[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 91 (Thursday, June 23, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H4517-H4524]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    FRESHMAN CLASS ON JOBS AND DEBT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 5, 2011, the gentlewoman from Alabama (Mrs. Roby) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the topic of my Special Order regarding 
the debt and jobs.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Alabama?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. ROBY. Mr. Speaker, I am joined here tonight by Members of the 
freshman class once again to focus this discussion on jobs, and I 
immediately had just one glaring road sign in my mind as I sat here and 
listened to the Democrats talk about their so-called plan, ``Make It In 
America,'' and it's ``stop,'' s-t-o-p. This has to stop. The American 
people deserve the truth. And what you just listened to, what was just 
presented to you is not that.
  We have got to focus in and look at--which we're going to do tonight 
in a very good discussion--this job-killing legislation that has been 
presented by the very side that just stood up and told the American 
people that we're out to kill Medicare and so on and so forth. People 
can't make it in America right now because of the heavy hand of 
government that is bearing down on them, because of this job-killing 
legislation and overreaching regulation that continues to be promoted 
by the other side. And we've had enough. So let's stop. Let's stop the 
demagoguery. Let's get down to the truth. We're going to have that 
discussion here tonight.
  The average unemployed American has been searching for a job for 39 
weeks, the longest average time in history to be looking for a job. 
Twenty-one million jobs are still needed by 2020 to return our Nation 
to a full job recovery. Companies in the United States of America are 
hitting the brakes on hiring and production.
  I want to start our discussion here and I want to hit on three 
points. I am going to talk very quickly about health care, about boiler 
MACT, and about energy and jobs. And that's going to lead for the 
discussion here tonight.
  On May 19, a small business owner received documents from his 
insurance carrier stating that, due to ObamaCare the coverage in his 
policy would be updated with the new terms of the law on the 
anniversary of his enrollment. Four days later, this small business

[[Page H4518]]

owner received a statement from the same insurance carrier stating that 
his monthly premium would increase by 25 percent. And I have those 
documents here with me tonight.
  Why does the administration continue to state that Americans will not 
see significant increases in their health care coverage when it is 
already happening right now?
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit these documents into the 
Congressional Record.
                                                         CareFirst


                                         BlueCross BlueShield,

                                   Washington, D.C., May 23, 2011.
       Dear Member: the purpose of this letter is to inform you of 
     your premium rate for the upcoming year. Please take a moment 
     to review this important information.
       Your current monthly premium is $174.00. Beginning 08/01/
     2011, your monthly premium will change to $218.00. Please 
     note that this is a change in your monthly rate.
       We regret this increase is necessary, but it reflects the 
     cost of providing you the coverage called for in your policy. 
     As a not for profit organization, we operate on the smallest 
     possible margins, consistent with financial soundness.
       Our service hours are Monday - Friday from 7:00 am - 7:00 
     pm. So that we may serve you as quickly as possible, please 
     have your ID card available. You can also access your plan 
     information from the convenience of your home computer by 
     visiting www.carefirst.com/myaccount.
           Sincerely,

                                                   Rich Macha,

                                                  Senior Director,
     Customer Service & Technical Support.
                                  ____

