Kevin Brady: Democrats Prioritize Welfare, Climate Change over Competing with China

House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Kevin Brady (R-TX) said on Tuesday that Democrats have prioritized welfare and climate change over competing with China in their latest bill.

Democrats have moved to pass their vision to combat the rise of China through the COMPETES Act, the House version of the Senate-passed U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA).

Republicans have slammed the bill for its failure to boost American manufacturing. Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN), the chairman of the House Republican Study Committee (RSC), said that the bill is riddled with woke and climate change carveouts.

Brady noted that the bill would boost American welfare and climate change programs despite the need for an “ambitious trade agenda” that would sell made-in-American goods and services. He also said the bill needs to fix the supply chain and create jobs.

“Sadly, Democrats in Congress aren’t serious about confronting China, holding them accountable for their trade commitments, or insisting China stop cheating America and other countries,” Brady remarked.

The Texas conservative noted that Democrats made a massive renewal of the Trade Adjustment Assitance (TTA), or “trade welfare expansion,” a “centerpiece” of their package.

Brady said, “Democrats are going it alone to expand trade welfare and decrease accountability.” He wrote that the proposal cost roughly $22 billion, which is far more than the $6 billion expansion House Democrats passed in their reconciliation bill in November 2021.

The legislation would grant a “permanent and larger” Health Care Tax Credit for TAA workers, who already have access to health care subsidies in the individual health insurance market.

Brady also revealed that the bill would hold small businesses and poor countries hostage to the Democrats’ leftist agenda:

The Generalized System of Preferences is intended to lift up poor countries and give small businesses access to inexpensive goods – a win-win for American customers and workers – but Democrats mandate poor countries’ compliance with climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, rather than working with more targeted environmental criteria that earned bipartisan support in USMCA.

Democrats’ Priority is Partisanship, Not Trade: Spurning a long history of bipartisanship on trade that included success like USMCA, Democrats refused to work with Republicans on this package. Democrats chose to include only one bill cosponsored by any Ways & Means Republicans.

“The result of this lack of rigorous Committee work is a bill that won’t be effective in either confronting China or strengthening our economy,” Brady remarked.

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

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