Michael Burgess

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Stauber).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Malliotakis).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Iowa (Mrs. Hinson).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Mrs. Lesko), a valuable member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. C. Scott Franklin).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Lubbock, Texas (Mr. Arrington).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, Republicans will amend the rule to strike the consideration of the Pelosi payoff bill, and instead, consider H.R. 1371, the Crush the Virus Act, introduced by Representative Tom Reed, which is attached, and will provide over $160 billion to expand the administration of vaccines and provide direct relief for the coronavirus. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of the amendment in the record along with extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez), who is here to explain the amendment.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Madam Speaker, I recognize the critical work that was done by the Congressional Doctors Caucus on this effort. The thesis was that we are going to crush the coronavirus. You think that you would want to involve the people who left the world of healthcare providing to come and serve in the people's House. Unfortunately, those amendments that were thoughtfully introduced were rejected at the Committee on Rules. We had amendments, such as allowing the FDA to use real-world evidence in their evaluation of the emergency use authorization that is currently pending. We were going to reduce the Medicaid payment error rate, which seemed like a good idea. Medicaid home- and community-based services, substance use disorder treatment, and mental health services were to be expanded. The public health workforce allowing for loan repayment was rejected. An amendment providing for coronavirus testing at the southern border--we know we have got a problem with increased people coming across the southern border without authorization. President Biden has indicated that he is welcoming that, but as a consequence, we need to be certain that we are protecting Americans from the introduction of the coronavirus. This was a measure to allow for increased testing on the southern border, but we couldn't accept that. Hyde protections, you have heard many people talk about that. That was rejected at the Committee on Rules, with a variety of amendments. Dr. Miller-Meeks had an amendment to allow for the standardized testing to go on in classrooms this next year, not using it to reduce payments to schools that don't measure up but using it as a diagnostic test. Let's find out how far behind some of our classrooms are. All of these were thoughtful amendments introduced by the GOP Doctors Caucus. Unfortunately, all were rejected. You would think if you wanted to crush the coronavirus, you would ask your doctor. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, in closing, it doesn't look like this bill is going to open our economy. It is not going to open our schools. It is not going to provide targeted relief to those who need it most. I am willing to talk about nutritional assistance, but what I am not willing to talk about is a gilded underground railway under Silicon Valley. Madam Speaker, this is one of the most expensive bills in the history of the people's House. And it doesn't prioritize the immediate needs of the American people. Rather than work for the American people, Democrats are working for their own future 2 years from now. I think that is unacceptable. Look, I recognize that President Biden has worked hard to make vaccines more available, but the very vaccines he's making available are the ones that President Trump worked so hard to get developed and into production. Let's acknowledge success where it has occurred. I am going to urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question so we can offer the amendment. I am going to urge a ``no'' vote on the rule, a ``no'' vote on the underlying measures. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Steel), who is here to explain the amendment. I welcome her to the floor.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, today's rule deems the Senate version of the budget resolution, S. Con. Res. 5, as passed. Last night, the Senate considered this measure, along with hundreds of amendments. The House passed its version, H. Con. Res. 11, on Wednesday. The two measures are largely the same, but because the Senate version has minor changes, we find ourselves once again considering a measure that the House has already passed. Even though we are once again considering a rule for the budget resolution, we will not actually debate and pass because this rule deems the resolution as passed. I think it is important for Members to recognize: This is your only vote on adding nearly $2 trillion to the deficit. If this is the way we are going to achieve the passage of a budget resolution, why don't we take more time to negotiate a better product for the American people? Instead, we spent hours on what has amounted to procedural votes. The House has had little to say in the resolution outlining the reconciliation instructions by simply deeming the Senate version in this rule. As I mentioned on Tuesday, budget reconciliation is a fast-track tool used to implement policy changes into law requiring only 51 votes in the Senate to pass. Senator Sanders has stated the budget reconciliation does not have to be a partisan process. I actually agree with that. But that is exactly what this resolution sets up. Democrats control the House and the Senate and the White House, so we don't need to work with the Republicans on a resolution to benefit Americans. Democrats previously promised $2,000 stimulus checks, billions for State and local governments, expansion of Medicaid, pension bailouts, added unemployment benefits, implementation of a Green New Deal, passed the citizenship