Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I am really confused after listening to the gentleman from New York complain about same-day authority. In this bill, the Republicans put in same-day authority to be able to jam this tax scam through. The gentleman didn't answer my question. I guess he is basically saying that, no, the Republicans will not commit to a CBO score for people to be able to know what, in fact, the bill will do and the impacts the bill will have. I mean, this bill is so awful that I can't imagine any Democrat voting for it, but it is so awful that I would like to think some Republicans who have a conscience wouldn't vote for it either. I would like to think it would matter to Republicans that 14 million Americans will lose their healthcare. What if that number went up to 20 million or 30 million? Is there any number that will be so high that maybe some Republicans might pause and say, wait a minute, maybe we should not go down this road? I mean, this is crazy. By the way, the difference in legislation that we are talking about, the Build Back Better bill, I remind the gentleman, was about helping people. This bill is about screwing people. There is a difference here. Mr. Speaker, if we defeat the previous question, I will offer an amendment to the rule to bring up H.R. 2753, the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act, which would block the Republican budget from cutting Medicaid or SNAP benefits and kicking people off these lifesaving programs. While we vote on two measures that would give even more power to big banks and large industrial polluters, Republicans are trying to jam their multitrillion-dollar budget scam down our throats in the dead of night by holding a hearing at 1 o'clock in the morning in the Rules Committee, hoping the American people won't notice. Shame on my Republican colleagues. The American people are noticing, and they are pissed off that working families are going to have to foot the bill for massive tax cuts for multimillionaires, wealthy heirs, and corporations. Republicans claim they don't want to cut critical benefits for working people. I have heard many of you do press conferences and sign on to letters. Now, here is the chance to prove it by voting for my amendment to bring up the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP Act. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment into the Record, along with any extraneous material, immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Boyle) to discuss our proposal.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, first of all, can the gentleman name for me one meeting that the Rules Committee had, when Democrats were in control, where the hearing portion began at 1 o'clock in the morning? Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thought he was intimating that that was the case. I don't know of a single meeting where we began taking testimony--we may have reported out Rules late at night, but not taking testimony. Mr. Speaker, and, secondly, let me just say, with all due respect, I don't view it as theatrics to stand up for people's healthcare and food assistance. I feel that that is my job. If Republicans think that somehow people are not going to be adversely impacted, read the CBO score on the current draft of the bill. Again, it is going to get worse. On the current draft of the bill we are told because of the changes in this bill and because of the inaction by Republicans, CBO estimates right now 14 million Americans will lose their healthcare. That is not me. That is the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Republicans rely on that. Democrats rely on that. By saying somehow that people aren't going to be adversely impacted by the cuts in nutrition, I don't think you understand the nutrition title if that is what you believe. Under this bill, if a mother of a 7-year-old loses her job, for whatever reason, she has 3 months to find a new job. Otherwise, she loses her food assistance. You have lowered the age of when work requirements are mandatory, and it is a cruel thing to do because this is about children. I don't know, but if you are a single parent and you have got a 7-year-old--by the way, some schools end the day at 2 or 2:30. How do you pay for childcare? How do you try to make ends meet? What about the summer vacation when school is not in session? My Republican friends are so in the pockets of billionaires and the well-off and the well-connected, I don't think they know what real life is like for so many people in this country, how difficult it is. When we talk about programs like SNAP, I have a news flash for you. The majority of people on SNAP who are able to work, work. They earn so little they still qualify for the benefit. By the way, the benefit is on average of about $2 per person per meal. You can't buy a cup of coffee in the United States Capitol Complex for $2. Then what my friends don't talk about is how this is shifting some of the cost burdens on to States. All of a sudden States are going to be required to come up with hundreds of millions and, in some cases, billions of dollars in order to prevent people from losing their food assistance. Who does that? Who does that, all while giving tax breaks to billionaires? It just makes no sense to me. All we are asking for--and I think some Republicans may agree with me on this--is before you bring the bill to the floor--and I appreciate the gentleman saying that there will be a CBO score by the time it gets through the Senate--don't House Members deserve to know what the hell they are voting on before they vote on it? We ought to insist that we all go into this with our eyes wide open, so that we know, in fact, what the impact is going to be on our constituents. I don't think that is a radical thing to demand or to ask for. Yet, my Republican friends seem to think that that is unrealistic. This bill is going to need major changes for me to even take another look at it and show the priorities don't represent my values. We don't share the same values. It is clear when I look at this bill. The bottom line is the process right now and what is relevant to this rule that we are debating right now. My friends on the other side put in same-day rule authority to expedite this so people won't even have adequate time to find out how it impacts their constituents. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, let's set the record straight. I have to go back and look 20 years ago? Yet, I can say this: Democrats never ever did anything like Republicans are doing here today, never. I don't even remember, and maybe the gentleman could enlighten us what the bill was. Yet, on a major budget reconciliation bill, the majority is jamming this through? It is going to add to the deficit. It is going to throw people off of food assistance. It is going to throw people off of healthcare assistance. That is not me saying that. That is the Congressional Budget Office saying it. Nothing like this has ever been done. Nothing like this has ever been done, and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing it with a straight face as if it is no big deal. It is as if who cares if people lose their food assistance. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman talks about that if we don't do something, taxes will be increased. The reason why taxes are going to be increased is because when my friends passed this tax bill when Trump was last in office, the majority made all the tax cuts for middle-class families temporary. They all expired. Mr. Speaker, do you know what Republicans didn't make temporary? The tax breaks for corporations; those are permanent. Those are permanent, and that says it all there. That is the difference between the two parties, it is that I think we have different priorities. We have a different set of values. Mr. Speaker, I am really deeply concerned about those who will go without food, and I am deeply concerned about those who will go without healthcare. Those are my priorities. I am sorry it makes the gentleman and the Republicans uncomfortable, but that is where I am coming from. I don't give a damn about whether Elon Musk gets another tax break or not. Maybe my friends do because he poured so much money into the last campaign. Again, that is why we need campaign finance reform. We need to get this place to focus in on what regular people are concerned about and not what billionaires and corporations are concerned about. Mr. Speaker, before Republicans try to cut Medicaid and SNAP benefits in the dead of night, I should also point out that the majority is giving gifts to big polluters in broad daylight. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record a letter signed by nearly 100 public health and environmental organizations laying out the extreme risks of increased incidence of cancer and birth defects if S.J. Res. 31 is enacted.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the truth is that Republicans have betrayed the middle class of this country time after time after time. We are seeing that today with the CRA measures that uplift big banks and big polluters at the expense of our health, safety, and economic security. Does anybody think that big banks need more help, that we want big banks to get even bigger, and we want big banks to swallow up community banks? I don't know. On what planet is that a good idea? It is a good idea only in the Republican-controlled Congress here. We will see during the rest of this week Republicans' priorities all twisted as my Republican colleagues jam through Trump's one big, awful tax scam. The Speaker has ordered Republicans on the Committee on Rules to meet at 1 o'clock in the morning. That is the middle of the night. Again, here is what puzzles me: We were supposed to meet at noon yesterday, and we are instead meeting at 1 o'clock in the morning. Mr. Speaker, we know there are going to be changes. Republicans could have taken testimony and hearings from all the committees and waited to report out the rule until whenever final deals were made with their Members. Yet, Republicans are deliberately choosing to meet at 1 o'clock in the morning on something this consequential. Mr. Speaker, I think the gentleman thinks it is a good idea. The gentleman says that I will use my time and try to take every moment I can to make my points. I can say to the gentleman: You bet your life I will be. I am going to be fighting like hell for the people of this country. I am not going to sit back, and I can say this for the other Democratic Members and others who will come to this mike: We are not going to sit back and watch our constituents get screwed over. We are just not going to do that. Republicans can do it at 1 o'clock in the morning or 2 o'clock in the morning. We are going to be there, and we are going to stay there. We are going to offer our amendments, and we are going to make our points. I would urge my colleagues to be prepared to be there for a very, very long time. Mr. Speaker, I hope that the gentleman can give us some assurance that, unlike in the Agriculture Committee where the chairman cut off debate and cut off amendments even though there were many amendments that were pending, we won't see the same thing happen in the Committee on Rules. Clearly, our debate on this bill is something Republicans don't want the American people to see. I invite every single American--it doesn't matter if they are Republican, Democrat, Independent, or