         CareFirst, BlueChoice, CareFirst, BlueCross Blue Shield,
                                                     May 19, 2011.
       Dear Member, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     (PPACA), also known as the Federal Health Reform law, 
     requires that the coverage policy you purchased be made 
     compliant with the terms of the new law on your first 
     contract anniversary date. These new benefits will improve 
     the benefits under your plan. The changes to your coverage 
     are outlined below and are effective as of your next 
     anniversary date, with the exception of the removal of the 
     lifetime maximum limit which took effect on October 1, 2010.
       No Lifetime Maximum: If your plan was subject to a lifetime 
     maximum limit, this limit was removed effective October 1, 
     2010. You now have benefits with no lifetime maximum dollar 
     limit.
       No Annual Dollar Limit on Essential Health Benefits: PPACA 
     requires that certain benefits provided in your coverage plan 
     be considered ``Essential Health Benefits''. Any annual 
     dollar amount limits applicable to these benefits will be 
     removed, except any annual visit limits that may apply to 
     specific services under your coverage plan which will remain 
     in effect.
       No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Services: An expanded range 
     of preventive services, including recommended immunizations 
     and screenings, will become available from CareFirst 
     participating providers with no cost-sharing to you--no 
     deductible, copayment or coinsurance.
       Emergency Services: Due to the requirements of the new law, 
     your share of the costs of emergency services you may obtain 
     from an out-of-network provider will be the same as if you 
     saw an in-network provider.
       In the near future you will receive a letter with your 
     renewal rates. You will also receive a new ID card and a 
     contract amendment containing the new benefits outlined 
     above.
       If you have any questions, please call the Member Service 
     telephone number listed on your member ID card. Our service 
     hours are Monday--Friday from 7:00 am--7:00 pm. Please have 
     your ID card available so that we may serve you as quickly as 
     possible.
           Sincerely,

                                           Andrew F. Sullivan,

                                            Senior Vice President,
                                    Consumer Direct Services Unit.

  The Obama administration is encouraging employers to retain coverage. 
How can a small business owner retain coverage if it forces them into 
bankruptcy?
  And I'm going to point you again to Don Cox. He's a small business 
owner. He owns 15 Pizza Huts in Alabama, and he is very proud of his 
products and his employees. The health care regulation is on the top of 
his list. In 2014, Don would have to provide all of his employees with 
health insurance. Sadly, only five Pizza Huts will be able to stay 
afloat; 10 out of the 15 will go bankrupt due to this health care law. 
They stand on the floor tonight and they submit to you that we need to 
make it in America, and we can't make it in America due to their job-
killing health care legislation. If Don provides health insurance to 
all of his employees, then 10 Pizza Huts go bankrupt. And although when 
we're looking at his balance sheet he is making a profit, almost all of 
the profits were returned back into the business.
  Last week, when we stood on this floor a couple of weeks ago, I 
talked about Rheem Manufacturing, who spent $1 million adding on to 
their already 700,000-square-foot facility in Montgomery, Alabama, 
where they provide over 1,000 jobs. That $1 million investment was to 
comply with Federal regulations.

                              {time}  1950

  The Environmental Protection Agency has been an agency that has been 
particularly troublesome in overburdening businesses and placing 
roadblocks to domestic energy production.
  I want to talk about the EPA's proposed boiler MACT rule and what 
that would do to small businesses. I have had people in my office all 
week talking about this. Next week I am going to be touring an 
International Paper mill in Prattville, Alabama, and boiler MACT 
impacts 42 boilers and four process heaters at 19 IP facilities. Their 
compliance costs for just boiler MACT and the commercial and industrial 
incinerator rule are $600 million.
  This is not rocket science. We are standing around and our friends on 
the other side of the aisle are asking us, where is our jobs bill? And 
yet I would like to return the question to them and say, where is 
yours? All you have done for the past 2 years or more is do your best 
to stifle job creation, American job creation right here in the United 
States. Enough is enough. This must stop.
  Then, of course, today we learn that the President has decided that 
he is going to dip into our own energy oil reserves right here in the 
United States and yet does everything he can to stand in the way of 
energy production right here in the United States. We have got to 
lessen our dependence on Middle Eastern oil.
  Americans deserve the truth, and I hope tonight's discussion will 
provide that opportunity.
  At this time I would like to yield to my friend from Illinois as much 
time as he would consume.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. I thank the gentlelady for yielding.
  I think she said it perfectly. I'm a young guy. I remember in the 
eighties watching the ``Where's the Beef'' commercials. Everybody 
remembers that. Well, here is the question: Where's the jobs? Where's 
the jobs?
  I remember a little over 2 years ago the President promising that if 
we passed an $800 billion stimulus, unemployment would not exceeded 8 
percent. Well, where did that get us? In fact, if you look at the 
President's own charts, they said that by this time under this stimulus 
plan unemployment would be about 6.5 percent.
  I will tell you, that is compelling when you see that on a chart. 
When you are a country facing a huge economic crisis in a slide, that 
is very compelling. But it didn't work. It was a waste. We wasted $800 
billion of hard-earned money, most of which was borrowed, on something 
that didn't work.
  Now, Americans are still feeling the pain. In fact, unemployment went 
up towards 10 percent. Counties in my district in Illinois have 
unemployment upwards of 11 percent. It didn't work at all. And now I 
have actually heard our colleagues on the other side of the aisle float 
a second stimulus. They say, well, $800 billion wasn't enough. It 
probably needed to be more. Well, why don't we just make it $5 trillion 
or $10 trillion. If we can just print money and borrow it, tax, borrow, 
and spend our way to prosperity, make it $10 trillion. That is 
ludicrous. We know that is ludicrous.
  I hail from Illinois. Illinois is the President's home State. 
Illinois has a huge problem with folks looking for work that can't find 
it. Illinois used to be a manufacturing economic powerhouse in the 
United States. It is not hard to drive around and see abandoned 
warehouses or abandoned factories. Joliet, Illinois, a city in my 
district, knows that all too well. They understand that.
  So what do we do? Well, recently Illinois came up with a decision. 
Well, the budget is bad. Yeah, the budget is bad, because you are 
running business out of your State. As a result they say, we have to 
raise taxes, so in Springfield they raised the individual income tax 
rate and then they raised the corporate tax rate.
  Now, there has got to be some good news to this, right? Well, the 
State of Illinois has had $300 million in increased tax revenues that 
they have

