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PRIORITIES OF THIS ADMINISTRATION
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Mann) for 5 minutes.
Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the priorities of the Biden administration because they are not good for the American people.
What are the administration's priorities as outlined by the infrastructure package? It is not roads, bridges, highways, rail, and waterways. Instead, their infrastructure plan is a Trojan horse for a leftist wish list that will jam progressive policies like the Green New Deal through this Congress at the expense of actual infrastructure. Despite promises that this plan would be budget neutral, the CBO has estimated it will increase our national deficit by $256 billion.
What are the administration's priorities as outlined in the reconciliation bill? It is not fairness, but partisanship. Senator Bernie Sanders said that under this budget no middle-income family would pay more in taxes. That is not true. The reconciliation bill includes damaging tax increases, falling largely on the shoulders of middle-income families, small businesses, and family farms. This bill would be the largest tax-and-spend measure in America's history and would increase public debt by more than $4.16 trillion. It would also allow the Federal Government to intervene even more in our daily lives and kill countless jobs.
What are the administration's policies regarding ag policy? It is not supporting the people who feed, fuel, and clothe all of us, but eliminating their protections and taxing them out of their land. I proposed an amendment on this very issue at the House Agriculture Committee earlier this month that was not even considered by Democrat leadership. I don't want to see farmers and ranchers taxed on their generational property over and over again, which will destroy their livelihoods. This administration demands more taxes, and their party does what it often does and hammers rural America's middle class. Farmers in my district understand perfectly well that the majority party doesn't care about the issues they face while they work tirelessly to keep the breadbasket of our Nation full.
Just yesterday, I spent 2 hours in the Ag Committee marking up a resolution to retroactively designate July 2021 as National Blueberry Month. Now, I like blueberries as much as the next guy, but I stand before you in disbelief that this committee would rather name a portion of the past after a berry than protect the future of farmers in this country. These are backward priorities on full display.
Abortion Bill is Horrible
Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to voice my opposition for H.R. 3755, which would federally legalize abortions on demand up until birth.
This bill isn't just morally reprehensible. It also prohibits States from passing their own laws acknowledging the humanity of unborn children. It is a wicked path to accomplish a wicked end. This bill would override both Federal and State laws adopted before and even after its enactment. This year, 48 States have introduced a combined 289 pro-life bills, 89 of which have been signed into law. H.R. 3755 does not reflect the voice of the American people on the issue of abortion. It reflects the voice of the abortion lobby.
This bill abolishes any law that regulates abortion in any way, including laws that prevent sex-selection abortion and abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis. By 12 weeks of age, babies have fully formed arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes and a functional circulatory system and liver, and the capacity to experience pain. All of this, astonishingly, at a weight of one ounce and a length of 4 inches. I believe that life begins at conception. I support adoptions, foster care, and crisis pregnancy centers. God knits every one of us together in our mother's wombs. Life is a miracle, and I believe that the right to it extends to the unborn in this country. That is why I strongly oppose this horrible bill.
Crisis at the Southern Border
Mr. MANN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call attention once again to the disastrous situation that President Biden has created at our southern border.
The first priority of any administration must be to protect the homeland and keep Americans safe. We have brave Border Patrol agents putting themselves in harm's way every day doing just that; and, meanwhile, their calls for a complete southern border security system are falling on deaf ears in Washington. They know that it would make their jobs easier and our country safer, and the funds are already appropriated. Why, then, is the administration forcing these agents, who deserve our unwavering support, to do their jobs with anything less than the most comprehensive technology available?
Across the globe from our southern border lies Afghanistan, where there exists yet another disastrous situation President Biden created. Make no mistake, the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban is not an isolated problem in a land far, far away. The Taliban could redistribute their terrorists across the world in a matter of days, and our southern border is about as secure as a welcome mat, inviting terrorists who hate America to come and set up shop. President Biden didn't just torpedo the stability of Afghanistan last month, he also put Americans in danger, which highlights yet another need to address the southern border crisis immediately.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 164
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