Kathy Castor Slams House GOP's Appropriations Bill That Will 'Raise Costs For All American Families'

3 months ago

During debate on the House floor, Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) spoke in opposition to two major appropriations packages.

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Transcript

00:00Are you recognized?

00:09Thank you, and I thank the Ranking Member for yielding the time.

00:14Mr. Speaker, I rushed to the floor this morning to oppose the rule and the underlying legislation

00:19because these Republican bills will raise electric bills on the families I represent

00:24back home in Florida and likely raise costs on all American families.

00:30The bills will stunt the incredible growth in clean energy manufacturing, providing a

00:36gift to China especially.

00:39These bills will pad the profits of big oil companies at the expense of hardworking American

00:44families and small business owners.

00:47And I agree with the Ranking Member, Mr. Speaker, I am alarmed that already the Republicans

00:53are pressing their radical Project 2025 agenda.

00:58It is apparent in these appropriations bills, so let's talk about a few of the policies

01:03in here.

01:04First, it's very important that we help our neighbors weatherize their homes.

01:09It helps save them on their electric bills.

01:12It creates jobs.

01:13We estimate that this Republican bill will now slam the door shut for about 54,000 working-class

01:20Americans who need those weatherization dollars.

01:24The Republican bills propose to gut energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives

01:30at the time when we are seeing a manufacturing renaissance across America.

01:35In less than two years since the Democrats in Congress passed the infrastructure law

01:40and the Inflation Reduction Act, private sector companies in the United States have announced

01:46more than $360 billion in investment in 600 clean energy projects that have created about

01:53300,000 new jobs in America.

01:59This is where the economy is going, in the clean, sustainable energies.

02:03And that is why it's so smart to invest in our people, not to cede these industries to

02:09China and our adversaries.

02:12This bill would have us look backwards, to say, China, you take the lead.

02:16Well, I'm not willing to do that.

02:17We're the United States of America, and we should lead.

02:21We should lead in building the batteries, the electric vehicles, the solar panels, all

02:27of the new technologies we need to lower costs and to help solve the climate crisis that

02:32is also heaping costs on my neighbors back home in Florida.

02:37These Republican bills also make it easier to ship gas overseas, including to our adversaries.

02:43And what that does is it hikes prices on people and businesses in our country.

02:49This is a backward-looking bill.

02:52There is a better way, and that is investing in cleaner, cheaper energy, creating jobs

02:57in America, building the middle class, solving the climate crisis, putting people over politics,

03:03putting people over polluters, putting people over this radical 2025 agenda.

03:08Please vote no on these bills.

03:10Vote for the USA.

03:12Vote for the future of our kids.

03:14I yield back my time.

Kathy Castor Slams House GOP's Appropriations Bill That Will 'Raise Costs For All American Families'

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