[[Page H4519]]

seen from this corporate tax increase. Oh, but if you read The Wall 
Street Journal just shortly ago, you would read that $240 million has 
already been given away to these corporations to incentivize them to 
stay in Illinois because they were looking at leaving because of this 
high tax rate.
  I will tell you, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing 
over and over and over again, but expecting different results. We 
cannot tax, borrow, and spend our way to prosperity.
  You talk to any small businessman out there, small businesswoman or 
job creator, owner of a factory that is just trying to take their 
products to market, and they will tell you the biggest hindrance, one 
of the biggest hindrances, besides a lack of confidence, is the 
government.
  I have talked to a lot of people and said, how much better would your 
life be if you weren't forced to sit around day after day and just fill 
out government paperwork? You could take that employee and make them 
productive. They may be able to go out and sell goods. They may be able 
to go out and expand the business.
  Nope. We have got to tax and regulate in this town. This town is 
really good at taxing and regulating, at putting things through a 
bureaucracy and letting bureaucrats have their way.
  We are going off a cliff, and it is time to pump the brakes. It is 
absolutely time for us to get deadly serious about reducing the size of 
the Federal government, cutting spending, and getting Americans back to 
work.
  Our colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to say, where is 
your jobs plan? Well, we have put forward plenty of jobs plans. One of 
them includes drilling for oil here at home, which we will get into, 
which my good friend here actually that will be speaking soon 
sponsored, and I commend him for that.
  But there is a fundamental difference between the two parties here. 
The Democrats believe that government creates jobs. You hear that all 
the time in what they say. Listen closely. They say, we just need a 
jobs bill. We need $800 billion in more spending. We need this program.

