Senator schumer now in future weeks well offer additional ideas from rebuilding america and changing our trade laws. Now we know that now we are in the minority in both houses of congress, we cant dill lute. At congress will begin and we must start rallying the American People to support our ideas. This is the start of a new version for the party. One strongly supported by house and senate democrats, as you can see, im flanked by members of the Democratic Party of both houses, folks from different states and differing points of view. The fact that we are standing here together today sends a powerful statement. Democrats are unified. Senator schumer its a false choice. There doesnt have to be a division. There must not be a division. The vision we are laying out units both coalitions and union files the Democratic Party. It will have a larger stronger appeal of americans to all economic levels and all political stripes and appeal to the young woman who graduated from college in los angeles, the factory worker in akron is only making 11 and a single mom in buffalo cleaning toilets on minimum wage. The Republican Party seems to work on behalf of the wealthy and corporate interests, furthering their dreams of lower taxes at the top and fewer Consumer Protections and unfeathered influences access for a favored few. We know what that policy looks like. Prior to the new deal, government sat silently as wealthy speculators wrecked the economy. We were beset by depressions every few decades. There was a time when American Workers were alone the raging sea of economic forces beyond their control. We democrats are offering a better deal, a phrase that invokes the new deal because we can afford to go but we cannot afford to go back to those times. The American People deserves an economy that works for them, not for the powerful. A better deal is not just our slogan, it is our mission. Its about reorienting government to work on behalf of people and families. Not going to be the work of only one congress or work of only party. We welcome republicans to join us on these issues. There is an american imperative and moral imperative to do what were doing. If that torch held by the lady in the harbor in the city of which i live, that symbolism and hope for the future, its a different america. Last month i went to a yankees game and i sat where i usually do. We are not completely united. Last month, i went to a yankees game and sat where i usually do in the rightfield grandstand the two people were wearing proud to be deploreable tshirts and they were teamsters from yonkers and want sure of donald trump and didnt know what he stood for and being teamsters were aware of the awful conditions of our roads and beginning to worry he couldnt get an infrastructure bill. He voted for trump because they thought he may change things. Now theyre worried he wont and cant. They are worried that the pot hole roads they drive their trucks on will never get fixed and donald trump was not the change agent or the champion of the working man he claimed to be. We democrats can answer the calls of millions of americans like these folks i sat next to by offering them a better deal. [applause] senator schumer now its my honor to introduce my partner in this great endeavor, someone who has done a great job for many years, my friend for many more years, nancy pelosi. [applause] ms. Pelosi good afternoon in virginia. Its so wonderful to be here with our colleagues from the house and from the senate. I see an orioles fan there. I rooted for the orioles before i rooted for the giants. But we are in virginia and senator warner makes this point all the time, we are on sacred ground. Here we are in this state that produced so many patriots, who signed the declaration of independence and in doing so, established that we were independent and that we would be a democracy. They pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor. Its also a state where we tinally ended the revolutionary war, sacred ground. And it is a place that recognizes that to honor the values of our founders to have our democracy be strong, we must have a strong middle class in our country. The middle class is the backbone of our democracy. It simply it simply is. So when that stagnation of wages sets in, that is a stagnation also of our community and of the country that we are. So essential to the success of the middle class is the Financial Stability of americas working families. And esen torble that are bigger paychecks to create demand, to inject demand into the economy, to help create jobs, and grow the economy for everyone. The connection between Financial Stability, a strong middle class, and our democracys strength is a very direct one and i want to recognize that in this great state of virginia. That is why today democrats are unveiling an ambitious and aggressive new economic agenda and a bold new promise to americas working families. From the heartland, these members are from the heartland, to the city, to the city, democrats are offering a better deal, better jobs, better wages, a Better Future. A better deal is founded on strong values that we share, strong values fueled by fresh ideas. In the house it has been through many months of discussion and engagement with our caucus with representativere buse tess, representative cicilline and representative jeffries and with the leadership of ben ray lujan. I thank them for their leadership in all of this. From them, you will hear what democrats have heard from the American People across the country. Democrats know a better deal for hard working men and women