacts on the jurisdiction of the education and Work Force Committee, where i served as ranking democratic member. Under the republican budget resolution, children in need of a Healthy School meal, students in pursuit of an Affordable College education, and workers in search of skills and training to get a better job all take the back see the to tax cuts to the wealthiest seat to tax cuts to the wealthiest americans. The budget harms students and families by undermining our nations Education System and instructs the house education Work Force Committee to eliminate 20 billion in investments in Higher Education by providing less funding for pell grants and Student Loans. In terms of other instructions, it instructs the department of labor to reduce funding designed to provide job training, protect workers from wage theft, and ensure that theres a sufficient number of inspectors to make sure that works can come home safely from their jobs. The budget also threatens child nutrition programs. In fact, during the Budget Committees hearings, it was made clear that child nutrition programs are a target for savings to pay for tax cuts. Today almost 10 million children and 20,000 schools have access to universal Healthy School meals for children where children are served nutritious meals without the stigma or need for paperwork. Cutting investments in programs to ensure that children have Healthy School meals to partially fund tax cuts shouldnt be our nations goal. Mr. Speaker, the federal budget is a statement of our values. Unlike other democratic substitutes, responsibly strengthen our economy, the republican budget undermines priorities in which students, workers and their families take a hit. It lays the groundwork for a return to a regressive framework benefiting a wealthy few. I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting the republican budget resolution and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from illinois, who is the tax subcommittee chairman, mr. Roskam. The chair the gentleman from illinois is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Roskam thank you, mr. Chairman. Chairman blarks chairman black, thank you for yield. Imagine what our opinion would be of a movie review where the reviewer stimplesimpley looked at a movie poster and then wrote the review and came to a conclusion that they didnt like the movie. They didnt listen to the music. They didnt see the direction. They didnt see the pacing. They didnt see the acting. They didnt see the script. They didnt see the cinemaing to are aify. They saw nothing other than a movie poster and they came to a conclusion. We would dismiss that and say, howry dick louis. How absurd. Mr. Chairman, thats exactly what the Tax Policy Center did this past week. They wrote a review of a proposal as it relates to tax reform and they didnt have the details. Why didnt they have the details . Because many of these details dont exist. Specifically they wrote a review which was very pajortific which the wall street journal completely trashed, and they made this finding and they had no notion of what the income brackets are like in a proposed tax reform plan. They had no notion about the antiabuse rules that the ways and Means Committee is working through to make sure theres not an abusive situation as it relates to passthrough entities. They had no notion about some of the offshore protections that are being contemplated. So lets avoid the hyperbole. Lets avoid the hackney, bold, old, tired, faded Bumper Sticker that says any kind of progrowth tax reform is a sop to the rich. Complete nonsense. I think the proof will be in a tax reform proposal that this house hopefully will be considering in the coming weeks and months that will bring buoyancy and optimism and a real opportunity for us to take advantage of a once in a Generation Opportunity for a tax code that nobody can defend and nobody likes. Lets get real and evaluate real umbers and not just posters. The chair the gentleman yields back, the gentleman is recognized. I would like to note that by voting for this budget, the ntleman will cause 266,000 elderly and others to cause more for health care. Mr. Yarmuth i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from new york, mrs. Lowey. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for three minutes. Mrs. Lowey thank you, Ranking Member yarmuth, thank you for the time to speak in opposition to the republican budget. As Ranking Member of the Appropriations Committee, i am really perplexed as to why the majority continues their assault on american excellence following President Trumps lead and di vesting from investments in American Global leadership, science, and infrastructure. This budget would cut 5 billion domestic and International Investments while violating the budget control act for defense spending. And domestic and triggering a sequester of all defense accounts. My republican colleagues might argue that slashing nondefense investments is necessary to reduce the debt, but this is a false choice. Why would the republican majority give tax cuts to the very wealthiest if it means this country has to take a back seat to china in research and development or let our own work force go without the training to fill 21st century jobs. We know there is a role for government, where the