[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 21, 2005)]
[House]
[Pages H4874-H4880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REPUBLICAN AGENDA
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. McHenry). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 7, 2003, the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs.
Blackburn) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here with some of my
colleagues this evening, and we have a great agenda. We are going to
talk about the agenda that we have had for this session of the 109th
Congress and some of the positive accomplishments that we have made.
But before I start on that, I do want to make a couple of comments, Mr.
Speaker, regarding my colleagues across the aisle and some of the
things that they have had to say.
They are so very concerned about the budget and how the budget works
and about spending. Mr. Speaker, I just have to say it is interesting
for me to hear them. Some of them are talking about how we cannot have
tax relief that grows the economy because we would be doing away with
needed programs. And then we hear that we are not growing the economy
enough. And the interesting thing is you cannot have it both ways. You
cannot have it both ways. You know, you have to set a course and you
have to move forward on that course, and that is what this leadership
has done.
We know that it is the people's money that we are here to be good
stewards of. And it was so interesting, one of my colleagues just said,
tax cuts are going to cost us. Tax cuts are going to cost us. Well, you
know what, every time we pass a bill that spends another dollar, it is
costing everybody that is paying taxes. When we reduce taxes, we give
money back to the people that earn that money, the taxpayers. We leave
that money in home communities. We leave that money where it belongs,
with families.
Right now in this great Nation of ours, taxes are the biggest part of
any family budget. We will set about on a course, the leadership in
this Congress
[[Page H4875]]
has set about on a course, the President and the administration have
set about on a course to get some of that burden off the backs of the
American taxpayer; and we are working to reduce the size of this
government.
Mr. Speaker, I tell you, I am so pleased that tonight we can take a
moment and reflect. This is day number 169 on the 2005 calendar. It is
day number 67 in our legislative calendar of the 109th Congress. And
the majority in this Congress has, we are approaching the halfway point
for this year and we have made substantial progress.
Mr. Speaker, you cannot help but notice that a remarkable thing has
been happening on the floor of this very House over the past few
months. It is something most people probably are not very aware of and
I can assure you, listening to my colleagues tonight, it is something
that the minority leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)
probably hopes will remain unnoticed by most of the American people,
but my colleagues across the aisle, many have been abandoning their
party leadership in droves and they are voting in favor of a Republican
agenda and our legislation. And it is worth noting tonight.
People say, oh, Washington is such a partisan town, nothing ever gets
done. The town is in gridlock. And the minority leader will come to the
floor and she will rail against the legislation that is being brought
forth, and she will call it virtually everything in the book but good.
And after all the hot air hits the rafters and people put their card in
and cast their vote, dozens of Democrats vote for the legislation that
she has just taken 5 minutes criticizing.
Why is it, Mr. Speaker? I think it is probably because the leadership
in this body is crafting legislation to solve problems. We are here to
solve problems for the American people. We are here to work to reduce
regulation. We are here to lessen the tax burden. We are here to cast
votes that will preserve individual freedoms for this great Nation. And
we are attracting so many Democrat votes because the legislation that
is in this body is legislation that appeals to the folks back home,
regardless of what the party is. They are folks who are interested in a
better life and a better quality of life for their families.
Here are just a few examples of what we have seen many of the
Democrats come over and support, Mr. Speaker. One, bankruptcy reform.
We passed that bill with 302 votes, 73 of those were Democrat votes.
Class action reform. We passed that with 200 the votes, 50 of those
were Democrats.
The REAL ID Act. We passed that with 261 votes, and that included 42
Democrats who joined us in saying let us secure these borders, let us
stiffen up these immigration policies.
The Continuity of Government Act passed with 329 votes, 122 of those
were Democrats.
The Energy Policy Act passed with 249 votes, 41 of those were
Democrats.
The Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, 207 votes, 54 of
those were Democrats.
Mr. Speaker, it is phenomenal, but the good thing is it is an agenda
that the American people are interested in. It is an agenda that they
support.
Mr. Speaker, I want to yield some time this evening to our chief
deputy whip, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor) who is going to
talk to us about some of the ways that that this legislation impacts
those in his State.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs.
Blackburn), and I commend her for conducting this Special Order
tonight. It is a great opportunity for us to gather here and to really
do a number of things. First, to set the record straight after
responding to the comments made from the other side; but also, as the
gentlewoman pointed out, to talk a little bit about our vision for
America and what the majority has been doing in pursuing that vision
through legislation that we have worked on here in the House of
Representatives.
First of all, I would like to join the gentlewoman in supporting her
statement that we are here as shepherds of the people's money. It is
and should be our aim to give back as much of the money that is earned
by the taxpayers, to the people that are earning that money, so they
can use the money and put it to the work in the best way and the most
efficient way possible.