  What you are going to hear tonight is the Republican view. The 
Federal Government doesn't create jobs. The Federal Government can't 
make jobs. We can take tax money and put it through a bureaucracy and 
spit out a paycheck. Jobs are created in the free market. We can create 
an environment for job creation, and that is what our freshman class 
came here to do, and we aim to do it.
  Mrs. ROBY. I thank the gentleman from Illinois. Your comments are 
right on.
  Before we move on, I want to share with you, I heard from a gentleman 
today, a businessman in Greenville Alabama, and I am going to quote 
him: ``Economic conditions being what they are, we are in a situation 
where real estate values are declining, demand for our products is 
declining, and the value of the dollar on world markets is declining. 
All of these factor into the uncertainty of business today. In the long 
term, I can't see any expansion until regulations are eased and the 
health care bill is killed.''
  Now, you want to talk about whether or not we have a jobs plan? This 
is their jobs plan. What this businessman in Greenville, Alabama, is 
facing is exactly what the other side of the aisle has proposed, and he 
can't create jobs.
  We have time and time again shown leadership here in the House, in 
the majority, trying to repeal this job-killing legislation, and we run 
into roadblock after roadblock with the Senate majority and with the 
White House.
  I would now like to yield time to the gentlelady from Washington.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. Thank you. I am excited to be here this evening 
to talk about something that our country has too few of--jobs.
  In my neck of the woods in southwest Washington State just about 
every county, save one, has double-digit unemployment, and we have had 
those disappointing numbers now for many months, almost 30-plus. So we 
are at a place right now where families are hurting. Moms who are 
paying the bills at night thinking about health care payments, thinking 
about getting the kids to school, how much it is going to cost to fill 
up the gas tank, what the cost of meeting the mortgage is going to be.
  These are the real challenges that middle America is facing right 
now, and that is why we are here. That is why we are fighting. That is 
why we want to rein in spending, because, as this chart actually shows, 
less government means lower unemployment.
  Less government spending means, if you look at this, and this is from 
1980 to 2010, they have almost tracked equally, our unemployment 
numbers and the Federal Government spending or outlays. The red line is 
just that, it is government spending. The blue line is unemployment 
rate.
  It is very easy to see that when the Federal Government actually 
spends less and leaves that money in the pockets of that mom who is 
trying to make her mortgage payment, or that single dad who is 
attempting to get food on the table, put shoes on the kids, pay for the 
housing, pay for the transportation costs, it means that when we let 
them keep more of their hard-earned money, we actually improve the 
economy nationally.

                              {time}  2000

  And that's what we need to do. When I travel southwest Washington, 
over the last few months I have had the opportunity to talk with many, 
many individuals, businesses, families. And there's really a common 
theme: Let us succeed. I believe in making it in America. I believe in 
having things manufactured here and doing things here in America. Quit 
relying on these other countries to produce things. But you know what 
has to happen? We have to create an environment that makes it easier 
for people to do business here in America.
  Let me give you a few names: Tom Cook, he owns Taco Bell franchises 
in my neck of the woods; Cliff McMillen, owner of Vancouver Pizza; 
Sherry Malfait, owner of Washougal Flowers. What do all these folks 
have in common? They're small business owners, number one. They're 
creating jobs in our community. Secondly, they're all facing 
government-initiated problems, whether it's higher gas prices because 
of this administration's refusal to explore for American energy here in 
the United States; whether it's a regulatory environment like the 
health care bill that the gentlelady from Alabama talked about. It's 
one of the number one issues I hear about from small employers. They 
are unsure what regulation, what shoe is going to drop next when it 
comes to this health care bill.
  These business owners are fighting to survive; and we need to make it 
easier for them to survive, which is why this House passed over four 
solutions for gas prices. We heard from small business owners and 
employers across America, and we responded. We have now passed no less 
than four bills that allow Americans to explore for American energy 
using American workers here in America. Four bills. We call on the 
Senate to step up and pass those bills so that we can create those jobs 
and we can bring gas prices down so these business owners that I've 
talked about can compete with businesses not just in the United States 
but globally.
  Talk about regulations? I think about Tidewater Barge, which is 
located on the Columbia River. The Columbia River is the fourth largest 
river system in the United States. It is right in my backyard. 
Tidewater Barge are barge operators. They move freight up and down the 
Columbia River. Every time I have the opportunity to talk to either 
those employees or the employer there, they just ask me what's going to 
happen next. What regulation are you going to send our way that's going 
to make it more difficult for us to compete.
  Health care is a big issue for them. They offer a tremendous health 
care plan to their employees--vision, dental, you name it. I got the 
chance to meet with those employees last summer. One of the things that 
they shared with me--in fact, I had a sweet lady come to me, middle-
aged, worked for the company for a while, came to me in tears because 
she was so afraid of the cuts to Medicare that the Obama administration 
was putting forward. Over $500 billion. She knew what that meant for 
her mother and her mother's health care. She was terrified.
  So, on one hand, I have the employee saying this is impacting us 
individually, and then I have the owner saying, Look, this health care 
bill is going

