Richard Neal

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who is always a champion of the industrial heartland.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), who is a member of the Ways and Means Committee and well-known for his midwestern values.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), who is a very capable member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Higgins), a very capable member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta) again, a very knowledgeable member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, chief architect of the child credit expansion.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore), who is always the great champion of expanding the earned income tax credit.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, a champion of the underserved.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Joe Grochmal on entering his 68th year as a golf instructor in western Massachusetts. This milestone achievement deserves the highest praise for Joe's hard work and steadfast love for the game, something he has instilled in the hearts of thousands of students. Sometimes referred to as the ``Godfather of Western Massachusetts Golf,'' Joe began working as a golf instructor in 1953. Although he frequently changed his teaching philosophy, exploring new techniques to bring the most out of every golfer, Joe consistently shared with his students a genuine appreciation for the game of golf. During a career that spanned nearly seven decades, Joe dedicated countless hours to sharing his knowledge and expertise, meeting golfers young and old at local driving ranges after putting in a full day's work. Joe truly represents the best of Massachusetts' First District, and that is why I am proud to join with his family, friends, and the entire western Massachusetts golf community in recognizing this milestone achievement. Madam Speaker, I would like to once again acknowledge Joe Grochmal. I am proud of his accomplishments and I wish him many more years of health and happiness, along with many more fairways and greens.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Pope Francis Preparatory School Boys Ice Hockey Team on winning the 2021 U.S.A. Hockey High School Division I National Championship. This milestone achievement deserves the highest praise for the hard work and dedication of these exemplary athletes and coaches. Despite the countless challenges posed by this unprecedented season, the perseverance and commitment to success demonstrated throughout the year led their team to victory on the biggest stage in high school hockey. The 2021 U.S.A. Hockey High School Division I Tournament brought twelve of the most elite high school hockey teams from across the country to compete for this year's National Championship. Members of the Pope Francis Boys Ice Hockey Team not only performed with exceptional mental and physical fortitude, but also displayed remarkable sportsmanship and character on their path to victory. They represented the First District of Massachusetts with great honor and distinction, and I am confident that the lessons learned during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will serve these young men well in their future endeavors. The Pope Francis Boys Ice Hockey Team was led by their Head Coach, Brian Foley, who has provided crucial guidance and instrumental mentorship to his young athletes both on and off the ice over the past eighteen seasons. Coach Foley was assisted by Assistant Coaches Steve Ashe, Tim Keeney, and Dan Fenton, and the victorious student athletes are Matt Hanscom, Zach Buffone, Jack Moltenbrey, Jacob Iby, Ryan Hemenway, Ryan Leonard, Brandon Spaulding, Colin Foyle, Evan Phaneuf, Drew Bolduc, Jack Kennedy, Ryan Shaw, Bryce Russ, Joey DiMichele, Stephen Rougeot, Jack Turowsky, Matt Burke, Derek Rhodes, Ryan O'Leary, Ryan Rhodes, Ben Zaranek, and Josh Iby. Madam Speaker, I would like to once again acknowledge the Pope Francis Preparatory School Boys Ice Hockey Team for their superb achievement. I am proud of this group and I wish them much continued success.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Pope Francis Preparatory High School boys' hockey team on winning the 2021 USA Hockey Division 1 National Championship. The Pope Francis Cardinals defeated New Trier, of Illinois, 3-0 in the championship game. This win capped a six day national championship tournament in Omaha, Nebraska, where the Pope Francis Cardinals when 6-0, and outscored opponents 48- 5. The tremendous amount of dedication and commitment to excellence was led by Head Coach Brian Foley, who has led the Pope Francis Hockey program for eighteen years. The impressive efforts on the ice was led by goalie Ben Zaranek, with 23 saves that ensured the shutout, and by Brandon Spaulding and Ryan Leonard, that scored the three goals to solidify victory and the national title. It gives me great pleasure to extend my sincere congratulations to the entire team, which also includes Matt Hanscom, Jack Moltenbrey, Jake Iby, Ryan Hemenway, Colin Foyle, Evan Phaneuf, Andrew Bolduc, Jack Kennedy, Ryan Shaw, Bryce Russ, Joseph DiMichele, Stephen Rougeot, Jack Turowsky, Matthew Burke, Christopher Calvanese, Ryan O'Leary, Ryan Rhodes, Ben Zaranek, Josh Iby, and Gage Sperlonga. All should be proud of their contribution to this victorious season that furthers the legacy of Pope Francis athletics. Madam Speaker, the players, coaches, and entire school community should be very proud of their accomplishments. I wish the graduating seniors all the best in their future endeavors and good luck to those who will return for a chance to make another run at the national championship.