Press Releases

(As prepared for delivery)

Thank you, Chairman Smith. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Congratulations—you now have the best job around. I look forward to working alongside you, and I wish you the best of luck in delivering for the American people.  

The Ways and Means Committee has a rich history and awesome responsibilities. Last Congress, we were guided by our mission to crush the virus and rebuild our economy to be more inclusive and stronger than ever before.  

The results have been record-breaking.  

Nearly 11 million jobs have been created in the last two years, and last month, the unemployment rate hit a 50-year low. Every month, economic growth again beats the naysayers. After shrinking by 2.8 percent in 2020, our GDP roared back with 5.9 percent growth in 2021 and remained steady with 2.1 percent growth in 2022. These are the results of our investments. 

We put shots in arms and money in pockets that needed it. Our faith in the American worker was rewarded every time – they kept their families afloat, and when it was safe, they returned to work and powered our economy forward.  

As powerful as this recovery has been, it is still fragile. One of the Republican majority’s first challenges will be overcoming extreme voices and responsibly raising the debt ceiling.  

We know from what happened when Republicans talked about default in 2011, 2013, and 2015 that just talking about default has real consequences. It threatens millions of paychecks, the financial wellbeing of our country, and global markets.  

The cuts to Social Security and Medicare that Republicans are proposing are nonstarters—not only with Democrats, but also the American people. You cannot talk about our country’s revenue or fiscal responsibility without acknowledging that there’s 5 trillion dollars in missing revenue thanks to the Republican tax cuts from 2001, 2003, and 2017.  

And you can’t talk about the sacred promises we made to seniors as if Social Security and Medicare are just “government spending” that are on the chopping block. 

When we sat in this meeting two years ago, we stood before the daunting task of making sure we did enough to keep the American people safe from COVID and to then reinvigorate our economy.  

Today, we stand before the question of how can we supercharge our economy? How can we unlock its fullest potential? You know that I think one key tool is to take action on paid family and medical leave, child care, and other caregiving challenges in order to allow for fuller workforce participation. 

Now, Mr. Chairman, you have my word that we will work in good faith to better the lives of the American people, but I ask that you reconsider the new name for the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support. 

The term you’ve chosen is pejorative and has a long history of being used to attack people who are struggling and need a hand.  

Dating back to at least Chairman Archer, Republican Chairmen have used language like, the Subcommittee on Human Resources. That’s caused some confusion about what the Subcommittee does, but certainly hasn’t offended anyone.  

Recently, this subcommittee’s Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Education Home Visiting program, was reauthorized in honor of our late colleague Jackie Walorski. This is just one of many programs in our jurisdiction that has proven outcomes and changes lives.  

We acknowledge your right to run this Committee as you wish, but we cannot participate in the denigration of anyone, let alone those we are charged with helping. 

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.