Pat Ryan: “This infrastructure bill is about two things. This is about putting money in the pockets of the American people who have…”

“This infrastructure bill is about two things. This is about putting money in the pockets of the American people who have had a rough go for the last 40 years, and this is about taking on China. Now, we have seen in the last couple of weeks CEO pay since the 1970s has gone up 1,300 percent. We have seen that 10 percent of the wealthiest people in this country own 90 percent of the stocks. So this bill is about: How do we get money in the pockets of people? Universal preschool--that is 1 year less of childcare that a family has to pay--that is money in their pockets. Capping childcare at 7 percent of your income, Mr. Speaker, that is money in their pockets. Helping seniors with glasses or hearing aids, that is money in their pockets. A tax cut finally for working people, not for the top 1 percent but for families, that is money in their pockets. If we don't recognize in this Chamber and down the hall that China is a looming threat--not even looming, they are here. Semiconductors, they outmanufacture us; electric vehicles, they outmanufacture us; communications equipment, they outmanufacture us; pharmaceuticals, our seniors get their pharmaceuticals from China. When are we going to wake up? When are we going to have the guts to level the playing field and the guts to take on China and the guts to do what is right so our kids and grandkids can thrive in the United States? We have to make these investments. We have to make them now.…”