Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. HERN. Mr. Chair, I rise today with a deep concern over the rampant spending that has come out of this Chamber over the last 2 years.

While our constituents suffer from 40-year high inflation, this Chamber has done nothing to help them. Instead, my colleagues across the aisle have doubled down on their reckless spending and continue to make each bill bigger than the last. The spending has got to stop.

We know that the American Rescue Plan was the catalyst for inflation problems. We know that Biden's agenda has worsened those inflationary pressures. And yet, today--today--we are looking at even more exorbitant spending.

We have been here before. Me and my colleagues remember the 1970s and the 1980s when inflation was even worse than it is today.

Inflation isn't new. We know how to reverse it. We have to stop the spending. That is what my amendments do, cut our spending.

I urge every Member of this Chamber to support my amendments, which will cut wasteful spending from government programs.

The status quo is not serving our constituents. For 20 years, we have operated without the appropriate appropriations process in this country. For the last 4 years, since I have been in Congress, I've never seen a budget that has been provided and worked out, as my colleague just mentioned prior to me.

The spending has continued to rise unchallenged. When will it end? To maintain what we have done for the last 20 years is a disservice to the people counting on us.

When I am home in Oklahoma, the only thing my constituents ask me is: How are you going to stop inflation?

I know it is the same for all of my colleagues. Here is how we can answer them: Cut the spending.

Mr. Chair, I urge adoption of my amendments from both sides of the aisle.

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Mr. HERN. Mr. Chair, I appreciate the comments from my colleagues across the aisle. What the American people have just heard is the only way forward is to spend even more.

Remember, the Obama administration's own Treasury Secretary said the spending is what caused the inflation that you are experiencing that is running rampant across America. The spending is crushing the future of our American kids and our grandkids and future generations, with over $30 trillion in debt. The same inflation that the Feds right now are raising interest rates, they are going to drive up our mandatory spending on the interest on our debt.

The answer is not to continue spending ourselves into bankruptcy. There has been no offer from my colleagues across the aisle where there is any way to quit spending the amount of money we are seeing today.

Moody's just said that the American people have $5 trillion more in their bank accounts today than they had just a little over a year ago, money that was sent to them by the Federal Government that we borrow from places like China.

Friends, we have got to be more fiscally responsible. I spent the last 2 years--5\1/2\ months last year, 5\1/2\ months this year--as the budget chairman for the Republican Study Committee, actually working on the budget, actually seeing where our spending goes.

We cannot keep having double-digit increases in our spending and expect to be ever responsible to the American people for the future of this country.

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Mr. HERN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

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