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral on their celebration of this, the Bicentennial of Greek Independence. Their continued efforts to support, preserve and promote their Greek culture, as well as honor the heroes of 1821 and the sacrifices they made in pursuit of Greek independence, are truly remarkable and deserving of the highest praise. The parishioners of St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral are stewards of their culture's rich history, celebrating and honoring the sacrifices made by their forefathers during their fight for freedom. With the signing of the Treaty of Edirne in 1829, eight years after the inception of the War of Greek Independence, the independent state of Greece was finally established. St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral has been a vital member of the Greater Springfield community since 1907, and generations of parishioners have faithfully commemorated Greek independence for more than a century. Madam Speaker, I would like to once again acknowledge St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral for their extraordinary efforts and superb achievement. Their dedication to preserving the traditions of their religion and their culture is admirable, and I wish them many more years of health and prosperity.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, as the Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, I rise today along with Ranking Member Kevin Brady, to commemorate the successful federal career of Brenda Smith, Executive Assistant Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP) Office of Trade. Ms. Smith is retiring after 33 years of government service, including 27 years with CBP and the legacy U.S. Customs Service. Ms. Smith's leadership at CBP is marked by significant advancements in the agency's trade mission. She spearheaded unprecedented automation and modernization of the U.S. government's import/export system, a renewed focus on preventing duty evasion, intellectual property rights infringement, and importation of goods derived from forced labor, as well as efforts to adapt the agency's trade and revenue workforce for the new pace and challenges of the 21st century trade environment. Ms. Smith also led the development of global e-commerce standards and focus on new technologies like blockchain and advanced analytics. Under Ms. Smith's leadership, CBP modernized the international trade process, completing development and deployment of the U.S. Single Window and the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE)--the electronic portal for exporters and importers to clear shipments across the U.S. border. Ms. Smith took command of the Single Window project, organizing the efforts of 49 federal agencies and partnering with thousands of importers, exports, brokers, and technology developers to successfully deploy the modem, automated system. The Single Window is now a global model, and it has revolutionized the international trade process for U.S. businesses and consumers. In recognition of her leadership on this project, Ms. Smith was a 2017 finalist in the Samuel J. Heyman Service to America award for management excellence. She also implemented key components of the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) of 2015, the first comprehensive authorization of CBP since the agency's creation in 2003. Ms. Smith led CBP's implementation of the Enforce and Protect Act of 2015, increasing the transparency and effectiveness of CBP's enforcement of antidumping/ countervailing duty orders, and, following the repeal of a critical loophole, CBP's increased focus on enforcement of the import prohibition on goods produced using forced, prison, and forced child labor. Ms. Smith also led U.S. delegations to several partner nations to strengthen relationships with customs and human rights officials, industry leaders, and non-governmental organizations and bolster international safeguards against forced labor. For this work and for her focus on strengthening CBP's trade enforcement mission, Ms. Smith was honored with a 2017 Distinguished Executive Presidential Rank Award, the highest award in civil service. In addition to leading a number of U.S. delegations, Ms. Smith represented the United States on the World Customs Organization Council in 2007 and 2017. Ms. Smith also led CBP's implementation of the landmark U.S.-Mexico- Canada Agreement (USMCA), working with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and other federal agencies, as well as the U.S. international trade community, to ensure effective and timely delivery of key customs provisions of the USMCA. Throughout her tenure at CBP and its predecessor, Ms. Smith always took the time to be responsive to Member questions and concerns, making herself available for regular briefings. Prior to joining Customs, Ms. Smith worked at the Department of the Treasury. She also served on the staff of the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment and subsequently in the personal office of Congressman Bernard J. Dwyer of New Jersey. Over the course of her career, Ms. Smith received numerous accolades, including a National Performance Review ``Hammer Award'' and countless agency awards. We wish to congratulate Ms. Smith on her retirement and express our sincere appreciation for the many years of service, leadership, and accomplishment she has devoted to the U.S. government and the American people. We wish her the best of luck in her future endeavors.

