Jim McGovern

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I have to tell you, I think what is on display here really is the difference between Democrats and Republicans. I mean, this Build Back Better bill is about our values and about what we are for, about solving problems. And what we hear from our Republican friends is hate and vitriol, blaming Joe Biden for everything. It is a cloudy day out; it is Joe Biden's fault. I mean, everything. But no solutions, nothing that they are for. We passed a historic infrastructure bill 2 weeks ago. It is going to help rebuild our country. The overwhelming majority of my Republican friends voted against it, and the few that voted for it are now under attack by the Republican leadership and are being threatened with losing their committee assignments. I mean, that is their response to our infrastructure challenges. When the previous President, Mr. Trump, was in office, we had infrastructure week, infrastructure month, infrastructure press release, but no infrastructure money. Thankfully, because of the leadership of this President, and Members of this Congress who voted for it, we have an infrastructure bill. When you talk about policies that they are against, I mean, really, you are against the extension of the child tax credit, which has decreased child poverty by almost 30 percent? Are you against increasing the Pell grants and against investing in affordable housing? Are you against dealing with the climate crisis? Are you against, you know, the universal free pre-K for 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds? Are you against expanding the earned income tax credit? Are you against making historic investments in historically Black colleges and universities? I mean, I can go on and on and on. But these are the things we are for. What you hear from the other side is what they are against. I think the American people think it is more important for us to tell them what we are for. And what this bill is about is about being on the side of those who struggle in this country every day. And, by the way, there are investments in this bill to deal with our supply chain issues, which can also help with inflation, but I guess they are against that, too. I now yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the distinguished chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I don't even know how to respond to all of that. I would just say to my friends that the American people had what they had to offer. When they were in the majority, we had 4 years of Donald Trump, and guess what? They voted for Joe Biden and gave him a victory by millions and millions and millions and millions of votes. So, I don't think they want what they were selling. I just also say to my friends who are trying to lecture us on tax policy, my Republican friends can't be serious here. You added $2 trillion to the deficit to give tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires and corporations at the expense of everyone else. It was shameful. It was shameful what my friends did. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Takano), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Carter).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jones).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Stansbury).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, let's be clear. My friends are saying that putting a cap on the cost of insulin is somehow socialism or undercutting the United States of America. Give me a break. Talk to parents whose children have diabetes and how they anguish over the costs and how they worry about how their children will be able to support the cost of their prescriptions once they become 26 and are no longer on their parents' healthcare. So let's get real. This is a debate about values. We are on the side of capping the cost of insulin so that diabetes patients aren't gouged like they are now. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Scanlon), a distinguished member of the Committee on Rules.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, you have to love these Republicans. They get up and talk about everything but what is in this Build Back Better bill. When all else fails, they get out and they bash immigrants again, blame immigrants for everything. Having a tough time at work? Well, blame an immigrant. Having a problem with your marriage? Well, blame immigrants. But the bottom line is, they come to the floor and they tell us what they are against but they don't tell us what they are for. This bill includes an extension of the child tax credit, which has already reduced child poverty in this country by 30 percent. They are against that? We are for that. This bill actually caps the cost of insulin to $35 a month. Talk to your constituents who have to rely on insulin to save the lives of their children. I mean, really? You are against that? We are for that. We actually care about our children's future. That is why there is money in here to deal with the climate crisis; while my friends deny that there is even a climate crisis to be concerned about. So give me a break. Give me a break. This is a statement of our values. This is what we are for. We don't hear what they are for. All we hear is what they are against. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I get it. Republicans are never going to support this bill. Maybe they don't want to see healthcare coverage expanded, or maybe they don't want to see insulin costs capped, or maybe they don't want to see education costs lowered or families given a tax break or workers given paid family and medical leave. Maybe they will just never support anything President Biden likes. I don't know. I have given up trying to get into the heads of Republicans long ago. But I do know this. Tonight, we have a chance to advance a historic bill that would truly change people's lives for the better. This is why I ran for Congress. This is why so many of my colleagues on the Democratic side ran for Congress, not to help people just a little bit, not to solve only a few of the problems that they face, but to truly take their challenges head-on. This bill does that. I have a sneaking suspicion that despite all the doom and gloom from Republicans today, they will be proven just as wrong here as they were when they objected to the Affordable Care Act nearly a decade ago. Build Back Better meets this moment. By passing this rule and advancing this legislation, this Congress will, too. The text of the material previously referred to by Mr. Reschenthaler is as follows: Amendment to House Resolution 803 At the end of the resolution, add the following: Sec. 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of this resolution, the further amendment printed in section 3 shall be in order after debate pursuant to the first section of House Resolution 774 if offered by Representative Jordan of Ohio or a designee. That amendment shall be considered as read. All points of order against that amendment are waived. The previous question shall be considered as ordered on that amendment without intervening motion except 10 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled by the proponent and an opponent. Sec. 3. The further amendment referred to in section 2 is as follows: Strike title VI (and redesignate succeeding titles accordingly).