In that spirit, Mr. Speaker, I would also point out that the other
side, in making the comment that the President nor the leadership has
noticed that there is a problem with the deficit, nothing could be
further from the truth. All that needs to be done is if they would look
back to the deficit, to the budget that we passed to deal with the
deficit. The President has set the goal that we must halve the deficit
within 5 years. And this House of Representatives along with the entire
Congress managed to pass a budget which for the first time in at least
8 years begins to chip away at the so-called entitlement programs. And
we will have a bill later this year which does that, to begin to arrest
the exponential growth in those programs.
But also we passed a budget that actually achieves an approximate 1
percent across-the-board cut in nondefense, non-homeland security
spending. Although those savings may seem meager, this is the first
time that we have done that since the Reagan era. So, Mr. Speaker, I
would differ strongly with the statements made by the other side to
remind the people across this country that we are serious. We are
serious stewards of their taxpayer dollars, and aim to be able to give
back more of the hard-earned money that the families and businesses
across this country earn on a daily basis.
Now, let us turn to maybe the accomplishments that the gentlewoman
talked about just now, and make an introductory remark about how we are
leading this country, how we are responding to those issues that are on
the top of people's minds across this country, and certainly are doing
everything we can to make safer our young men and women in uniform as
they have volunteered their time and made a sacrifice for us to go over
and to conquer the enemy that poses a tremendous threat to our freedom.
First of all, almost 4 years ago, on September 11, 2001, there is no
question that all convention in terms of security was turned on its
head. It was on that day, Mr. Speaker, that we saw 19 terrorists kill
3,000 Americans in about 20 minutes with box cutters on a plane. And
that was something that was really demonstrative of the fact that we
were not thinking the unthinkable. I dare to say that not many of us
would think that such an awful, awful terrorist attack could occur on
our own soil, but it did. And as the gentlewoman mentioned, we rose to
the occasion and we passed the REAL ID act to make sure that no longer
could a terrorist have access to false identification issued by any
State government to board an airplane and use that airplane as a
missile to kill thousands of Americans. No longer will that happen.
And as the gentlewoman points out, we were able to garner an awful
lot of support on the other side. But mind you, it was not support
coming from the ranks of the minority leadership, but rather it was the
leadership on the Republican side of the aisle that took the lead on
that issue.
But in terms of security and what is going on here at home, we are
also dealing with a very real problem, and that is the spread of gang
violence. This is not only a State problem, it is a national problem.
It is an international problem that reflects the growing influx and
occurrence of terrorists making it across the border, joining gangs,
and participating in some very violent acts.
A little over a month ago here on the House floor, we passed what was
called the gang buster bill to provide Federal law enforcement with
extra tools to go ahead and identify and apprehend individuals
connected with these gangs, and also to strengthen penalties so that we
can put an end to violent activity in our community.
Once again, leadership position that was taken on the majority side
of the aisle and, frankly, has not been at all echoed or supported by
the other side's leadership. None of this, Mr. Speaker, none of this
would be possible if we do not ensure that our economy remains strong.
In going back to the point the gentlewoman made about ensuring that
the more taxpayer dollars that we can return to the people that earn
it, the better off and the more productive our economy can be, we have
witnessed over the last several months an incredible surge in the rate
of job creation in
[[Page H4876]]
this country. We are at about a 5.1 percent unemployment rate
nationally, which is a lower rate, the lowest rate that we have
experienced in this country since September of 2001.
I can say, Mr. Speaker, in my home State of Virginia, we have an
approximately 3 percent unemployment rate, which again demonstrates the
productivity gains that we have made, but also demonstrates that we
have got an environment where individuals have taken to putting their
capital at risk to create jobs and creates value.
Now, we all know we are in a 24-7 global economy. We make no mistake
about that. I think it is an agreed-upon fact that today we in this
country, it is not just that our constituents are competing across
town, that it is not the competitor there that we are only worried
about, but the competitor across the globe.
{time} 1930
You talk to some of the economic developers that are active in
today's global economy and they will tell you there is just as much of
a chance that an individual or company looking to invest resources
would do so in Lima, Peru, as they would in Lima, Ohio. That is the
reality of today's global economy.
That is why we must compete. We must ensure that our tax laws are
competitive. That is why we need to make sure that we enact some
permanency in the Bush tax cuts because there is nothing more obvious
than the impact of those tax cuts on the economy itself and the
tremendous surge that we have experienced.
We need to make sure that the regulatory environment is competitive.
We cannot have our regulators promulgating burdensome regulations that
inhibit capital formation in this country, because literally we are
competing with every nation in the world.
Mr. Speaker, we also must be mindful of what we have seen as the
proliferation of junk lawsuits. Nothing can be more inhibitive of
capital formation than for an individual or a company to realize that
they may be subjected to frivolous lawsuits and exposure to liability
that simply is not warranted.
