Steve Scalise

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, I want to first associate myself with the remarks made by Ms. Eshoo of California, as well as Mr. Pallone, and stand up in strong support of this bill. I also thank the lead authors, Mr. Fortenberry and Mr. Quigley, and all of us who have worked on this and other issues to help patients with ALS. This goes back to other legislation that we have worked on, including the 21st Century Cures Act, where Congress came together, Republicans and Democrats, through the Energy and Commerce Committee, to help put a sharper focus on finding cures for diseases like ALS, diseases like Alzheimer's, and so many other debilitating diseases where you have got people that just want hope; as Ms. Eshoo said, where you have people who want the ability to live their lives to the fullest. I know I have worked on so many of these ALS-related issues with a hero back home in my district, Steve Gleason. Steve Gleason was, for awhile, more famous as a player for the New Orleans Saints, somebody who gave us a light in the darkness of Hurricane Katrina, but then Steve was diagnosed with ALS. He turned his notoriety into a call for action for other people with ALS to be able to live their lives to the fullest. Steve has been an inspiration to so many. He has a speech device that allows him to communicate; and he stays incredibly active. Steve brought this bill up over a year ago. So this is one more thing that we can do to help people with ALS; so that they can bring new therapies so that people living with ALS do have more ability to treat this disease. This means lifesaving drugs will now be available for individuals who are not otherwise able to get into ALS clinical trials. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of heroes, inspirational battlers like Steve Gleason, and so many of us have other heroes in our districts, I rise in strong support of this great piece of legislation that brings Republicans and Democrats together to take action for those people who are counting on us.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart but in strong support of this legislation, the CAROL Act. Clearly, if you look at the policy, we are here today to expand research on valvular heart disease to help save more lives, but we are also here to pay tribute to Carol Barr and talk about a special person that we were blessed to know. Carol was one of those people who would light up a room. I was blessed to be in many of those rooms with Andy and Carol and their two beautiful daughters. Then, we got the news. It was news that you don't wish upon anybody, but to watch how Andy has carried on a legacy since then, obviously caring for Carol's legacy, caring for those two beautiful young daughters, but then turning it into something bigger with the CAROL Act. This legislation is going to help some of those 25,000 Americans who lose their lives every year to valvular heart disease, many of them young women like Carol. Hopefully, we can prevent others from having to go through what Andy went through and what all of us went through because, while we battle on the day-to-day issues, we care about each other. We are family in many ways. We spend a lot of time here together. We get to know each other personally. I got to know Andy. I was in charge of recruiting in 2012, and he was the first recruit that I called. We hit it off from day one and just developed an incredible friendship. With friendships like that, you get to know the families of the people that we serve with. Every time you were in a room with Andy and Carol and their family, it was just a special, special time. I know so many of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who are expressing those same passions. At least we get to channel this into something positive that can help other people. Andy, your strength in her death serves as a constant tribute to Carol's life. Carol used to have a saying. She would say, ``Just get it done.'' Today, we are going to get something special done in honor of an incredibly special person. I am sure they have C-SPAN in Heaven, and I know Carol is watching right now, as she is so proud of the strength you have exhibited. But today, she knows that her name is also going to be attached to something that is going to save lives for years to come. God bless Andy, his beautiful daughters, and Carol.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for next week. I yield to my friend, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), to talk about the schedule for next week.

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that update. As it relates to tomorrow's schedule, as the gentleman from Maryland said, it could be fluid, depending on how the CR is processed in the Senate. If the CR does not pass the Senate tonight, are there bills that are specifically designated to come up tomorrow, or is that a to-be- determined issue?

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for that update. As it relates to the debt ceiling, we had a discussion a few weeks ago relating to the debt ceiling. Would there be a bipartisan negotiation? We haven't had that so far. Is there anticipation that there would be a plan to try to engage both sides in a negotiation on the debt ceiling, or is this something that we are just going to have to wait to see next week?

Mr. SCALISE. Well, then we will see what develops from that discussion. As it relates to the National Defense Authorization Act, and as the gentleman pointed out, we are aware there are bipartisan negotiations between both the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats. I share the hope and expectation that they can come to an agreement. There are a few final details that both sides are trying to work out. I think they have already agreed, which we both share, that our troops deserve a pay raise, need a pay raise, and that number has been agreed to. Hopefully, that is part of this, as well as the proper funding levels for our Nation's defense as we see threats emerging throughout the world. We also know the detriment of not having proper defense funding because they can't enter into the contracts that are necessary. Both of those conversations seem to be, from what we are hearing, going well. Hopefully, that is a bill that can come to the floor next week, and we can all come together to help pass that. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman for any comments.

