Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, we all share the goal of fighting fraud. As my colleague just said, there are things that we can and do agree on, but this bill isn't that. Our focus should be on going after those who stole unemployment insurance money and fixing the broken systems that enable them. Instead, the Republicans' bill seeks to claw back funds included in the American Rescue Plan that would allow the States to do what we are asking today. Mr. Smith's bill will make it easier for the bad guys to cheat the system, not harder, and it will hurt the hardworking, law-abiding citizens. Countless honest taxpayers hit hard by the pandemic followed the rules of their State, received their benefits, and used those funds to pay for their children's healthcare, to pay their rent, and simply to make ends meet. They had no way of knowing the State had mistakenly overpaid them. During the markup, I asked Chairman Smith what protections were included in this bill to ensure that honest taxpayers didn't get surprise bills or face prosecution from States. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.”