All we have to do is recall the class action suits against some of
the fast-food chains that posed a potential risk to them, exposing them
to liability for making hot coffee. Frankly, for an individual to drive
up to a drive-through window, purchase a cup of coffee and then not
realize that it is so hot that if it spills on them it would cause a
burn, to me, defies common sense and reason.
It is those types of frivolous lawsuits that were included in this
class action reform bill that we have passed and the President actually
signed into law. It is that type of legislation that has been guided
through this House, through the support of our membership, and
certainly at the direction of our Speaker and our leadership.
Mr. Speaker, we have a daunting task ahead of us in approaching the
very real problem of Social Security. This is one of the most
successful programs that we have ever faced in this country; but yet it
is a program, given the demographics that we face in this country, that
frankly is unsustainable.
The law, as it stands today, will not allow us to continue on the
current course, and we have got to do something to bend the curve to
ensure long-term solvency of our Social Security system and, at the
same time, ensure that it is not only today's seniors that are
beneficiaries of that program but it is our children and our
grandchildren.
That is what we and the majority side of the aisle have set out to
do. That is where the proposals have stemmed from. It is from the
majority side of the aisle, and to date, Mr. Speaker, save but one
Member on the opposite side of the aisle, we have seen nothing,
nothing, no contribution from the other side of the aisle, not even
contributing to the discussion that there is a problem facing the
Social Security system today.
It is on that note, Mr. Speaker, with an issue of such import that I
implore the other side of the aisle to join our discussion, to
contribute to trying to come up with solutions for the American people.
I implore the other side and the leadership there to begin to join the
discussion in arriving at solutions for the American people.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia and
thank him for his thoughts on the issue and the things that we have
been able to accomplish so far in the 109th Congress. As the gentleman
had said, there have been so many things that we have been able to do.
I have got a list of 100 ways in 100 days that we have been able to
pass legislation that at some point he just mentioned: class action
reform, funding for the troops, workforce job training, a highway jobs
bill, a budget that reins in spending, boosting our border security and
tsunami relief, all things that are very important. As he said, when it
comes to issues of taxation, we are reducing the rate of taxation and
the impact that has on our families.
Talking about the need for deregulation. We like to say in my
district, we need deregulation that fosters innovation and spurs job
creation because that is what it is about, creating those jobs, keeping
this economy moving, keeping it effective. Of course, litigation, and
being certain that we look at class action reform, the need for class
action reform, the need for medical liability reform.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I am going to yield to the gentleman from
Georgia (Mr. Price) who has certainly been very active in this agenda
that we have in the 109th Congress, the common sense Congress; and he
has truly been a leader as we have looked at many of the taxation
issues, as well as many of the health care issues in this great Nation.
Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Tennessee for yielding. I appreciate very much the opportunity to be
involved with her in this discussion tonight.
I was listening a little earlier, and I was thinking, do you not just
get tired of the naysayers? Do you not just get tired of the folks who
have nothing but doom and gloom to offer? It really is remarkable. I do
not know what I would do if I felt that way every single day; the other
side of the aisle seems to be so depressed and demoralized about what
is going on. They are obviously not paying attention. This is an
exciting time to be an American. It is an exciting time for all
Americans.
The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), our whip, mentioned that it
is a serious time, and it is a very serious time; but it is an
optimistic time as well.
The gentlewoman mentioned many of the issues that we have acted on
these first 169 days. It is the summer solstice. It is the longest day
of the year, and the light in this longest day we ought to use to shed
light on what we have done over these first 169 days. The gentlewoman
mentioned a couple of them that I wanted to touch on.
Class action reform is one of them, real lawsuit abuse reform that we
have been able to enact, and we have been working on that in Congress
for years, literally, trying to get that done, and it took Republican
leadership and it took a Republican Congress to get it done. We will
end some of the harassment that is going on in terms of local lawsuits
and protect consumers.
The budget resolution was mentioned where we are actually cutting
real spending. The unsustainable rate of Federal spending that we have
we are ending. We are ending that unsustainable rate and moving in the
right direction. That is optimistic. That is positive for our Nation.
REAL ID, the border security that she talked about, and we are
getting good support from other side of the aisle for these things.
Forty-two Democrats were on that who voted for that, and it is a first
step in the right direction as it relates to border security.
The bankruptcy bill the gentlewoman mentioned as well. That is real
reform that had 73 Democrats.
The energy bill we have not talked much about, 41 Democrats on that
bill.
I want to talk briefly tonight about something that is near and dear
to my heart and I know near and dear to the gentlewoman's and that is
tax reform. The tax reform that we have acted upon this year in this
Congress is the death tax, permanent repeal of the death tax.