[[Page H4520]]

to cost my employees this tremendous health care plan. It's going to 
jeopardize it.
  Why are we making it harder for these businesses to operate? We 
should be making it easier for them to operate, not harder. That's part 
of what we're doing here. We're going to hold this administration--or 
anybody, really; it's not a Republican or Democrat issue--we're going 
to hold anybody's feet to the fire. If you work in the Federal 
Government and you're making it harder for businesses to survive, guess 
what, we have our eye on you. And we're going to work to advance 
policies off this House floor like the American energy bills I 
mentioned earlier. We've also put in place and are fighting to put in 
place a replacement bill for the disastrous health care bill that was 
passed last year.
  One of those things that I support and it's making it way through 
committee right now is purchase of health insurance across State lines. 
That would allow individuals who are right in one of the most costly 
insurance markets to purchase health insurance. You get on your 
computer, just like they do for auto insurance--everybody can think of 
the lizard or the caveman--get on your computer and choose a health 
care plan from any State in the Union. It has to be regulated by one of 
those States. Pick one that best meets your needs and your pocketbook. 
That will drive down costs immediately. And it's not going to grow 
government, and it's not going to cost taxpayers.
  These are commonsense solutions that get us where we need to go. 
They're going to grow jobs in America, and they're going to return and 
empower families and individuals and business owners, not the 
government. It's the right solution. I invite my colleagues on the 
other side of the aisle to join us.
  Mrs. ROBY. I thank the gentlelady from Washington. Again, you make 
great points. And what we all know as we travel around our districts 
and we talk to business owners is that it's that very uncertainty 
associated with ObamaCare that is preventing these job creators to 
create jobs. They're sitting in their boardrooms, they're sitting 
around the table in the break room and they're saying, How do we plan 
for 2014 when we don't know how this is going to affect us? All of the 
regulations that have yet to be written. Yet, right before we have this 
hour to share together and to share with America, we see posters of a 
tombstone where we're out to kill Medicare. Yet ObamaCare alone cuts 
Medicare by $500 billion.
  We have a plan. They don't have a plan. Their plan is the status quo 
and Medicare dies. That's their plan. Our plan sustains Medicare for 
this generation and future generations.
  Thank you so much.
  I now yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. DUFFY. I thank the gentlelady for yielding. I agree with most 
everything you said tonight, but I have to disagree with you on one 
point. With regard to Medicare, the President does have a plan. I talk 
to seniors all over my district. One of the things that makes our 
seniors so angry is that over the course of their lifetime, the money 
that they have put in their Social Security accounts, it's been robbed. 
It's been taken out and spent for other things.

