Build Back Better (Cong. Rec., Oct. 20, 2021)

Summary

This is S7100 of the Congressional Record, Senate, October 20, 2021, with floor remarks by a Senator from Illinois whose name is not printed in the text read. The speaker criticizes Republican opposition on the debt limit and the American Rescue Plan, saying a default would harm American families and put household wealth and retirement savings at risk. Under the heading Build Back Better, the speaker says climate change is the gravest threat to the economy and describes a zero-emissions bus program in Champaign-Urbana. Under the heading Nomination of Tana Lin, the speaker supports her confirmation to the Western District of Washington, with the views attributed to the speaker.

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“Build Back Better (Cong. Rec., Oct. 20, 2021).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-10-20-crec-2021-10-20-pt1-pgs7100-be904fabf4/, SHA-256 23590f74440f4ce5cff1a2b864f6bff1ab9890b41148f55731da8ba66761cd4e.

Full text

S7100 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE October 20, 2021
by the Republicans. Senate Repub- be investing heavily to overcome the nomic potential. Boy, are they wrong.
licans were ready to let go of the steer- damage that has been done. What we can’t afford is to do nothing—
ing wheel and swerve into oncoming Climate change is the gravest threat nothing.
traffic with the debt limit. Right up to our economy, bar none—not to men- That is what they did when it came
until the eleventh hour, they wanted to tion our children’s and grandchildren’s to the American Rescue Plan. Not a
use the filibuster to block Democrats future. We have waited too long. Cli- single Republican would support our ef-
from addressing the debt, the limit of mate change must be addressed today. forts for the American Rescue Plan to
the debt. Do you know when that debt Tomorrow is too late. Delay and denial address the COVID–19 crisis.
was incurred? It was incurred during would not make it disappear. They will The vaccination program, which has
the Trump administration, with many only increase the damage and lessen vaccinated most of Americans and con-
of these same Republicans voting for the opportunities for solutions that we tinues to do even more, was funded by
the spending that stands behind it. might consider. that program. Money was in that pro-
Now the minority leader, Senator America is the world’s can-do Nation. gram to help businesses get back on
MCCONNELL, has once again pledged We are the Nation who looks at prob- their feet after the pandemic. It was a
that Republicans refuse to lift a finger lems and says: We can fix it. And here real investment in the future of Amer-
to deal with the debt limit when it ex- is something that our Republican col- ica. Unfortunately, it did not have sup-
pires in the first week of December. leagues either don’t get or won’t port from the other side of the aisle.
Think for a moment what defaulting admit: Dealing with climate change NOMINATION OF TANA LIN
on the debt would mean to American has the potential to be the biggest job Finally, Mr. President, on another
families. It is fodder for even more in- creator in generations. We have an op- matter, this week, the Senate is going
flation. portunity to put millions of Americans to vote to confirm Tana Lin to serve on
So don’t come to the floor with your to work building a sustainable, resil- the U.S. District Court for the Western
posing for Holy pictures on the issue of ient future for our country. District of the State of Washington.
inflation and then turn around and say: Let me give you a recent example Ms. Lin is an accomplished litigator
I don’t care what happens to the debt from last week. I had a chance to meet whose credentials, skills, and decades
limit. Americans will pay more each with the public transit officials in of experience have prepared her for this
month because of that for their mort- Champaign-Urbana, IL. Of course, assignment. If confirmed, she would be
gages and credit card bills and student Champaign-Urbana, IL, is home to the the first Asian American to serve on a
and car loans. Fifteen trillion dollars University of Illinois. They were there Federal district court in the State of
in household wealth and retirement to showcase a new zero-emissions bus Washington.
savings would be wiped out if Senator and a charging infrastructure that is She graduated from Cornell Univer-
MCCONNELL and the Republicans have cutting edge. You see, these buses run sity and New York University School
their way in the first week of Decem- on hydrogen fuel cells powered by solar of Law and began her career here in DC
ber. energy. They will save tens of thou- as a public defender. She then contin-