This is part of that, those posters and the items that the
gentlewoman talked about 100 days, 100 ways, what House Republicans
have done to strengthen America. The death tax, the other side of the
aisle earlier this evening said that tax cuts hurt Americans. I was
dumbfounded when I heard that. Tax cuts hurt Americans. Do my
colleagues know that the death tax itself costs
[[Page H4877]]
the American economy up to 250,000 jobs annually? By permanently
repealing the death tax, we would add more than 100,000 jobs each year.
Nearly 60 percent of business owners say that they would add jobs over
the coming year if death taxes were permanently and completely
eliminated.
What does the death tax do? Well, it is the leading cause of the
dissolution of thousands of family-run small businesses. Small
businesses owned by families, the death tax comes at the end when
somebody dies who is the senior in the family, and what happens is that
that death tax is instituted, and they have to sell that family
business in order to pay that death tax. It penalizes work. It
penalizes savings. It deals an incredible death blow to small
businesses.
Get this statistic: more than 70 percent of family businesses do not
survive the second generation. Eighty-seven percent do not make it to
the third generation. Why is that? How much does that death tax take?
You talk about 15 percent taxes here is high, and 20 percent there, and
the income tax has a rate that is higher than that; but what does the
death tax take? Forty-seven percent. Forty-seven percent. It is no
wonder that 70 percent of small businesses do not survive to the next
generation.
So the death tax is unfair. It is unjust. It hampers economic growth.
It increases the cost of capital. It artificially elevates interest
rates, and this is another astounding fact: it probably costs the
government and taxpayers more to collect the tax than the tax revenue
that is gotten. That is the kind of nonsense that Americans are tired
of.
So what did our Congress do, led by Republicans and joined by some
commonsense Democrats? What did our Republican leadership and our
Republican House do? We passed a bill to repeal permanently the death
tax. I could not be more proud to serve with men and women who act on
this issue and other issues in such a responsible way.
I am here to tell my colleagues that it is a positive thing that this
Congress is doing, that this Republican leadership is doing, and that
this Republican majority is doing; and we ought to be excited about
where we are as Americans about the leadership that we have.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I am certain that in
the gentleman's district in Georgia, just like in my mine in Tennessee,
he has many family farmers. In our district in Tennessee, small
business is the number one employer; and when I meet in my district
with many of our farmers, with many of our small business owners, this
is one of those issues, a permanent repeal of the death tax, this is
something that they want to be certain gets signed into law. They are
so supportive of the President and what he is doing there, and they
want to be certain we get rid of that.
We look at it as a triple tax. You pay tax when you acquire an asset;
you pay a tax when you earn your income; you pay a tax when you
maintain that asset; and then you die and you go and you pay it again.
I talk a lot about sweat equity. Being a small businessperson, when
somebody goes in there and they have that bright idea and they start
that business and they put years and years and years into building that
business and building that customer base, they want to be able to with
pride give that to their children and their grandchildren, for that to
be their livelihood, to continue that legacy.
I look forward to our being able to put an end to such an egregious
tax, and I thank the gentleman for his leadership on that issue; and I
yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price).
Mr. PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman ever so
much. I appreciate that. I always thought it was two bites at the
apple, but she is right. It is three bites that the government takes.
That is unjust and unfair.
I just wanted to come and add a little perspective of what I believe
is the optimism that this Congress is leading with, this Republican
leadership and this Republican majority is leading with. I appreciate
the gentlewoman doing this this evening and giving us an opportunity to
show the American people and talk with the American people about the
positive things that this Congress is doing, and I thank her very much.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr.
Price) for his comments, and he is so right. There is a spirit of
optimism in America; and we see that in our districts, folks that are
growing new businesses, folks that are working, getting new skills,
training for new jobs; and we appreciate that about them. We love
seeing that in our districts, and we like seeing that optimism, and
certainly here on Capitol Hill we are encouraged when we hear from our
constituents that they are excited about some of the legislation that
we are passing here, whether it is with bankruptcy reform or the REAL
ID Act, taking steps to secure those borders, reducing taxes,
supporting our troops.
A gentleman who knows quite a bit about supporting those troops is
the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis) with his military background.
He is new to us this year here in Congress, and we welcome him, and we
welcome his energy and his willingness to work on the great agenda that
we have established in this 109th Congress.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis).
Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from
Tennessee for yielding.
I believe that we have much to be pleased about; and contrary to the
obstinate obstructionism of the far left, much is being done. There is
a lot of talk about how Republicans and Democrats cannot seem to agree
on anything, and I do not think that portrays an accurate picture of
the work that is being done in the 109th Congress.
So far we have seen several significant pieces of legislation passed
with overwhelming bipartisan support. We have watched as a significant
number of Democrats have broken ranks to support business and family-
friendly legislation.