private sector has left voids. Many in the private sector believe we should be investing more in basic research, stem programs, and public transportation. The budget and the appropriation bills that enact this budget have fallen short in these areas. Given the budget is six months late and the appropriations process has actually moved before the budget, we do not have to guess the implications of the budget. We have seen what the republicans would do under these draconian levels. Just look, my friends, at the labor, health and Education Bill that passed the house last month. That bill eliminated entire job Training Programs like apprenticeship grants, cut the pell grant surplus, eliminated supporting effective instruction state grants, a 2 billion investment that reduces class sizes. And improved classroom instruction. His cut would cost 8,500 teachers their job. The transportation spending bill eliminated the department of transportations major Infrastructure Grant Program tiger, a direct contradiction to the president s promise to improve our nations infrastructure and which transportation secretary elaine chao confirmed funds innovative projects that improve the safety of americas passenger and goods. Mr. Chairman, we can and should, we must do better than this. I urge a no vote on the republican budget. The chair the gentleladys time has expired. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is my honor to yield three minutes to the gentleman from texas, a member of the Budget Committee mr. Arrington. The chair the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Arrington for too long, congress has been allowed to play by a different set of rules than the American People in regards to how we budget. No one lives in a world where there is seemingly an Endless Supply of money. That is until you enter the fantasy world of washington, d. C. However, hardworking American Families, businessmen and businesswomen, live in the real world. They have to budget. They have to prioritize. Make tradeoff decisions. Wants versus needs. Whats od and essential. Bhot tom line, of the live within their means. But apparently our government has been exempt from such basic principles of whats fiscal responsibility, under which we the people must live. The prevailing budget philosophy over the years among our representative leaders has been as follows. As long as we can borrow it, you can bet your Bottom Dollar we can spend it and spend it they have. This borrowing and spend degree lution has left us on the brink of bankruptcy, with 20 trillion in debt which put ours country in the worst debt position in the history of america. And this with the sacred constitutional charge to secure liberty for our posterity. That means give freedom to our children. Mr. Chairman, there is no freedom with this level of debt. If we dont do something about this looming debt crisis and stay on our current spend tragjectry, in less than 10 years well be at 30 trillion in debt. Swreel 1 trillion in annual deficit. We will be spending more, get this, on our interest, on the debt we owe, than on National Defense. Folks, enough is enough. I rise in support of this budget. A budget that begins to rein in the reckless spending, a budget that funds our National Priorities and our responsibilities and initiates an historic opportunity for tax relief for middle and working class families. Lets stop spending our childrens future and stop predending retending they wont inherit a disaster as a result. And lets live in the same reality as every other american. Lets focus on our main mission, as a limited federal government, by rebuilding our military, by maintaining our infrastructure, and by securing our food supply so we can maintain the ability to feed our own people. Lets unleech our job creators from the highest tax burden in the free world. Lets allow our families and individuals to keep more of their hardearned money and hand this country safer, stronger, and freer than we found it. Mr. Chairman, lets pass this budget. I yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The hand this country gentlelad reserves. The gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth id like to note for my colleague, by voting for this budget hes jeopardizing feels meals and Food Assistance for two million hungry children in texas so the wealthiest person in his state with a net worth of 28. 2 billion can get a massive tax cut. Mr. Chairman, i yield three minutes to the gentlelady from texas a distinguished member of the Budget Committee, ms. Jackson lee. The chair the gentlelady is recognizes for knee is recognized for three minutes. The chair the gentlelady ms. Jackson lee i thank my good friend, my fellow alum, for his leadership. I recognize and thank the chairman of the chairwoman they have chairwoman of the committee. To my colleague who was on the floor, i think you want limited government when daster is not in your district. So i think its important as a member of the Budget Committee, of which im so very proud of my service, and as a member of the Homeland Security committee, a committee called on for domestic tranquility and domestic security, may i just add were marking up a bill, just a few floors away from this house, that is asking for 15 billion to pay for a brd a border wall in the midst of the horror otragedy, in the midst of a lowering number of individuals even coming to the United States across the border, the very border wall that was told to us would be paid for by the people of mexico. I think the important point is, is that my good friends who are supporting this dastardly budget, that tears at the fabric of america, is as well supporting a tax cut for the wealthy that will provide 2. 