We Need to Focus on What Really Matters

Call me for shielded, without changing President, I understand that my Republican colleagues and President trump or busy celebrating the passage of the tax bill that was a voted on it. One 30 in the morning a bless night oh never excited and very happy about it and I understand that and I guess if one were a bill Now, like President trump world wealthy campaign contributor you do have a whole lot to celebrate and maybe, if you one of the six thousand lobbyist here in Washington, dc go help write the bill. I guess they're celebrating a lot today, but if you are one of the best majority of the American people who are in the Middle class, you should not be Celebrating today and in fact, you should be pretty nervous. The passage of this legislation marks a great victory for the koch brothers and other wealthy campaign contributors who we'll see at a time of massive income and wealth, inequality. Huge tax breaks for themselves in other words, the wealthiest people will become much wealth. You mean wild Deficit what is owed by our kids and our grandchildren will increase by one point, five trillion dollars as a result of this bill and the largest and most profitable corporations, companies like Apple Microsoft, fights of general electric who, despite record breaking problem profits, they're gonna see very, very large When tax breaks to the tune of many billions of dollars, no at a time when the very wealthy becoming much richer, tens of millions of American families are struggling to keep their heads above water, economically 40 million Americans are living in poverty. The non partisan tax policy Center tells us that in terms of this legislation eighty three percent of the tax benefits Well, go to the top one percent by the end of the decade. Eighty three percent of the tax benefits go to the top. One percent who are already doing phenomenally well 60 percent of the benefits will go to the top one tenth of one percent mean while at the end of 10 years, some 92 million Middle class households will be paying Floor in taxes and then on top of all about as the only nation major country on Earth, not to guarantee healthcare to all people. This bill will result in 13 million Americans losing their health insurance. I understand the President was really excited about this. A what a great day 13 million more Americans all losing their health insurance when we are the only major country on Earth, not to guarantee health care To all people but with the ending of the individual mandate, what all of the experts tell us is that healthcare premiums will go up so if you're, an average person out there, your health care premiums will very likely go up as a result of this legislation. Meanwhile, starting next, you know, talking about 10 years now, starting next year, so make million Middle class families will pay more in taxes Doesn't, it say a lot about Republican priorities when they make permanent the tax breaks for corporations. Those are permanent and yet they make temporary the tax breaks for working families, which will expire in eight years further, more. I would hope that every American is listening closely to what Speaker of the House Paul Ryan Is talking about and I have to give Ryan credit for being pretty honest about the intentions of the Republican party, just this morning. He was on abc saying what you said for quite a while and that is that the Republican plan is a two step approach step number one passing legislation that passed last night here in today in the House step The two is having run off a deficit of one point five trillion dollars. They are now. Gonna come back and all set that deficit by making massive cuts. The social security Medicare and medicate according to Ryan, they got a two step program step one massive tax breaks to the rich and large corporations run up the deficit by one point, five trillion step number two, all Is that deficit by cutting social security. Medicare and medicate. How unspeakable and outrageous is this plan. How much does it go against what the American people want, giving huge tax breaks to billionaires, to the trump family to the coke brothers and then paying for those Tax breaks by cutting social security, Medicare and medicate is the President. There are millions of senior citizens and people with disabilities in vermont and all across this country who today are struggling to buy food to heat their homes. The by the prescription drugs they need because they're trying to survive on 12 13 14000 dollars a year, social security there are people who have Work their entire life and have exhausted themselves as they approach retirement do not tell those people who live on 12 13000 dollars a year. Social security that you're gonna cut their benefits through a chained cpi or some other mechanisms in order to give tax breaks to billionaires. How outrageous That would be don't tell older workers, many of them with health problems having work, 20 30 40 years they are gonna get billions of dollars in tax breaks. The Microsoft buys are a general lecture, but then you're gonna ask them to work more years in order to be eligible for Medicare was the President. I understand In that every member of the Congress would like uh go home for the holiday season and so what I this is the time of the year where vermont is really very, very beautiful, but the truth is, is that it would really be unconscionable for us to leave Washington after giving tax breaks to billionaires and large corporations, while we ignore the enormous problems Facing the Middle class and working families of our country was President when donald trump ended the deferred action for childhood arrivals. The doctor program nearly 800000 lives with thrown into chaos and uncertainty without the legal protection afforded by the doctor program. Hundreds of Dozens of young people today all living in terrible fear and exile. It about losing the legal status that they currently have in the only country that they have ever normal. These are young people who have grown up in the United States got to school in the United States are working in the United States are in our military. This is their home. It would be unspeakable on Speak a little to take away their legal status and subject them to deep Puerto nation, since the president's announcement in September. More than 11000 people have already lost their protection on the dock up with approximately 22000 set to lose their legal protection zone by the March fifth two thousand eighteen deadline is the President These are hundreds of thousands of wonderful, young people. We cannot turn our backs on them. We must deal with doctor before we leave for the holiday break any end of the spending agreement must address the fear and uncertainty caused by the administration's reckless actions and a clean Dream act must be signed into law. Now this is not just What Bernie sanders wants this is what the American people in overwhelming numbers walk a clinical pole came out just the other day and work 77 percent of the American people supported maintaining legal status for these young people and allowing them to move forward towards citizenship. 