{time} 1945
So what have we been spending our time on? For starters, we have
given a helping hand to small businesses by passing class action
reform, a permanent repeal to the death tax, and a comprehensive energy
policy, all of which contribute to the overall good health of our
economy.
More importantly, these measures will help create jobs. Americans
want to work. Americans want to earn a paycheck and want to feel like
they have contributed to our part of the world.
We in Congress can help Americans do that by continuing to support
and pass legislation that creates jobs. Consider this: the energy
policy will create 40,000 new construction jobs by building about 27
large clean-coal plants. That will benefit the Commonwealth of Kentucky
and the Ohio Valley, workers, suppliers, and also manufacturers and
energy producers.
It will create 12,000 full-time permanent jobs related to plant
operations, and the legislation allows for increased natural gas
exploration and development that will create jobs and provide more than
$500 million in increased revenue for our economy. The comprehensive
energy policy passed with the support of 41 Democrats who believe more
in creating jobs and establishing an energy policy than playing petty
politics.
Let us also consider the permanent repeal of the death tax which
passed with the support of 42 Members of the Democratic Party. They
voted to allow small businesses and family farmers to keep jobs and our
dollars in communities, rather than sending them to bureaucrats in
Washington, D.C.
There is the highway bill that will create more than 47,000 new jobs
for every $1 billion invested in our country's transportation system.
Not only does this create jobs, but it increases road safety so that
our families and everyone else who travels them can be assured of a
safer ride. And 198 Democrats supported this legislation. The minority
leader did not, despite the fact that that bill alone will lay a
tremendous foundation for future growth and future economic development
throughout this land.
Mr. Speaker, 71 Members of the Democratic Party joined with us to
pass the Gang Deterrence and Protection Act of 2005, again without the
strength or support of their leadership. Gangs are increasingly
becoming a problem in nearly every community in the Nation, and we are
starting to hear disturbing whispers about gangs that
[[Page H4878]]
regularly bring illegal immigrants into this country to boost their
gang membership and may be teaming up with terror cells to smuggle in
terrorists. This is a serious threat to our national security that we
must address.
But what can we expect from our Democratic leadership that continues
to insult and denigrate our troops and the mission of our military,
those who serve on the front lines? So we continue to be joined by
rank-and-file Democrats, like the 54 Members who helped us pass the
Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, the 42 Members who helped
us pass the Border Security Act, and the 122 Democrats who helped us
pass the Continuity in Congress Act.
Moreover, 143 Democrats joined with us to support our troops at the
tip of the spear, fighting the war on terror to protect our Nation and
keep our communities and our homeland safe. They made sure that they
ensured our troops have the resources and tools they need to fight and
win this war on terror.
Contrary to what the liberal media implies, there is strong
bipartisan work in Congress; and there is a lot being accomplished. It
is just too bad that the Democratic leadership continues being
obstinate and obstructive when there is so much at stake for our
future, our continuing economic well-being, the security of our
homeland, and the security and jobs of ordinary Americans who depend
upon us to pass commonsense, reasonable legislation.
As a joint team, we are doing our part and we are getting some great
help teaming with rank-and-file Democrats. It is too bad the liberal
minority leader does not want to join her own colleagues who did the
right thing in passing helpful and progressive legislation.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for taking the
time to share his thoughts tonight.
The gentleman is so right: it is family friendly, it is business
friendly. That is the agenda that this leadership has. It is an agenda
that is based on hope. It is an agenda that is based on the love of
opportunity and knowing that we all want something better for our
children, for our grandchildren. We all want to see America be vital
and vibrant with a great economy and opportunity for all of our
children.
As the gentleman was speaking, I thought about a great Tennessean,
Alex Hailey, and a comment he used to make regularly. He was a
wonderful author, and we are so proud of the works he created. He had a
phrase that he would use often. It was ``find the good and praise it.''
In this 109th Congress, the agenda that we have brought forward has a
whole lot of good in it. It is wonderful to take a few moments on this
first day of summer, on this 169th calendar day of the year, the 67th
day of this 109th Congress, and praise the good work that is being done
on this floor.
We have talked a lot about our economic security and homeland
security. Let us focus on moral security and the obligation we have for
health care in this great Nation. One of the leaders in this debate
here in this Congress is the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr.
Bradley), and he is going to talk about health care and some of the
items we have been able to accomplish on our health care agenda.
Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to join
with the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) to talk about an
agenda that helps get Americans back to work, that wins the war on
terrorism and makes our Nation secure, and an agenda that focuses on
affordable and accessible health care for all.
Like the gentlewoman, I go home every weekend and I do town hall
meetings. I am going to do my 100th town hall meeting this weekend
since I have been a Member of Congress. One of the things that keeps
coming up is the cost of health care and what can we do to further that
agenda.
