Alex Padilla: “I thank my colleague from the State of Colorado for yielding and staying for a few minutes because I know that he shares…”

“I thank my colleague from the State of Colorado for yielding and staying for a few minutes because I know that he shares one of my key observations--I woke up this morning preparing for today's discussion, today's debate, and for today's series of votes--and that is the American people can be forgiven if they are tuning in today to this discussion and wondering, Haven't I seen this before? This sounds awfully familiar. It was a little over 7 years ago, in December of 2017, that Republicans passed the single biggest priority of the first Trump administration. No, it wasn't record investment in our Nation's infrastructure that was promised almost on a weekly basis and never happened during the first Trump administration. Despite their best efforts, it was not repealing the Affordable Care Act as they pledged to do time and time again. What it was, what Republicans were successful in doing was passing a historic tax break for the wealthiest Americans. It added nearly $2 trillion to our Nation's debt--deficit hawks, are you listening?--two trillion dollars that could have gone to improve public schools; could have gone to address the housing supply challenges in our Nation; could have gone to helping lift children and families out of poverty, but, no, a tax break for the wealthiest Americans and some of the largest corporations on the planet. Yes, in their actions in 2017, it included a permanent cut to the corporate tax rate by 14 percent.…”