demands bigger, braver thinking. To create jobs and raise incomes for American Workers by creating goodpaying jobs for 10 million more americans in the next five years. We have set a goal. To lower the cost of living as the leader mentioned for american families, by taking unprecedented action to lower the cost of prescription drugs, very, very important, and by crack do you think on the monopoly that raises costs for our families and hurts competition. To give everyone american to give every american three, one to create jobs, two with bigger paychecks, two to lower the cost of live, and third to give every american the tools to succeed in the 21st century. We want every family in america to know that they and their children have a place a strong place in the economy of the 21st century work massive new commitment to aparen dististships, lifetime learn, paid on the job training, the list goes on. We have the proposal. Today, were on the road. Its so wonderful to be here in berryville. Were on the road, in a state that has a rich history of our founders and the dreams they proposed of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. We must honor their commitment to that. Next, democrats will take it on the road. Were on the road here, we started here, now well take it on the road to engage in conversation with the American People. This is not just about telling them what were advocating, its about listening to their concerns and how we shape this and we refine it as we go forward. The past six months, we have exposed the toxic special interest priorities at the core of the g. O. P. Agenda. The American People deserve better. A better deal is exactly what democrats are fighting for to give the economic power back into the hands of the American People. And so, as we go forward, we do so from the origins of our country. With our patriarch, our pay tree patriarch of our country, george washington, cautioned as he left office, beware of Political Parties at war with their own government. We dont want to be at war with anyone. We want to reach out in a bipartisan way to rebuild the infrastructure of america, to increase our paychecks, to lower the costs for family, do so in a way that prepares every family to be assured that their children have a place in the economy and the america of the future. [applause] with that, im very pleased to yield to the distinguished gentleman from maryland, im not sure hes an orioles fan, he may be a nats fan, thats up to him to decide but sports, of course is a unifying thing for us, we all forget our differences or amplify them when it comes to choosing teams. In any event a very distinguished gentleman from maryland, the chairman of the senate committee, chris van hollen. Mr. Van hollen thank you, leader pelosi. Were from baseball were for baseball from the Potomac River to the great city of baltimore. Let me just say to all of you, i will say to my friend, mark warner, for those of you who are marylanders, its a great sacrifice to cross the Potomac River into the state of virginia but im glad to be here with everybody, especially on this important occasion. I want to thank all of you for joining together to focus on the issues that are top of mind for the American People. How can we get a better deal for hardworking families . How can we get a better deal for Small Businessmen and Small Businesswomen who dont have highpriced lobbyists in washington like the big, multinational corporations do. How can we get a better deal for middle class families and those who are work very hard to join the middle class . In short, how do we get a better deal for america . I want to thank leader schumer and leader pelosi and all the democrats and all of you and people we have been hearing from around the couldnt troy bring us together to focus on that question. Because people need to know not only what were fighting against, they need to know what we are fighting for in the United States congress. [applause] and our Democratic Senators and house members have been traveling to every part and every corner of their states and their districts, theyve been listening to the American People from cities to suburbs to rural areas, and were all hearing the same thing. That too Many Americans are feeling squeezed. Between flat or sinking paychecks on the one hand, and rising costs and prices on the other. Too many people are working harder than ever but feel like theyre on a treadmill or falling behind. And thats what brings us together today. Its not enough to just identify the problem. Its not enough to simply analyze and empathize. We have to put forward bold solutions. And that is exactly what the better deal plan is all about. And we are going to be unveiling the specifics of it because the American People deserve to hear what we intend to do, not only what we are talking about in general terms. And so i want to thank everybody who has been part of this effort which has been the result of listening to the American People and as we take this plan around the country, we will continue to listen to them and get feedback. But remember, our goal is to focus on how we answer that question that is on the minds of the American People. How do we get a better deal for america . Im pleased to turn this over to a good friend of mine a terrific member of congress from new mexico, he heads up this edemocratic Congressional Campaign committee, ben ray luan ben ray lujan. Mr. Lujan its great to be with everyone today, good afternoon, everyone. To have friends from both sides of the United States capitol from all over america gathered today