There are a lot of things that we can do and have voted on in the
past and will vote on in the future. It starts with the fact that
doctors with high liability costs are being driven out of the practice
of medicine because of those soaring liability costs. We need to
confront that. We have done that on our side of the aisle and will
continue to do that. Some reasonable limits on pain and suffering
awards, which some States have enacted and have seen medical liability
costs come down and stabilize.
In my State of New Hampshire, we have seen higher-risk specialty
doctors, obstetricians, gynecologists, trauma doctors, surgeons,
actually have to relinquish or curtail their practice because of
soaring liability costs. What does that mean? It means people that need
medical care may not be able to get it from the doctor of their choice,
or they have to travel further, or it is simply not available in
certain regions of my State. This is a national issue, and we need to
get this on our agenda. This is something that we voted on on our side
of the aisle and supported, and I hope that the other side of the aisle
will join in this commonsense reform to make sure that doctors stay in
business.
There are other things that we can do. Small businesses have so many
employees, and they constitute about 70 percent of the new jobs; but
for many small businesses they are also where, unfortunately, a number
of Americans cannot afford health insurance through their business, the
business owners, that represents a significant number of the uninsured
people in our country. So allowing small businesses the same
opportunities that large corporations have, to pool together and to do
so across State lines, to join through bona fide business
organizations, whether it is chambers of commerce, or like-minded
business groups around the country, to be able to purchase health
insurance through what are known as associated health plans, is a
commonsense reform that, once again, we are leading the way on.
I hope that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, and there
are some that support this because it is a great idea, it will give
small businesses the same buying power that large corporations have so
they will get better discounts in health care. It will allow them to
spread out the risk of expensive treatments and to spread out high
administrative costs, all things that small businesses endure. I hope
that we are able to pass this here in the House and the Senate to enact
this reform.
A couple of things that we have done in the 108th Congress, and we
need to look at that because one of the big things that we have done is
going to take effect on January 1, 2006, and that is a Medicare drug
benefit for senior citizens. It is long overdue for senior citizens,
especially those who are lower income, who are facing the cost of high
prescription medicines, to have access through Medicare to prescription
drugs so they can live healthier, more independent, longer lives. This
was a reform that was adopted in the 108th Congress and will be
implemented on January 1, 2006.
As part of that legislation, we also allow families and businesses,
if they choose to match contributions of families, to create health
savings accounts, and to do so up to an amount of $5,000 for a family
of tax-free dollars that they can actually use to purchase their own
health insurance.
So this is a reform that we both know is something that will allow
people to be wiser consumers of health care because it is their money
that is going for either the purchase of health care or the purchase of
higher deductible health insurance.
These are reforms, the Medicare drug benefit and health savings
accounts, that we have accomplished in the last session of Congress. It
is my hope that we will be able to push this agenda forward, this
positive agenda, so we have lower liability costs for doctors and we
allow small businesses to pool together to purchase health care in
collective units.
Now one last thing that has enjoyed bipartisan support and the
President deserves a great deal of credit for, those are community
health centers. I have one in my district that recently got Federal
funds that is going to expand its operation, nearly double its square
footage. Community health centers are alternatives to more expensive
hospitalization. And they give people of lower income or people who
need preventive care, primary care, better access to health care
facilities. We have dramatically increased the funding for community
health centers over the last several years from about $1.1 billion when
President Bush became President to this budget, the Labor-HHS budget,
to about $1.83 billion. This will enable more of these community
[[Page H4879]]
health centers to be built, improve access to all Americans, but in
particular lower-income Americans.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I want to go back to the poster that is
right behind the one that is displayed next to the gentleman. It is the
commonsense Congress, and the gentleman has touched on this several
times. I think it is worth drawing some special attention to: common
sense.
The legislation that the leadership has brought forward in this
Congress, the things that America supports us on that we are hearing
from them, they are pleased with the agenda that we have moved forward
on, is based on common sense. A couple of other things the gentleman
has mentioned, whether it is the community health centers or the health
savings accounts or the medical liability reforms, one of the points
the gentleman just made is so true.
What we are talking about is the taxpayers' money. The gentleman
said, ``It is your money.'' That is so true. We realize this is the
taxpayers' money. It is not our money. It is not government's money. It
is the taxpayers' money. I agree so wholeheartedly with the gentleman
from New Hampshire. We trust the individual to make those decisions on
how to spend that money. We trust those local governments and those
wonderful community health centers. The gentleman has them in his
district. I have them in mine. What wonderful work they do, and how
cost effective they are.
It is exciting to see that we have a budget where we have had a
reduction in discretionary spending. We have a budget where we are
putting the emphasis on priorities. We are beginning to turn this
around. Forty years of Democrat control grew program upon program upon
program without accountability. Now we are beginning over the past
decade to see that accountability move in place; and with the positive
proactive agenda that we have this year, we are seeing action.
