Remarks by President Biden at a at a Democratic National Committee Grassroots Rally | Eastern North Carolina Now

    I just signed into law the historic Inflation Reduction Act. (Applause.) And it wasn't easy. We had to take on the big drug companies to pass this bill, and we did. (Applause.)

    For decades, Big Pharma fought to block giving Medicare the power to negotiate lower drug prices. And for decades, Big Pharma won, but not this year. The American people won and Big Pharma lost. (Applause.) Medicare now has the power to negotiate for lower prescription drug prices. Seniors will see their out-of-pocket costs for drugs limited to no more than $2,000 a year no matter how many drugs they need take for cancer or other diseases. (Applause.) Limit.

    If you're on Medicare and have diabetes, your cost of insulin will be capped at $35 a month. (Applause.) We also included a provision that would have allowed anyone with diabetes, including those kids and their families that should get charged somewhere between $600 and $1,000 a month.

    How would you feel like being a parent, looking at your kid and knowing you didn't have the insurance, and knowing if they did not get that insulin, they may die. There's thousands of people in America going through that. And these Republicans rip that out of the bill, but we're coming back. (Applause.)

    Look, this law also keeps down the cost of healthcare. Thanks to the American Rescue Plan and this new law, we're saving families of four an average of $2,400 a year on their healthcare premiums. They are big savings for someone making $70-, $80-, $100,000 a year as a family. It's a big deal. Some might even say it's a "BFD." (Applause.)

    We also had to take on the climate deniers. And guess what? We beat them. (Applause.) We beat them. For decades, these climate deniers blocked any meaningful progress in dealing with climate crisis, but not this year. This year, the American people won and the climate deniers lost. (Applause.) And consequently, we're taking the most aggressive action to confront climate crisis ever - $368 billion.

    We created more than a million jobs, and it will help us triple our solar power, unleash American manufacturing to own the global market in electric cars. (Applause.) That's the future made in America. (Applause.)

    For decades - for decades, the biggest corporations and the wealthiest Americans who fought to block a fairer tax code. And for decade after decade, they won. That's why 55 of the largest Fortune 500 companies in America in 2020 paid zero in tax after making $40 billion.

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: No, no, I'm not making this up. It's the God's truth. Forty billion dollars.

    But this year - this year, some of the biggest companies in America flooded Capitol Hill with lobbyists and money and campaign contributions. And they lost. The American people won. (Applause.)

   
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    Now, corporations have to pay a minimum corporate tax, God love them, of 15 percent. Isn't that painful? (Laughter.) The days of billion-dollar companies paying zero is over. (Applause.)

    And guess what? You hear - you hear Republicans always talking about the deficit - right? - about big-spending Democrats. Well, guess what? When the last guy was President, he increased the debt by $2 trillion in tax cuts, not a penny of it paid for. Okay?

    Well, guess what we did?. We've reduced the deficit. (Applause.) The Inflation Reduction Act lowers the deficit by $300 billion over the next 10 years. (Applause.) And that's on top of the $350 billion I reduced the deficit last year and the $1.5 trillion dollars reducing it this year. (Applause.)

    You'd think if the Republicans really cared about reducing inflation, they would have vote for the Inflation Reduction Act. But every single Republican voted against it. Even I know at least a dozen of them thought they should vote for it but they would be primaried.

    Every single Republican in the House, every single Republican in the Senate, every single one - hear this, America: Every single Republican voted against lowering prescription drug prices, against lower healthcare costs, against tackling the climate crisis, against lower energy costs, against creating good-paying jobs, against fairer taxes. Every single one.

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: That's not hyperbole. Every - every single American needs to return the favor when we vote. (Applause.)

    And thanks to our historic deficit reduction, we can afford to cancel $10,000 in student debt and $20,000 if you're on a Pell Grant for tens of millions of Americans making under $125,000. This is a gamechanger.

    Look, every election is a choice. My dad used to have a saying. He said, "Joey, don't compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative." Well, the alternative to the Democrats are the MAGA Republicans.

    Wes knows all about MAGA Republicans. He's running against one of them. That's why Wes described him as so far outside the mainstream that it'll be dangerous in the governor's office. Well, you're absolutely right. And your current Republican governor - your Republican governor agrees with that. Just go check out what your Republican governor said about Wes's opponent.

    So how extreme are these MAGA Republicans? Just take a look what happened since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. In red states after red state, there's a race to pass the most restrictive abortion limitations imaginable, even without exception for rape or incest.

    But these MAGA Republicans won't stop there. They want a national ban. They want to pass a legislative national ban in the Congress.

    If the MAGA Republicans win control the Congress, it won't matter where you live; women won't have the right to choose anywhere, anywhere.

