John Yarmuth

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green), a distinguished member of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez), a distinguished member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez), the distinguished chair of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), the distinguished chair of the Financial Services Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), a distinguished member of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. That is another thing we are going to hear continuously throughout the day, and that is that these are socialist programs; just as we heard last week that building infrastructure in this country was a socialist activity. And now childcare is socialist. Public education is socialist. Caring for our seniors is socialist. Dealing with climate change is socialist. I would like to get a definition from my Republican colleagues about what socialism is because the American people see this very differently; and virtually every poll on this piece of legislation has shown overwhelming support for each the elements that we are proposing. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, virtually every Republican who comes to the microphone today will say that this is an inflationary bill. We know that. They have said that time after time after time. Unfortunately, the experts disagree with them. Seventeen Nobel economists have written a letter stating that they believe this, over the long term, will ease inflationary pressures. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who is as much of an inflation hawk as there is in this country, I think, said just last week, ``I'm for Build Back Better. I'm for it because of what it'll do for the environment. I'm for it because of what it'll do for the society. ``I don't think it's going to have a meaningful impact on inflation. It spends less money over 10 years than we spent just last year. Its spending is largely offset by tax increases. And it includes measures that will actually increase supply.'' This is from the former Secretary of the Treasury, Larry Summers. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee), who is a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), who is the Democratic Caucus chairman and a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 774, I call up the bill (H.R. 5376) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 5376.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the bill before us today marks a triumph for our Nation. After months of negotiations within our Caucus and our committees, with our colleagues in the Senate, and with the White House, I am proud to present the most consequential legislation for American families since the New Deal. The Build Back Better Act makes historic investments over 10 years to overhaul and reimagine entire sectors of our economy and society so that everyone, not just those at the top, will benefit from a growing economy. This bill delivers the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations, the largest effort to combat climate change in American history, the biggest expansion of affordable health coverage in a decade, the most significant effort to bring down costs and strengthen the middle class in generations, investments and key reforms to make our tax system more equitable, and more. To be clear, if we were only making the largest investment in childcare in the history of the Nation, saving most American families more than half of their spending on childcare, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only guaranteeing universal preschool for all 3- and 4- year-olds, the first expansion of basic public education in our country in 100 years, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only making our Nation's largest investment ever to combat the climate crisis, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only capping out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under Medicare at $2,000, saving more than a million seniors an average of $1,200 a year, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only expanding the Affordable Care Act so that those who have been locked out of Medicaid can get good coverage and then requiring all insurance companies to provide insulin for no more than $35 a month, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only making the single largest and most comprehensive investment in affordable housing in U.S. history, that would be a major victory for the American people. If we were only providing one of the largest middle-class tax cuts in our Nation's history, that would be a major victory for the American people. But in this bill, the Build Back Better Act, we don't just do one of these. We do all of them. Each of these investments on its own will make an extraordinary impact on the lives of American families. Together, they will be transformative. Here is the kicker. Because our tax system has been so unjust, so tilted to benefit the well-off and the well-connected, we can pay for all this by simply making our tax code more fair. It is a hell of a deal. It is why Nobel Prize-winning economists and other experts backed this paid-for and progrowth agenda, citing how it will make our tax system more equitable, ease longer term inflationary pressures, and help American families build a much stronger future. That is what governing should be about. It is not a game. We aren't elected to make a scene. We are elected to make a difference and to make the lives of the people we serve better. Enacting this legislation will be a momentous achievement for Congress. More importantly, it will change lives. It will save lives. It will deliver on the promise of the American Dream for generations to come. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, it must be easy to be a Republican in Congress these days because you can make things up. You can throw out numbers without any fear of being contradicted. But we will have, probably by the end of the day, a CBO score from the Congressional Budget Office which will undercut virtually every argument that the gentleman from Missouri made. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Education and Labor Committee and also a member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), who is the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I am happy to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ryan), a distinguished member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Virginia (Ms. Wexton), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 190th Anniversary of Presentation Academy. This home of academic excellence is not only the first Catholic school in Louisville, but also our city's oldest continually operating school. In 1831, Mother Catherine Spalding and the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth founded Presentation Academy, and over the past 190 years, the city of Louisville and Presentation have grown and changed together. It is an honor to recognize this iconic institution and its commitment to educating and inspiring young women. In making diversity, inclusivity and individuality a core part of the learning environment at Presentation, you have prepared generations of young women to take on the challenges of the future. Following a long tradition, senior Toppers sign Presentation's tower on their last day of school, and I am grateful to the many Presentation alumnae who have also left their signature on Louisville and beyond. I have no doubt that this legacy of service and activism will continue for years to come. Madam Speaker, colleagues, please join me in extending our congratulations to the administration, faculty, staff, parents, students, and alumnae of Presentation Academy as they celebrate nearly two centuries of changing lives through education and service. They are an absolute treasure to our community, and I wish them the best as they come together to celebrate this incredible milestone.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Rules Committee for both yielding and for his kind remarks. Mr. Speaker, this is what our Republican colleagues won't tell the American people: The debt ceiling does not control spending. It is raised, as has been said multiple times now, to cover the debt we have already incurred. In this case, a lot of that debt is from the 2017 Trump tax scam. Our Republican colleagues will tell you they voted to cover that debt. But here is the deal: That massive giveaway to wealthy corporations and individuals has a price tag of nearly $2 trillion. This year, it added $271 billion to the debt. Republicans are refusing to pay that bill. Next year, it will add another $243 billion to the debt. Are Republicans going to pay that bill? How about in fiscal 2024 or fiscal 2025 or fiscal 2026? They refuse to vote to pay those bills. This whole debate about the debt ceiling has become a dangerous lie, a very dangerous lie. The truth is, the debt ceiling needs to be repealed or at least it needs to be reformed so we can put an end to this political brinkmanship that will continue to threaten our economy and the livelihoods of American families for years. It is time to end this charade.