John Yarmuth

Mr. YARMUTH

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

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

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Bustos), a distinguished member of the Committee on Agriculture and Committee on Appropriations.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the last couple of months have been an incredibly busy time. The work that was done on the American Rescue Plan, from start to finish, was extraordinary, and we owe our staffs an enormous debt of gratitude, and not just the Budget Committee staff, but the staff of the 12 committees that also contributed to the drafting of the American Rescue Plan. I would like to take this time to read the names of the Budget Committee staff who pulled all-nighters, all-weekenders, and went way beyond the call of duty in doing the work on the American Rescue Plan: Erika Appel, Ellen Balis, Samantha Carter, Edward Etzkorn, Jose Guillen, Jocelyn Harris, Emily King, Sarah Lee, Sheila McDowell, Diana Meredith, Leyla Mocan, Kimberly Overbeek, Barbara Pike, Katie Raymond, Scott Russell, Laura Santos, Raquel Spencer, Greg Waring, Alexandra Weinroth, Christie Wentworth, Jennifer Wheelock, Sam Wice, Ted Zegers, and Grady Stevens. I want to thank all of them personally for their work on behalf of the House. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I just want to say this: You know, we have heard a lot of newly found concern about the deficit and the debt today. We heard it during the debates. This is the same party that drove up the deficit 3 years ago, 4 years ago now, with a $2 trillion tax cut, most of which benefitted the wealthiest Americans, and, according to virtually everyone who has looked at it, didn't even come close to paying for itself. What we have done in the American Rescue Plan is give an incredible boost to the American people, the American people who need the boost most. Not one dollar in the American Rescue Plan goes to the top 1 percent of Americans. The vast majority goes to middle- and lower- income people struggling to get by. I am kind of amused when people talk about their States being cheated. The gentleman from Georgia talked about how Georgia was cheated. Under the American Rescue Plan, Georgia gets over $8 billion, twice as much as Georgia got under the CARES Act. That doesn't even count all of the money that is going to the Georgia citizens. As I said, in every congressional district in this country, on average, the people, the citizens we represent, will get $900 million, every congressional district. My friend from Missouri talked about his family of four. I know his math is better than this, but a family of four doesn't get $1,400, as he mentioned. A family of four gets $1,400 times four, which is $5,600, and then two children, depending on their ages, get at least $3,000 each. So that family of four is going to get $11,000 out of this bill. The talk about future generations, I love that. You know, I am sure that when the national debt reached $1 billion under Abraham Lincoln, there were people saying: ``Wow, we are laying an incredible burden on our grandchildren.'' When it reached $1 trillion under Ronald Reagan, I am sure there were people saying the same thing. And when it gets to $50 trillion, as it probably will in the next couple of decades, people will be saying the same thing. We have been accumulating debt for our entire history, and yet no one has ever been asked to pay for that debt, and no one ever will. So all in all, we are very proud of the American Rescue Plan. The American people love the American Rescue Plan. This fix, which we ask for today, is something that, again, is just what the Republicans asked to do in 2017. It is a routine measure. Nobody wants to cut Medicare to providers and certainly benefits to our citizens. I am sure we will have a bipartisan vote on this today, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1868. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Madam Speaker, 1 year ago this Saturday, a young couple in my hometown of Louisville were in bed when their door was broken down. The terrified couple leaped for cover, and the man, a licensed gun owner, fired a single shot toward the men busting into his home, hitting one in the leg. The intruders responded with a barrage of gunfire so wild that it not only killed the woman but narrowly missed a 5-year-old in another apartment. There is no mystery about the killers' identities, yet they remain free. That this is unjust, tragic, and an abomination should be beyond debate. Instead, it is hardly unique in America for two reasons, because the killers wore badges and their victims were Black. One year later, we are still demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, for her grieving friends and family and aching community and country. Until this horrific story stops repeating, until we can say that, in America's policing and justice system, Black lives truly matter, we will not stop fighting; we will never stop demanding justice for Breonna; and we will never stop saying her name.

Mr. YARMUTH

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 198, I call up the bill (H.R. 1319) to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 5, with the Senate amendment thereto, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, this morning there was a really interesting article in the Louisville, Kentucky, paper, The Courier-Journal, because yesterday the Beshear administration presented to the general assembly the numbers that Kentucky was going to experience based on this American Rescue Plan, the money that was going to go to the State, the money that was going to go to counties and cities, the money that was going to go to higher education--half of which has to be used to support students in need--and the amount of money that was going to go to help children out of poverty. The way it was described in this article was that these legislators-- overwhelmingly Republican, our State house is 75-25, and our senate is 38-9--were stunned and they were excited. One person described it as: the excitement was palpable. Of course it is. This is life changing for so many constituents of theirs. It is life changing for the future of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Let me put it this way: We have 4.4 million Kentuckians--4 million out of 4.4 million, 92 percent--who will be getting a check, a $1,400 check, some a little bit less, but most $1,400, and 1.2 two million children will become eligible for an extended child tax credit--1.2 million children. The magnitude of the impact of this bill is truly stunning. Now, some people will say--and you can infer this, Mr. Speaker, from many things the Republicans have said--that none of those people deserve the $1,400. They don't need it. I hope they all go home and tell those people that they represent, you really don't need that $1,400. You haven't suffered because of this pandemic. You haven't had to care for a relative or a child who has not been able to go to school, and you haven't had any extra expenses because of the pandemic. You just don't need it. You are a moderate- income person. Don't take the $1,400. I want to hear that conversation because it is not going to happen. As a matter of fact, what we are all concerned about on our side is Republicans are all going to vote against this and then are going to show up at every ribbon cutting for every project that is funded out of this bill, and they are going to puff up their chest and take credit for all these great benefits that are coming to their citizens. It is okay if they want to take credit for it. It is fine. What we are concerned about is that we have finally, in this body and in this Congress, risen to the occasion in the context of a terrible national disaster. What astounds me when I listen to the arguments against this bill is that nobody was at fault here. At least nobody out in the country was at fault. All these people who are going to get $1,400 didn't do anything wrong. All these kids who are going to get raised out of poverty certainly didn't do anything wrong. The people who are now in food lines in many cities across the country, who never ever would have been in a food line before, didn't do anything wrong. Who is going to help? Do we say this is all survival of the fittest? No. We rose to the occasion. We delivered. The American people I know support us. Mr. Speaker, I urge everyone to support the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Clarke), a distinguished member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion at the desk.

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 the Senate amendment to H.R. 1319.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as the sponsor of this legislation, I am immensely proud that we will soon send this bill to President Biden's desk to be signed into law. We have acted with the urgency this pandemic demands, while following every House rule and proper procedure required for a budget reconciliation package. The American Rescue Plan is aggressive--no doubt about it. But researchers and health professionals have told us this is what is needed to scale up testing and tracing, to address PPE shortages, and to speed up equitable vaccine distribution. They have told us these investments are needed if we want to save lives and defeat this pandemic once and for all. Economists have also made clear what is needed to generate a strong, inclusive economic recovery. And again, we listened. This bill provides direct financial relief to more than 80 percent of American families. It helps feed hungry Americans and provides financial support so families can afford health coverage during the greatest health crisis of our lifetimes. It prevents more than 10 million workers from losing lifeline unemployment benefits--while also making the first $10,200 of these payments tax free. It helps families facing eviction stay in their homes. And it expands the earned income tax credit, putting more money in the pockets of hardworking Americans. The American Rescue Plan will provide the resources needed to open schools safely and make up for lost time in the classroom. It will cut the child poverty rate in half--in half. Just think about what that will mean for those children and their futures--and the future of our country. The legislation has been called one of the most consequential pieces of legislation in modern history. Well, I guess that depends--if you are measuring in terms of relief for nearly every American family and hardworking individual; if your yardstick is lifting millions of children out of poverty and giving parents the help they desperately need; if your metrics are a strong and inclusive economic future both in the short term and long term, then it is easy to agree. And the American people do. They get what we are doing. They know all too well the challenges facing our Nation, and that is why the vast majority of them--Democrats, Republicans, and independents--support the American Rescue Plan. Look, this is it. Congress' work on the bill is almost done. In just a short time, we will pass this legislation. We will send it to President Biden's desk, and he will sign it into law. We promised relief. The President promised relief, and now help is on the way. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Horsford), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the majority whip.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I suspect we will listen to this throughout this debate. The ranking member of the Budget Committee, Mr. Smith, persists in trying to scare the American people because he doesn't have a valid argument against this incredible popular bill. Let me make this very clear: The statutory PAYGO requirements, which would cause a cut in Medicare, has never happened, won't happen, and will never happen. In 2017, when Republicans cut taxes for the wealthy and big corporations, we faced the same problem. We cured that. Democrats helped Republicans solve that issue. The only way any Medicare dollars get cut because of this bill is if Republicans don't help us correct it. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Levin), a distinguished member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks), the distinguished chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries), the Democratic Caucus chairman and a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman that the push to give $2,000 to every citizen under a certain income level was former President Donald Trump's idea. He campaigned on that. I guess the Republicans have had a change of heart now that it is a different President. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Carolyn B. Maloney), the distinguished chair of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time remains.

Mr. YARMUTH. Mr. Speaker, we have just listened to a repetitive recitation of all the arguments we have heard about the American Rescue Plan for the last 6 weeks or so, and they consist essentially of scare tactics, misinformation, and then calling everything socialism. You know, if Democrats had a potluck picnic, the Republicans would call it socialism. What we say is: This is a bill that responds uniquely to a unique national crisis and it does it in a way that the American people believe is the right way. So I respond to the minority leader by saying, a poll just this morning reported that 75 percent of the American people support the American Rescue Plan. Only 18 percent oppose it. Fifty-nine percent of Republicans support the American Rescue Plan. Despite his attempts to divide this country and to demonize the Speaker and others, the American people understand that this is the appropriate step to take at the appropriate time. Mr. Speaker, I yield 45 seconds to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu), a distinguished member of the Budget Committee.

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