‘There are costs associated with the level of spending that Democrats are laying out – real costs that hurt American families.’
‘By tying budget reconciliation to infrastructure, the American people are the ones who will be left out to dry.’
‘A dollar spent on traditional infrastructure is a dollar well spent. But it’s got to be done in a smart and targeted way.’
‘Let’s spend some time on the infrastructure bill and do it the right way. Then we can turn to debating all the outrageous spending Democrats have their sights on.’
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) today spoke on the Senate floor about Democrats’ unserious efforts to work with Republicans on a true infrastructure package to benefit Americans, favoring a tax and spend approach on progressive wish list items.
Excerpts from Sen. Tuberville’s remarks can be found below, and the full speech can be viewed here.
On the Democrats’ Tax-and-Spend “Agreement”:
“Just as we’re starting to come out of the pandemic, prices are starting to rise – and our dollars isn’t going as far. Why? Because the Democrats want to spend their way out of a pandemic – and it really makes no sense.”
“They’re flooding the zone with borrowed money, like a credit card with no limit. They’ve done it with their stimulus package earlier this year – and it was disguised as a ‘COVID relief package.’ And now they’re getting ready to try the same thing again.”
“Announcing there is ‘agreement’ when they still have members of their own party arguing over the final topline number and how it’s paid for – that’s a pretty interesting strategy. Only thing I can guess is that the strategy is really to pull the wool over all of our eyes. Trying to sell the agreement of a topline number as a ‘win’ is like saying you’ve won the game after the first snap.”
“I can’t understand why some of my colleagues across the aisle are still trying to sell this tax-and-spending bill as ‘human’ and ‘soft’ infrastructure. Most people have never heard of that. I haven’t been up here for long, but I know enough to know that there’s really no such thing as ‘human’ and ‘soft’ infrastructure.”
“Let’s just call the package what it is – a spending plan on progressive social justice policies paid for by the American taxpayers by thirty tax increases. It has nothing to do with infrastructure – even if they could define what infrastructure of the human or soft variety is. I know ‘reckless tax-and-spend spree’ is not as catchy as ‘soft infrastructure,’ but at least it’s accurate.”
“There are costs associated with the level of spending that Democrats are laying out – real costs that hurt the American families. Whether it is fully paid for by tax increase or whether it adds to the deficit – it all boils down to the same thing: the cost to American families across our country.”
“According to the Job Creators Network, 1 million – that’s 1 million – small businesses will feel the financial strain of tax increases through this bill. [W]e should be working to help every small business see the light at the end of the tunnel. Not increasing the heavy hand of government and keeping them in the dark. It makes no sense.”
“The cost of spending so much and adding to the deficit means more inflation. More inflation means your dollar doesn’t go near as far as it has in the past. And the June jobs report saw inflation up 4.5% and the consumer price index increased by 5.4% – the biggest monthly jump in over a decade. The rising cost of inflation means asking Americans are making tough choices on what is most important to them – like filling up your car with gas or buying food for your family.”
“We need to give folks an opportunity, not a hand out. And right now, Democrats are on the wrong track with that. A government subsidized economic recovery, is not an economic recovery — it’s an entitlement state.”
“Prosperity is not purchased through the expansion of big government ‘safety net’ programs. Government doesn’t make people prosperous. Prosperity is found within the ideas of the American people. Always has been, and it always will.”
On Democrats Holding Infrastructure Hostage:
“Forced by far-left voices in their party, Senator Schumer and Speaker Pelosi have decided a massive spending bill – that has nothing to do with the pandemic, or infrastructure – should hold actual infrastructure legislation hostage. In their world, if we pass a partisan spending bill then we can pass infrastructure.”
“[T]hey really want this reckless tax and spend spree to pass, and they are fundamentally unserious about a true infrastructure package that would make needed improvements to roads, bridges, and broadband possible. And that’s a shame.”
“By tying budget reconciliation to infrastructure, the American people are the ones who will be left out to dry. “
“I have always said, I would be in favor of infrastructure – a great infrastructure deal – where every penny of every dollar goes towards our roads, bridges, broadband, and waterways.”
“In Alabama, we’ve got 100,000 miles of public roads. And we need them to be in good shape. Driving on poor roads costs Alabama drivers a total of $4.2 billion every year – because of things like vehicle operating costs, traffic congestion, and car crashes.”
“Investing in our infrastructure is investing in our future success.”
“But despite that, our colleagues on the Left still can’t resist playing politics here. Before the actual bill text of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework could be written, and before the pay-fors were negotiated, Leader Schumer has called a vote on the framework.”
“We should be carefully considering this framework – not rushing toward arbitrary deadlines. As our country’s economy is trying to recover from the pandemic, anything and everything we do has to be thoughtfully considered. Especially when it comes to passing legislation that costs money in the long run.
“We owe it to the taxpayers to spend their money in the most efficient and effective way possible.”
“A dollar spent on traditional infrastructure is a dollar well spent. But it’s got to be done in a smart and targeted way. And we can’t allow Democrats to hurt Americans by creating an ‘if-then’ scenario. Let’s spend some time on the infrastructure bill and do it the right way. Then we can turn to debating all the spending that our colleagues on the Left have their sights set on.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, and HELP Committees.
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