At Budget Markup, Ranking Member Boyle Slams Republicans’ “America Last” Budget

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Brendan F. Boyle (PA-02), Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee, slammed Republicans’ “America Last” budget that wastes tens of billions of taxpayer dollars on Trump’s disastrous Iran war and does nothing to lower costs. In his opening statement, Boyle blasted House Republicans for taking no action to improve the lives of the American people.

Democratic amendments from today’s markup will be available here as they are introduced.

Video of Ranking Member Boyle’s opening statement is available here. A transcript as delivered is below.

(Click for video of remarks as delivered)

Ranking Member Boyle's remarks as delivered:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wasn't planning on starting like this, but listening to you talk reminded me of one of the things I used to love to do when my daughter was younger. She's 12 now, but when she was much younger, I would love to read her fairy tale stories. And I would try to come up with the most imaginative, wildest, most creative fairy tale I could come up with.

Mr. Chairman, I give you credit, the fairy tale you just told was so imaginative, I could never come up with something as wild. So, I'm going to instead, in the 12 minutes that I have, attempt to stick to the facts, of what are actually in the Republican Reconciliation 3.0, "America Last."

You know, as divisive as the 2024 election may have been, one thing that actually both Democrats and Republicans agreed on, the Democratic nominee for president and Republican nominee for president both agreed on, the polls were overwhelmingly clear: The top issue for the American people was affordability.

The costs post-pandemic had gone too high, that America had become unaffordable, and that campaign was about who would lower costs. President Trump ran around my state of Pennsylvania, more than any other state in the union, promising to lower costs, and I quote his exact words, "I will lower costs on day one."

Here we are more than 18 months later. Are costs any lower? Of course not. In fact, they are through the roof. And they are through the roof specifically because of failed Trump-Republican policies. First, the Trump tariff taxes. They have dramatically increased costs on the American people. Because of the Trump tariff taxes, the average American household paid nearly $1,700 more last year for goods than they did the year before, directly attributable to the Trump tariff taxes.

That was last year. What does President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress come up with this year? A reckless, idiotic preemptive war on Iran. Gas prices were $2.98 a gallon nationally on February 28th, the day before the war began. Within 30 days, they rose more than 50 percent and indeed are now still more than 40 percent higher than what they were a few months ago.

But it's not just gas prices. It's food prices. It's the prices for consumer goods. On and on we go. Now, you might think, given that the top issue in the 2024 election was affordability, and that the top issue today is affordability, you might think the majority would want to spend time in a reconciliation bill addressing the number one issue on voters' minds.

I can tell you, 47 pages in their bill, 6,560 words, and not one word on bringing down costs for the American people. Not one word. Instead, we have tens of billions of dollars for the most unpopular war in American history. So, over the last 18 months, we have seen where Republicans' priorities are: trillions of dollars in tax cuts for billionaires, tens of billions of dollars for war, and absolutely nothing for the American people.

Now, one of the other facets of the chairman's fairy tale on Donald Trump was to make him sound like he's George Washington and Abe Lincoln rolled into one. If this president was doing that well, then geez, I guess his poll ratings must be through the roof. The American people must be overjoyed. So let's take a look at the president's report card.

Let's see who the people believe in this argument. Trump's handling of the economy, according to Fox News, 31 percent of the American people approve, 68 percent disapprove. Trump's handling of inflation, 27 percent approve, 73 percent disapproval, the worst numbers since the Carter presidency. Trend on the economy, 17 percent of the American people think it's getting better, 53 percent think it's getting worse.

There's more polling data here I could cite. It's the same exact story. By an overwhelming margin, two to one, even three to one, the American people know that this is a failed presidency, and this has been a failed Republican majority. He promised to lower costs on day one. He hasn't done that.

In fact, he's not even trying. So this side will stand proudly united in opposition. If there is ever an attempt from the other side to actually address the affordability crisis in this country, then you will have willing partners who want to work with you. But it is quite clear from the last reconciliation, as well as this reconciliation, we have a president and a majority who couldn't care less about the affordability crisis facing this country.

With that, I yield back.

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