9 trillion in debt to the American People and increase the debt as well as the deficit. It will mean that working and middle class families will have taxes raised on them by 470 billion. We will see the heavy brunt of this budget on lowincome families, students struggling to afford college, seniors and persons with disabilities. Just a few hours ago, i said the American People do not need to have the government step on them and i can assure you with this budget, it cuts more than 1. 5 trillion from medicaid and medicare, we will step on the American People. We will end the medicare guarantee. And it and it will narrowly shortchange power by cutting and decimating the state department, the very partner we need to continue the security of the American People, raising defense, whom i support all of our military, texas is a military state, but its 72 billion above cap and thats not giving our military personnel their due, it is going above the need of the military. We need to be prepared but this skinny budget will undermine education and work force by 326 billion, energy and commerce at 1. 56 billion, Homeland Security by 25 billion, justice and the eeds of Civil Justice by 67 billion and veterans by 49 billion. It will cut the Community Development block grant. And it will hurt the Virgin Islands u. S. Citizens. Puerto rico u. S. Citizens. Texas that is still struggling. Before i came to this floor, i was engaging with my state about more disaster food stamp sites because i have people who are unhoused, who are needing the resources. I have individuals like the olks that youve just seen falling to the floor, i guess thats appropriate. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. Ms. Jackson lee i have people our First Responders had to drag out of the raging waters, i have homes that were under water. That need disaster relief. I have individuals who are walking along highways like oceans and i have children who are with families who do not have jobs because of Hurricane Harvey who need the childrens Health Insurance program or need the disaster food stamps. This is a budget that steps on the American People. It steps on our disaster relief. And it does not recognize what the United States the chair the gentleladys time has expire thsmed egentlelady is no longer recognized. The gentlelady from tennessee is recognized. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is my honor to yield three minutes to the gentleman from michigan a member of the Budget Committee, mr. Murphy. The chair the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Thank you, madam chairman. Its been an honor to work with you on the Budget Committee as a mu nebraska new member of congress because its such a learning curve to learn the ways of congress especially on the fiscal side of things. Mr. Bergman id like to spend some time talking to my grandchildren, and to your grandchildren as well. In the last 48 hours ive had an opportunity, more a responsibility, to chat with my grandchildren about the horrific events that occurred in las vegas. When youre 8 or 16, you assimilate those things in different ways. I talk to them a lot about responsibility for behavior, responsibility for money, responsibility for their own lifestyle. I talked to them today to say to give re not going you, put you over the last t you decades in this country. Were not going to pass that along to you because it is the hole is only getting deeper and more extensive and were passing it along to the next generation. Not only is it not right, its morally wrong and absolutely irresponsibility. Irresponsible. We have to ask ourselveses the question, if not now, when . Do we begin to bend the spending curve . And if we dont do it, then who will . We know that mandatory spending within our grandchildrens lifetime will eclipse almost, if not, 100 of the federal budget. That means no money for research, for medical, for education, for all of those discretionary dollars that are so wisely spent. We have to begin to bend the spending curve now and that means cuts in mandatory spending while responsibly using the other dollars, the discretionary dollars, advance good programs. That takes discipline. That takes effort. That takes making tough decisions that are unpopular but necessary for the future of our country. Our Budget Committee wrestled long and hard to present what youre going to vote on and i am proud of the fact that the discourse and debate we had over tough issues that in the end, the American People are taking a next first step forward toward fiscal responsibility that oweects the reality that we to our grandchildren, just like our parents and grandparents felt that they needed to do for us during the Great Depression and a couple of world wars to make sure that we have a fiscally viable country this budget is a next first step and i thank you for the opportunity and i yield back. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth he will force over one million seniors, disabled individuals and other serious ill ill heem seriously ill people in michigan to pay more for lifesave medicare. Also the wealthiest person in his state can get a massive tax cut. I now yield two minutes to the gentleman from virginia, a distinguished member of the oversight and government reform committee, and an alumnus of the Budget Committee, mr. Connolly. The chair the gentleman from virginia voiced for two minutes. Mr. Connolly i thank the chair and my good friend from kentucky. Mr. Chairman, ugly is ugly. This is an ugly budget. And it exists primarily to be a vehicle for tax cuts for the already fortunate, the top 1 or 2 in america, at the expense of everybody else. And it will hemorrhage red inc. For as far as the ink for as far as the high can see. Thats not a theory, thats what happened in the previous massive tax cuts. Both under Ronald Reagan and under george w. Bush. The ruinous aspects of this budget, let me give you one example. It has to do with federal employees. This budget cuts federal Employee Compensation and benefits by another 163 billion over the next 10 years. 32 billion of which is included in a reconciliation instructions which i thought to strike with an amendment submitted to the rules committee that was not allowed. The republican cuts include higher retirement contributions, elimination of the first supplement which Law Enforcement retirees heavily benefit from. Lower annuities. Changing retirement calculation of reduced health care benefits. A 10 reduction in the federal work force at nonsecurity agencies, even though nearly all of the work force increases since 2001 occurred in securityrelated agencies. The federal work force provides Vital Services to our nation. It includes those who patrol and secure our borders, protect us from terrorists, take care of our veterans, help run our airports, counter cybersecurity attacks, find cures for deadly diseases, and keep our food supply safe. Veterans make up 31 of those federal employees. Federal employee pay and benefits are not because of this countrys the cause of this countrys deficit and debt. The federal work force has already contributed nearly 200 billion toward reducing the countrys deficits in the form of pay freezes, pay raises insufficient to keep pace with inflation, furloughs and creased retirement contributions. We should honor and revere the service of our federal work force, not denigrate it with the attacks included in this ugly budget. I yield back. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is now my honor to yield two minutes to my dear friend from arkansas, mr. Womack. The chair the gentleman from arkansas is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Womack thank you, mr. Chairman. And thank you to the distinguished chair of the Budget Committee for a job well done. You know, mr. Chairman, i came to the floor today to weigh in on this budget debate and i find it incredible that my friends on the other side of the aisle seem to be in a state of denial on the fact that this country, the greatest on the planet, is 20 rillion in debt. And these are the same people in opposition, mr. Chairman, who will present a budget tomorrow that will add nearly 3 trillion in more taxes and more than 6 trillion in more spending. This debt is going to land squarely on the shoulders of our children, our grandchildren. And let me just say it for the record, so large its going to land on our grandchildrens grandchildren. Hen does this insanity stop . Theres not an easy way out of the mess. This budget puts us on a path to fiscal sanity. It targets federal spending thats outside the purview of the Appropriations Committee. The budget ensures a strong National Defense. It puts us on a path to fiscal sustainability. And it gives us the opportunity to do deficit reduction. The budget has progrowth policies that move us in a more sustainable direction. Now i understand the opposition coming from the other side. Their answer, mr. Chairman, as always, is lets tax more and lets spend more. Thats not a responsible course. It wont lead to a good outcome for this country. Mr. Speaker, let me finally say that its time we had a National Conversation about the math problem facing this country. This budget starts that conversation. And i encourage all of my colleagues to support it, recognize where we are as a country, and resolve to do something about it. And i yield back. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. Id like to note for my colleague that by voting for this budget he is jeopardy didsing meals and Food Assistance for 200,000 hungry children in arkansas so that the wealthiest person in his state, who has a net worth of 38. 