someone who doesn't follow politics--to tune in to the Committee on Rules. It will be up on our website. I will be live-streaming on YouTube. It will be on C-SPAN. Hell, maybe even cable will carry us live. I urge Americans to watch it and judge for themselves what this bill means for them and their families and their communities. They will see how Republicans are gutting regular order to jam this thing through. They will probably see them walk in with a huge amendment at the last minute. It will be one that could dramatically change the bill, including accelerating the timeline for kicking millions of people off of their health insurance. As soon as next year, people could start losing coverage. That is what we are being told might be coming down the way. If the rule that we are talking about right now passes, my Republican colleagues will be able to rush that newly changed bill to the floor just hours later, giving Members and the American public zero time to read it or to review it. Make no mistake: A vote for today's rule is a vote to give the Republican leadership a blank check to fast-track Trump's one big, ugly bill through this House. Mr. Speaker, here is what really gets me: Members of the House Freedom Caucus have said over and over again that bringing a 1,000-page bill to the floor without time to read it is corrupt and immoral. They were the loudest voices demanding the 72-hour rule, so let's see if they mean it. Let's see if they actually mean what they say or if they fold under pressure. Mr. Speaker, I urge every Member of this House to vote ``no'' on the PQ, ``hell no'' on this rule, ``no'' on the underlying legislation, and to send a strong message that we reject this Republican obsession with screwing over the middle class to give tax breaks to billionaires. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, there is a catastrophic humanitarian crisis in Gaza. It is happening before our eyes. Tons of food, medicine, water, shelter, and other urgent humanitarian aid remains blocked from entering Gaza by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The World Food Programme and NGOs have been forced to close their programs or are using the last of their dwindling supplies. For the first time, lab technicians with the American Near East Refugee Aid organization are detecting signs of starvation in the lab work of one-third of all blood and urine samples of their patients in Gaza. Israeli officers charged with monitoring conditions inside of Gaza have told their commanders that it is on the brink of starvation. Mr. Speaker, for too long Congress has been complacent and complicit about the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza. We need to speak out and demand the rapid, unimpeded, impartial, neutral, and independent delivery of humanitarian aid today. Tomorrow may be too late. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to enter additional materials into the Record.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor someone who's spent his life making sure the rest of us stay informed--not by standing in front of a camera, but by quietly, tirelessly, and professionally working behind it for over four decades. Even though you don't see his face on TV, Mike Cole is a cornerstone of Boston journalism and one of the most trusted names in the business. He got his start at WHDH before moving to FOX 25--eventually landing at WCVB in 2003. But the values he's carried from newsroom to newsroom haven't changed: Fairness, transparency, accountability, and truth. For the past 28 years, Mike has been a force of nature at WCVB, producing NewsCenter 5 and the Sunday morning political program On the Record. It's the most-watched political talk show in New England--and for good reason. It's thoughtful, fair, and tough. And Mike is one of the main reasons why: Chasing down stories, booking guests, double- checking facts, and putting together a show that keeps viewers informed and engaged. He has an uncanny ability to know which questions will break news and get people talking. I've had the privilege of going On the Record many times over the years, and I can tell you that Mike is the real deal. He cares deeply about getting clear, concise, accurate information on the air. And that kind of public service is beyond invaluable. Mr. Speaker, I also think it's important to recognize that this kind of journalism is under attack. Here in the United States, we've seen political leaders demonize reporters just for doing their jobs. We've heard phrases like ``fake news'' used to discredit hard truths. We've seen threats against journalists trying to tell the public what's going on. And around the world, autocrats and strongmen are increasingly throwing reporters in jail, shutting down news outlets, and targeting those they don't like with censorship and violence In moments like this, we need to uplift people who are fighting for the truth. Because at the end of the day, freedom of the press is about more than just the ability of a journalist to write or say whatever they want. It's about our ability, as a society, to make decisions based on the facts--put in context, and delivered fairly and impartially. Mr. Speaker, it is not an exaggeration to say that our democracy depends on people like Mike Cole--working behind the scenes to get the story right, to ask hard questions, and to speak truth to power. So, on behalf of the people of the Second Congressional District of Massachusetts and the United States Congress--I thank Mike for his dedication, his professionalism, his integrity, and his decades of service to the people of New England. We're all better off because of his work to shine the light of truth on the stories that matter--and to hold accountable those we entrust to lead our communities, our commonwealth, and our country.