John Yarmuth

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, today I would like to recognize and honor the outstanding service of Christopher Williams, who retires this week after 30 years as a public servant at the Congressional Budget Office. Christopher Williams joined CBO in 1991. He has served for many years as a principal analyst in the Macroeconomic Analysis Division. In that capacity, he played a pivotal role in producing and describing CBO's economic projections. Christopher developed and maintained the econometric model used to produce those projections and, later in his tenure, he took primary responsibility for generating and explaining CBO's projections of consumer spending and the components of national income. Christopher contributed regularly to CBO's annual reports, including The Budget and Economic Outlook, and worked on numerous CBO studies, which covered topics ranging from national health expenditures to the effect of foreign aid in economic development and the effects of tax policy on labor markets. By all accounts, Christopher's colleagues at CBO appreciate his dedication, dependability, collaboration, and breadth of experience. They will miss his generosity with his time and knowledge and, especially, his kindness. I know my colleagues will join me in extending our thanks and appreciation to Christopher for his service to our country. We wish him well in his future endeavors and hope that the Nation will continue to benefit from his expertise and commitment.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of John Walczak, the longtime Director of the Louisville Zoo, as he enters retirement. John joined the Louisville Zoo in 1985 and assumed the role of Director in 2004, just a few years before I got to Congress. In my first year, I got to take a behind-the-scenes tour with John where I had the good fortune to spend a day interacting and playing with the animals. I felt like a kid all over again, and it's a day I'll never forget. I also saw firsthand the attention and love that John and his staff brought to every animal in their care. It's a passion that has spread throughout our community and the tens of thousands of Louisville families who have happy memories at the zoo. The Louisville Zoo has long been an asset to our community, but in John's 35 years there, its place in our hearts has solidified and grown. During his esteemed tenure, John oversaw the construction of several award-winning exhibits, including the Gorilla Forest and Glacier Run, and created renowned educational programs that taught our community about the beauty of the natural world. In the last 17 months when threats to public health seemed impossible to avoid, John and his team quickly adapted, ensuring that the zoo could be a safe place for families to enjoy. Under John's leadership, the Louisville Zoo has won the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Significant Achievement in Education Award for the School and Zoo program, introducing hundreds of children to the importance of wildlife conservation. He also facilitated the creation of the Little Penguin Conservation Center and the Cub House, the Zoo's first early childhood learning space. After over 35 years of service, John's commitment to his staff, his community, and the animals under his care has helped establish the Louisville Zoo as one of Kentucky's finest cultural institutions. In short, the Louisville Zoo is an absolute treasure to our community and the region, touching and improving countless lives, and providing a happy home for nature's wonders. John Walczak is a huge reason why, and we are grateful for his service. On behalf of the people of Kentucky's Third Congressional District and the city of Louisville, thank you, Mr. Walczak, for your leadership and service. I wish you the best in your retirement.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of two remarkable young women from my Congressional District, Jacqueline Teague and Amelie Beck. After witnessing their grandparents struggle to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine, Jacqueline and Amelie created the program VaxConnectKY to help seniors make vaccination appointments online. Between their classes at Sacred Heart Academy, they answered emails and calls from seniors across the Commonwealth and guided them through the vaccination process. Since February, Jacqueline and Amelie have helped more than 2,000 seniors receive the COVID-19 vaccine. In recognition of this outstanding work, Jacqueline received the 2021 Diana Award, which honors young people around the world for their humanitarian efforts. On behalf of the people of Kentucky's Third Congressional District and the city of Louisville, I thank Jacqueline and Amelie, for their life-saving service and leadership. They are both incredible role models, and l have no doubt that they will continue to make our Commonwealth proud in their future endeavors.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of William ``Bill'' Wagner, a dedicated public health servant in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, who will soon retire after more than four decades of selfless work for our community. For the last 40 years, Bill has helped lead Family Health Centers, a federally qualified health center that has grown in size and scope to become one of the largest non-profits in our area, providing health care to more than 45,000 individuals annually. Serving as Family Health Centers' CEO since 1998 and as Assistant Director for 17 years prior to that, Bill oversaw the growth of their brick-and-mortar footprint in our area, expanding the number of health center locations in our region. He also helped oversee their tremendous growth in services provided, in patients served, and certainly in the rise of positive health outcomes for the countless Louisvillians that walked through their doors seeking care. During consideration and the subsequent implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Bill was at the forefront, advocating for increasing access to care while using his voice and passion for those often unheard. As we worked to expand services across our city, it was Bill's guidance I sought out in order to be sure that we could do the most good possible for the most people. And so, it was no surprise when we saw our uninsured rate plummet as people began receiving the free preventive and other health services now available to them--just like Bill said they would if we'd just work together to make it happen. Along the way, he and his staff never hesitated to go above and beyond what was needed to make sure that our community was well-served, that people received the quality care they needed, and that everyone he crossed paths with knew that Family Health Centers was there and ready to help. Bill had previously announced his plan to retire in early 2020, but as the COVID-19 pandemic reached our borders and began to spread, he put Louisville families first and stayed at the helm of this critical public health organization in order to help lead us through this public health crisis. Bill's tremendous knowledge on public health matters, his early efforts to help ramp up testing in the communities he serves, and in his continued focus to this day on making sure that vaccines are available and accessible in every neighborhood in our city--especially those that are so often overlooked or underserved--has been invaluable. Reflecting on his upcoming retirement, Bill said, ``I've been guided by the belief that health care is a right not a privilege. We have a long way to go to achieve this goal in our community, but we have made significant strides over the decades.'' I'm proud to share that belief, but I'm even more proud to say that those strides would not have been possible without Bill's selfless dedication to his profession, his wealth of knowledge in the public health field, and his unyielding commitment to improving the lives of our fellow Louisvillians. Bill has not only improved lives, but has saved them and left a lasting mark on our city, our commonwealth, and this great Nation. I wish him nothin but the very best in retirement and look forward to seeing him soon. Congratulations and thanks for a job well done, my friend