Mr. BRADLEY of New Hampshire. Mr. Speaker, that brings something we
have to reiterate. When the tax cuts the gentlewoman referred to were
passed, we had an unemployment rate of over 6 percent. Today, that
unemployment rate is 5.1 percent, and 3.5 million jobs have been
created.
{time} 2000
When we talk about making our economy more competitive so that
Americans can compete around the world, tax reform is a significant
issue, and a stimulus package that drives jobs is a huge issue to make
sure that Americans have every opportunity, anybody that wants to find
a job has the opportunity to find a job. As I have noted already,
making health care more accessible and more affordable through some of
the reforms that I outlined will make our economy more competitive and
enable businesses to better afford health care for employees and our
Nation to grow.
I thank the gentlewoman so much for organizing this hour.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman for joining us. He is so
correct in jobs and talking about jobs. We are pleased that the
unemployment rate is at 5.1 percent. One of the points that we have
accomplished this year, with bipartisan support, is the jobs training
bill, giving the training that is necessary, and allowing that to be
accessed by individuals right there in their home communities so they
have the skills necessary to move forward and to secure good jobs right
there in their communities for their families.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr.
McHenry) for his comments and thoughts on the agenda in his first
Congress here with this 109th Congress.
Mr. McHENRY. I certainly appreciate the leadership of the gentlewoman
from Tennessee here in Congress, and I know her constituents are well
represented by her values here. We are talking about the GOP agenda
here in the House, our conservative agenda, our agenda that has
solutions, real solutions for the American people. We passed a
conservative budget that reins in non-defense, non-homeland security
discretionary spending by 1 percent. It is a start. It is a move in the
right direction. It is the most conservative budget since Ronald Reagan
was in office. However, at the same time it funds key priorities, like
our national defense, our homeland security. It funds fire departments.
It funds police officers. It does the right thing for the American
people. We passed a good budget.
We also passed class action lawsuit reform with bipartisan support.
It reins in trial lawyers. It reins in these out-of-control lawsuits
and lawsuit abuse.
We passed bankruptcy reform that says you should make good on your
bills. We have bankruptcy reform. It was bipartisan as well.
REAL ID, Border Security Act. Border security, ladies and gentlemen.
The Republicans in this Congress have taken on this challenge and some
Democrats bought in.
Death tax repeal, eliminating the death tax.
A transportation bill that ensures that we have good roads in this
Nation and funds priorities.
We also passed pro-life legislation, reasonable pro-life legislation
that does the right thing for minors and does the right thing for the
unborn child as well. We have passed good legislation.
The American people need to know that, Mr. Speaker. The American
people need to know that we are a Congress that is focused on getting
real results for people. We are not here about partisan rhetoric. We
are not here to complain about the process. We all know the process
here in Washington, D.C. is not what it should be. That is the way it
has been for over 200 years in this Nation. But we are a free people
with high ideals that we try to live up to as a Nation. And we are a
Congress that respects those values.
But I certainly appreciate the gentlewoman from Tennessee having this
hour so that we can discuss the solutions that we have put forward, not
just as Republicans but as Americans, working across the aisle on a
bipartisan fashion.
Before me is a chart, Democrats Running to GOP Solutions. They are
buying into our agenda. They are buying into our agenda. Bipartisan
Victories for America Expose House Democrat Leadership's Lack of
Vision. We have had five major pieces of legislation pass the House
with strong bipartisan support that has an impact on people's lives.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman so much for his comments. I
think this is one of the things that we hear repeatedly from our
constituents. They want to see us solve problems. They have appreciated
how aggressively we have attacked the agenda this year and have worked
to move forward on a positive, proactive track.
Bankruptcy reform. That is something that they have tried to pass for
years here in Washington. For years. As I was in the State Senate in
Tennessee, we would hear about the gridlock in Washington in not being
able to move this forward.
Class action reform. We have been hearing for a decade that that was
needed.
The REAL ID Act. Since September 11, 2001, we heard about the need to
secure our borders and to be certain that those driver's licenses were
using proper documentation.
Permanent repeal of the death tax. I cannot remember a time that I
was not hearing about the need to repeal this. A continuity of
government, having a plan for that. There again, since September 11,
2001, we have been hearing of the need for this.
I would just express to the gentleman that I feel it has been a very
aggressive 67 session days that we have had and 169 calendar days that
we have seen so far, and we have our list that we have been talking
through tonight of 100 ways, in 100 days, that we have been able to
pass legislation.
