Congressional Record, Senate — September 7, 2022, S4453
Summary
This is S4453 of the Congressional Record, Senate, September 7, 2022, with interleaved columns of floor remarks by Mr. Thune. Under the heading Inflation, Mr. Thune states that inflation was above 8 percent for a fifth straight month, criticizes Democrats' spending and the Inflation Reduction Act, and cites Department of Agriculture projections of record cash receipts up 14 percent in 2022 with net cash farm income down 1 percent. Under the heading Law Enforcement, Mr. Thune criticizes prosecutors' policies and Democrats' positions on border and public safety measures, with the views attributed to Mr. Thune.
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“Congressional Record, Senate — September 7, 2022, S4453.”
Original at www.govinfo.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/crec-crec-2022-09-07-crec-2022-09-07-pt1-pgs4453-2-fff727f729/
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September 7, 2022 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4453
chain issues and the increased cost of crime district attorneys in New York, any Americans, least of all to the vul-
building materials are hamstringing Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chi- nerable people Democrats say—say—
the repair process and making it even cago. they are helping.
harder to rebuild. The Los Angeles DA has presided I suggest the absence of a quorum.
I am sure my Democratic colleagues over a 69-percent increase in shootings The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
heard similar stories during their own and a 40-percent spike in car thefts. pore. The clerk will call the roll.
August travel. Kentuckians aren’t the Chicago’s liberal DA ‘‘appeared to be The senior assistant legislative clerk
only Americans feeling pinched. simply dropping nearly 30 percent of all proceeded to call the roll.
The official inflation numbers con- felony cases, including’’—listen to Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask
firmed that yet again just after the this—‘‘alleged murders.’’ Philadel- unanimous consent that the order for
Senate adjourned last month—a fifth phia’s liberal DA has presided over an the quorum call be rescinded.
straight month of inflation above 8 per- 85-percent spike in shootings and a The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tem-
cent. Inflated gas prices, inflated util- huge increase in murders since he took pore. Without objection, it is so or-
ity bills, the worst explosion in grocery over. dered.
costs since 1979—these are the painful In the name of equity or compassion, INFLATION
effects of Democrats’ reckless spend- these people are announcing they will Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, some-
ing. not prosecute entire categories of times around here, in what a lot of peo-
Americans keep communicating over crimes. No wonder American cities are ple refer to as the ‘‘ivory tower,’’ we
and over and over that runaway costs becoming more dangerous by the day. talk about issues like they are abstract
are their top concern, and they didn’t A couple years back, a former DA issues, like they don’t have any real
like what President Biden and his from outside Boston published a list of world effect. And I just wanted to
party are doing about it. crimes she would not prosecute: shop- touch on something, before I begin on
Ah, but amazingly, just a few days lifting, breaking and entering, resist- my other subject here today, which is
before the latest inflation report, ing arrest, and, even in the middle of related to recent information that has
Democrats had just pushed through the opioid crisis, possession with intent been put out by the Department of Ag-
hundreds of billions of dollars more in to distribute. As a reward, Washington riculture, the USDA’s Economic Re-
liberal waste on a party-line basis. Democrats made Rachel Rollins the search Service, which is the arm that
Democrats packed their bill with an U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. She does projections on the economy and
environmentalist wish list that won’t got a promotion. the farm economy, generally. What
even affect climate. They sold it—lis- Just last month, Senator RUBIO put they are now concluding is that in 2022,
ten to this—as an Inflation Reduction forward an amendment to increase there are going to be record cash re-
Act even though experts found it would funding for cops and keeping violent ceipts—record cash receipts—crop pro-
do absolutely nothing meaningful to criminals behind bars. Democrats duction, livestock production—record
reduce inflation. They did find room blocked it. levels, 14-percent higher year over
for massive, job-killing tax hikes that Every Senate Democrat has also year. But what they go on to say is
will hit manufacturing especially hard voted multiple times to strip Customs that even with record cash receipts up
and kill jobs on the brink of a possible and Border Protection of the only re- by 14 percent, net cash farm income is
recession. maining emergency authorities to con- going to be down. Net cash farm in-
It is not getting any easier to put tend with the historic surge in illegal come is going to be down by 1 percent.
