On the recordMarch 6, 2019
Mr. President, I rise today to join over 10 colleagues to speak in opposition to the so-called Green New Deal. Merriam-Webster defines a deal as ``a bargain'' or ``an agreement for mutual advantage.'' By its name, you would think that Americans are going to derive some benefit from it, but this couldn't be further from the truth. The truth is that this proposal is a raw deal for America, especially our rural communities. As many of you know, every month I give out a Squeal Award, which draws attention to outrageous examples of wasteful and reckless spending of taxpayer money. With a $93 trillion--trillion with a ``t''--pricetag, which is roughly $10 trillion more than the entire recorded spending of the U.S. Government since 1789, this month's Squeal Award goes to the Green New Deal, which, again, I think is kind of a raw deal. Just think about that number--$93 trillion. To fund this radical government takeover, every American family would have to pay about $65,000 annually. Folks, that is more than most Iowa households bring in in a year. The ideas presented in the Green New Deal used to garner support only from the furthest fringes of the political left--the furthest fringes. Concepts like rebuilding every building in the country, outlawing fossil fuels, and guaranteed jobs would never have made their way into mainstream discourse just a few years ago. Now our Democratic colleagues are trying to make them mainstream.…





