[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 87 (Thursday, June 16, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H4315-H4317]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM

  (Mr. HOYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. HOYER. I yield to my friend, the majority leader, for the purpose 
of inquiring about the schedule for the coming week.
  Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman from Maryland, the Democratic whip, 
for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning-hour 
and 2 p.m. for legislative business, with votes postponed until 6:30 
p.m.
  On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for 
morning-hour and noon for legislative business.
  On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. 
Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. on Friday.
  We will consider a few bills under suspension of the rules on 
Tuesday, which will be announced by the close of business tomorrow.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, I expect the House to consider H.R. 1249, 
the American Invents Act. This jobs bill is sorely needed to 
fundamentally address the backlog of 700,000 applications at the Patent 
and Trade Office. It will encourage entrepreneurship and growth by 
unlocking American entrepreneurship and growth.
  The House will also consider a bill from the Energy and Commerce 
Committee, H.R. 2021, the Jobs and Energy Permitting Act of 2011, which 
addresses high gas prices.
  I also expect further action on the FAA bill early in the week.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I expect the House to begin consideration of 
the Department of Defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012, 
along with potential legislation related to the ongoing military 
conflict in Libya.

[[Page H4316]]

  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information on the schedule 
for the coming week.
  I want the gentleman to know that on our side we are very pleased to 
see the patent reform legislation brought to the floor. As you know, 
that's a part of our Make it in America agenda. I know it's a part of 
your agenda as well. I think this is something on which there obviously 
has been some controversy with respect to provisions of the bill, but 
it is absolutely essential that we give certainty to patents and to 
accelerate the approval of patents. The backlog that exists is not 
acceptable. I am pleased that this legislation has come to the floor. 
Very frankly, this is a needed and welcome piece of jobs legislation.
  One of the concerns we have on this side of the aisle, as you know, 
is that we have not from our perspective had a jobs focus in the last 6 
months. We welcome this part of our Make it in America agenda and part 
of your agenda as well. Again, I think we can cooperate in this effort, 
hopefully, and have a bipartisan effort on this patent reform bill.

