Watch Kennedy’s comments here.

WASHINGTON – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:

On reconciliation:

“We're working hard on reconciliation. I suspect we're going to have a bill before us here in a few days. It's very important, it does a lot. . . . If we pass this bill, it will be the largest tax cut in the history of America. But the converse is also true. If we don't pass this bill, it will be the largest tax increase on the American people in the history of America. 

“So, there are two doors here. Door number one: Pass it. Largest tax cut in the history of America. Door number two: Don't pass it. Largest tax increase—$4.3 trillion. That's how much taxes will go up on ordinary Americans. Not just the rich. I know they're going to tell you that. It's just the rich. No, it's not. It's ordinary Americans. It's every American.

“If we don't pass this bill, you raise taxes $4.3 trillion on 300-plus million Americans, and you watch this economy go down like a fat guy on a seesaw. We don't have a choice.”

On rescissions:

“The president has sent to us a rescission package. It's $9.4 billion, as you know, Mr. President. The president is asking us to remove spending that Congress appropriated for areas in foreign aid and for public broadcasting. I want to talk about the foreign aid part. 

“We're going to have plenty of time to debate whether we ought to agree with the president, but I want the American people to understand the type of spending porn that the president is asking to take out of Congress' budget.

“The Honorable Jodey Arrington, who is a congressman—a damned good one too—he's chairman of the House Budget Committee. The congressman put together just a few items in the foreign aid spending provisions that the president is asking us to remove. This list is illustrative. It's not exhaustive.

“I just wanted to point a couple of these programs out. Again, this is spending the president is asking us to revoke. You be the judge, folks. It's your money. The American people can decide whether we ought to spend their money on this or take it out, as the president has requested.

“I know Congress is not blameless, believe me. But we didn't approve these specific items of expenditure. We approved the amounts and the general subject areas, like foreign aid. The bureaucrats did the rest.

“I didn't know there was any such thing as an environmentally unfriendly reproductive health decision. $167,000 the bureaucracy has spent or is proposing to spend on free education and health care to migrants in Ecuador and Venezuela. $67,000 to provide insect powder to children in Madagascar.

“Mr. President, have you ever had insect powder? Don't answer that. I don't think I’m even supposed to be asking you under the Senate rules. But I haven't had it. . . . The bureaucracy wants to spend $5.1 million to strengthen the ‘resilience of LGBTQ global movements, and the president asked us to take it out. $833,000 for services for transgender people, sex workers, and their clients and sexual networks in Nepal. $643,000 for LGBTQIA programs in the western Balkans. $567,000 for LGBTQIA programs in Uganda. $33,000 for being LGBTQIA in the Caribbean.

“In the area of the climate, Mr. President, the bureaucrats want to spend—and President Trump wants us to take it out—$6 million appropriated for net-zero cities in Mexico, $2.1 million for climate resilience in Southeast Asia, Latin America and east Africa, $416,700 for climate adaptation, including growing coral reefs, in the Caribbean. $500,000 for Rwanda to buy electric buses. Your money. $8,000 to promote vegan food in Zambia. . . . The bureaucracy wants to spend $1 million on voter ID programs in Haiti. If you know anything about Haiti, it's a mess. They're not about to have elections any time soon. $889,000 for electoral reforms and voter education in Kenya.

“In the area of media arts and culture, the bureaucracy proposes to spend $6 million to support media organization and civic life in Palestine, and $3 million for Iraqi Sesame Street.

“This is just a taste, Mr. President. This list is illustrative, it's not exhaustive. So when you see us debating whether we should reduce the federal budget by $9.3 billion, which the House has already decided to do and now it's our turn, and I say—which I have repeatedly said and will continue to say—is that all the president is asking us to do is cut the spending porn from the budget.

“You can make up your own mind. It's your money. If you think we ought to be spending the money on this, encourage us to vote no, but if you think you could spend this money of yours better than the bureaucracy could or we could spend on our kids or our roads or our health care, then encourage us to vote yes.”

Watch Kennedy’s speech here.