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, there are two specific pieces of legislation I would like to ask the gentleman to look at. One is, by the end of the year, as you know, there are some potential cuts coming to entities like Medicare if Congress doesn't take action. There is a bipartisan bill that members of the Doctors Caucus and other members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce and other committees of jurisdiction have worked on. It is H.R. 6020. That would stave off those cuts to our healthcare providers. It would need to be passed by the end of the year--otherwise, those cuts would automatically kick in--if the gentleman could take a look at that bill and see if that is something we could do in a bipartisan way before we leave for the year. Another would be, you and I have had this conversation successfully on other legislation dealing with ALS. The Steve Gleason Act was one of those; there are others. I have spoken to Steve Gleason recently. There is a piece of legislation that we were able to work on that got out of the Committee on Energy and Commerce unanimously. It is H.R. 3537, the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act. I would just ask if the gentleman could look at that bill. It came out unanimously, bipartisan, from the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and it is something that, obviously, would help a lot of people who could use that help. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SCALISE. Well, that would be great news to so many people across the country.

Mr. SCALISE. I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I share that sentiment the gentleman had, and hopefully, we can achieve those bipartisan victories. As you mentioned, H.R. 3537 would be a tremendous victory for people who struggle with ALS to continue to seek out new therapies and be able to live their lives in the best way possible. I appreciate the gentleman's past efforts as well as the offer to bring that bill to the floor next week. Madam Speaker, if the gentleman doesn't have anything else, I thank the gentleman, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. I thank the gentleman from Maryland for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would like to request if the gentleman could let us know what the schedule is expected to be for the remainder of today. Obviously, the reports are that there may be a CBO score today. I also want to ask the gentleman: Would it be anticipated that there would first be a CBO score before any final passage of legislation?

Mr. SCALISE. I thank the gentleman. So regarding the CBO score, right now we are probably at about one-third of the bill being scored. Would it be expected that it wouldn't come up until the full 100 percent would be scored or something less than that? The other question would be, if the Rules Committee is going to meet again to come out with an additional rule based on the Senate scrub, would there be additional debate on the bill added as part of that rule or would it just be a debate on the rule and then straight into final passage?

Mr. SCALISE. So for the three remaining committees, we have Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Judiciary that still haven't been scored. Would all of those be at least in a table? The remaining committees that have not been scored, would they be part of a breakdown table at a minimum, whether or not it is the more detailed version, as well?

Mr. SCALISE. So Ways and Means and Judiciary would also be in a table before something came?

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for his leadership and for yielding time. Mr. Speaker, we are facing in America crisis after crisis after crisis created by President Biden's policies. Just look at some of the crises we are facing: There is an inflation crisis that has probably the worst effect on lower- and middle-income families. They are paying 50 percent more for gas. They are paying more for everything they buy at the grocery store. This Thanksgiving is expected to be the most expensive ever because of President Biden's radical agenda and all the spending, the trillions in spending that has already been done. So what is the answer of this majority? To raise more taxes, to spend trillions more dollars, jacking up inflation even higher. And who is it to benefit? Let's look at the Joint Committee on Taxation who just came out with an assessment of this. You know who benefits the most in this bill? The largest decreases go to those making a million dollars or more. That is right. The largest tax cuts go to the multimillionaires. Do you know who gets the smallest tax cuts? The smallest goes to those making $40,000 to $50,000. They get the least amount. And where are they paying for it? They are paying for it in a natural gas tax. Everybody who uses natural gas to heat their home this winter is going to be paying about 30 percent more. For what? To give tax breaks to millionaires in five States. And don't just take the Joint Committee on Taxation's word for it. Let's listen to Bernie Sanders, the chairman of the Committee on the Budget. Do you know what he just said yesterday about this? ``You can't be a political party that talks about demanding the wealthy pay their fair share of taxes, and then end up with a bill that gives large tax breaks to millionaires.'' That is what Bernie Sanders said. He also said the hypocrisy of that is too strong, giving tax breaks to millionaires in this bill. And for what? So that low-income families who are paying it can then see their tax dollars go to give $450,000 checks to people that come here illegally. That is right. You are going to be paying 30 percent on your household electricity bills for 87,000 more IRS agents, who President Biden says want to comb through your bank accounts. If you make more than $10,000--not the millionaires and billionaires--if your grandmother on a fixed income, makes $10,000, 87,000 IRS agents will be unleashed on her bank account to then go and give $450,000 checks to people who came here illegally. Stop this madness. Did you not pay attention to the results of the Virginia election just two weeks ago? They said enough of the spending in Washington. Let's focus on helping those hardworking families who are being crippled by this inflation. This will only be made worse if you throw trillions more dollars in taxes and spending onto this dumpster fire. Let's save America. Stop. Defeat this bill.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the rule, but specifically against this massive, multitrillion dollar tax-and- spend bill. Of course, we just got the text last night, over 2,300 pages. As we have been combing through it, I would like to point out a few pieces in this bill. Let's start with a natural gas tax. President Biden promised that anyone who makes less than $400,000 a year will not pay a dime in new taxes. He even whispers it into the microphone. The only problem is he breaks the promise right here in the bill with a tax that, according to the American Gas Association, will increase household electricity rates by 30 percent. By the way, it is low-income families that will be hit the hardest with that increase. Broken promise by President Biden right there. Then you go down and you look at amnesty. It has been talked about. Millions of additional people will get amnesty in this bill, and it comes at a time where President Biden is negotiating--initially, he said he wasn't, and then the White House had to go back up and say the Justice Department is negotiating--half-a-million dollar checks to people who came across our border illegally. And then they are going to give amnesty to millions more people. Estimates are 7 million more people. Can you imagine the flood that will come over when they hear that you can get half a million dollars per person if President Biden gets his way? Then you go down the line. There is more, unfortunately. We will comb through IRS agents. How many of us have our phones ringing off the hooks with people calling saying: Please add 87,000 more IRS agents to the rolls? Not one of us has probably gotten that call. Yet they put it in the bill. They call this infrastructure. They call this equity. Whatever they want to call it, it is an army of IRS agents that are going to comb through our bank accounts.