                              {time}  1410

  I also would raise the issue, Mr. Majority Leader, I want to say that 
I know that you and Mr. Kyl and others have been participating in the 
talks with Vice President Biden. There have been constructive talks, I 
understand from your comments and the comments of Mr. Van Hollen and 
Mr. Clyburn on our side. We are very hopeful that these talks will 
prove fruitful and that we can move ahead. We believe it's critical, as 
you know, and as you have articulated, that we address the default 
prevention responsibility that we share. Clearly, America wants to pay 
its bills, the American public expects us to pay our bill, and the 
international community expects us to pay our bills. You and I have 
both read quotes from Mr. Bernanke, business leaders like Jamie 
Diamond, economists and others who have indicated that failure to 
assure that America does not default on its bills will have very dire 
consequences both here and around the world.
  So I am hopeful, Mr. Leader, that, although you did not announce it, 
we have very little time left, as you know, before the August 2nd date 
which Secretary Geithner has indicated is the date on which we will no 
longer have the cash flow ability to meet our obligations as they 
become due and to fund the programs that we have authorized and 
provided for the executive department to carry out.
  I would very much be interested in your thoughts with reference to 
how we ensure that we take action in a timely fashion. I was very 
pleased to see Speaker Boehner's comment about a week and a half ago 
that he was focused on assuring that we did not default and provide for 
the payment of our debts prior to the end of this month. As you know, 
we have 4 days left, or 3\1/2\ days left, in this month, and that's 
next week, because the following week we're off. I would very much be 
interested in your observations on how you see us going forward on this 
critically important issue.
  I yield to the gentleman from Virginia.
  Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also thank the 
gentleman for his remarks in couching his observation or 
characterization of the agenda having been brought forth by our side 
over the last several months, because we believe strongly that the 
focus should be on jobs. We differ, I believe, with the gentleman and 
his side of the aisle that a growth agenda is not necessarily a 
government program, and so our agenda, our jobs agenda, is focused on 
trying to eliminate the environment which is full of burdensome 
regulations, unfair taxes, and new mandates on the real job engines of 
this country, which are, Mr. Speaker, the small businesses and 
entrepreneurs of this country.
  If the gentleman would look to see what we have been doing over the 
last several months, he would see that our agenda is very focused on 
accomplishing that end.
  We passed H. Res. 72. It was a resolution directing our committees to 
take inventory and review existing, pending and proposed regulations 
and orders from agencies of the government with respect to their impact 
on jobs. Those reports are due June 30. They will be focused on the 
kinds of things that we could be doing to remove the impediments that 
government here in Washington has created for small business growth.
  We also brought forth H.R. 872, the Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, 
dealing with a duplicative application of regulations on the pesticide 
industry, and, as the gentleman knows, that bill had a lot of 
bipartisan support.
  We also brought forward H.R. 910, which was the Energy Tax Prevention 
Act. Mr. Speaker, I think there is probably very little dissent among 
small businesses in this country that the EPA has stepped entirely 
beyond its bounds and has provided gross impediments to the growth of 
manufacturing and small business in this country. That bill was 
squarely aimed at trying to force the EPA to stop in its conduct of 
attempting to accomplish what the prior majority tried to do under its 
cap-and-tax agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, I would further say, we brought H.J. Res. 37 to the 
floor. This was a resolution of disapproval regarding the FCC's 
regulation of the Internet and broadband industry practices, otherwise 
called the bill to stop its attempt to control the Internet. The 
ability for the government to begin to impose its will on the Internet 
is a job-killer. That bill was also taken up by the majority.
  We also, as the gentleman knows, passed H.R. 4, the Small Business 
Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act. He and his side joined us in the 
bill, which began to repeal the job-killing nature of the health care 
bill. It was otherwise known as the 1099 provision, which all small 
businesses said placed too much paperwork burden on them.
  We also have been very focused on what people are most focused on 
when they begin to think about the summertime and taking a vacation, 
which is the gas prices and the prices at the pump, and we have brought 
forward H.R. 1230, H.R. 1229, and H.R. 1231, all of which were aimed at 
trying to lower the cost of fuel in this country, to maximize energy 
production in this country, so not only could families have the ability 
to do what they need but also that businesses could see lower energy 
costs.
  And all of this, Mr. Speaker, takes place in the context where we've 
got a government that is borrowing 40 cents of every dollar it spends. 
We believe strongly that not only do we need to focus first on growth 
but we've got to finally do what Washington has failed over the 
decades, which is to get its fiscal act in order, to ensure that we 
don't allow spending to get out of control again.
  Mr. Speaker, the gentleman asked about the Biden talks. I share his 
commitment, as he related, that this is an important issue, that no one 
thinks that America shouldn't pay its bills. But I would also add, Mr. 
Speaker, that the people who elected us expect us to ensure that the 
fiscal insanity that has been taking place in this town stop and that 
we put in place reforms so we can demonstrate that we've changed the 
system. That's the spirit in which our side has engaged in the talks 
with the Vice President.
  As the gentleman knows, I have been very public in my praise of the 
Vice President in his conduct of these talks. I am hopeful that we can 
meet or exceed the expectations right now, which is to say we are 
aiming to reduce spending by the trillions in order for us to engage in 
the kind of vote-taking that needs to take place to stave off a 
default.
  But I say to the gentleman, first and foremost, our side will not 
support any attempt to raise the debt ceiling that is not accompanied 
by the kind of cuts necessary and reforms necessary, nor will we 
support an attempt to raise the debt limit that raises people's taxes. 
That, we don't want to do.
  So, again, I am cautiously optimistic that we are moving forward so 
as to come to some agreement that meets those guidelines.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for his comments.
  I would respectfully note that so much of what he talked about was 
resolutions. I think resolutions clearly do state an opinion. Whether 
or not they have any ultimate effect is to be seen.
  I think the American public, in looking at the agenda the gentleman 
has just gone through, probably says to

[[Page H4317]]

themselves, Well, we don't see the jobs in that agenda. We do see the 
agenda in that agenda. We do see the politics in that agenda. In any 
event, I am pleased, as I said at the outset, that we do have a jobs 
bill that I think will have an impact coming to the floor this coming 
week, the patent reform bill, which I think is essential.
  As it relates to the precluding of America's defaulting on the 
obligations it has incurred, I appreciate what the gentleman has to 
say, but, of course, the rating agencies, three agencies now, which 
have said we stand at risk of losing our AAA rating, which America has 
always had, does not distinguish between how we get to where we have a 
vote of approval on allowing America to pay its bills.