for illegal aliens, lowering Medicaid-age eligibility, providing universal basic income, increasing the minimum wage, and canceling student loan debt. But as we have seen in previous relief packages, many stimulus checks went to individuals who had actually kept their jobs or had no decrease in their pay. These checks could have been sent to those most in need, those who lost their jobs or are struggling to find work. In addition, many State and local governments are in the red due to mismanagement of their budgets. This actually occurred before the pandemic began and now taxpayers are being asked to bail them out for that fiscal mismanagement that actually was decades in the making. While Americans should be able to compete for a livable wage, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour really does put some people at a disadvantage. Fast-food workers are now paid at the same level as paramedics though the training for those two jobs is clearly different. According to the Congressional Budget Office, raising the minimum wage without considering market conditions could result in the loss of well over a million jobs. Student loan repayments are currently paused, but canceling that debt altogether harms individuals who have already paid back their loans and places that burden on the taxpayer. It also sends a message that you do not have to be responsible for the debt that you accumulate. These policies are part of President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package that could ultimately increase the deficit between $2- and $3 trillion. But it does not address the immediate needs of the Americans who are trying to survive the pandemic. So now is not the time to push through partisan priorities. Barely a month ago, Congress passed and President Trump signed into law a $900 billion coronavirus relief package. Combined with previous relief packages--and there have been several: three in March, one in April, one in December--and there remains $1 trillion in unspent funding. As I pointed out on Tuesday, there have been few efforts to conduct oversight on this massive amount of funding. In addition, yesterday, Larry Summers, President Clinton's Treasury Secretary and an economic adviser to President Obama, published an opinion piece outlining the risk of President Biden's massive $1.9 trillion package. Secretary Summers points out that the 2009 stimulus was about half as large as the estimated economic output shortfall. In contrast, the already enacted $900 billion stimulus Congress passed in December will fill the gap three times over. To make this even more clear, the output shortfall due to the pandemic is estimated between $20- and $50 billion a month. The $900 billion stimulus will total $150 billion a month. So you have to ask again: Why is it suddenly so urgent that we pass another $2 trillion bill? I am pleased that on a few amendments considered last night in the Senate, the Senate came together. It appears to support not increasing the minimum wage during the pandemic; not moving the United States Embassy in Israel from Jerusalem; and not providing economic stimulus payments to undocumented or illegal aliens. I am disappointed that the Senate Democrats defeated an amendment that would have prohibited a carbon tax, meaning a large tax increase is likely coming. Despite the largely partisan nature of these budget resolution proceedings, there exists examples of bipartisanship. Now is the time to simply focus on policy and determine the best way forward for our country. Republicans do stand ready to work with Democrats. Last March, last April there was considerable agreement on the way forward. But while Republicans do stand ready to work with Democrats to provide these resources for the American people, we must ensure that all proposals are thoroughly examined and will be implemented in a way that helps rather than harms our recovery. Despite calling for unity, the first move by President Biden and the Democrats is to employ a partisan process and jam through a wish list of policy priorities. I sincerely hope that the committees tasked with complying with the budget reconciliation instructions will engage in a more bipartisan manner. With that, I urge opposition to the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I do need to say one thing. A year ago, the gentleman had the opportunity to be in the same briefings that all of us were in. These were bipartisan briefings over in the Capitol Visitor Center. All of the experts in public health came and talked to us about the dangerous waters ahead because of this plague coming out of China. And there could be no mistaking the difficulties that were ahead, but this was information that was available to all of us. It was not information that was secret or waived by the previous administration, not shared. It was here that we were given that same information. Unfortunately, I sit on one of the authorizing committees that is responsible for pandemic preparedness. Did we do a single thing on a hearing basis during the month of February? The answer is no. We added on 1 hour to the end of a budget hearing at the end of February and by the middle of March, we had to suspend all activity in the Congress because of the pandemic. We squandered the weeks that were available to us. The President bought us some time by cutting off foreign travel from China. The problem is that we, as the House of Representatives and Democratic leadership in my committee, did not use that time effectively. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack), a valuable new freshman Member.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. If we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to immediately consider H.R. 682, the Reopen Schools Act, to encourage local educational agencies to resume in-person instruction at elementary and secondary schools. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text of my amendment, along with extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Budd).