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

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    THE PRESIDENT: Let me tell you something. If they take it back and they try and pass it, I will veto it. (Applause.) Next -

    We're going to go, all right. And by the way, as Clarence Thomas said in the opinion, he said that the right to privacy doesn't exist for the right to have - use contraception, marriage equality, the whole right to privacy.

    AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: We can't let that happen. You got it, kid. (Applause.) You can't let that happen. Not today. Not tomorrow, not ever. And I don't believe we will.

    The MAGA Republicans have awakened to the powerful force in America: the women of this nation. (Applause.)

    The Court, in its opinion, used a phrase that women have a right to vote and change this. Well, guess what? MAGA Republicans don't have a clue about the power of women. (Applause.) Let me tell you something: They are about to find out. (Applause.) Oh - oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

    And by the way - look, I served in the Congress since I was 29 years old. I got - I had to wait 17 days to be eligible to be sworn in. (Laughter.) I've served with a lot of great Republicans, and I mean it. A lot of great Rep- -

    AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.)

    THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, man. Thank you, man. You got it.

    Well, here's the deal. Here's the deal: What's happened is - what's happened is there are no - there are not many real Republicans anymore.

    By the way, your sitting governor - he's a Republican you can deal with. We disagree - no, no, I'm serious. But at least he's within the mainstream of the Republican Party.

    I respect conservative Republicans. I don't respect these MAGA Republicans. (Applause.)

    And, folks, everybody thinks I'm exaggerating when I say this, but they're coming after your Social Security as well. And you think I'm kidding? Go read the only election-year plan the Republicans have put out. Look up on these - on these - there you go.

    This is - this is the Republican plan that is about what they want to do with regard to Social Security. Flip the - go ahead to the next slide.

    There you go. Here's what they said: Rick Scott, the Republican chairman of the re-elect committee for the Senate - Republican senators, said Social Security and Medicare should be the chopping blo- - here's the - they - this is what they put out: "All federal legislation sunsets every five years. If a law is worth keeping, Congress can pass it again." Translated: Your Social Security, every five years, will be eliminated unless it's voted back into existence.

    AUDIENCE MEMBER: That's our money!

    THE PRESIDENT: That's your money. You paid for it. You paid for it.

    But I'm not joking. Think about this. Think about what they're doing.

    It's all - it's all there in black and white. He wants to require Congress to vote on the future of Social Security every five years. So, every five years, Congress can vote to change, cut, reduce, or entirely eliminate Social Security. How's that make you feel?

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: Do you want to put your Social Security into the hands of Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene?

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: I mean it.

    But it's not just Social Security. Senator Scott wants everything in the federal budget voted on, de novo, every five years or it goes out of existence. That includes Medicare, veterans' benefits, and everything else.

    And then comes along Ron - Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin.

    AUDIENCE: Booo -

    THE PRESIDENT: This is what - they put this in writing now. This is their plan.

    He thinks five years is too long. I'm not joking. You think I'm making this up. He wants to put Social Security and Medicare on the chopping block every single year.

    This is the same guy who said if Republicans get control of the United States Congress, they're coming after the Affordable Care Act again, denying health insurance to anyone with a preexisting condition. Because if you don't have - if you don't have the Affordable Care Act, people without a pre-existing - with a pre-existing cannot get insurance.

    Again, just think of it as a parent or a brother or sister looking at a brother, sister, son, daughter, and you can't take care of them because they have a pre-existing condition.

    These guys never stop. And we're never going to stop either. (Applause.)

    Look, my friends, we offer a starkly different version and vision of this country - a vision of a better America that's within our reach, that's within our hands if we just vote. (Applause.)

    If we elect two more senators, we keep the House - and Democrats, we're going to get a lot of unfinished business we're going to get done.

    Folks, look, we'll codify Roe v. Wade. (Applause.) We'll ban - we'll ban assault weapons. (Applause.) We'll protect Social Security and Medicare. (Applause.) We'll pass universal pre-K. (Applause.) We'll restore the Childcare Tax Credit. (Applause.) We'll protect voting rights. We'll pass election reform and make no - make sure no one - no one - ever has the opportunity to steal an election again. (Applause.)
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( September 5th, 2022 @ 5:44 pm )
 
From reading these words by the top Democratic Socialists on the American Political stage, the MAGA Republicans are responsible for all of America's ills: The Energy Crisis; the Open Border Catastrophe and Mega Crime Scene; Inflation; Covid; Loss of Respect Internationally; just to name a few of how MAGA Republicans are the true political evil.



Remarks by President Biden at a Reception for the Democratic National Committee News Services, Government, State and Federal Remarks by President Biden During Meeting on Reproductive Rights with State and Local Officials

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