Diane Black

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker), who is the chair of our RSC.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that the Devil is in the details. And those details have not been released yet, so it is difficult for me to understand how my colleagues on the other side of the aisle make assumptions on just what this tax plan will do, calling it things such as snake oil, when I can assure you that, as a member of the Ways and Means Committee, it is our goal and intent that the people in the middle- and low-income categories will see tax relief. I also want to remind them that what we know was the Devil in the details is the details given to the American people a number of years ago on the Affordable Care Act--which is neither affordable nor caring, in my opinion--was that people would see a return of about $2,500 on the average in their pocket as a result of the Affordable Care Act's policies, and what we saw and what we are seeing now is a big increase in those premiums. Certainly they have not received $2,500 in their pocket. They were told they could keep their doctor, which we knew wasn't true, and the other kinds of things that were done that caused people to lose their insurance in my very own State, because we had a plan the people liked and people wanted to keep but could not because of the mandates that were put on by the Affordable Care Act. I want to remind my friends from the other side of the aisle that maybe the thing to do is to wait and see what really is in the plan, because the devil is in the detail, and I think you may like it enough that you perhaps will even vote for this tax plan that does give a jolt to the economy and does help the American people, especially in the lower- and middle-income, to keep more of their hard-earned dollars in their pockets. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Flores).

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to this budget substitute, which is, put simply, an abdication of our fiscal responsibility as a governing body. Our country is $20 trillion in debt, with $9 trillion added to the national debt during the Obama years. We have the responsibility to our children and our grandchildren to stop this Congress' addiction to spending. It is a responsibility that I take seriously; it is a responsibility that the members of my committee take seriously; and it is a responsibility that Republicans in the House take seriously. Clearly, it is not a responsibility that our friends across the aisle take seriously. Our budget works to end the addiction to spending that has dominated Washington for far too long. The House budget, passed out of committee with unanimous Republican support in July, begins to address our spending addiction by balancing the budget over 10 years so that we can start paying down our national debt, and it addresses mandatory spending in a significant way for the first time since 1997. This budget substitute does quite the opposite. The Democrats' budget raises taxes by $2.7 trillion, which would be the largest tax increase in U.S. history. It increases spending by $6.2 trillion, compared to the budget passed by my committee. It never balances, with a deficit in 2027 of $852 billion. What we hear from the other side of the aisle and what we see in this budget is simply more of same: more spending, more tax increases, and more debt. I don't think that is acceptable, and neither do the American people. Since we began this budget debate yesterday, my counterparts on the other side of the aisle have been throwing out misleading numbers about our budget and our tax reform effort in order to hide the fact that they offer no new solutions to the most pressing problems our country faces. Here is a number that they should keep in mind while they discuss this fiscally irresponsible substitute. The national debt for every person is over $63,000. Every man, woman, and even child in our country has a $63,000 weight hanging over their heads. Our budget takes real steps to fix this crisis. This budget substitute does not. Honestly, it is as simple as that. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to reject this Democrat substitute, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Francis Rooney).

