Neal Opening Statement at Markup of Views and Estimates Letter to the Committee on the Budget

(As prepared for delivery) 

There are years where we can agree on the spirit of the Views & Estimates letter but this is not one of them. The self-congratulations packed into this document is over the top. Americans agree overwhelmingly that their president is causing them harm, which makes us unable to buy-in to the purported rosy picture being touted by my colleagues today.

Families are still getting crushed by high prices—from the grocery store to the gas pump. Yet, my colleagues are spending their time with distractions and defending a president who has turned the government into his personal protection racket.

Gas has surged over 15% in a mere two months. Gas Buddy is warning of the most expensive summer of travel yet. Grocery prices made the biggest one-month jump in nearly four years and that’s on top of prices that were already surging. 

Inflation is outpacing wages, and workers are getting squeezed as their paycheck covers less and less.

Where’s the work on that? Put an end to the war in Iran. Put an end to the tariffs. Stiffen your spines, put a check on the endless Executive power this president thinks he has and reclaim the authority of Congress. 

You can’t paper over the damage when the stakes are this high. Their agenda has overwhelmingly benefited billionaires, leaving everyone else to foot the bill.

It’s a shame they’ve chosen loyalty over legislation, and complicity over accountability.

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

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