5 billion, can get a massive tax cut. Now, mr. Chairman, i yield 2 1 2 minutes to the gentleman from new jersey, a distinguished member of the ways and Means Committee, mr. Pascrell. The chair the gentleman from new jersey is recognized for 2 1 2 minutes. Mr. Pascrell thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise in opposition to the budget resolution before us today. You got to get a charge on what youre hearing and listening to today. If i was to draw a chart from 2001 to 2003, to the present time, what contributes to the deficit, the debt, and im glad to hear someone from the other side talk about that debt. Because i thought you forgot all about it. This budget seems to think that you have amnesia. But if you look at the chart, what grows the debt, the tax cuts that you put into effect in 2001 and 2003, which helped the rich and brought us to an economic abyss four years later. You did it and youre trying to do it again. So well see if democrats are irrelevant, since you didnt include us so far up to this point. So much for bipartisanship. You asked for 203 billion in mandatory spending cuts across the 11 committees. And it will have to be reconciled with a Senate Budget that explodes our deficit by 1. 5 trillion. Good luck. While this republican budget claims to balance in 10 years, it does so with unnamed cuts and gimmicks and magical thinking about the Economic Growth. The budget is built on the same premise which you tried to cut the a. C. A. , the Affordable Care act. Lets take 750,000, lets cut down on medicaid and well give that money and tax cuts to the very wealthy. That was your plan. You saw how the country received it. This budget cuts medicare by 487 billion, by eliminating the medicare guarantee. How can you justify that . And look into the eyes of seniors in this country . It assumes repeal of the Affordable Care act. Do you want to use the Affordable Care acts money, but you want to resolve it, choke it, starve it. It assumes an appeal of that act which would kick 23 million americans off their health care insurance. It assumes that 1 trillion cut budget. Aid is in your and 2ds. 5 trillion in other mandatory cuts with no specifics. The gentleman from michigan talks he needs to study the facts. You have to get him the facts. The greatest contributor were the two tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. And we know the breakdown where that went to. This is not a serious budget. Its a desperate attempt to enact deficitexploding deficitexploding tax cuts. Mr. Yarmuth i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. Mr. Pascrell thank you. The chair youre reminded to direct all remarks to the chair. Mr. Pascrell im making all my remarks to the chair. The chair outstanding. Mr. Pascrell 1 would be the recipients of 80 of the republican tax cuts within 10 years. This budget, like the phony tax plan, is a joke. And insulting to us as members of congress. I know he has some problems with being in the caucus. Dont expect us to bail you out. I urge my colleagues to vote no and i yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black thank you, mr. Chairman. It is now my honor to yield three minutes to the gentleman from georgia, a member of the Budget Committee, mr. Ferguson. The chair the gentleman from georgia is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Ferguson thank you, mr. Chairman. Id first like to thank the gentlewoman from tennessee for her leadership during this budget process. She has done an amazing job of showing wisdom and patience and negotiating this, all through this process. Our sincere thanks are given to you. This budget is a critical step in getting our economy growing and our National Debt under control. Not only does it balance in 10 years, but it puts our country on a fiscal path on a path to fiscal stability. It also lays the groundwork for tax reform. With this budget we are demonstrating that it is possible to have fiscal discipline and keep our promises to the American People. We can no longer continue to kick the can down the road on our mandatory spending crisis. We are leaving behind more and more debt for our children and grandchildren. And norlsy wrong. We must put poll and it is morally wrong. We must put politics aside and have tough conversations to ensure we can keep promises we have made to americans and future generations. This budget does not solve our mandatory spending crisis overnight, but it begins that process by achieving a 203 billion savings in mandatory spending. By passing this budget, we will also kickstart tax reform. I have said time and time again that america should be the best place in the world to do business, yet we have a tax code that tells our business that tells our businesses that they should take their jobs and profits overseas. Every American Benefits from lower taxes and a growing economy. And the tax reform framework we released last week will do just that. Americans will get to keep more of their hardearned pay checks and companies will have the freedom to reinvest in their businesses, their workers and more people can move to the American Dream. But before we can make these changes, we must pass the budget. The reconciliation instructions in this budget will set us on a path to exre hence be tax reform comprehensive tax reform in both the house and the senate. This is not just a conversation about dollars and cents, it is about the americans who are counting on us to keep our commitments. We must do the tough work of reforming our mandatory spending programs and reforming our tax code. I am excited to support this budget, to build a better america and pledge to continue working towards comprehensive mandatory spending reform. Mr. Chairman, i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the balance of his time. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth thank you, mr. Chairman. I would note for my colleague that by voting for this budget, 461 seniors,e 1,519, disabled individuals and other seriously ill people in georgia to pay for lifesaving medicare. Also that the wealthiest person in his state, who has a net worth of 12. 6 billion, can get a massive tax cut. Mr. Chairman, i now yield two minutes to the gentleman from new york, the Democratic Caucus chairman, mr. Crowley. The chair the gentleman from new york is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Crowley mr. Chairman, i thank the gentleman, my friend and colleague, for yielding me this time. Mr. Chairman, the republican Budget Proposal is just cruel. It isnt just cruel. It will set our country backwards. Its worse than cruel. It puts more than 5 trillion in cuts on the backs of working and middle class americans. And at the same time it dolls out billions of dollars doles out billions of dollars in tax breaks to wealthy individuals while leaving Everyday Americans emptyhanded. Are you a senior who relies on medicaid or medicare for Important Health care needs . Too bad, says the republican budget. Your care will simply be cut. Are you a student looking to get a good education and launch your career . Tough luck, says the republican budget. Pell grants are on the chopping block if republicans have their way. Are you struggling to recover after a Natural Disaster . Forget about it, says this republican budget. Grants from fema and other programs that help to rebuild our nation will be eliminated. The facts are clear. This republican budget does nothing to invest in america, the American People or our future. The cuts funds for our crumbling infrastructure rather than rebuilding our schools and roads and putting millions back to work. It slashes investment in Green Energy Technology rather than preparing a new generation of americans to lead us into the economy of tomorrow. And worst of all, it ramps up funding for endless wars overseas, while gutting programs that help the brave veterans who serve their country so well. 80 years ago then president Franklin Roosevelt spoveg a national might mayor when he saw 1 3 of ow nation, and you quote, illhoused, illclad and illnourished. When you look at this budget, its not hard to see why f. D. R. s words haunt us to this day. Because this budget would take us back to the terrible time when dreams were dashed, futures were uncertain and hope was all but lost. But back to a time when people were hurting. Thats not the america i want. Thats not the america our constituents deserve. They deserve a better deal for all americans. Mr. Yarmuth i yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds. The chair the gentleman is recognized for an additional 30 seconds. Democrats believe the American People deserve a better deal, a Better Future for everyone and a vision to give every american the opportunity to prosper and succeed, thats the kind of america we should be working toward, thats the better idea that america should be working toward and thats why ill vote no on this terrible plan. I thank the gentleman for yielding me the additional 30 seconds and yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentleman from kentucky reserves, the gentlelady from tennessee mrs. Black whats cruel is doing the same thing over and over again and getting the same result, thats cruel. Especially when we look in our grandchildrens eyes and say, were sorry we didnt take 40yearold programs and reform them to be better so we could give Better Services and reduce the spending. Thats cruel when you dont do that. Now i have the honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from minnesota, a member of the mr. Lilly. Ittee, the chair the gentleman is ecognized for two minutes. I rise today in support of the build a better america budget. Interest payments on the debt alone are scheduled to go up to 768 billion a year. Mr. Lewis and theyll skyrocket should Interest Rates return to their normal level. The tet president not only threatens to bankrupt our country but threaten ours childrens future and the American Dream. We cant change the culture of spending overnight but this budget puts us on the right path to fiscal sustainability. Our budget balances in 10 years, works to pay down the debt and promotes job growth policies like tax, regulatory and entitlement reapartment. For the first time in decades entitlement reform. For the first time this directs congress to drive down the main spending. If nothing is done to address entitlement programs, mandatory spending will fully eclipse the federal budget in the next few years. Politicians in washington promised to address exploding debt and deficits for years but now we have the opportunity to actually do it. We cannot solve our debt crisis, however, without Economic Growth. Thats why our budget provides reconciliation instruction for tax reform. Today we have a tax code thats erly complicated, punishes work, rewards special interests and discourages job creation and investment heres in america. The result has been an anemic recovery of 1 or 2 this stagnation has work, rewards special made it h for families in mrn and all over the United States to realize the American Dream. Thats what this is about. Every dime tax every time tax reform has been tried, in the 1960s, the 1980s, its worked to make america globally competitive by encouraging private Sector Investment thats more productive. Thats why i urge my 1960s, th to support this budget, Economic Growth and fiscal sanity. I yelled back. The chair the gentleman yields back. The gentlelady from tennessee reserves. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth i would like to note my friend and colleague, hes jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 16,000 hungry children in minnesota so the wealthiest person in his state who has a net worth of 5. 4 billion, gets a massive tax cut. Im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california, the Ranking Member of the Financial Services committee, ms. Waters. The chair the gentlelady is recognized for two minutes. Ms. Waters thank you very much, mr. Mar utah. Yarmuth. I rise in strong opposition to the republicans 2018 budget which would dramatically increase our deficit and debt by billions to give millionaires and billion nears a massive tax cut. Dont be fooled this plan directly benefits president family and his administration, including treasury secretary mnuchin, education secretary devos, and commerce secretary roth but offers bread crumbers in middle class and nothing for lower income americans. The craziest thing about all of this is that republicans have be crowing for seven years that the deficit is too large and that it is hurting our job growth and yet here they go, aban donning their principles to cash out their rich benefactors. I also want to talk about some of the ways republicans partially pay for this tax cut for the rich. During the same week that equifax and wells fargo executives are testifying about the harm they have caused to millions of americans, republican oppose gutting the con propose gutting the Consumer Bureau. Which has successfully helped millions of our constituents receive compensation by effectively eliminating its unding and independence. Whats more, republicans would backup authority to safely unwind failing mega banks without harm to our economy. Rather than eliminate this tool, we should instead be talking about how to break up bad mega banks, like wells fargo who repeatedly break the law and harm millions of consumers. And yet both the Consumer Bureau and the mega bank wind down authority are sacrificed to pay for the richest 1 s tax cuts. I would urge all of my colleagues to reject this measure. I yield back the balance of my time. The chair the gentlelady yields back the gentleman from kentucky reserves. The gentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black its my honor to yield two minutes to the gentleman from michigan, mr. Mitchell. The chair the gentleman is recognized for two minutes. Mr. Mitchell thank you, mr. Chairman. I rise in support of the building a better american budget and thats truly what it does. For too long, our government has spent money on a credit card with our children and grandchildrens names on it. It shocks some here in this chamber but the era of overspending is over. Adopting this budget will allow us to deliver the key promises we have made to americans, getting our spending under control, balancing the budget and paving the way to deliver meaningful tax reform. This resolution balances the budget within 10 years and fiduces a 9 billion surplus fiscal by fiscal year 2027. It also reduces the size of our bloated government by giving instructions to 11 house committees to achieve at least 23 billion in mandatory savings. This resolution curbs our unsustainable spending while maining Strong Defense and maintaining critical programs like medicare. Theres much work to be done to and get our economy moving beyond the pathetic 2 growth. Workers are living paycheck to paycheck like my parents did need relief and need it now. We cannot delay any longer. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle seek to raise taxes by 3 trillion and simply spend more. I suggest they study how that approach worked in greece. I urge my colleagues to support the building a better america budget and thank you, i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back the gentlelady from tennessee reserves, the gentleman from kentucky. Mr. Yarmuth i note for my colleague by voting for this, l force 185950,000 185,000 seniors off medicare and so that the wealthiest person in his state with a net worth of 9. 5 billion can get a tax cut. Im pleased to yield to a member of the Budget Committee, mr. Khanna. Mr. Khanna thank you, mr. Ranking member, for your leadership. Here in a nutshell is the republicans and the president s case. They want you to believe if you cut Corporate Taxes if you cut taxes on the investor class, that this is going to raise wages. Thats the president s argument. Heres what i dont understand. If you want to raise wages, why not just raise wages . Why not just give the tax credit to working families . The president s wall street bankers have a different theory that only gets credence in the beltway. This is not about economics. This is about common sense. Think about it. You dont have to be a ph. D. Economist to know that the better way to raise wages is not to cut taxes for corporations, but to actually give the tax relief to people making under 75,000. You dont have to be a ph. D. Economist to know that if you cut taxes for shareholders and