at the welcoming of great friends here in virginia, senator warner, thanks for hosting us and bringing us together, and berryville as well. Like so many others across the country , my familys story is rooted in hard work and Public Service and each generation doing better than the last. On my dads side of the family, my grandfather was a Union Laborer on the Manhattan Project my moms dad was a Union Carpenter and soldiers who served in world war ii while mymy grandmothers raised the family. My mom worked at a school district, my father was a Union Ironworker before he entered Public Service. Growing ughen growing up on our small form in new mexico we didnt have much money but my familys journey taught me something important. In america, hard work and a good job is all you should need to experience the american dream. But [applause] but for that to to happen we must ask ourselves if our economy can deliver on that original american promise. Theres good reason we met here today rather than in washington, d. C. This town sitz right in the middle of virginias 10th Congressional District. While its early, theres no doubt that this district and so many others are up for grabs in the 2018 mid terms. [applause] but this wont be easy. And democrats cant take anything for granted. As a matter of fact, we have a lot of work to do. Our nations greatest strength is our people. Honest, hardworking people from all walks of life. We must respect the dignity of every person, no matter who you are, no matter where you come from, or no matter who you voted for. Too Many Americans have lost faith in our political system and in the economy. And today were here in berryville to begin to restore that faith, to talk about our plan to grow our economy and to deliver better jobs and wages for all americans and to invest in the skills and tools to build a Better Future. This means having an honest discussion of the challenges families still face across america compared to across america. Compared to just a few years ago, democrats and swing voters do not feel theres opportunities for them. More than half of them say a sudden 500 expense would be a serious blow to the family budget. Three of every four voters say their incomes are not keeping up with the cost of living. Thats not right. And the American People deserve a better bill. One that puts hardworking Families First again. This means building an economy where people can pursue the dignity of a goodpaying job. It means rewarding the Small Business owner for her hard work and entrepreneurship. It means skill training and vesting in the future from community pledges more affordable. It also means adressing what isnt working in our economy. We must close the tax loopholes so big corporations pay their fair share and we must keep big corporations from monopolizing and stifling composition tigs so consumers get more options at lower cost. We must crack down on the corporations that send jobs overseas. These are commonsense principles and commonsense priorities and these are the things that the American People want us to do. On that small family farm, growing up, mom and dad taught me that no job was too big or too small. And the same holds true in congress. The American People want us to work to get things done. Now we can all agree what we stand for. Lets get it done. Ill tell you what, you have a big treat before you as well today with all our colleagues. One of my favorite u. S. Senators as well, great champion of the working families and farmers across Rural America out of the state of minnesota, senator klobuchar. Ms. Klobuchar thank you so much. It is great to be here with these strong leaders. I remember at one point in your former job, Time Magazine declared you the best governor in the country. Ive always told him hes welcome in minnesota where we have 10,000 lakes and plenty of water for him to walk on. It is good to be here. Just yesterday, i was with a family from cambridge, minnesota. Its a little like berryville, people work hard to get ahead they care about their families, their neighbors. These twin girls i meant, marea and evelyn. Both played softball. One was a pitcher and one the catcher. They were identical twins. But there was one thing that was very different. And that is that one found out she had juvenile diabetes. Her mom goes to the doctor, they get all the help and gradually over the years the costs have gone up and up and up for the testing strips , for the insulin, and now were in a situation where the cost of ince rain has gone up three times over what it was just a few years ago. And that is not something the average American Family can afford. So when one of the girls looked at me and said, will you tell or story, i said, yes i will. Not only that, ive got a group of people that have your back. So we are talking about that family and we are talking about seniors like kim from plymouth, minnesota, where i grew up. She just retired. She keepest this she keeps the pen injectors after she uses them, shes die bet ex, because they have small amounts of insulin left and she says it is just too precious to throw out. That shouldnt be happening in america. The prices of four of the top 10 drugs in this country have gone up by 100 over the last 10 years. Now, it might be different if the wages had gone up 100 over the last 10 years. But they havent. Is to bring these prices down we need to raise competition, we have to bring in more generics and yes, we have to unleash the Bargaining Power of 41 million seniors and let them negotiate less expensive prices under medicare. We must to that. [applause] we need tough enforcemented on price gouging and more transparency with price hikes. The American People want to know why they pay more for prescription drugs than any country in the world. How can that be, when we have invent sod many of these drug, when we manufacture so many of these drugs . We are sick and tire oofed paying more than any country in the world and it has to stop. [applause] and we are seing this lack of competition all across our economy, whether it is prescription drugs, whether it is airfare or even beer. Were getting serious when that happens. So thats why im the Ranking Member of the antitrust subcommittee. Elizabeth is going to be talking about this in a little bit but we have to have a stronger law so that Companies Just cant get away with murder. 