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, they are going to be combing through your bank account. Why? Because they have to generate hundreds of billions of dollars to spend on more inflation-inducing spending. That is right, according to the Penn Wharton Budget Model, you are going to have over $4 trillion of spending with $1.5 trillion of new taxes. By the way, that is $2.5 trillion of additional debt, even though the President says there is no cost. No cost, just $2.5 trillion of debt. But these IRS agents are going to have to account for over $200 billion to find money from your checking accounts. That is what they are trying to do by dark of night. We started the morning at 8 a.m. We are here after 9 p.m. starting to get into the details of this bill. No wonder they don't want a CBO score. No wonder they want to do this by dark of night. This is going to induce more inflation that is hurting families all across America. Listen to what the voters of Virginia said. Stop the madness. Defeat this bill.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I yield back to the majority leader to inquire as to the calendar for the remainder of this week--the bills that we just finished voting on, go through the rest of the bills that were on the schedule. Since there is no schedule that we see before us, if the majority leader could tell us what to expect next after this last vote.

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. As we anticipate possible votes tonight, possible votes tomorrow, the two major pieces of legislation that are still out there, and specifically the bill that went before the Rules Committee yesterday, roughly 2,500 pages. One of the things we talked about is, if that bill were to come to the floor, currently there is no Congressional Budget Office or Joint Committee on Taxation score on those bills, would there be a score on those bills prior to them coming to the floor for a vote?

Mr. SCALISE. The JCT is obviously important, and I appreciate that the gentleman said there would be a JCT score, but on the CBO score, there have been some significant changes made in the Rules Committee since those CBO conversations. Would that be revised to include the new version of the bill?

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an American hero and a dedicated husband and father. Jared Keyworth, from Mandeville, LA, served as a Senior Inspector with the United States Marshals Service and tragically lost his life in the line of duty earlier this month. Senior Inspector Keyworth began his service with the Marshals in July of 2010. Upon graduation from the United States Marshals Academy, Senior Inspector Keyworth was first assigned to the District of Colorado-Denver and later served in the District of Southern Florida- Miami and District of Eastern Louisiana-New Orleans. In 2018, he was selected to serve the USMS Investigative Operations Division, Technical Operations Group in Baton Rouge, LA. Prior to Senior Inspector Keyworth's service with the United States Marshals Service, he served his nation in the United States Army ``Old Guard'', the Caisson Platoon, HHC 1st Battalion, 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. While in the Army, Jared Keyworth escorted the riderless horse, the symbol of a fallen leader who will never ride again, during President Ronald Reagan's funeral. On September 28, 2021, Senior Inspector Keyworth was critically wounded while in pursuit of a violent felony offender in the state of Mississippi. He passed away on October 1, 2021. Jared will forever be in our hearts and minds, and Jennifer and I will keep his family in our prayers. We are eternally grateful for his service to our great country.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an American hero. Jared Keyworth from Mandeville, Louisiana, served as a senior inspector with the United States Marshals Service and tragically lost his life in the line of duty earlier this month. Senior Inspector Keyworth began his service with the Marshals Service in 2010 and took on assignments in Denver, Miami, and New Orleans. Most recently, he was selected to serve in the marshals' technical operations group in Baton Rouge. Prior to Jared's service with the marshals, he served in the United States Army's Old Guard. During President Reagan's funeral, Jared escorted the riderless horse, the symbol of a fallen leader who will never ride again. On September 28 of 2021, Jared was critically wounded while in pursuit of a violent felony offender. He passed away on October 1. Jared will forever be in our hearts and minds, and we are eternally grateful for his service to our great country.

Mr. SCALISE

Mr. SCALISE. Madam Speaker, I rise for the purpose of inquiring of the majority leader the schedule for next week. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), my friend, the majority leader.

Mr. SCALISE. Of course, those are true.

Mr. SCALISE. We all negotiated on the three different debt ceiling increases that happened under the Trump administration, including CARES and the Paycheck Protection Program. They were very bipartisan. Does the gentleman disagree with that?