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this is a lousy budget. It is a budget that will hurt working families. It is a budget that will especially hurt families who are struggling in poverty. Republicans have succeeded in putting together a Marie Antoinette budget, helping the richest of the rich while hurting the poorest of the poor. Let them eat cake. That is the Republican motto. I have never seen such cruelty contained in a budget in all my years here. This budget would force the biggest cut to Medicaid in American history. The idea and the audacity of somehow pretending like it isn't going to hurt people is just insane. It is simply not possible mathematically to cut Medicaid by almost a trillion dollars and not hurt people. By the way, for the record, that is not fear-mongering. It is what is in the text of this resolution. I just want to say that this budget directs the Committee on Energy and Commerce to come up with at least $880 billion in cuts within their jurisdiction. Republicans want to be able to claim that there is no way to know at this point in the process where those cuts will come from, and they are saying that they are not going to cut any benefits in Medicaid or Medicare. Guess what, Mr. Speaker. If you don't cut Medicaid, if you don't cut Medicare or CHIP, there is only $381 billion left to cut in E&C's jurisdiction. Even if you cut literally every single other dollar, you are still at least $500 billion short, half a trillion dollars short. I guess I understand why President Trump suggests that you all close your eyes before voting on this steaming pile of Medicaid cuts. I would also say it is not mathematically possible to tell the Agriculture Committee to cut $230 billion without cutting SNAP benefits. You just can't do it. You have to kick people off of food assistance if this budget passes. That means children, seniors, and Americans with disabilities are cut off. In my opinion, that is the reality that Republicans are trying to hide from the American people. We had a hearing in the Agriculture Committee yesterday where Republicans were bragging about how they wanted to put more hurdles in place for people to be eligible for SNAP. The majority of people on SNAP are children, are senior citizens, are people who are disabled. We don't expect them to work, unless you want to repeal the child labor laws, unless you want to send grandma back to the factory. That is the overwhelming majority of people who are on the program. Of those who are able-bodied and expected to work, the majority of them work. The majority of them work. That is the program Republicans want to target? Give me a break. I will go right through the list. We can debate waste, fraud, and abuse all day. The money that DOGE has supposedly found in waste, even if you believe that number, is totally offset by the tax breaks for billionaires in this resolution. I mean, with all the chaos in our economy right now, does anybody really believe that we have to help out billionaires, that they are the ones who are hurting, not average working families but billionaires? We have billionaires in this country who pay an effective tax rate that is lower than the effective tax rate for teachers, police officers, and firefighters. What the hell is wrong with this place? I mean, the priorities here are all screwed up. Let's have a debate about our values and our choices, but, please, let's not pretend like this budget isn't going to hurt people. Let's at least have an intellectually honest conversation and admit what this is about. Just like the devastating DOGE cuts to NIH and CDC, they are going to hurt people, just like Trump's tariffs are hurting people. By the way, on tariffs, if I may, Republicans are once again rigging the rules to protect Donald Trump and hide from accountability. Republicans know his tariffs are economic poison and know voters hate them, but House Republicans are too cowardly to go on record. The majority is trying to sneak around with a procedural gimmick in this rule to block a vote on the tariffs instead of facing the truth. Mr. Speaker, to be clear, a vote for today's rule is a vote for Trump's disastrous trade war, period. There is no hiding from it. Mr. Speaker, I know that Trump just announced on social media, of all ways, that he is partially backing down and putting a temporary pause on some of the tariffs he announced last week. Mr. Speaker, I don't know whether it is idiocy or incompetence, maybe both, but that means that Trump tanked the market nearly 20 percent and put the entire American economy on the line so that countries would give him a phone call? Is that what this is all about? Give me a damned break. Rightwing pundits are going to act like pausing the tariffs was some kind of stroke of genius, that recouping only one-third of our market losses is somehow a brilliant move. Now, I wasn't very good in arithmetic, but that doesn't sound like a brilliant move to me. That sounds like a stupid move. First, let me remind my colleagues across the aisle that this is just a pause. Second, 10 percent tariffs across the board are still in place, plus the increased Chinese tariffs. Third, all of this chaos is horrible for the economy. Small businesses cannot plan or operate under this level of uncertainty. What big business would want to invest in any new manufacturing if there is no telling what policy is in place tomorrow? How can our trading partners believe what we say when we are changing policy every 3 days? The swinging back and forth is making Americans worse off for no apparent reason. Maybe Republicans think that some people need to be hurt in order to fix our country. I love it when Trump puts up all of these billionaires to tell working families: You have to just deal with the pain. It is no big deal. You should sacrifice. These are billionaires lecturing hardworking, middle-class Americans. If Republicans at least admitted what the impact of these tariffs really were on average working families, we could have an intellectually honest conversation about what this budget and Trump's tariffs do. Yet, we can't because that would force the other side to acknowledge the truth. The truth is that this budget was written by the rich, for the rich, to help the rich get richer. That is what this is: a massive transfer of wealth from those at the bottom to those at the top. It is Robin Hood in reverse, and the American people will pay the price for the Republicans' billionaire-first budget. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman said that we need to deal with facts. I agree. Yet, we also need to deal with math. I understand that President Trump told the gentlewoman and other Republicans ``to close your eyes'' and vote for this budget. That is a direct quote, by the way. Did he tell Republicans to hide their calculator, too? I just went through my concerns about the cuts in Medicaid. This budget actually has instructions to the Committee on Energy and Commerce to cut $880 billion at a minimum. They were instructed to find $880 billion at a minimum in savings. There is no way to do that when doing the math without cutting Medicaid. That is just a fact. The math is undefeated here. I am sorry that my friends don't want to appear like Republicans are insensitive to the plight of those who are struggling in the lower income brackets and who need Medicaid and for whom it is a lifeline. It is just the truth. There is no way. Again, do the arithmetic. Do the math. There is no way to get those cuts without going into Medicaid. That is going to hurt people. Mr. Speaker, again, I tried in the Committee on Rules to have an amendment saying that we won't give tax cuts to people who have a net worth of over a billion dollars. That was rejected on a party-line vote. We want to give more benefits to people at the top, but the way we are going to do it is we are going to cut people's healthcare benefits who are on Medicaid. By the way, Medicaid is also the program that helps provide long-term care for a lot of middle-income families in this country. Mr. Speaker, the notion that we can make all these cuts and don't worry, be happy, come on. Come on. People can figure this out. The math is undefeated. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Magaziner).

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Rhode Island.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, the gentlewoman essentially, once again, called me a liar, so I am going to be a little less polite than normal and say that the gentlewoman doesn't understand basic math. I am not going to waste my breath to try to explain it to her again, but math doesn't lie. It is undefeated. Mr. Speaker, I am going to urge that we defeat the previous question. I will offer an amendment. My amendment will simply strike section 2 of the rule. That section, tucked in the rule by Republicans this morning, prevents the House from voting on Trump's disastrous worldwide tariffs, the ones destroying the economy and raising prices on regular Americans. Just before I came down here, I guess Trump said on social media that he is partially pausing some of the reciprocal tariffs for 90 days. Oh, cool, a 90-day pause. That is the certainty that the business community is looking for. How is any company supposed to forecast for their future, build a plant, and hire workers if they have no idea what the hell this President is going to do in his next tweet? We went from the President saying on social media today ``be cool'' to then saying ``just kidding.'' We have a 90-day pause in a matter of hours. I have whiplash. I need a neck brace to be able to get through all of this. Also, the President announced that he is hiking the tariffs on China to 125 percent and keeping the 10 percent tariffs across the board. That is great. Get ready to continue to pay more for almost everything. What about the EU? They retaliated with tariffs against us this morning, too. Are we going to treat them like China and punch back as the White House Press Secretary says that we are doing? I guess we don't have any clarity on that question. Here is the worst part, Mr. Speaker. The Congress could stop this madness and provide the certainty that is needed by voting on these tariffs, but it seems like Republicans are fighting tooth and nail not to stop the insanity but to keep Congress from having a say about these tariffs, to hide from doing their jobs. With this provision hidden in the rule, they are stopping the entire House from bringing up legislation to put an end to these tariffs, not pause them, end them, legislation which, under the law, any Member should be able to bring to the floor 14 days from now. Let's set aside that the stock markets are in chaos and having volatile swings. Let's set aside that the business community--you know, where people work--don't know where to buy supplies, where to build plants, where to hire, or anything else with any certainty now. These tariffs affect the cost of everything: the food at the grocery store, electronics, the goods that are in most demand by our constituents. We are in a trade war not just with China but with our own allies and friends. These tariffs are harmful and they will lead to a recession, one caused not by any outside calamitous event, but by the ego of one man: Donald Trump. We could stop this uncertainty. We could stop this chaos, but Republicans are literally stopping us and themselves from even having a vote on these tariffs. I say to my Republican colleagues, stop hiding. Open your eyes despite the President telling you to close them. Represent your constituents, the people who elected you and the ones who are getting hurt by these tariffs and strike this provision blocking a vote on tariffs. If you don't adopt my amendment, then a ``yes'' vote on this rule is a ``yes'' vote for Trump's tariffs. A ``yes'' vote is for more chaos and uncertainty in the market. With a ``yes'' vote, you will own the pain that comes with these tariffs, the chaos and the uncertainty, and you will have no one to blame but yourselves. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the Record, along with any extraneous material immediately prior to the vote on the previous question.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Agriculture, to discuss our proposal.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, can I inquire of the gentlewoman whether she has any Republicans that want to come down here and defend these tariffs and the tax hikes on average people? Does she have any other speakers?

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, at the end of the day, this is a terrible, horrible rule. Voting in support of this rule means voting to protect Trump's reckless tariffs. Don't get me started about this budget resolution. It is not just Democrats who think this budget resolution is terrible; it is Republicans. Mr. Norman, a member of the Rules Committee says: ``The Senate version is dead on arrival.'' Mr. Roy, a member of the Rules Committee says: ``Adopting a policy baseline does not change basic math.'' Mr. Ogles says: ``The Senate budget bill is really offensive.'' Don't worry. Donald Trump is on top of things. He says: ``Close your eyes and vote for it.'' I would just add to that: Close your eyes, cover your ears, and hide your calculators. That is what Trump wants you to do. Pass this quickly and move on so he doesn't get blamed for how much it is going to screw people. My answer to that is: We are going to fight back. If you support this budget, we simply do not share the same values. I believe it is fundamentally wrong to gut Medicaid. I don't want to kick moms and dads and kids off their long-term healthcare. I think it is rotten to kick kids and Americans with disabilities and veterans off of food assistance. I think it is evil to give tax cuts to billionaires while middle America struggles to get ahead. I think that those are awful, mean, nasty things to do. We are the richest country on Earth. Republicans don't have to hurt poor people to help the rich. They are deciding to do that. They are deciding to steal from the poor. They are making a conscious decision to betray their constituents and sell out their best interests to MAGA billionaires. At the end of the day, no matter what my Republican friends say, because of this budget, more kids will go without food. More kids will be malnourished. Because of this budget, parents and grandparents will have to sell their houses to afford medical care. Because of this budget, more consumers will get ripped off. Because of this budget, our air and water will have more toxic chemicals. That is the truth. That is the reality. Most people in this country feel like the economy doesn't work for them, and it hasn't for a long time. Do you know why? It is because of budgets like this which were written for billionaires and not for regular people. I think plain and simple, that is wrong. I reject this budget. I reject it not just mathematically, but I reject it morally. I am reminded here of the Book of Matthew, where Jesus says: ``Truly I tell you, whatever you did to the least of these, you did to me.'' This budget steals from those with the least. Let me repeat that. This budget steals from those with the least. It is all so the rich can get richer. I just find that awful. I find that awful. We don't share the same values if you embrace this budget. Years from now, Mr. Speaker, when we are all gone, we won't be judged by the size of our bank accounts. We won't be judged by how many tax breaks we gave to billionaires. We will be judged by our decency. We will be judged by our compassion. We will be judged by our kindness, and, yes, we will be judged by our work to build a society where everybody has a chance and nobody is left behind. This is an immoral budget, and I want the American people to know I do not share these values. Democrats do not share these values. I reject this budget. Democrats reject this budget. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, on March 24, the Trump administration abruptly terminated the highly successful Patrick Leahy Farm to School grant program which helps schools incorporate healthy, locally grown foods into their school meal programs. USDA's own findings report that 61 percent of schools using the program saw increased fruit and vegetable consumption among students. The bottom line is this program is good for kids, good for families, and good for farmers. That is why last week I led a letter to Agriculture Secretary Rollins, along with Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici, Stacey Plaskett, Chellie Pingree, and 34 other Democrats, demanding answers on why the administration suddenly canceled this congressionally authorized and funded program with no notice to Congress. Mr. Speaker, despite promising to support farmers and promote health, this is just another of many recent examples of the Trump administration callously undercutting our farmers, schools, and the well-being of our communities. We should be expanding wonderful programs like Patrick Leahy Farm to School grants, not gutting them, to end hunger now.