One thing I think that is important to point out, also, is that not
always does it mean when we say we are passing legislation that we are
adding another law to the books. Many times what we are doing is
repealing and taking laws off the books, repealing. We are deregulating
instead of increasing regulation. We are lowering taxes instead of
increasing taxes. We are trusting people to make the decisions they
need to make for their families. I think that is one of the
differences.
Mr. McHENRY. If the gentlewoman will yield, the gentlewoman outlined
a few major pieces of legislation. We had 73 Democrats vote with our
Republicans for bankruptcy reform. The leader on the left voted no.
[[Page H4880]]
Class action lawsuit reform, we passed with 50 Democrat votes. Their
leader, out of step with her own Members, voted no.
REAL ID Act, 42 Democrats voted yes. Their leader voted no.
Permanent repeal of the death tax. What happened? Forty-two Democrats
voted yes. Their leader voted no.
Continuity of government, bipartisan support for this, included 122
Democrats voting for it. They thought it was the right thing to do.
Their leader voted no.
The agenda on the left is all about no. No action, no results, no
ideas. And we on the right, we the Republican majority, are acting. We
are moving forward. We are trying to do what is right for all
Americans, not just say no.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. We have a newspaper here in Washington, D.C. It is
called The Hill. Today there was an article, Progressives to Unveil
Their Core Principles. The article talks about how some of the liberal
Members in the House felt sidelined, and I am quoting, ``felt sidelined
as more centrist Democrats have chosen to side with Republican
leadership on several issues.''
I would suggest to the gentleman that the reason so many Members of
this body do talk with us, side with us, work with us, vote with us to
pass this legislation, is because it is what America wants to see
happen. It is what their expectation is and the legislation they want
to see.
Mr. McHENRY. That is a wonderful way you put that. We are trying to
take a consensus agenda on what the American people need and want and
the direction this country wants to continue heading. And that is more
local control, individual ownership and responsibility, keeping more of
what they earn to help their families, help their communities, help
raise their children and improve small businesses around this country.
I certainly appreciate the gentlewoman from Tennessee taking the time
to be here tonight to discuss our agenda, not a Republican agenda but
an agenda for America, to do the right thing for all American people.
That is what we are trying to do. My constituents back home in western
North Carolina certainly have those same ideals in mind. I am sure
yours do as well there in Tennessee. I thank the gentlewoman for
hosting this hour.
Mrs. BLACKBURN. I thank the gentleman so much for being here this
evening. I think one of the things that we have seen is that so many
Members of this House have supported tax relief for every taxpayer.
They know that this majority has supported tax relief for every single
taxpayer, not for just a few. And, true, we have targeted that relief
to those at the lower end of the earning scale and that is an important
thing to do.
In the past few years, we have also reduced income tax rates across
the board. We have eliminated that death tax. We hope that the Senate
works with us, making this a permanent elimination.
We are allowing businesses, we talked about small businesses and jobs
creation, allowing businesses to deduct more for their equipment, for
their depreciation, for their leasing, so that they can up those
capital expenditures. We are seeing capital investment increase and
jobs growth take place.
For States like my State, Tennessee, and others that do not have a
State income tax, we have passed a bill restoring the Federal sales tax
deduction. In my State in Tennessee, that is putting hundreds of
millions of dollars back into our State economy. It is a great thing.
It is a great thing for Main Street. We know that it is the right thing
to do, to be sure those dollars stay at home. The last thing we need to
do is to take more out of somebody's paycheck, more out of their
pocketbook, and turn around and send it here to Washington, D.C. to try
to decide how we are going to send it back. Leave it at home.
The tax relief for individuals and for small businesses has paid off.
We started with a recession in 2001 and now we are entering the 25th
month of steady jobs growth. Twenty-five months. Since May 2003, this
economy, not the government, not Washington, D.C., but this wonderful
free enterprise system in this great Nation has created nearly 5
million new jobs. The reason we see this jobs growth is not because
government is creating jobs, it is because this leadership in this
Congress, in this administration, understands create the right
environment and get out of the way. Let the free enterprise system do
what they do best, which is create jobs. Over the past couple of years,
25 months, an average of 146,000 jobs a month. We have got historically
low unemployment and we have got steady growth.
We have led on tax relief. We have led on the effort to eliminate
waste, fraud, and abuse in government and on the effort to cut Federal
spending. We passed a budget, despite outcry from the left, that
allowed a .8 percent, nearly a full percent cut in budget authority in
non-defense, non-homeland security spending.
An issue I know my constituents care deeply about is the growing
problem of illegal immigration. We have taken a strong stance on this
issue and have made a terrific start with passage of the REAL ID Act.
We are funding more border agents. Our list goes on and on, 100 ways,
in 100 days.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to be here to visit with my
colleagues tonight. We look forward to continuing the conversation and
to continuing to work on a positive, progressive, proactive agenda for
America.
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