Build Back Better Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Yarmuth for his steadfast commitment to shepherding this landmark legislation to the floor.
I am honored to join with my colleagues, just days after President Biden signed a sorely needed and long-awaited infrastructure package that will rebuild the Nation's deteriorating roads and bridges to consider the ``Build Back Better Act.''
Madam Speaker, the magnitude of what we are doing here is really compelling.
Twenty-eight years ago, I came to Congress to advocate for the interests of my friends and neighbors who, after decades of struggle, deserve a more fair and equitable economy that fuels prosperity and job growth in our communities well into the future.
That is just what H.R. 5376 will do.
I could not be prouder to be a part of this Democratic majority as we come together, with a sense of urgency, to deliver for the people while tackling climate change and other challenges that put our communities at risk.
I am particularly appreciative that the bill invests $1.5 billion in the Department of Homeland Security to provide crucial resources to three challenges confronting the Nation: cybersecurity; domestic terrorism and other threats to houses of worship and non-profits; and reducing the Department of Homeland Security's carbon footprint.
The homeland security title of this bill provides $100 million in new funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which helps DHS take necessary action to help secure churches, synagogues, mosques, and other nonprofits from domestic terrorism and other threats.
It has been just 3 years since the deadliest attack on the Jewish community in U.S. history, when 11 lives were lost in a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The funding the House provides today can help prevent such a tragedy from happening again.
Madam Speaker, I include in the Record a statement in support of this additional funding from the Jewish Federations of America.
It also invests in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to help State and local governments develop secure and resilient critical infrastructure networks by, among other things, accelerating State and local governments' transition to the (dot) gov domain and increasing capacity to hire network defenders.
Finally, the homeland security title provides $900 million in strategic investments to help the department reduce its carbon footprint and mitigate the ongoing effects of climate change that have a direct impact on our national security.
Once again, I thank Chairman Yarmuth for his leadership along with Speaker Pelosi, Leader Hoyer, and my fellow committee chairs for their months of hard work to produce this once-in-a-generation legislation which includes so many important investments in our homeland security.
For these reasons, I urge passage of H.R. 5376 and look forward to swift action on this package by the Senate so that it can be signed by President Biden and begin to improve the lives of my constituents in the Second District of Mississippi and beyond. [From The Jewish Federations of North America, Oct. 28, 2021]
Jewish Federations Express Gratitude for Additional Security Funding
Jewish Federations Express their gratitude to House Homeland Security Chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chair Gary Peters (D-MI) for helping to secure an additional $100 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) in the Homeland Security portion of the reconciliation package.
``Communities can only flourish when their security needs are met. The inclusion of an additional $100 million for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program will save lives, help keep Jewish and other communities safe, and allow them to flourish'' said Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America.
``Just yesterday, we commemorated three years since the Tree of Life massacre in Pittsburgh, the worst violent anitsemitic attack in the nation's history. Additional funding to the Nonprofit Security Grant Program will not only help secure synagogues, but houses of worship and nonprofits of every stripe across the nation that face threats at a time of increased violent extremism,'' he added.
The NSGP provides grants to nonprofits to help fund security measures such as inspection and screening systems, physical barriers, and development of emergency preparedness plans.
This year, as hate crimes spiked and houses of worship were increasingly targeted, the NSGP was able to fund fewer than half of all applicants.
Fingerhut advocated for increasing NSGP funds at a Senate HSGAC hearing on violent extremism this Summer.
Homeland Security Appropriations bills in both chambers propose leaving NSGP funding flat at $180 million, as overall proposed funding levels remain unchanged.
Federations' advocacy for further government investment in community safety measures is part of the public-private partnership envisioned in the historic LiveSecure campaign, which is raising $54 million in philanthropic dollars to spread the security umbrella to every Jewish community across the country and help fortify Jewish communal institutions.
Jewish Federations also thank Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) for his leadership on this program, and the perennial champions Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Rob Portman (R-OH), and Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and John Katko (R-NY) for supporting NSGP funding. We look forward to continuing to work with them to increase annual funding for the program through the appropriations process.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, President Biden's massive new multitrillion dollar tax and spend bill, the so-called Build back Better Act will cost at least $4 trillion according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
According to the Chamber, the Build Back Better Act will significantly increase inflation and lead to up to 3 million people losing their employer sponsored health insurance plans.
Astonishingly, as we debate this legislation on the floor of the House today, there is still no detailed cost analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
Among the bill's most egregious provisions, it:
Effectively bans Catholic and other faith-based schools from participating in the expanded child care program;
Dramatically raises taxes on businesses and individuals;
Grants more power to the IRS to target taxpayers by removing taxpayer protection requirements and hiring 87,000 additional agents;
Permits taxpayer money to go to entities involved China's genocide against the Uyghur Muslims;
Institutes price controls on prescription drugs and subjects companies that refuse to comply to a massive excise tax, which would cripple innovation and could cause the removal of life-saving drugs from the U.S. market.
And, shockingly, the legislation forces taxpayers to pay for abortion on demand in several new and expanded programs.
Taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize or facilitate the killing of an unborn child.
The so-called Build Back Better Act:
Gives states $30 billion over three years to create reinsurance programs for health insurance issuers. There are no protections whatsoever to prevent subsidization of plans covering elective abortion,
Extends to January 1, 2027 the increases to premium tax credits available for consumers through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Premium tax credits allow taxpayer funding to subsidize ACA plans that provide elective abortion;
Provides $10 billion worth of public health funding grants that aren't Hyde Amendment protected,
Makes permanent the Health Coverage Tax Credit without Hyde protection to prevent taxpayer funds in this program from paying for health plans that include elective abortion;
Mandates abortion coverage in the Affordable Care Act (ACA);
And more.
The National Right to Life Committee strongly opposes this legislation and pointed out that: ``The 2010 Obamacare law as would the Build Back Better (BBB) created multiple new streams of federal funding that are ``self-appropriated'' flowing outside regular appropriations.
``That said, the Obamacare law contains a provision that specifically permitted states to ban elective abortion coverage in their exchanges, and 25 states passed legislation doing so. The BBB, starting in 2024, would explicitly override the laws of 11 of these states--states that did not expand their Medicaid programs. One additional non-expansion state (Wyoming) will also now be required to cover abortion.
``Further, the provisions mandate that Obamacare silver exchange plans cover abortion and transportation for abortions (without cost sharing) for the Medicaid coverage gap population. The BBB provides unlimited appropriations to finance this abortion expansion. The BBB would mandate coverage in the abovementioned 12 states of ``services described in subsection (a)(4)(C) of section 1905 of such [the Social Security] Act [family planning services] for which Federal payments would have been so available [``under title XIX of the Social Security Act] which are not otherwise provided under such plan as part of the essential health benefits package described in section 1302(a).'' Obamacare specifically excluded abortion as a required essential health benefit under section 1303, and this BBB provision would effectively override the 2010 law.''
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops wrote to every Member of Congress on Wednesday and said: ``it is completely unacceptable that the current House version of the Build Back Better Act expands taxpayer funding of abortion . . . No proposal to support individuals needing affordable health care coverage should compel Americans to pay for the destruction of human life through their tax dollars . . . In addition, the latest text maintains the proposed health care affordability fund for states without Hyde protections, and provides funding for several public health grants without Hyde protections. This fundamental problem of expanded taxpayer funding of abortion in the Build Back Better Act must be remedied before the bill moves forward.''
The Susan B. Anthony List opposes the bill and said yesterday: ``It is critical to remember that whenever abortion is not explicitly excluded from funding, it is included . . . A careful reading of this bill shows billions of dollars being appropriated outside of Hyde protections, leaving them available for direct and indirect abortion funding, upsetting the status quo and funneling money to the abortion industry . . . The ACA coverage provision mandates abortion coverage for its Medicaid-gap population in the twelve states that opted out of Medicaid expansion for plan years 2024 and 2025. It is notable that none of these states currently fund abortion coverage. This language would coerce them states to cover abortion against the will of their constituents.''
The Hyde Amendment, Madam Speaker, has saved more than 2.4 million lives--about 60,000 per year since it was first enacted.
Hyde protections need to be added to this bill.
It is time, I believe, for more of us to face the harsh reality of what abortion does to children and look beyond the sound bites and slogans.
No-one in the media ever bothers to expose the violent methods of abortion that include dismemberment of a child's fragile body, including decapitation, and that drugs like RU-486 starve the baby to death.
Or that unborn babies killed by abortion at 20 weeks or later experience excruciating suffering and physical pain. And until rendered unconscious or dead by these hideous procedures, the baby feels the pain every cut according to medical experts in life-enhancing prenatal surgery.
Abortion is not health care unless one construes the precious life of an unborn child to be analogous to a tumor to be excised or a disease to be vanquished pregnancy is not a disease.
Mr. Biden once wrote constituents, explaining that his support for laws against funding for abortion, by saying ``it would protect both the woman and her unborn child.''
Mr. Biden went on to say ``that those of us who are opposed to abortion should not be compelled to pay for them.'' I agree. Most Americans agree.
Over the years, the polls have consistently shown that Americans do not support taxpayer funded abortion.
The January 2021 Marist poll found that by a margin of 58 percent to 38 percent oppose taxpayer funded abortion.
The Marist poll found that a supermajority of 65 percent of Independents oppose taxpayer funding of abortion.
Unborn babies need the President of the United States and Members of Congress to be their friend and advocate, not powerful adversaries.
Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ran for Congress to help people in Chicago, in Illinois and across the country achieve the American dream. The Build Back Better Act represents a transformative investment in children, families, workers, businesses, and the planet that will improve health and well-being, advance economic and environmental justice, meaningfully address climate change, and grow our economy while asking the wealthiest and most secure to pay their fair share. The pandemic has harmed tens of millions of Americans-- disproportionately hurting African Americans and other communities of color, women, seniors, and children. This bill meets immediate needs for food, shelter, medical care, and child care as well as long-term needs for quality education, good-paying jobs, safe roads and water, and a healthy environment. I am deeply proud that many priorities that I have championed are included in this historic bill.
