ms. schwartz, who has been a valued member of the committee, we are going to miss her, for one and a half minutes. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one and a half minutes. ms. schwartz: our manufacturers, small business owners and everyday commuters require a modern transportation system. simply put, our daily lives, our safety, and our economy all require a first rate transportation system. but our nation's infrastructure is crumbling, endangering travelers, lengthening commutes and holding back economic growth. in their latest report card, the american society of civil engineers gave my own home state's roads and transit a d-minus. sadly, pennsylvania has the largest number of crumbling bridges in our nation at over 5,000. this is simply unacceptable. with the highway trust fund running out of funds, we must act to ensure that important projects continue that workers stay on the job and that we do not fall farther behind but the bill before us is a temporary fix. instead this congress should act on a robust transportation bill, not for a few months, but for year

ms. schwartz, for five minutes. ms. schwartz: thank you. let me commend by thanking my fellow congressman, hank johnson, and congressman butterfield for their initiative and their advocacy in fighting for and speaking up for medicaid expansion in each of our states that have not taken it. more than five million people in this country now have health coverage. using federal dollars available to every state to expand medicaid eligibility to hardworking americans and their families. but not in my home state of pennsylvania. instead, hundreds of thousands of people in pennsylvania are left out. 305,000 people in pennsylvania could have health coverage today but for the decision of our governor. this is morally unconscionable and economically shortsighted. months have gone by, people are sicker, hospital bills go unpaid and health providers struggle to stay at the forefront of innovation. health care, whether it is to detect an illness or to treat a chronic condition or to save a life, is not optional. consider the working mother who earns just

ms. schwartz: this legislation has been described by the republican majority as an extension, improvement, of the child tax credit according to many american families. the fact is this bill is deeply flawed. at a cost of nearly $100 million, it increases a child tax credit for those with higher incomes while failing to extend needed relief for lower income families. consider the consequences. a single mother with two children, working full-time, at minimum wage, earns just $14,500 annually. she will see a tax increase of $1,725. a lance corporal in the marine corps with two years' of service, married with two children, earns about $23,000 a year in base pay. this family will see their taxes go up by $750. and for those with higher incomes, including members of congress, with two children, who earn $174,000, they will receive a tax cut of $1,600. and in the hastily added provision, a child who is a legal resident or u.s. citizen whose parent uses an individual tax i.d. number rather than a social security number will be denied the child tax credit no matter what their level of income. as a