Build Back Better Agenda (Cong. Rec., Nov. 4, 2021)

Summary

Page S7780 of the Senate section of the Congressional Record for November 4, 2021, in interleaved columns, under the heading Build Back Better Agenda. One speaker says the defense bill authorizes an additional $230 million to begin improving missile defense capabilities on Guam, and warns that China's ambitions will not end with Taiwan. Another speaker describes a woman from southern West Virginia who works all her life and makes $13 an hour, and says the legislation will start bringing down seniors' prescription costs. These are the speakers' own statements.

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“Build Back Better Agenda (Cong. Rec., Nov. 4, 2021).” Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2021-11-04-crec-2021-11-04-pt1-pgs7780-794a518158/, SHA-256 39c6f4628cf21c1eaeb3e4b7b3e6c82baa399e2dea78a12847dec5d271c5b4ba.

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S7780 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE November 4, 2021
under the CCP’s control. The only force posture in the Indo-Pacific the- One woman was from southern West
thing stopping him is 100 miles of ater. Virginia, who struggled her whole life
ocean: the Taiwan Strait. Most importantly, the bill authorizes and, clearly, was working hard. She
But the CCP’s ambitions won’t end an additional $230 million to begin im- said the words ‘‘working’’ and ‘‘poor’’
with Taiwan. India, Japan, South proving missile defense capabilities on should not be in the same sentence.
Korea, and many countries in the Guam. Guam is a key element of our Think about that. She has worked all
South China Sea are feeling the effects regional presence, but it has been in- her life. She is making $13—she didn’t
of China’s aggression in ways no one creasingly threatened by China’s grow- go to Harvard. She didn’t go to Ohio
expected even a decade ago. And to ing arsenal. INDOPACOM commanders State. She worked all her life. She
back up their global agenda, the CCP is have warned of this threat since 2019, worked to raise kids. She is still mak-
hard at work expanding China’s nu- and the situation has only grown direr ing $12, $13, $14 an hour—and that,
clear arsenal. since then. Madam President, as costs only ever
As Admiral Richard, the commander The resources authorized by this bill seem to go up. Even middle-class fami-
of STRATCOM, wrote earlier this year: would begin to address this threat, and lies don’t feel stable. That was before
China’s nuclear weapon stockpile is ex- by improving our defensive capabilities the pandemic.
pected to double—if not triple or quadruple— in the region, we can keep conflict We know that in this country, before
over the next decade. from beginning in the first place. the pandemic, a quarter of people paid
A new report out yesterday from the Like many of my colleagues, I am at more than half their income—more
Pentagon paints a worse picture. It a loss to explain why the Democratic than half their income—in housing, in
predicts that China could have at least leader hasn’t brought the NDAA to the rent. That means if one thing happens
1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030, roughly floor. Even if we voted on it today, this in their lives—their car breaks down;
five times what they have now. As part would still be one of the latest NDAA their child gets sick, has to stay home
of this expansion, China is building at votes in history. from school; they maybe have a minor
So as we celebrate Veterans Day next workplace injury and miss a week of
least three new missile fields, each ca-
week and consider the sacrifice and work—everything can go wrong. Their
pable of holding over 100 ICBMs. And
service of America’s bravest, we should lives can turn upside down because
maybe most concerning, China re-
all remember our responsibility as they can be evicted.
cently tested an extremely sophisti-
Members of Congress, to give our mili- Then what happens?
cated new weapons system that com-
tary men and women the resources We know this pandemic has upended
bines space capabilities with advanced
they need to successfully complete the the global economy. Supply chains are
hypersonics. This nuclear capable pro-
missions that they are given. We can- struggling. People feel their budget
totype could give China a unique edge not afford to delay any longer. squeezed. They are anxious about
over our own arsenal. I yield the floor. whether prices that have gone up will
Madam President, this needs to be a The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen- ever go back down.
wake-up call for us. We must change ator from Ohio. We heard a lot of politicians, particu-
our approach to China. We can’t keep BUILD BACK BETTER AGENDA larly in this body, try to stoke fami-
pretending that these problems don’t Mr. BROWN. Madam President, ev- lies’ anxiety for their own political
exist. erything we are doing to lead our coun- gain, but they don’t offer solutions.
Thankfully, concern about China’s try to build back better from this pan- Their only answer is: Let’s take power
rise is an area of bipartisan consensus demic is about putting workers at the away from workers.
here in Congress. But recognizing that center of our economy. It is about rais- They think the only way to keep
there is a problem is not enough. We ing wages and bringing down costs. prices low is to keep wages even lower.
have to get our act together and we We know what has happened in this That is a false choice.
have to do something about it. There country in the last decade. We have We work on real solutions to bring
are many ways for us to push back seen profits go up. We have seen the down the biggest cost Americans face
against the CCP, but, by far, the most stock market go skyward. We have for the long term and to help families
fundamental thing we can do to safe- seen executive compensation explode keep up with the cost of living.
guard against China’s rise is to invest upward. Yet wages in Nevada and Ohio Housing, childcare, healthcare—those
in our military. and all over this country have essen- are three of the biggest items in any
The old adage ‘‘peace through tially been flat. That is why this Build family’s budget. Build Back Better
strength’’ still applies today, but the Back Better plan is about raising tackles all of them.
Biden administration has proposed wages and bringing down costs. On the Banking and Housing Com-
raising defense spending by only 1.6 We know what is wrong with our mittee, everything we are doing is
percent, and taking this year’s infla- country. I said 20 years. It has been 30 about making housing more affordable,
tion into account, that means we have years, 40 years where productivity has whether you pay a mortgage or wheth-
a proposed cut. That defies basic logic. gone up. Workers are earning more and er you pay rent. Housing is just way
The world is not getting safer. Threats more for their companies and for their too expensive and not available to
like China are not going away. bosses, but they simply aren’t sharing enough people, plain and simple. We
When we met earlier this year to re- in the wealth that they have created. need to build more homes people can
view the President’s budget request They have simply seen their wages flat. afford. We need to make the houses and
and write our annual defense author- It has gotten more and more expen- the townhouses and the apartments we
ization bill, the Senate Armed Services sive for families to raise a family and already have more affordable, and we
Committee debated defense cuts. build a middle-class life. Healthcare, need to make it affordable to buy a
What was the result? childcare, prescription drugs, higher home.
A huge bipartisan majority—25 of the education, housing are things the Pre- I visit communities in Ohio all the
26 members—voted to authorize an ad- siding Officer and I have worked on in time with houses that look affordable.
ditional $25 billion in defense spending, the Banking and Housing Committee. They are listed, maybe, at even $50,000
which primarily supported the un- Costs have doubled, tripled, quad- or $75,000, but families can’t come up
funded priorities of our commanders. rupled since people my age were trying with a down payment or sometimes
This provides our military with the to go to school and start a family. they can’t find lenders to make the
real budget growth necessary to keep Meanwhile, people’s hard work isn’t loans. Sometimes we see these lower
pace with an adversary like China. It paying off. cost properties snapped up by private
makes critical investments in readi- I remember in our Banking Com- equity—by investors paying cash. We