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania for yielding me the time and for her distinguished service on the Rules Committee. Madam Speaker, the standard we have set is simple. When a Member uses taxpayer money to produce a video encouraging violence against another Member, they should lose the privilege of serving on a committee. That is what serving on a congressional committee is. It is a privilege. It is not a right. I don't know what Congressman Gosar has said in the privacy of Republican Conference meetings. I am not getting any invitations to those. Frankly, Madam Speaker, I don't really care because it is what he said publicly that counts, and publicly he has defended his actions. Can we just be honest here, Madam Speaker? For once, can my colleagues on the other side stand up to their leadership and say in public what they know to be true? After our colleague Gabby Giffords was shot, after the distinguished minority whip was shot, after what happened on January 6, after a record-breaking increase in threats against Members, will none of my colleagues on the other side admit that Congressman Gosar should be held accountable? And for all the talk from those on the other side about this standard somehow being a slippery slope, let me remind them that it is their own colleagues who have suggested removing Republicans not for advocating violence, but for voting for the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Is this the state of the Republican Party today? If you vote for a bipartisan bill, your own colleagues will call for retribution, but if you tweet a video depicting the murder of a colleague and depicting violence against the President of the United States, that is somehow okay? Come on. His office produced this video, and Congressman Gosar defended it. We have people out there being influenced by garbage like this. We have Members being forced to pay for security. We have Members getting death threats. This is dangerous stuff that we are talking about here. But last night in the Rules Committee we heard a lot of rationalization. We heard explanation. We heard whataboutism. Give me a break. Madam Speaker, the dangerous standard, the real slippery slope would be for this Congress to do nothing here, to be satisfied with a stern, private phone call from the Republican leadership and no accountability. We cannot allow the normalization of political violence in America. Something is very, very wrong with that. And something is very, very wrong with anyone who thought posting this video was okay. Now, the minority leader had a ``stern, private call'' with Congressman Gosar. Guess what? That is not enough. There must be real consequences. Censure and removing Congressman Gosar from his committee assignments is appropriate here. This isn't about partisanship or anyone's voting record. This is about accountability, and at some point, we need to come together to uphold the integrity and the decency of this institution. To be honest, Madam Speaker, unfortunately, I am not hearing a hell of a lot of willingness from many on the other side to do that.

Mr. McGOVERN

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 774 and ask for its immediate consideration.

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I claim the time in opposition.

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

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

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

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, let me first begin by suggesting, and I say this seriously, that the gentleman from Missouri take a chill pill. We ought to be able to discuss serious matters without getting hysterical and yelling and screaming all the time. The American people expect us to debate serious issues seriously. First of all, let me just say, this is another tactic to try to derail an effort to help reduce premiums for more than 9 million Americans, lower prescription drug costs, ensure that seniors never pay more than $2,000 a year for their drugs under Medicare part D. This is an effort by my Republican friends to derail a bill that would lower insulin prices; it offers access to universal and free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, which would save American families an average of $8,600 per year per child. That is what they are fighting against here. This effort by my Republican friends is an attempt to derail a bill that would support the construction of affordable homes, boost our housing supply, deliver much-needed rental and downpayment assistance to our constituents; it would enhance and expand home energy and efficiency tax credits; it would bolster our domestic supply chains; creates thousands of new good-paying jobs right here in the United States of America; it would make historic investments in coastal restoration, forest management, and soil conservation; provides resources to reduce emissions and support our farmers; it creates a diverse new workforce for the establishment of the Civilian Climate Corps, which will conserve our land and improve resilience. Now, my friends on the other side of the aisle were talking about the cost. They are worried about the cost. Boy, it is nice that they finally worry about the cost of things. They rammed through a tax cut bill for the wealthy, for billionaires, for big corporations, and they never paid for it. It added $2 trillion to our debt. Where were they then? But here is the good news, Madam Speaker. This bill is fully paid for. The Joint Committee on Taxation and the White House has provided much of the detail. I appreciate the fact that my friends would rather shout than debate, but the American people expect a debate, expect a conversation. When people, by the way, come to the Rules Committee, they get as much time as they want to be able to speak, and we welcome the diversity of opinion. Madam Speaker, we also know that the Build Back Better bill will not become law without a CBO score. It will not go through the Senate without a CBO score. That will be coming, and my friends know that. So the bottom line is, this is a red herring. They are not concerned about a CBO score. They are not concerned about cost, they never have been in the past on any of their legislative priorities that benefit the well-off and the well-connected. The idea that somehow they are fighting for the middle class or those struggling to get in the middle class; give me a break. People know the record of my Republican friends, they know the priorities of the Republican Congress, they know the priorities of the previous occupant of the White House. Nobody buys that this is about protecting the middle class because most of my friends on the other side of the aisle never gave a damn about the middle class or those struggling to get into the middle class. So this is an effort to try to basically derail or stall or obstruct all the things that I mentioned. Madam Speaker, there is no merit to what my friends are complaining about here today, but they will complain, and they have a right to do so. We will grin and bear it. At the end of the day we will deliver for the American people. We have two major pieces of legislation that we want to get enacted into law: one is the Build Back Better initiative, which I just talked about all the priorities in it; the other is the infrastructure bill that was bipartisan over in the Senate, and maybe we will see if it is bipartisan over here, I hope so. It is about investing in our roads and our bridges and our water and our sewer facilities, and giving America basically a facelift because we have neglected our infrastructure for too long. And here is the difference. When they were in charge, when the previous occupant of the White House was in charge, we got infrastructure weeks and infrastructure months and infrastructure press releases, but no money, no resources to help build one single infrastructure project. That is going to change with this majority and this President. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject what my friends are peddling here today and vote ``yes'' on the question of consideration. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am not going to spend any time debating my friend from Oklahoma. We have spent 12 hours in the Rules Committee debating. But I do want to say that I have genuine admiration for him as well as for Dr. Burgess, Mrs. Fischbach, and Mr. Reschenthaler. We have strong disagreements, but I respect their service to this Congress and to this country. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Dr. Burgess and Ranking Member Cole for their courtesy. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the distinguished chairman on the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), who is the distinguished chairwoman from the Committee on Financial Services.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. McGOVERN. Madam Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Burgess), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave