American Rescue Plan (Cong. Rec., July 15, 2021)

Summary

A page of the Congressional Record, Senate, dated July 15, 2021, at page S4914, carrying floor speeches. A Republican speaker at the top of the page criticizes a planned budget package as another socialist spending plan. Mr. Durbin answers that no Republican voted for the American Rescue Plan, which he says is sending child tax credit money to families, and that the coming budget resolution is paid for by those making over $400,000 a year and by corporations. Mr. Thune then speaks on police departments and rising crime, saying retirements were up 45 percent and resignations rose by 18 percent in a survey cited from the New York Times.

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“American Rescue Plan (Cong. Rec., July 15, 2021).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-07-15-crec-2021-07-15-pt1-pgs4914-039acc4670/, SHA-256 a1aa6a2d38dab3dc3debc50f3b0343f654233f210ad1f60ca883875bdbfb3797.

Full text

S4914 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 15, 2021
into a nearly 2-percent pay cut. And particularly those who are struggling shootings have all increased in April and
yet, in a spectacle that could only to raise children, that is socialism? I May compared to last year.
occur in Washington, Democrats think not. It is common sense. San Francisco has seen a surge in car
picked the very same week to an- If we really value families, we are break-ins, among other crimes, with
nounce they want to tax, borrow, and going to invest in their future. And the the San Francisco Chronicle reporting
spend yet another—listen to this—$4 money that is being sent starting in June that ‘‘last month, the Police
trillion in the coming weeks. Yet an- today to these families will lift half of Department’s Central Station saw a 753
other budget socialist package twice as the children in poverty in America out percent increase in auto burglaries
big—twice as big—as the last one. of poverty for the first time. That is a compared to the previous May.’’
I am sure this is just what working dramatic achievement. It should be a In Oakland, CA, carjackings are up
Americans want to hear. They are al- bipartisan achievement. Sadly, it is a almost 88 percent, shootings are up 70
ready struggling to keep up with the Democratic achievement because the percent, and homicides are up 90 per-
soaring cost of gas, groceries, diapers, Republicans boycotted the vote over cent.
housing, automobiles—you name it. and over. Unfortunately, I could go on all day.
And now the Democrats’ big idea is to There is one thing that the Senator The crime surge is real, and it is fright-
try and inflate their way out of infla- from Kentucky fails to mention when ening. I quoted a lot of statistics and
tion? Inflate their way out of inflation. he talks about the budget resolution— percentages, but there are real people
That will be one wild ride for working maybe two things are worth saying. behind every one of those crimes—peo-
Americans, middle-class families, and First is this budget resolution, which ple whose lives have been cut short or
anybody with any savings. we are going to bring to the floor next ravaged by violence, people whose
For good measure, Democrats say week, according to the leader, is going sense of safety has been destroyed.
they will probably pair this spending to do dramatic things across America It turns out that—surprise—
spree with a set of massive tax hikes, in terms of pre-K education, 2 years of defunding the police is a terrible idea.
dumped right on top of our economic community college and the like. And It is no coincidence at all that cities
recovery. in this circumstance, it is paid for. It is that have slashed their police budgets
Our colleagues need to take this sum- all paid for. have seen huge increases in violence.
mer and think very carefully about So to say it is inflationary is to sug- Some of them are even recognizing the
what they are discussing. It would be gest that it is not paid for as adding to mistake they made and seeking to re-
hard to imagine a proposal less suited the debt. Who pays for it? Those mak- store the funding that they cut. A Fox
to the conditions of our country at this ing over $400,000 a year in income and Business piece reports:
point. Americans cannot afford another corporations. That is who pays for it. Cities like New York City, Oakland, Balti-
socialist borrowing, taxing, and spend- And the net result of it: The biggest more, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles are
ing spree that will kill jobs and raise planning to reinstate tens of millions for the
tax cut in the history of the United
construction of new police precincts, in-
costs for working families. States for middle-income and working crease police department budgets, among
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The ma- families. That is the reality. other plans to bankroll more efforts to con-
jority whip. I am going to yield the floor. I see front the uptick in crime.
AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN the Senator from South Dakota has Unfortunately, the problem won’t
Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, I come to the floor and I know he wanted necessarily be fixed that easily because
just heard the Republican leader refer to speak. We have a few minutes left. I ‘‘defund the police’’ rhetoric has not
to the American Rescue Plan as a yield the floor. just resulted in smaller police budgets;
grand socialist experiment. Remember The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- it has also resulted in police demor-
that plan? That was President Biden’s ator from South Dakota. alization and left departments worried
response to the COVID–19 pandemic. Mr. THUNE. Madam President, I ask about deploying officers to do their
How many Republicans voted for it? unanimous consent that I be able to jobs. It has resulted in a wave of police
Not one. Not a House Member nor a complete my remarks before the vote. retirements and resignations.
Senate Member of the Republican The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without The New York Times reports:
Member supported it. objection, it is so ordered. Thousands of police officers nationwide
So what was in this socialist experi- POLICE DEPARTMENTS have headed for the exits in the past year. A
ment? Well, the premiere piece was to Mr. THUNE. Madam President, it survey of almost 200 police departments indi-
make sure we distributed the COVID–19 didn’t take long. Just a year since cated that retirements were up 45 percent
vaccine to every American. Obviously, ‘‘defund the police’’ became a rallying and resignations rose by 18 percent in the
some people think that is socialism. I cry and cities started cutting money year from April 2020 to April 2021 when com-
think it is common sense. And the pared with the previous 12 months.
from police budgets, crime is surging.
more and more Americans who are im- At the beginning of June, the New That is from the New York Times.
munized, the more we escape the grasp York Times reported: The city of Asheville, NC, has lost
of this pandemic; 99.5 percent of those one-third of its police force—one-third,
Homicide rates in large cities were up
who are admitted to the hospital today more than 30 percent on average last year, Mr. President. It is not surprising. It
with serious COVID–19 symptoms are and up another 24 percent for the beginning turns out that when you spend months
unvaccinated. of this year. vilifying police officers and demonizing
So this was socialism? I don’t think Homicides are up in New York City, them for doing their jobs, some of them
so. How about the aid we gave to small Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, no longer want to stay. This is perhaps
businesses to stay open or reopen? Columbus; and the list goes on. And it the worst consequence of the ‘‘defund
That was in the American Rescue Plan. isn’t only homicide rates that have the police’’ movement.
That was Biden’s plan. There was not a risen. During the first 4 months of the Cutting police budgets is not a good
single Republican vote for it. year, Los Angeles saw a 73-percent in- idea, but resources and equipment can
Money to help businesses to reopen is crease in shootings. be built back up again, sometimes fair-
socialism? Is that what the Senator As of the end of May, Portland, OR, ly quickly. It is a lot harder to replace
from Kentucky is suggesting? Or how which has been ravaged by violent riots good seasoned officers with years of ex-
about the fact that today we are going over the past year, was on track to ex- perience protecting public safety.
to see across the United States of ceed 1,000 shootings for this year, as While it would be hard to replace them
America help to families, middle-in- at any time, it is particularly hard

SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
compared to 389 in 2019.
come families, working families, low- A Washington Examiner piece from today because it is difficult to imagine
income families to raise their children? June reported: why anyone would want to become a
So when Donald Trump writes a police officer right now. Why would
Through the first 14 weeks of this year,
check for $2,000 to every American fam- New York City saw an 81 percent increase in good men and women sign up for a job
ily, that is just fine, but when the shootings, the highest number of shootings where they are regularly characterized
Democrats and Biden want to give during the same time period since 2002. Rob- as the worst kind of criminals? Why
money to families raising children, beries, grand larcenies, felony assaults, and would they sign up knowing they may

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