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith), the lead Republican on our House Budget Committee.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, to recover from the pandemic, really, it is not a good idea to push through policies that don't address the immediate needs of the American people. The budget reconciliation resolution provided for in this rule will drastically increase the deficit and seek to implement nonessential partisan policies without first conducting hearings and oversight to ensure that current funding is spent effectively and efficiently. It is disappointing, after calling for unity just a little over 2 weeks ago in the front of this Capitol Building by the President, that the first move is to employ this partisan process. It is now up to the committees crafting the reconciliation legislation to work in a bipartisan manner. I sincerely hope that they do, but it has been disappointing so far. And if the past is prelude, I don't think we will look forward to this being a bipartisan process. Madam Speaker, I do want to remind Members that this will be a vote on the rule, but you will not get a vote on the resolution. Bear that in mind. The vote on the rule expands the deficit by $1.9 to $2.9 trillion. Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question and a ``no'' vote on the rule. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman, and congratulate him for the chairmanship of the Western Caucus, and I appreciate being included in this discussion this evening. Madam Speaker, on the way over here, here is a bit of breaking news: POLITICO, in their online newsletter, 6:30 tonight, the headline: ``Biden's plans for recovery imperiled by swelling ranks of long-term jobless.'' First sentence reads: Millions of Americans are staring at the reality of long- term unemployment, a precarious and worsening situation that threatens to drag on the economic recovery after the pandemic ends. You know what, I remember when Democrats used to be the champion of the working class, the champion of the working man and woman. Long-term unemployment is so damaging to people's families and people's lives. Suspending the production on Federal lands--granted Texas doesn't have the amount of Federal lands that some of the other Western States do, but still, it affects us. And Todd Staples, our former agriculture commissioner in the State of Texas--now the head of the Texas Oil and Gas Association--writes in January: ``Banning energy development on Federal lands and in offshore waters not only threatens thousands of the best-paying jobs, but needlessly erases much-needed revenue that helps pay for schools and other essential services,'' so said Todd Staples, the president of Texas Oil and Gas Association. Going on: ``American oil and natural gas is safe, clean and abundant, and misguided policies will only stifle our Nation's energy and environmental progress.'' A million jobs across the country--120,000 of those in the State of Texas alone. And as we heard from our colleague, Ms. Herrell, it does affect tax revenues for local activities in our schools, building our highways. Todd Staples went on to say: The oil and natural gas industry is producing energy in cleaner and more efficient ways than 10 to 15 years ago, all while producing more affordable and reliable energy to power our daily lives. Increased use of natural gas is the number one reason the United States power sector cut carbon dioxide emissions 33 percent. Now, look, everybody talks about going to electric cars. Where is the electricity going to come from? Well, some of it is going to come from natural gas, natural gas-fired power plants. But, again, I do remember when the Democratic party used to be the party of the working man and woman. I question why President Biden has strayed so far from that. A little over 2 weeks ago, he said, on the western steps of this Capitol building, that his number one priority was going to be American jobs. And then he immediately causes immeasurable harm to millions of Americans. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for leading this hour and for letting me participate.

Mr. BURGESS

Mr. BURGESS. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the Argyle High School Football Team, the Argyle Eagles, and their victory at the 4A Division 1 championship. After an undefeated 15-game season punctuated by remarkable skill, commitment, and diligence, the Argyle Eagles qualified for their UIL conference's Division I championship in December 2020. With a strong showing at the final game in Arlington's AT&T stadium, the team secured the state title for the second time in its history. Led by head coach Todd Rodgers, Defensive MVP Zach Stewart, and Offensive MVP Tito Byce, the team's unbroken series of successes in the 2020 season culminated in their outstanding victory last month. The teamwork, tenacity, and effort demonstrated by the Argyle Eagles team and coaches is highly commendable. In spite of the many challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team, through diligence both on and off the field, overcame their obstacles and achieved their ultimate goal. I am happy to see the team's estimable fortitude be rewarded with another state title. I congratulate the coaches and players of the Argyle High School Football Team for their admirable achievement in the 2020 football season, and for their exemplary devotion to both their team and their sport. I am privileged to be able to join the Argyle community, parents, family and friends who faithfully supported the team's efforts, as they celebrate this accomplishment, and I wish them well in all their future endeavors.