10 that they cant merge and make things worse for the American People and thats why were going to be introducing a stronger standard under our antitrust laws, so that we can bring competition and lower prices to the people of america. So work that note, im excited to introduce someone who is also from the midwest and theres been a lot of talk about baseball this woman actually plays it. She is a really strong womens softball player on the congressional team, she comes from moline, illinois, where her Congressional District is located, which is the International Headquarters of john deere. Cheri bustos is someone who knows a lot about the midwest and how we move forward. Representative bustos of llinois. Mrs. Bustos senator klobuchar is our playbyplay asnounser for our congressional womens softball game. Hello virginia, hello america. Leader pelosi when you were talking about the orioles hat, i see that, but i also see a dekalb feed hat, and thats my kind of peeps. I represent a district thats 7,000 square miles, its mostly rural, mostly blue collar and all along the mississippi river. Way too many families that i represent understand the economy is not working for them. Some have worked for decades in manufacturing. Only to spend their last days training the replacements who ame over from china. And were the last jobs before they lock the factory door. Others poured their hearts and soul into main street businesses only to see the greed of wall street get the better of them. Moms an datsdz across the moms an dads across the heartland, in regions like i represent, worry whether theyll see their grandkids grow up because their kids have had to move to big towns to get a job. The truth is, across america, there are millions of hardworking men and women who have been left behind. They dont want a handout. And they dont want our sympathy. We all know that. They simply want government and corporations not to work against them. And were here to say, we hear you. We agree with you. And we are ready to present a better deal. In the better deal that we offer, we will restore opportunity by helping 10 million americans get goodpaying, fulltime jobs. We will do that in part in part, by doubling our investment in Work Force Training and in apprenticeships. Let me tell you why this is so important. About two years ago, i convened a group of manufacturers. All representative small and mid sized companies. And i asked them how many of you have jobs that you have open that you cant fill . Every single one of them raised their hands. So there are those opportunities. But we know that to be ready for the 21st century jobs, we need to have 21st century skills. And while there are lots of people ready and eager to take those jobs, they dont always know where they can go and get those skills. And you know what . We can solve that problem. One way is by connecting Community Colleges and Technical Schools with local employers. By having employers in the same room as these programs are developed, well create a Skills Pipeline to get our economy back on track. Not with lowpaying, parttime jobs but with the kind of jobs that hardworking men and women can take home and realize that, i can take my family on vacation again. I can buy that pickup truck that i like to buy every five, six, seven years. Nd i can buy my kids not the shoes that they need but the shoes that they want. We do that by connecting these workers with better skills that lead to better jobs, that lead to better wages. And that in turn will lead to a Better Future for the hardworking families that we all represent. That is our better deal for america. Bringing back home hope, bringing back hope, restoring trust, and i know folks behind me know too that we can do it. Thank you very much. [applause] it is my distinct pleasure to elect somebody that each and every one of you know a little bit about, senator elizabeth warren. Ms. Warren hello, hello virginia, heliberryville. So we know why were here today. Were here today because the economy is broken. Today a tiny sliver of wealthy individuals and giant corporations hold the majority of this nations wealth while working families are struggling more and more just to make it daytoday. Americans know that this economy is rigged. Rigged in favor of the billionaires and giant corporations and rigged against everyone else. And its not hard to see how this happens. In industry after industry, a handful of corporations have seized power in this country. Since the 2000s, the number of u. S. Major major u. S. Airlines has dropped from nine to four. The four giants left standing now have nearly 80 of all airline seats. Two giant corporations sell more than 70 of all of the beer in america. Five Health Insurance giants now own more than 80 of the countrys Health Insurance market. Three giant