food on the table, pay rent, or even immigration unfolding on their watch. Why is that? Well, because if you
keep the lights on, but here we are Of course, the open-door policies our look at what has increased, increased
again, starting another Senate work colleagues support in office are rooted costs on farmers in this country, they
period with not one word from the in open-border rhetoric that they have have reached some record levels. If you
Democratic leader about plans to bring embraced literally for years. look at, for example, fertilizer. Farm-
bills to the floor to cut inflation, fight On the campaign trail, then-Can- ers will spend 84 percent more, or $21
the crimewave, or secure the border. didate Biden himself said, ‘‘You want billion more, on fertilizers than they
The American people have commu- to flee . . . you should come.’’ So on did in 2020; 65 percent, or nearly $8 bil-
nicated loud and clear what their prior- President Biden’s watch, illegal immi- lion, more on fuel and oil; and more
ities are, and Democrats keep commu- grants flocked—literally flocked—to than $18 billion more on feed for live-
nicating loud and clear they simply do the border, some carrying his cam- stock. Then you add in, on top of that,
not care. paign’s flags and T-shirts. debt, which, for a farm operation, obvi-
LAW ENFORCEMENT There is an outright security crisis ously, they are a very debt-intensive
Mr. President, now on another mat- at our southern border. We are in the operation. So with higher interest
ter, inflation is not the only way the middle of the most illegal immigration rates and record farm debt of $496 bil-
last 2 years have shown that bad poli- arrests in more than two decades. This lion, that is expected to increase inter-
cies and bad ideas have real con- year, just January to August, Border est payments by 37 percent, or more
sequences. One especially damaging Patrol says they have already run into than $7 billion, from 2020, or 2 years
myth is the liberal notion that making nearly double the number of known ago.
our country kinder means having criminals this fiscal year as they saw So my point, simply, is that, at least
weaker public safety, weaker justice in the entire year—entire year—before in my part of the country, with corn,
for criminals, and weaker borders. This President Biden took office and huge, soybeans, wheat, livestock, and cattle
misunderstanding dominates today’s huge upticks of deadly drugs like prices expected to go up in record num-
Democratic Party. fentanyl. bers in terms of overall gross farm in-
Across our country, Democrats have But Democrats aren’t just ignoring a come—gross cash receipts—that you
spent years—years—trying to defund security crisis; it is a humanitarian would think would lead to good times
law enforcement. Studies have proven crisis as well. Waves of unaccompanied in American agriculture, because of in-
that anti-police hostility changes how children have stretched Border Patrol’s flation, a 14-percent increase in gross
officers do their jobs, leading directly facilities to the limit. Under incom- cash receipts is going to result in an
to more crime, including more mur- petent leadership, the Department of actual loss, a reduction year over year
ders. So liberals’ nationwide anti-po- Health and Human Services has had to from 2021, when it comes to inflation-
lice PR campaign has literally cost scramble to help ensure the safety of adjusted net farm income.
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
people their lives. children in its custody. So I make that point simply to illus-
When liberals do let police arrest There is nothing—nothing—compas- trate how critical it is that, as policy-
criminals, a growing cadre of far-left sionate about tolerating or even en- makers, we acknowledge what is hap-
prosecutors often simply declines to couraging anarchy down at the border, pening in the real world, because I
charge them. One liberal millionaire violence in our streets, and a steady think around here the Biden adminis-
has donated more than a million dol- erosion of public safety. It is neither tration tries to downplay this inflation
lars each to the campaigns of soft-on- fair, nor is it compassionate, not to issue like it is a nonissue.
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S4454 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE September 7, 2022
It is a real issue. It is hitting the Act would have only reduced the def- $10,000] of student loan relief, and breaking
pocketbooks of every American in this icit by about $300 billion. President another, [which is that] all proposals [have
country to the tune 81⁄2 to 9 percent for Biden’s student loan plan will wipe out to be] paid for, is even worse.
a family. I said this before, but the every single dime of that reduction and That is from Obama economic ad-
analysis is out there. For an average then add hundreds of billions of dollars viser Jason Furman.
family in this country, you are talking to the debt on top of it—so much for Another former Obama economic ad-
about, year over year to buy the same the Democrats’ commitment to reduc- viser noted:
basket of goods you bought last year, ing the deficit, which, I think, was a Student loan debt relief is spending that
an additional $9,000 over last year—$700 hoax in the first place. raises demand and increases inflation. . . . It
and some per month, year-over-year, will also tend to be inflationary by raising
There wasn’t any serious commit-
month-over-month increases in costs tuitions.
ment to it, but it only took them 8
for average families in this country. days—8 days—to wipe it out after they Well, there are even some current
That is a $9,000 tax increase on every crowed about it and talked about how Democrat Members of Congress that
family in this country. they got JOE MANCHIN on board because have expressed their concerns about
Now, it is borne arguably more easily he made a commitment to deficit re- the President’s reckless student loan
by people in high-income categories, duction, which was something he sup- decision. And the president of the Com-
but if you are a working family who is posedly insisted on in these discus- mittee for a Responsible Federal Budg-
trying to make ends meet and is put- sions. And yet here we are. Eight et, which, I mentioned, is where Presi-
ting more and more on your credit card days—in 8 days it is gone. dent Biden’s very own Treasury Sec-
or dipping into savings—and there are Now, I have already noted that the retary once served on the board, issued
more and more people in this country. a scathing statement in which she said:
Committee for a Responsible Federal
I just saw this number yesterday where This announcement is gallingly reckless—
Budget estimates that the President’s
one out of every six Americans now is with the national debt approaching record
student loan measures will cost a stag-
behind in their utility payments. There levels and inflation surging, it will make
gering half a trillion dollars over the both worse. . . . It would do nothing to actu-
are people living paycheck to pay-
next decade. Here is what else the Com- ally make education more affordable, and if
check, and inflation is killing them.