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to the National Emergencies Act and the Emergency Economic Powers Act, I move to discharge the Committee on Foreign Affairs from further consideration of H.J. Res. 72, relating to a national emergency by the President on February 1, 2025.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for yielding me the customary 30 minutes, and I yield myself such time as I may consume. I have to ask, Mr. Speaker: What the hell is the Republican majority doing? I mean, last week, these guys canceled Congress and went home all because they don't want new moms or dads to be able to vote. So much for being the party of family values. The gentlewoman just said that the Speaker is very much in support of family values, yet he has a problem with allowing new moms and dads to be able to vote by proxy. He seems to have no problem with Republican Members flying to the West Coast, filming comedy shows in Hollywood, and voting by proxy. I mean, I don't get it. That is what family values mean to my Republican friends? It took the Speaker a week--it took the Speaker a whole week--to buy off a few votes by offering a pretend deal. Now, Republicans are ready to move forward on the important legislative business of--wait for it-- passing the same bills they rejected last week, not that these bills are any better the second time around. These bills include a bill that will make it harder for women to vote, a bill to let the Trump administration break the law, and two resolutions that stick it to consumers. Honest to God, Mr. Speaker, who asked for these? Which Trump donor wrote these measures? Meanwhile, what aren't we talking about on the floor right now? We aren't talking about the tariffs, not a peep about the tariffs, not a peep about the chaos in the markets, not a peep about the uncertainty this is causing, not a peep about how this is going to screw over middle America. Never in my life have I seen anything like this. The President promised lower prices and a booming economy, and we are going to get higher prices and a recession. This is nuts. Trump isn't using tariffs strategically. He is launching an economic nuclear war, and we are all in the blast zone. This is a disaster. Even if you agree with these tariffs, which is nuts, put that aside. Even if you are a fan, can just one Republican admit that it is insane that one guy is making this call alone? Our Founders fought a revolution to stop one person from having this much power, and so-called conservatives are rewriting the rules to dodge a vote in Congress. This is crazy. They are totally fine giving Trump unlimited power to do whatever the hell he wants, and they won't even let us vote. They won't even let us vote. A few minutes ago, I sought recognition for a motion allowed under the law to bring a joint resolution to the floor to end just one of Trump's tariffs, and that request was denied because Republicans have rigged the rules. Let me repeat that. Republicans have rigged the rules, and I will talk more about that during this debate. This is all because Republicans know what is coming, and they are scared. They know people are going to lose their jobs. They know paychecks are going to shrivel. They know prices will go up, retirement plans will go down, and businesses are going to stop investing. They don't want to have to go home and explain it. They don't want to have to put their names on that. They are rigging the rules so we don't have a vote. Guess what. They can run from accountability, but they can't hide from the consequences. You guys own this. You own the tariffs. You own the fallout. There is no plan here, no strategy, just economic self-sabotage. Regular Americans are going to pay the price for these tariffs. This is a disaster for our country, and you guys are too chicken to even vote ``yes'' or ``no'' on whether you support the tariffs. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.