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I do want to say to my good friend and colleague from Tennessee that I think the D stands for debt for Democrats, and I think the R stands for Republicans and recovery. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Arkansas.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), who is a member of the Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), the chairman of the Education and the Workforce Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford), a member of our Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chair, I look into my children's and grandchildren's eyes, and I say: I want you to know that right now you owe $63,000 for your part of the debt of this country. What we are doing in Congress right now, if we were to vote on and accept this amendment, we would be increasing that burden on our children and grandchildren. I, for one, cannot do that, and I think that we have got to be responsible. We have got to look at how we in this country can get back to the place, as has already been said, that we ask families and businesses to do, and that is to live within their means. Mr. Chair, I urge a ``no'' vote on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), who is a member of the Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Chairman, I am going to be brief in my closing comments. I do want to ask my colleague to consider this: Are we proud of a country where we are leaving our children and grandchildren in further and further debt? During our discussion in this Chamber, we have shared our ideas for building a better America, an America that we would be proud to entrust to future generations. While it requires confronting real challenges along the road ahead, it is, undoubtedly, worth the journey. First, our budget forces the Federal Government to live within its means, just like hardworking Americans and small businesses do on a daily basis. Second, our budget identifies wasteful spending and finds much-needed savings and reforms for unsustainable mandatory spending. In fact, our committee has put forward the largest reform package for mandatory programs that has been seen in 20 years. Third, it calls for a robust funding of our military, ensuring the resources that will allow us to be ready and protect our mainland. It also starts the process of restoring our military readiness, which suffered dramatically during the Obama administration. Finally, our budget is the golden key that unlocks progrowth tax reform and takes us one step further to the great ideas unveiled in the framework last week. Without question, our budget plan reflects American values and shared priorities. I urge my colleagues to join me in their support for a win for all Americans, because doing so will begin to ensure a brighter and better future for generations to come, and I urge a ``yes'' vote. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Sanford), a member of our Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), who is the chairman of the Tax Policy Subcommittee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 71, currently under consideration.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H. 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 past years, our budget resolution was a vision document, but this year it 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. Today, we have the opportunity to fulfill our promises to the American people. Balancing the budget by 2027 is our top priority. Our national debt stands at $20 trillion, with $9 trillion added over just the last 8 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 inaction 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 balances 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 must be addressed in this budget resolution and in budget resolutions to come. Mandatory spending is already more than two-thirds of all of our Federal spending, and that number will only continue to grow, and that is why our committee felt strongly about addressing mandatory spending programs in this budget through reconciliation. Our budget requires 11 authorizing committees to find a minimum of $203 billion in savings and reforms over the 10-year budget window with an expectation that the reforms will result in significantly higher savings. 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 in 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 individuals and businesses have to thrive, grow, hire, and innovate. The Obama economy left millions of Americans behind with over 14 million people leaving the labor workforce in just the last 8 years. Through reconciliation, our budget specifically paves the way for progrowth tax reform that will reduce taxes for the middle class Americans and free up American businesses to grow and to hire. It will also simplify the Tax Code, allowing about 9 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 percent economic growth is the new normal and that we are doomed to continue the economic stagnation of the Obama years. They have a pessimistic view of our Nation's ability to create jobs and to build 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 8 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; we must also strengthen our military. The number one job of the Federal Government is to protect its citizens. Over the last 8 years, the weak foreign policy of President Obama has led to an increase in threats from all corners of the globe while the funding for our men and women in uniform has failed to keep pace. Building a Better America invests $621.5 billion in our military and $75 billion specifically for the global war on terrorism for fiscal year 2018. These resources will help our men and women in uniform complete the mission with which they have been tasked. Building a Better America presents us with an opportunity 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 the 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, I have had to stop and think about not just what we are doing but where we are going. I have a picture of my six grandchildren taped to the back of my voting card. I was a nurse for more than 40 years and still hold my license today. Government and public service was never an ambition of mine, but when I saw what was happening in my State and in this country, I couldn't sit back and do nothing. Every time I put my voting card into a slot, I am reminded of why I left the career that I loved to join the political fray. It is for them. It is for my children and grandchildren and for yours as well. I grew up in an America where a poor girl, whose parents' only ambition 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 America that was a land of--that is a land of opportunity and was a land of opportunity then of strength and of compassion. But that America is slipping away from us. For too many young people in this country, the opportunity to live the American Dream is out of reach. A government that was supposed to be of, by, and for the people has left them behind. Building a Better America requires a government that spends within its means, a military with the resources to complete the mission, an economy that creates the opportunity for all, and a Federal bureaucracy that respects the taxpayers. It also requires an understanding that the greatness of America does not lie in the grand buildings and the stone pillars of Washington, D.C. The greatness of America lies in the spirit and the tenacity of the people. We designed Building a Better America to put this vision into practice, to empower individuals to live their version of the American Dream. Future generations of Americans are counting 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 together and build a budget that reflects our principles. It hasn't 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 for your hard work. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Rokita), the vice chair of the Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), who is also a member of our committee and also of the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Johnson), a member of our committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole), a member of the Budget Committee and also the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I want to remind my colleagues from the other side of the aisle that, during the time of the previous administration, there was $9 trillion added to the debt, 1.9 percent economic growth, and that was the high of that period of time, and there were 14 million people who left the labor workforce. If their policies worked, we wouldn't see these kinds of statistics. Mr. Chair, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), a member of our Budget Committee.