Mr. NEAL

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I am glad Mr. Hoyer also pointed out that many of us did support President Bush's rescue package. I voted for it twice. We met with Hank Paulson, the Secretary of the Treasury, in the Ways and Means Committee library, and he said, ``You have to do this.'' We followed suit and supported it. It has come to my attention that there is some uncertainty about the effective date of one of the provisions in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. In section 9706 of the bill, we allow single-employer pension plans to measure their liabilities by using interest rates that are closer to historical norms, rather than the low interest rates that are in effect today in part because of the pandemic. This provision will enable both plans and participants to weather this crisis far better. I'd like to clarify an issue relating to the effective date of this provision. Plans can choose to have the provision apply starting in 2020. In addition, plans can elect to have the provision apply starting in 2022, so that it does not apply until 2022. It also is our intent that plans can elect for the provision to apply starting in 2021. We believe that is the right interpretation of the language of the bill. We want to give plans the maximum flexibility in this regard so that tomorrow's retirees can achieve a secure retirement. My staff has run this interpretation by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation and they also agree that an election to have the interest rate smoothing apply starting in 2021 is permitted by the language in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Danny K. Davis), the chair of the Worker and Family Support Subcommittee, who has been a champion for the expanded childcare credit in this legislation.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Thompson), who is the chairman of the Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee, which plays a central role in tax policy. And repeatedly, he assures me that he is of modest income and from California.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Sanchez), who was a lead supporter of expanding the child tax credit and a longstanding advocate for helping laid-off workers through COBRA.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this pandemic has been ruthless. With over half a million lives lost, we are a nation in a constant state of mourning. Sadly, we cannot take away the pain and the suffering of our friends, neighbors, and loved ones. But with this seismic legislation, we are delivering much-needed help and relief to millions of our fellow Americans. In a few minutes, this Chamber will pass and then send to President Biden a monumental piece of legislation that will begin to turn the tide of an unprecedented health and economic crisis. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi for the confidence that she offered to the Ways and Means Committee as we wrote most of this legislation. In the 33 years that I have served in this House, I don't know that I will ever cast a more important vote than what we are about to do and of such great consequence in but a few minutes. I am immensely proud of the work that the Ways and Means Committee members did to make this legislation a reality. We heard the American people, and we went big. We proudly contributed substantial solutions that will strengthen our recovery from this virus and rebuild our economy to work better for all Americans. The Ways and Means Committee was responsible for $1 trillion of this expenditure. To contain the public health crisis and make health coverage more accessible, we are making the largest expansion of the Affordable Care Act since it was enacted and which the Ways and Means Committee helped to write. We are bringing down costs for jobless Americans saving them thousands of dollars in health insurance costs and more. We will also include assistance for nursing homes that are desperate to contain this virus. We are going to help those struggling to stay afloat by putting cash in their pockets and simultaneously creating liquidity and demand. For the jobless, we extend Federal unemployment benefits to keep them afloat for the better days that lie ahead. We have made three key tax credits for low- and middle-income workers and families more generous, more flexible, and more capable of tackling the inequality and concentrated wealth that exists in our country. We already know that a key to our recovery will be giving parents the tools to go back to work even though their previous childcare may have been upended. We will ease their worries by making childcare more accessible and indeed more affordable. The child tax credit will lift millions out of poverty, and the expanded earned-income tax credit will put money into the pockets of the lowest-income workers. Mr. Speaker, listen to this following statistic: All in all, there will be an increase in aftertax income for the poorest 20 percent of Americans by increasing their income by 20 percent. That is a staggering achievement. It is a life-changing achievement. Lastly, we also made a long overdue fix to multiemployer pension programs that will protect hard-earned savings of workers, many of whom have been on the front lines of this crisis. These are people who have played by the rules, served our country in the military, and worked day in and day out with the promise of a secure retirement not to have it pulled from under them. I would remind all that 30 Republicans on two separate occasions have voted for this bill as a standalone measure. I heard