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ness and in modernization, as well as in mittee, we did a hearing. It was more are working to fix that with plans like
research and development programs of a listening session. It was one where targeted down payment assistance, ex-
that help America keep our techno- Senators were not asking questions. It panding access to lower cost mort-
logical edge. was listening to people, which we gages.
It also includes a number of specific should probably do more often. It was Look at healthcare for a moment.
investments that would strengthen our called the ‘‘Dignity of Work’’ session. Monthly premiums, deductibles, and

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November 4, 2021 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S7781
prescription drug prices still eat away we are empowering Medicaid to nego- costs of diapers and childcare and
at people’s budgets. In the American tiate directly. It is going to make a dif- clothes and all of the other expenses.
Rescue Plan, we strengthen the Afford- ference for seniors—a huge difference One of the joys of this job is going
able Care Act to make ACA insurance for seniors—who are living on fixed in- online where we have a website. We
plans more affordable. Customers are comes. have a ‘‘tell your story’’ about the big-
saving an average of 40 percent on their Of course, we know, for young fami- gest tax cut in American history for
monthly premiums on ACA plans be- lies, they face, generally, different working families and what that means
cause of the American Rescue Plan we costs. The children of working parents to you.
passed in March. We will make sure often get their health insurance One woman wrote in and said: For
those cost savings continue so Ameri- through Medicaid or through CHIP. the first time in my life, I can send my
cans can save on their coverage. Right now, if a mom takes on an extra son to summer camp for a week.
We will make it more affordable for shift, or if a dad takes a bonus for a job A man wrote in from Cincinnati and
seniors and Americans with disabilities well done, that tiny change—that said: For the first time ever, I can, fi-
to get the care they need at home from small change in their monthly in- nally, now afford fast-pitch softball
a workforce that actually makes a liv- come—could cause their kids to lose equipment for my daughter.
ing wage. their insurance for the month. Others have said: You know, now I
I was with a number of home care What kind of policy is that? can put aside $100 a month for my child
workers in Cleveland the other day. So Dad works really hard and is real- to go to Eastern Gateway or to Stark
These are people who take care of peo- ly good at his job, so he gets a raise; State or to North Central Ohio’s tech-
ple we love. They take care of aging and Mom wants to work an extra shift, nical or community college.
parents; they take care of workers in- so she brings a little more money Others have said—and this is the one
jured on the job; they take care of fam- home. we hear the most. You have heard so
ilies. They make $11, $12, $13 an hour. And then we take the benefit away? many families talk about the last week
Some of them have been doing this for So we are saying to them: Yes, we be- of the month. For the people around
20 years, and they still don’t make a lieve in working hard, and we believe here who make more money than this,
living wage. in family values, but if you work too you don’t think of it much; but in the
As I said earlier, as the lady from hard and you make too much money, last week of the month, so many fami-
West Virginia said, the words ‘‘work- we are going to take away the benefit. lies face the anxiety of: How do I put
ing’’ and ‘‘poor’’ should not be in the That kind of policy is just stupid. together enough money to pay my rent
same sentence. That is why we are including my legis- this month?
We know how powerful the Big lation that will keep kids insured all Well, the child tax credit has relieved
Pharma lobbyists are. For years—dec- year. It means parents won’t have to that anxiety for millions of families
ades—many of us have fought to allow worry they will get hit with a huge because they get that $300 or that $250
Medicare to negotiate prices with drug medical bill if their child gets sick in or, maybe, with two children, they get
companies, just like private insurance the same month they work some extra $600 on the 15th of the month that can
companies and the Veterans Health Ad- hours. ease the making of their rent that