mittee for a Responsible Federal Budg- anything, this policy will drive up tuition
And it is like this administration has a
blind eye to that and wants to talk et had to say: costs while raising prices on a variety of
The student debt cancellation and relief other goods and services for ordinary Ameri-
about a lot of other issues. And I can cans.
measures announced . . . by the Biden ad-
see why, because this is an issue I
ministration . . . would meaningfully boost This is from the Committee for a Re-
would not want to have to take respon- inflation.
sibility for. sponsible Federal Budget, which is
In many respects, all the spending— ‘‘Would meaningfully boost infla- where the President’s own Treasury
all the spending pushed through here, tion’’—that is right. Americans have Secretary used to serve.
advocated by the President—the $2 tril- spent the majority of the Biden admin- Let me repeat that: ‘‘while raising
lion last year, the American Rescue istration struggling with huge in- prices on a variety of other goods and
Plan, and just in the last month, an- creases in the price of everything from services for ordinary Americans.’’
other $750 billion in spending and gas to groceries, and the President just Well, as the Washington Post edi-
taxes, and the heavy-handed regula- imposed by fiat a new policy that is torial board noted, American taxpayers
tion, the shutdown of oil and gas pro- likely to ‘‘meaningfully boost infla- will be footing the bill for the Presi-
duction in this country, which drives tion.’’ dent’s student loan decision. Ordinary
up the cost of energy and which is re- I guess it isn’t surprising. After all, Americans will pay in the form of high-
flected, as I pointed out, in a lot of it is thanks in large part to the Demo- er prices. They will pay in the form of
these numbers—if you look at the fuel crats and the President that we ended higher rates on loans and mortgages,
costs year over year, you actually have up with this inflation crisis in the first and they will pay in the form of higher
a situation in American agriculture place. tuition costs.
today where you have record gross cash As I mentioned earlier, their reckless The majority of Americans do not
receipts and a reduction in inflation- American Rescue Plan spending spree have student loan debt, either because
adjusted net income. That is the im- flooded the country with unnecessary they paid off their loans, never went to
pact of inflation. money and the economy overheated as college, got a scholarship, or worked
STUDENT LOAN DEBT RELIEF PLAN a result. But the President’s latest their way through college or were able
Mr. President, 8 days—8 days—that is reckless action underscores just how to go thanks to their or their parents’
how long it took President Biden to committed Democrats are to big-spend- savings. Now these Americans are
completely erase any of the supposed ing and big-government agenda. going to be footing the bill for the 13
deficit reduction included in the Demo- Now, Democrats tried to suggest that percent of Americans who do have stu-
crats’ so-called Inflation Reduction they had gotten serious about the dent loan debt. Everyone is going to
Act. economy with their so-called Inflation have to suffer economically to provide
On August 24, 8 days after signing the Reduction Act, even though the bill loan forgiveness for the few.
Inflation Reduction Act into law, was only serious about spending tax- This is deeply, deeply unfair. It is un-
President Biden announced that, with payer dollars on ill-considered prior- fair to expect Americans who either
the stroke of his pen, he would be for- ities like their Green New Deal agenda. never went to college, paid off their
giving $10,000 in student loan debt, But the fact—the fact—that it took the loans, or paid their way through to
$20,000 for Pell grant recipients, and President exactly 8 days to wipe out shoulder the cost of other Americans’
taking other costly measures on stu- any deficit reduction from the Demo- loans.
dent loans. crats’ bill tells you all you need to The President’s decision is unfair to
The Committee for a Responsible know about exactly how serious Demo- parents who scrimped and saved to
Federal Budget, which, incidentally, is crats are about handling taxpayer dol- send their children to college, rep-
where Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen lars responsibly. resenting a lot of American families; to
served prior to joining the Biden ad- Now, I have talked for a while about the students who chose a lower cost
ministration, estimates that, all to- why the President’s student loan plans college or worked to put themselves
gether, the President’s student loan are such bad economic policy, but you through; to the men and women in uni-
form in the military who fought for
SSpencer on DSK126QN23PROD with SENATE
changes will cost anywhere from $440 don’t have to take my word for it. Here
billion to $600 billion over the next dec- is what former Obama economic ad- this country to earn money for their
ade. The Penn Wharton Budget Model viser Jason Furman had to say about college education; and to the families
suggests it could be even worse than President Biden’s student loan plans: struggling with high grocery bills and
that, with the total cost over 10 years Pouring roughly half [a] trillion dollars of high energy bills and high rent prices
exceeding $1 trillion. gasoline on the inflationary fire that already who are likely to end up facing even
Now, even using the most optimistic is burning is reckless. Doing it while going more price increases, thanks to the
assumptions, the Inflation Reduction well beyond one campaign promise, [which is President’s student loan decisions.
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