corporate c. E. O. s, theyre probably going to invest it overseas. If you cut the taxes or give the tax relief to people making 50 grand in michigan or ohio, theyre going to spend it and create jobs in the United States. Just common sense. You dont have to be a ph. D. Economist to know that if you really want to create jobs, invest in Technical Training for the skills gap we have, instead of putting hope on corporate c. E. O. s who already have record profits that somehow theyll create more jobs. Mr. Speaker, it used to be that there were serious thinkers on the republican side, people like jack kemp. I disagreed with him. But at least he had innovative ideas of enterprise zones and how to really create johns. But for the past 20 years, the Republican Party has been devoid of ideas. It was a mantra. Tax cuts, tax cuts, tax cuts. Oh, were changing to a digital economy, how do we solve it . Tax cuts. That is not a solution. The chair the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from kentucky reserves this egentlelady from tennessee. Mrs. Black i do want to talk about common sense for a moment. Common sense is if other oecd countries have an average corporate rate of 18 and 20 and ours is between 35 and 39 , and we have companies that go overseas, it seems to me to be common sense to be at least equal to what other countries are doing. Now i yield three minutes to the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Smucker. The chair the gentleman is recognized for three minutes. Mr. Smucker thank you, madam chair. Id like to begin by extending my appreciation to you for your hard working your leadership over the past few months to get this budget out of committee and onto the house floor. The National Debt is a staggering 20 trillion. Were handcuffing future generations with what, if we dont take action, will become an insurmountable fiscal crisis. This budget resolution before us today is a step toward putting our nation back on a sustainable fiscal path. Even more, it will lead to greater prosperity and opportunity for American Families and for generations to come. My own experience as a 17yearold, i had the good fortune to be able to buy a Small Construction Company from my older brother for 1,000. I was fresh out of high school. Through a lot of hard work and dedicated team of individual, we were able to grow that company, employing over 150 people with family sustaining jobs, familysustaining wages. Thats what we call the American Dream. There are countless stories like that the idea that we can begin with little or nothing, work and play by the rules, achieve our dreams. Unfortunately, in todays economic environment, for many, the American Dream seems out of reach. And achieve our dreams. Mr. Chairman, thats why this budget is so important. Not only would it put us on a sustainable fiscal path but it lays out the path forward for tax reform that would give American Families the opportunity to improve their lives. There are constituents i spoke to this week, this particular constituent is a single father of five in Lancaster County and asked me if our tax plan means more money in his paycheck he makes it work today but its difficult for him and he could use some help. This is exactly the kind of hardworking american were trying to help with our reforms. Americans deserve this budget because it lets us pass tax reform to help families like the one i just described. They deserve it because too Many Americans today do everything right but still struggle to make ends meet. And americans deserve it because they should have a more honest federal tax code and a simplified filing process that allows them to spend more time with their family, to save for their childrens college fund or to plan for their retirement. Passing this budget helps to make these things possible and i strongly urge my colleagues in this chamber to support it. Thank you, and i yield back. The chair the gentleman yields back this egentlelady reserves. The gentleman is recognized. Mr. Yarmuth i want to note for my colleague, hes jeopardizing meals and Food Assistance for 74,000 children in pennsylvania so the wealthiest person in his state with a net worth of 3. 8 billion fwets a massive tax cut. Im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentlelady from california of florida, a member of the Budget Committee, ms. Wasserman schultz. Ms. Wasserman schultz debating this budget resolution is a partisan and pointless exercise. Ill point out to the chairman, it is october, after the fiscal year has expired and after we have already passed every single appropriations bill out of the house of representatives and i might add, a continuing budget resolution. Just as when we considered it in committee this summer this resolution stands as a demonstration of the jerretts willful and disgraceful neglect of the needs of the American People. With so many critical legislative issues for us to discuss, the majority has decided its a better use of our time to discuss tax breaks for millionaires and wealthy corporations. Taking Health Care Away from 20 million americans. Blowing up our deficit with an ineffective, immoral border wall and gutting crucial investments in jobs, education and medical research. Instead this house should be they should ban assault weapons to combat firearm violence