drugstore chains pharmacy of all revenues in this country. Four giant companies now run more than 80 of americas beef markets. And the list goes on. This kind of concentration matters. It matters because giant corporations crush competition. They shut out small rivals and they kill young startups. This matters. Because giant corporations jack up prices and cut corners on quality. This matters because giant corporations put the squeeze on wages. As profits have gone up, wages for American Workers have gone down. And this matters because many giant corporations dont win in marketplaces because theyre better, they win because they are big. And most of all, this matters because giant corporations can swing their weight around washington, accumulating massive political power. The kind of power that can capture our government and rig the system even more in their favor. Corporate influence over our government has gotten worse under the trump administration. Far worse. President trump has stacked his administration with a whos who of bigtime lobbyists, wall street bankers, and corporate executives. Now, america has faced this problem before, more than a century ago, when railroads and steel mills and Oil Companies grew to monopoly size. Congress passed antitrust laws and broke up those powerful corporations and competition flourished in this country. But for decades now, government has slashed off enforcement of those laws. And the result has been bigger and bigger corporations with more and more power. Democrats are ready to take this challenge head on. Thats why were here. Head on. [applause] and that starts with leveling the Playing Field to make the economy and our political system work for working families. Thats why were here. So today, lets be specific, democrats propose new policies to bust monopolies and restore competition in our markets. We want stronger enforcement of antitrust laws, you bet we do. We want tougher rules against anticompetitive mergers. Tougher rules to tackle the problem of control over data. Tougher rules on postmerger review. And we want a consumer competition advocate to make sure that someone besides the giant corporations get heard in washington. [applause] now make no mistake. These are promarket change, ekind that Teddy Roosevelt advocated when he broke up the big trusts. The kind that anyone who believes in competitive markets, democrats or republicans, should be able to agree on. Because they would make our markets healthier and more competitive. Lets face it. America is getting richer every year. But for working families to get a share of that prosperity that theyre creating, we need some serious enforcement of competition laws. This is one step that democrats are offering to take back our government and its a darn good step. Thank you. [applause] thank you. And now i have the honor of introducing my friend and someone who is a warrior on behalf of working people, david cicilline. Mr. Cicilline senator warner and i were both surprised to hear sports references and no mention of the World Champion new England Patriots or the boston red sox. But i am delighted to be here with all of my colleagues and with all of you. Thank the residents here for welcoming us. If theres one word that sums up our agenda, its spelled job. 5 job is more than just a paycheck. Its about knowing that hard work is honored and valued. Its about being treated with dignity and respect, the dignity and respect that every single human being deserves. It is about knowing that you can take care of yourself an your family. When i was growing up in rhode island, folks knew if they worked hard and played by the rules, life would be ok. They could buy a home, they could give their kids a better life than they had. They could save for a secure retirement with dignity and peace. But like many places around our country, thats not how it works anymore. The factories around textile mills that once gave my constituents the promise of a Better Future have been closed for decades. Wages havent kept pace with inflation and its harder than ever to get ahead. People in my state and across the country feel the system is rigged against them. And you know what . It is. Our tax code rewards companies that ship jobs overseas. Millionaires and billionaires dont pay their fair share. Pensions are gone. Medicare is under attack. Corporate special interests are doing better than ever, everyday people are working two or even three jobs just to get by. It doesnt have to be this way. And when we take back congress a year from now, its not going to be this way. Were going to help 10 million americans find goodpaying, fulltime jobs. Under our plan, a better deal, america will once again value honest, hard work by investing in the american worker. Were going to address the economic challenges that folks are feeling in my district and across this country. It starts with an aggress i, bold plan to rebuild and maryland earnize and well take you live now to the floor of the house, the house back in session. Recogniti . Mr. Speaker, i send to the desk a privileged report from the committee on rules who are filing nled the rule. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title. The clerk report to accompany House Resolution 468, resolution providing for consideration of the joint resolution, house joint resolution 111, providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States code, of the rules submitted by the bureau of Consumer Financial protection relating to arbitration agreement. The speaker pro tempore referred to the house calendar and ordered printed