ministration do. Of course, the biggest cost for so time.
I used to, as a Member of Congress, many families is childcare. The Build But it comes down to: Whose side are
take busloads to Canada—about 3 Back Better plan will ensure that mid- you on?
hours away—so that seniors could buy dle-class families pay no more than 7 It comes down to MITCH MCCONNELL
prescription drugs in Windsor, Ontario, percent of their income on childcare. and the lobbyists in his office and the
because it cost half as much. It was the What a relief that is going to be. politicians who always do his bidding
same brand name, same dosage, same Again, the point of this bill is job and pass their tax cuts for the wealthy
packaging, but the Canadian Govern- creation. Build Back Better is job cre- and the corporations that outsource
ment negotiates prices directly with ation; it is the biggest tax cut in Amer- jobs, and you know that. It was 4 years
the drug companies. The American ican history for families with children; ago that there was the biggest tax cut,
Government doesn’t. and it is to bring costs down. and 70 percent of that tax cut went to
Why? One of the most oppressive, most bur- the wealthiest 1 percent of people. Con-
Well, you know why. Look down the densome, most difficult costs for fami- trast that with our tax cut whereby 90
hall at MITCH MCCONNELL’s office, who lies is childcare. For a family with one percent of Ohio families will get at
has been the Republican leader of the toddler and two parents who earn least a $3,000-a-year tax cut.
Senate for many years. Look at the $50,000 a year, our plan will save them It is pretty simple. If you want tax
lobbyists from the drug companies who $5,000—$5,000—in childcare costs. Some cuts for billionaires, then vote against
line up outside his office. He is always families will save up to $6,500. this bill. If you want tax cuts for work-
telling people: No, we are going to do Think of what that means. On top of ing families, that is why you will sup-
whatever the drug companies want. We this, as I said, is the biggest tax cut for port Build Back Better.
know that the entire minority, the en- working families in American history. Do you want tax cuts for drug compa-
tire Republican Party here, is in the In my State and in Nevada—the Pre- nies, or do you want to bring down pre-
pockets of the drug companies. We siding Officer’s State that Senator scription drug prices? Do you want tax
know that. CORTEZ MASTO represents—it is not cuts for big banks that won’t give your
The problem is we have got to get all much different from the rest of the family a mortgage, or do you want to
50 Democrats to stand up and say: No. country. bring down the cost of housing?
We are going to negotiate. We are More than 90 percent of the families When you love this country, you
going to stand with Medicare bene- in Ohio who have children under 18 fight for the people who make it work.
ficiaries. We are going to stand with will, at a minimum, get a $3,000 tax You fight for their jobs. You fight for
people who need prescription drugs—of cut—at a minimum, $3,000 a year. That their higher wages. You fight to bring
all ages—and we are going to negotiate is a real tax cut. That is not like a de- down their cost of living. That is what
on their behalf directly with the drug duction. Those are real dollars in their we are doing.
companies, cutting the price. pockets. Think about that: more than I yield the floor to my colleague from
We do that with the VA. Whether it 90 percent of families in this country. Ohio.
is in Reno or in Cleveland, whether it In my State, it is families with 2.2 The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Sen-
is in Las Vegas or in Columbus, the VA million children. That many kids, that ator from Ohio.

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pays significantly less for prescription many families, will get at least a $3,000 AFGHANISTAN
drugs than do the rest of us. tax cut. If they have three children, Mr. PORTMAN. Madam President, I
In this bill, we are finally standing they will get an $8,000 or a $9,000 tax rise today to speak about an issue that
up to the drug companies. We are going cut in the course of a year, and that is is very concerning and has to do with
to start bringing down seniors’ pre- one of the most important parts of this our national security and our home-
scription costs. For the first time ever, bill. It will help them keep up with the land security.

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