77 percent and that is consistent with other polls that have been taken A best majority of Democrats of Republicans of independence understand that it would be incredibly cruel and harmful to our country and so many ways to the night legal status to the Dream is we cannot turn our backs on the Dream is we must address their crisis right now is the President has been almost three months since funding for Community health centers have laps our nation's 14 hundred community health, centers serve more than 27 million people in roughly 10000 communities rough country. My own state of vermont one out of four vermonters get their primary health care dental cloud. Low-cost prescription drugs, mental health, counseling any community health Center. How does it happen that the Republican leadership Can spend months on a bill to give tax breaks to billionaires but not address the lack of funding. The re authorization of the community health Center program or the children's health insurance program which provides help, calf to nine million children is the President right now in this country they're all one in a half million workers and retirees In multi employer pension plans who could see the pensions that they work for their empire, lot of cut by over 60 by up to 60 percent people. What promised these pensions a few years ago in a disaster Congress took away that promise and working people could lose the pensions they were promised up to So up to 60 percent cuts in those pensions, Congress needs stop before the end of the year to make sure that no one in America, in a multi employer pension plan will see them see their pensions cut. Those off real issues, impacting real people, but there are more there was an article recently and the Washington post and what it said is that, because of major cuts to the social security Administration, people with disabilities are not getting there claim their claims process in a timely model. The result was that in one year if you can believe it 10000 people with disabilities, died before they got their claims process. What the Republicans have been very active on is making sure that the social security administration does not get the funding they need, which means that it is hard Awe for people who have retired people who have disabilities to get the information that they need or the claims that they have processed get them process in a timely matter. We must make sure all that every senior in person with disability gets treated with dignity. We've got to restore old, adequate funding to the social security administration. President one of the great outrageous that currently is taking place in this country and really is quite beyond belief is that all the time when we live in a competitive global economy and when we need the best educated workforce in the world to be able to do the new jobs. That are being created which require more education. We have over 40 million people in our country 40 million who have left College Or graduate school in debt and sometimes deeply in that I'm talking about people, I have been we're going to medical school dental school three 400000 dollars in death. People, graduate College, a hundred hundred and 50000 dollars in debt. This is a crisis that is impacting millions of people. It's impacting our entire economy. It is an issue that must be addressed. Maybe just make Before we get tax breaks to billionaires, we might wanna significantly lower the debt burden that so many people in this country have in their student that's just the President again this is the two thousand 17 soon to be two thousand and eighteenth. This is the wealthiest country in the history of the world and yet they are all communities in vermont communities in utah communities, all over this country that do not have Adequate broadband service now how do you start a business in a community of that community. Does not have rapid broadband or good cell phone service and the answer is you don't. You can't, and that is one of the reasons why America is hurting so badly. We must invest in world infrastructure, make sure that every community in this country has quality Affordable broadband is the President. There is an opioid epidemic sweeping. This country impacting vermont my neighboring state. No ham shop West Virginia, kentucky, all parts of this country are seeing people dying of overdoses from opioids and heroin. This is an epidemic that must be address. We can simply walk out of here and leave communities all over this country without the resources that They need to treat people who are addicted and to prevent our young people from becoming attics. We need to invest in treatment and prevention for the opioid epidemic is the President him as we speak there are over 30000 vacancies in the veterans administration and that means that we have got to make sure that every veteran in this country who goes to the gets the quality and timely health care that he or she needs can't turn our backs on the veterans. We got to invest in the eight is the President the bottom line is that, as much as all of us would like to get out of Washington and go home. We simply cannot turn our backs on tens of millions of working people and people in the Middle class. It is not good. It up the past tax breaks for billionaires and then leave time so I would hope, Mr President, that the Republican leadership will immediately bring to this for the legislation that we need to address the many crisis facing the Middle class Of this country, with that, Mr President, I would yield the floor and not the absence of a corn purple call the role strong xander