It provides 4 weeks of paid family and medical leave for workers so that they do not face the inhumane choice of caring for loved ones or financial ruin. Lower-income workers and workers of color are much less likely to have any paid leave, yet are more likely to need it due to greater health challenges and less savings to weather caregiving without pay. As Chair of the Subcommittee with jurisdiction over paid leave, I have worked closely with Ways and Means Chairman Neal and advocates to shape this equity-generating, universal benefit.
The bill enhances the Earned Income Tax Credit to improve the economic well-being of millions of childless workers and noncustodial parents--with new help for younger workers, foster and homeless youth, and seniors. I've fought for these improvements for over a decade via my Responsible Fatherhood Act. These changes will help 17 million adults nationwide and over 600,000 in Illinois.
It provides $2 billion to train workers with barriers to employment-- including people with records--for careers in the allied health professions. This provision will help Chicago State which has a stellar Health Profession Opportunity Grant program and expand programs like those offered by the Safer Foundation to help people with records become successful healthcare professionals.
It helps vulnerable students by making Pell non-taxable and removing the lifetime ban on the American Opportunity Tax Credit for past felony drug convictions.
It incents substantial private investment in solar energy that will reduce electricity costs for tens of millions of low-income individuals while making the air they breathe safer.
It contains strong labor provisions so that our investments in green energy benefit workers as well as businesses.
It includes $1 billion for to help justice-involved individuals obtain employment and training services via the Reentry Employment Opportunities Program. It makes sure that people leaving prison have Medicaid coverage to improve health and successful reentry.
It includes $2.5 billion for public health approaches to reduce community violence and advance trauma interventions, which I have championed via the RISE from Trauma Act.
It helps restore fairness to the tax code by rolling back the Republicans' punitive limit on the State and Local Tax deduction to hurt citizens in blue states like Illinois.
The pandemic hit Black renters with children especially hard, with 29 percent reporting that their household is not caught up on rent. Further, in 2020, Black and Latino families with children were more than twice as likely to suffer food insecurity as white households. The Build Back Better Act addresses racial and economic inequities for communities of color and rural and underserved communities. It dramatically reduces child poverty via a substantial Child Tax Credit, raising a projected 4.1 million children above the poverty line and cutting child poverty by more than 40 percent. In October alone, the advanced CTC gave caregivers in my Congressional District over $30 million to provide food, shelter, and other necessities for 121,000 children. This bill makes the largest investment in affordable housing and community development in half a century--over $145 billion--and it feeds the hungry with $10 billion for nutrition.
It makes Americans healthier by decreasing the cost of health insurance and medication, expanding medical services, investing $1 billion in community health centers, and providing tremendous funding to reduce health inequities.
It makes the largest investment in child care in our Nation's history, saving most families more than half of their spending on child care. Further, it makes historic investments to care for seniors and individuals with disabilities so that they can receive care in their homes and communities, recognizing the need to care for our aging population.
It makes the largest expansion of free education since our country established public high schools a century ago. It provides universal and free preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds, promoting racial equity in education. In addition, it expands access to affordable higher education by increasing the Pell grants by $550 for more than 5 million students, creating grants to close the college completion gap, and investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions, including Predominantly Black Institutions like Malcolm X, Olive-Harvey, and Chicago State.
This legislation invests billions in small businesses, including $1.6 billion for minority owned businesses and $105 million for education and financial assistance for the formerly-incarcerated to form businesses to create jobs in their communities. Further, it ensures the largest effort to combat climate change in American history.
I am honored to vote for this once-in-a-generation legislation. I came to Congress to make this type of momentous change. I urge my colleagues to pass it.
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Build Back Better Act.
The Oversight Committee, which I chair, authored several key sections of this bill, which together will allocate nearly $14 billion.
My committee's sections are more than just numbers on a page--they represent a substantial and genuine investment in our future.
We have no future if we don't get serious about combatting climate change, and my committee's title would make the federal government a leader on combatting climate change by electrifying the federal government's vehicle fleet, and building the fleet of the future.
Our title includes nearly $3 billion for GSA to purchase tens of thousands of electric vehicles and build the infrastructure necessary to support them.
It also includes nearly $6 billion for the Postal Service to purchase electric vehicles for its new fleet, and to build the infrastructure necessary to charge these vehicles.
EVs are a sensible and cost-effective investment that will reduce emissions and keep the federal government competitive.
The title also includes $4 billion for GSA to expand the use of emerging green technologies and ensure that federal buildings are modernized with greener construction materials and modern environmental systems.
I'm especially pleased that we've included dedicated funding for OMB to support implementation of the Act and track labor, equity, and environmental standards and performance.
Our title also includes funding to ensure proper oversight of these programs.
It is critical that the House pass the Build Back Better Act as quickly as possible so that we can get this to the President's desk without delay.
I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.
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