If our Republican colleagues are sands of gallons of diesel fuel and pre- ued defending the rights of the most
truly concerned about the economic vent more than 130 tons of greenhouse vulnerable as a trial attorney in the
well-being of America, work with us to gas emissions every single year. Civil Rights Division of the Justice De-
put together a sensible response to the Imagine if every city in America fol- partment.
debt limit. Senator SCHUMER and the lowed the lead of Champaign-Urbana, Following her time there, she moved
Democrats have said to the Repub- reconstructing their public transit sys- to my home State of Illinois to work in
licans: If you won’t lead, if you can’t tem, making them sustainable and de- the Chicago district office of the U.S.
follow, then get the heck out of the pendable. Think of all the Americans Equal Employment Opportunity Com-
way. Democrats, with a majority vote, we could put to work assembling buses mission. She litigated cases under title
will enact a new debt limit. We under- and trains, building charging stations, VII of the Civil Rights Act, age dis-
stand our responsibility to this Nation. training workers to maintain and re- crimination cases, and the Americans
BUILD BACK BETTER pair these fleets. with Disabilities Act.
Mr. President, ‘‘denial,’’ incidentally, That is what President Biden’s bipar- Today, Ms. Lin works as an attorney
seems to be the watchword on the Re- tisan infrastructure bill will help do. It in private practice, where she pri-
publican side. Certainly it is when it is the largest infrastructure proposal marily litigates cases involving anti-
comes to climate change. Some of our in decades, and it will invest billions in trust, consumer protection, the envi-
Republican colleagues insist, despite green transit alone. ronment, and labor and employment
all of the evidence, that climate And, for the record, the previous issues. And as a pro bono civil rights
change is a phony, fake news, a hoax. President, Republican President Don- attorney, she has combated racial dis-
Others acknowledge it is real but say ald Trump, had no transportation crimination, advocated for religious
we just can’t afford to do anything package. He talked about it in the accommodations in the workplace, and
about it. In fact, what we can’t afford campaign, and for 4 straight years he helped protect our elections from polit-
to do is nothing. Climate change is delivered nothing. ical interference.
here, and the cost of it is disastrous. President Biden’s Build Back Better Her nomination is another example
One in three Americans live in a agenda is also an investment in our fu- of the Biden administration and Senate
county that has been hit by an extreme ture. If you are worried about our Democrats working together to ad-
weather event this summer—one in worker shortage—and you should be— vance highly qualified judicial nomi-
three—with family homes consumed by the Build Back Better plan will enable nees.
wildfires, farms ravaged by unprece- parents, especially mothers, to return Ms. Lin received a unanimous—unan-
dented droughts, and lives lost in to work by making safe and affordable imous—rating of ‘‘well qualified’’ from
floods of Biblical proportion. childcare resources and senior care the American Bar Association, and she
Last year, our Nation was hit by 18 available for every family in this coun- has the strong support of her home
climate disasters costing at least a bil- try. And it is a blueprint for America State Senators, MURRAY and CANT-
lion dollars each—18. The total tab for to win the 21st century and boost every WELL.
climate-related disasters that year was family’s economic security by invest- I urge my colleagues to support Ms.
$95 billion. This year is worse. Remem- ing in schools, education, and first- Lin’s historic nomination.
ber Hurricane Ida? It caused $100 bil- class job training. I yield the floor.

sspencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
lion in damages. Think about that. One Continuing to do nothing while China The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr.
storm: $100 billion. and our other competitors pass us by is HICKENLOOPER). The Senator from
And don’t believe that that is just a a strategy for finishing in second place, Alaska.
matter of private citizens contacting which appears to be the Republican REMEMBERING CHUCK BUNDRANT
their insurance companies. You can bet strategy. Our Republican colleagues Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President,
that the Federal Government and say: We just can’t afford to invest in this afternoon I come to the floor to
many State and local governments will America’s workers, families, and eco- recognize the life and the contributions

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