                              {time}  1420

  I, too, like the gentleman from Virginia, want to reach an agreement 
on the reduction of the deficit and the substantial reduction of the 
debt. The gentleman indicates he wants to cut spending by trillions. 
However, as we all know--and I've repeated--the gentleman voted for a 
rules package the first day of this session which provides for $4.8 
trillion in additional deficit without paying for it. That is the 
continuation of taxes while not cutting the spending by that amount.
  You precluded our continuing to provide for statutory PAYGO applying 
to revenues as well as expenditures. Both obviously have an impact on 
the deficit that we incur. We incurred substantial expense during the 
Bush administration, as you know, some almost $3.5 trillion of deficit 
spending, or $2.5 trillion depending upon where you count some of the 
expenditures; but in any event, it's a minimum of $2.5 trillion which 
we didn't pay for, and we therefore increased the debt by 86 percent in 
those 8 years of the Bush administration.
  Both of us agree that we have to abandon policies of buying things 
without paying for them and of spending beyond our means. I would hope 
that we could join together in accomplishing that objective. Literally, 
we have less than 21 days of legislative time remaining before August 
2, whether or not we can reach agreement, and I hope we can reach 
agreement. Surely, I would hope the gentleman would agree that allowing 
America to default on its bills is not an acceptable alternative even 
if we can't get to agreement. We want to get to agreement. I want to 
work with the gentleman to get to agreement, but allowing America to 
default on its bills should not be an option.
  Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman.
  I will just underscore the sense that the gentleman, Mr. Speaker, 
says that the markets are watching. I believe that is the case. I also 
believe the markets are looking for us to enact real reforms, real 
spending reductions. So by just acting to increase the credit limit of 
this country without following through on our commitment for spending 
cuts and reform is just checking the box and is reckless.
  That's why I say to the gentleman it is important for us to come 
together, to walk together, to make sure that we are able to execute on 
a plan to reduce spending once and for all and to reform this system 
here in Washington so that the markets understand we mean what we say. 
It's time for us to make the tough decisions now and not to just stall 
and say we'll do it later. The people of this country have seen that 
over and again, and they're tired of it.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman.
  Tough decisions, however, are not to pretend there's a free lunch. 
What we buy, we need to pay for, and if we don't want to pay for it, we 
shouldn't buy it. Now, frankly, that didn't happen under each one of 
the budgets that we adopted from 2001 to 2008, the 2009 budget. It 
didn't happen. We spent far beyond that which we paid for in those 
budgets, and that took a $5.6 trillion surplus projection to an almost 
100 percent turnaround and an over $10 trillion projected deficit.
  I'll just say to the gentleman, I agree with you. We need to make the 
tough decisions. We may need to make the tough decisions on cutting 
spending. We need to make the tough decisions on paying for what we 
buy. Hopefully, we will have the courage and the wisdom on both sides 
of the aisle to do just that.
  Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentleman.
  I hope we also have the courage and the wisdom to focus on what it is 
the people sent us here to do. They sent us here to focus on jobs and 
the economy. Yes, we take seriously our responsibility to get the 
fiscal house in order; but if the priority is about jobs, we know jobs 
don't come from government programs overall; they come from the private 
sector. Over half the people in this country work for small businesses. 
The number of small business startups in this country has been anemic 
of late. We've got to focus on that and ensure that we are responding 
to what people want. That is, they want more growth in this economy, 
and they want to get back to work. That should be our goal.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for his comments, and I agree with 
him.
  What they need is confidence in the management at the Federal level 
of the finances of our Nation. They had that confidence in the nineties 
when we had balanced budgets. They did not have that confidence in the 
last decade, and our economy shows the result. I certainly share the 
gentleman's view that, if we can give them that confidence, our economy 
will grow, and jobs will be created. I'm for working together to 
accomplish that objective.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________