“Republicans are making our nation safer and more prosperous. The economy is improving. Inflation has cooled. The economy is growing. Gas prices are at their lowest in four years. For the first time in years, wages are rising faster than prices. America is getting back on track.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Senate Majority Whip, today spoke on the Senate Floor about how Republicans are lowering taxes, reducing wasteful spending, and making life more affordable after four years of record high prices under Joe Biden and the Democrats.

Click HERE to watch Senator Barrasso’s remarks.

Sen. Barrasso’s remarks as delivered:

“I come to the Floor today having just heard the Minority Leader talk about affordability. What I didn’t hear him talk about are any of the things he would reverse from the four years of the Biden administration that brought us the high prices that we are facing today. Republicans are attacking the affordability crisis. We’re tackling it head-on. It was created by reckless spending and higher taxes during the Biden administration. Indisputable fact.

“Those Democrat policies – and many Democrats in this body voted for them, we saw them – they led to the highest inflation in 40 years. In just four years, prices rose over 21 percent. And the cost of energy alone – and your state and mine are energy-producing states – the cost of energy for Americans went up 31 percent. From the grocery stores to the gas station, high prices stretched and strained and squeezed the budgets of working families all across America. That’s why Joe Biden and the Democrats will go down in history as the party of high prices and open borders. Indisputable.

“Republicans are making our nation safer and more prosperous. The economy is improving. Inflation has cooled. The economy is growing. Gas prices are now at the lowest they’ve been in four years. For the first time in years, wages are rising faster than prices. America is getting back on track. Republicans are building on these results by ensuring that Americans get to keep more of the money they earn. That’s why earlier this year we passed the Working Families Tax Cuts Act.

“In Wyoming alone, families could save $2,400 a year because of the tax cuts. I heard about it when I was working with coal miners last Friday in Gillette, Wyoming. Waiters, barbers, and bartenders are going to keep about $1,300 more each year in their pockets because of our policy of No Tax on Tips. Nurses and firefighters, police officers, they’re going to keep about $1,400 more this year because of No Tax on Overtime. New parents now get a $1,000 Trump Account for every newborn child. Parents can use this money to invest in their child’s future. All parents are going to get a bigger child tax credit – $2,200 per child this year. Seniors are going to keep more of their hard-earned money as well in their Social Security. There’s now a $6,000 deduction on Social Security income. All these things are designed to keep more money in people’s pockets. That’s where it belongs. On the other hand, Democrats voted for the highest tax increase in the history of this country – $4 trillion. That’s what they wanted to see.

“Right now, today, Republicans are cutting, here in Congress, waste and reducing spending. We do this by restoring fiscal discipline and regular order, and we’re doing it for the regular appropriations process. Mr. President, you’re part of that committee. This is a far cry from where the Democrats were when they were in the Majority. Remember, last year, the Majority Leader was Chuck Schumer, and at that time, he blocked every bipartisan appropriations bill that came out of committee. Blocked each and every one of them. Didn’t allow a single one of them to come here to the Floor of the United States Senate.

“Earlier this year, the Senate passed three appropriations bills of the twelve total. They each received overwhelming bipartisan support in committee. Some had unanimous support. They were signed into law last week when President Trump reopened the government. Those bills provide care for our veterans. They support food assistance through the SNAP program. 42 million Americans rely on those programs. And the Senate is now prepared to move forward on five new, next appropriation bills. They eliminate billions of dollars in wasteful Washington spending. At the same time, they modernize our military, they support our service members, and they invest in our long-term security. They also invest in urgent transportation needs, keeping our highways safe.

“Importantly, these bills all have proven bipartisan support. Here are the vote totals in the committee – 29 members of the committee. In the committee:

“Defense: 26 to 3.

“Commerce, Justice, and Science: 19 to 10.

“Interior: 26 to 2.

“Labor and Health: 26 to 3.

“Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development: 27 to 1.

“We’re talking about bills that earned overwhelmingly bipartisan support in the Appropriations Committee. They deserve to earn similar bipartisan, strong support on this Floor when they reach the Senate Floor.

“The government shutdown is now behind us. Many Democrats – and I’ve heard them all talking about it this past Sunday on television – they wish the government were still shut down. They didn’t seem to care that they caused pain and hunger and anxiety all across the country. They want to ignore the fact that it cost the American economy tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity. Now the government is open again. Republicans are back to investing in the priorities of the American people. We’re investing in priorities to make America safer and more prosperous. We’re getting America back on track with affordable prices and lower taxes.

“Republicans are going to continue to put more money in the pockets and purses and of America’s hardworking families. Because that’s where it belongs.”

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