a previous speaker say: This is a bailout. It is a backstop. In addition, perhaps that individual didn't understand the PBGC, because if we didn't come to the support of these pensions, it would take down the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation which insures all pensions for Americans in the private sector. I cannot stress enough--these provisions are going to change lives. We are not creating a narrative talking about changing lives, we are going to do it with this legislation. We are doing the right thing, not only because of what we have been saying that we would do for years--this is the moment--but this legislation has the support of economists from the left, the right, and the center. This is about the power of ideas. But because it is what the American people want also, let me be clear: the American people, regardless of political affiliation, overwhelmingly support this package because they know what is in it is badly needed to get to the other side of the crisis. I regret that the overwhelming support that I have just described has not been translated into unity in this Chamber. This is bipartisan in America even if it is not bipartisan in this Chamber. Our colleagues on the other side have deemed workers who saw their entire industries evaporate perhaps unworthy of this moment. They have deemed working parents perhaps unworthy of this moment, and they have deemed the working- and middle-class American family perhaps at this moment unworthy. I don't understand it. Instead, there has been a lot of talk about this package being too large and too expensive. But if there was ever a time to go big, this should be it. Shouldn't helping struggling American families be worth the size of this bill? I seem to recall that my colleagues found that wealthy Americans and big corporations were worth the size of their tax cut. So why not working- and middle-class families who are facing a health and economic crisis unlike anything the Nation has experienced in more than a century? I actually have some charts that I think highlight the difference today. We have two comparisons of who benefits from the American Rescue Plan and who benefited in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This is pretty apparent and pretty obvious to all who might discern in this moment. As you can see, Mr. Speaker, the benefits that my colleagues across the aisle will oppose today go directly to working-class Americans. However, with the next chart, Mr. Speaker, you can look at their package, and it was nearly the same size. By the way, they borrowed $2.3 trillion for it. It had overwhelming support from their side of the aisle. But look who the benefits went to. The evidence is overwhelming as to who the benefits went to. This package is nearly the same size as what they did, but the impact of what we are about to do will be extraordinary. Multiple reports have highlighted how the tax cuts bill did not, as proponents claimed, grow the economy or indeed--the great hoax--pay for itself. That never happened. Yet they continue to stand behind a law that put the powerful and the wealthy first, and they dismiss what we are about to do today. Hardworking Americans have been for too long left behind, and that ends today. This bill will save lives and livelihoods. We will help families stay housed, put food on the table, and access affordable healthcare. Most importantly, this package will help families avoid impossible choices. Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to rise to this moment and support this important legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), my friend and chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Trade and a valued senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gomez), a valued member of the Ways and Means Committee, who fought hard to ensure that all mixed-status families are eligible to receive the economic impact payments and emergency assistance under this legislation.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and tireless champion of ensuring the delivery of stimulus checks to low-income retirees.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes of my time. Mr. Speaker, this is a most significant day, and this legislation meets the challenge of history and calls Americans to act upon this crisis. This is the opportunity now, and we should act. This is not about self-correction. Far too much is at stake. Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleagues and, particularly, the Committee on Ways and Means' staff, who wore many hats through this, from crafting this package to the brutal negotiations with the Senate. They worked long hours while facing the same challenges presented by remote school, lack of childcare, and concern for family members that Americans face every moment through this crisis. There are too many names to include, but I know that their counsel has been unparalleled and their expertise always unmatched. Mr. Speaker, over the Speaker's rostrum is a magnificent admonition from a son of Massachusetts, Mr. Webster: ``Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions, promote all its great interests, and see whether we also in our day and generation may not perform something worthy to be remembered.'' That is what we are going to do in the next few minutes. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the Speaker of the House, whose attention to legislative detail is extraordinary.

Mr. NEAL. Madam Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez).

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining on both sides.