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1868) to prevent across-the- board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend remarks and insert extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 1868.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, today, the House meets on the heels of huge milestones for our country: more than 180 million vaccine shots in Americans' arms and more than 150 million rescue checks in Americans' bank accounts. As the resources included in the American Rescue Plan continue to strengthen our Nation's fight against COVID-19 and deliver critical relief to American families, today's legislation will ensure our healthcare providers--who have been on the front lines of this pandemic--are supported during this difficult time. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress came together to provide financial support to healthcare providers by temporarily pausing the sequestration of the Medicare program created by the Budget Control Act of 2011. This pause, originally enacted in the CARES Act and then further extended in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, was slated to expire on March 31, 2021. Today's legislation will extend the suspension through the end of this year. Madam Speaker, I am pleased that this bill received bipartisan support in the Senate, and it is my hope that it will receive broad bipartisan support in this Chamber as well. However, I would be remiss if I did not state my disappointment that the needed legislative fix to exclude the American Rescue Plan from the statutory paygo scorecard was dropped from this measure. Many of my House Republican colleagues supported this bill in its original form, which would essentially put the American Rescue Plan on equal footing with our other COVID relief packages and ensure it is treated the same as the previous reconciliation bill passed by Congress. So while today's action is an important step, our work is not done. Next, we must enact an additional legislative fix to prevent a separate paygo sequester and avert painful and indiscriminate cuts to Medicare, farm supports, social services, resources for students and individuals with disabilities, and other programs Americans rely on. I am committed to passing this bill today, and enacting a second sequester fix before the end of this session of Congress. I invite all my colleagues to join me in these important efforts. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from Texas an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, as the gentleman from Missouri mentioned early on, this bill passed the Senate by a 90-2 margin, and I anticipate it will pass the House by a significant margin as well. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. 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. 1868.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, because of the American Rescue Plan, relief checks are already being deposited in Americans' bank accounts, furloughs have already ended for tens of thousands of workers, and we have averted the unemployment cliff. But we have a loose end to tie up before our work is finished, and that is the bill before us. Enacting COVID relief through budget reconciliation was always plan B, but the American people could not afford any more delays, and Congress needed a path forward for the American Rescue Plan and the transformative support it provides. Because paygo requirements cannot be changed in reconciliation bills, we knew from the outset that this additional legislative fix was needed to avert painful and indiscriminate cuts to Medicare, farm supports, and other programs. The language of H.R. 1868 should look familiar. Over the past year, Congress has enacted multiple COVID relief packages to address the crises facing the American people and our economy. Each time, we excluded these bills from statutory paygo calculations because of the dire impact sequestration would have on our Nation's seniors, students, farmers, and others. Today's bill will ensure the American Rescue Plan is treated the same as these previous relief measures and treated the same as the last reconciliation bill passed by Congress. That was in 2017, when Republicans used reconciliation to pass the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Following the bill's passage without Democratic support in either the House or Senate, Republicans proposed this same legislative fix, albeit buried in a problematic continuing resolution. Enough House and Senate Democrats joined Republicans to prevent harmful across-the-board cuts to critical programs I mentioned, even though we opposed the short-term CR and the massive tax giveaways to the wealthy. This time the situation is flipped, but the same nonetheless. House Republicans opposed the American Rescue Plan. I don't understand their position. This bill is supported by more than 70 percent of Americans and will directly benefit far more. But that is the choice they made. Either way, a statutory legislative fix for paygo is now needed and, historically, that has been enacted with little dispute. Even in the wake of contentious legislation, Congress has come together to prevent sequestration and to protect Medicare, farm support programs, social services, resources for students and individuals with disabilities, and other programs Americans rely on. This time should be no different. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott), the distinguished chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, and also a member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from California.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 233, I call up the bill (H.R. 1868) to prevent across-the-board direct spending cuts, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the gentleman from Virginia that in 2017 when Republicans passed an almost identical amount of tax cuts, 83 percent of which went to the top 1 percent and major corporations, Mitch McConnell said on the Senate floor: Sequestration has never happened, will not happen now, and will never happen. His words were prophetic because it is not going to happen today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone), the distinguished chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. Craig), a distinguished member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), who is the distinguished chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from Georgia an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta), who is a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I want to remind the gentleman from Mississippi, along with all the other Members of this body, that his citizens will receive, in total, $900 million from just the $1,400 checks. That is the average that every congressional district is going to receive, and I hope that at some point they will realize the benefits of that injection of capital into an economy that is struggling. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Courtney), who is a distinguished member of the Education and Labor Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time remains on both sides?

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.