  So what the President does in ObamaCare is he takes half a trillion 
dollars out of Medicare and uses it to spend for ObamaCare. Everyone 
agrees that we have to fix Medicare. The President agrees there's a 
problem, Bill Clinton agrees there's a problem, Republicans agree 
there's a problem. How do we fix it? Well, what the President does is 
says, I'm going to institute the IPAD board, the Independent Payment 
Advisory Board. This is a board that's going to look at prices that we 
pay our health care providers, and it's going to reduce those 
reimbursements--reimbursements that are already incredibly low.
  What does that mean? It's going to affect the access to care for our 
current seniors. That is absolutely unacceptable. We have a plan in 
place that's going to save Medicare, it's going to protect Medicare, 
and we're going to continue this great program for future generations. 
Let's not be mistaken. The President has a plan that is going to kill 
Medicare and provide a lack of service to our seniors.
  I do want to move from that to jobs, though, because that is what is 
on everyone's mind. As I travel central and northern Wisconsin, people 
are concerned about jobs. There's a lack of opportunity. There's a lack 
of prosperity. And so I want to review what the Democrats did, which is 
they talked to folks who will come up with abstract theories. They went 
and talked to university professors, and they came up with an $800 
billion-plus stimulus bill. Remember, that was their jobs plan: $800 
billion of government spending. They said government spending will lead 
to economic growth, prosperity, wealth, and sustainable jobs.
  We know that government spending doesn't lead to sustainable jobs. It 
has never worked. It doesn't work. And that's why when they promised 
that we would have unemployment of only 8 percent and we would create 
millions of jobs, the alternative happened. We've lost millions of 
jobs, and we've had unemployment reach almost 10 percent.
  What we've done is not talk to the professors who sit in the 
classroom. I've gone out and talked to job creators, people who are 
actually putting people in my community back to work. And what do they 
say? Why aren't they creating jobs? They continually talk about 
uncertainty in the marketplace. What does that mean? When they talk 
about uncertainty, they talk about a $14.3 trillion debt, the fact that 
we're going to borrow $12.5 trillion this year alone. We're going to 
borrow a trillion dollars every year for the next 10 years. As the 
gentleman from Illinois said, we are cascading towards a cliff and 
there's a road sign that says: Danger: Pump the breaks. You're about to 
go over. That's what we're going to do.
  Our job creators are saying, Listen, with this massive debt, it 
creates uncertainty. It creates uncertainty because we don't know what 
interest rates are going to be in the very near future. We're concerned 
about inflation because government is printing money to purchase our 
debt. They're concerned about punishing tax increases. They're 
concerned about health care costs with ObamaCare. As the gentlelady 
from Alabama said, they're concerned about regulation.

                              {time}  2010

  In my district, we have a great forest product industry. We make 
paper in my district. Boiler MACT is going to kill jobs in central 
Wisconsin and send them to China where they have no regulation.
  All these things have come together to create uncertainty, which 
means our job creators aren't reinvesting; they're not expanding; 
they're not growing; they're not innovating. Do you know what? It 
doesn't hurt the job creator. It hurts the families in our communities 
because they have a lack of opportunity for jobs.
  I want to just point to a chart that we have here.
  When we have recessions, there is what's called ``symmetry.'' If you 
have a U-shaped decline in this recession, you'll have a U-shaped 
recovery. If you have a V-shaped decline, you'll have a V-shaped 
recovery. That's our history, and you'll see that in this chart. What 
has happened differently in this recession, the great recession, is 
we've had a V-shaped decline; the recovery has ticked up a little bit, 
and then it has flat-lined. Why has it flat-lined?--because of the 
uncertainty that has been created coming from Washington: from our 
Democrat colleagues on the other side of the aisle and this 
administration. It's causing a lack of willingness for our job creators 
to reinvest.
  I want to bring up one last point.
  I continually hear how our friends want to increase taxes on our job 
creators. I think anyone who looks at that says we will not create jobs 
by taxing the job creator. I think it's a good example. If those who 
say we should raise taxes are concerned about jobs going overseas, it's 
a pretty simple example that I use:
  You have Wal-Mart and Target and Kmart--all the big-box retailers. 
They compete against one another, right? They're competing. Yet Kmart 
is not doing so well. They're laying people off. They're closing 
stores, right?
  My friends on the other side of the aisle, the Democrats, they would 
come in and they would advise Kmart. They'd say, Listen. You have to 
bring in more revenue. You have to keep

[[Page H4521]]

these people employed. You have to keep these stores open. You need 
more revenue. To bring in more revenue, all you have to do is raise 
your prices. If you raise your prices, you'll bring in more revenue.
  We all know that's not what will happen. If you raise your prices at 
Kmart, you will drive more shoppers to Wal-Mart and Target. If you 
raise the cost of doing business in America, you are going to send more 
of our jobs to China, India, Mexico, Vietnam; but you're going to 
outsource these jobs because you're raising the cost of doing business 
in America.
  Let's make sure we make America a competitive place where our job 
creators can do what they do best, which is to create jobs and to put 
our hardworking families back to work.
  Mrs. ROBY. Thank you so much. I appreciate your comments.
  As I did, you brought up Boiler MACT. I do want to point out that we 
have a colleague from Virginia, the gentleman from Virginia, 
Representative Morgan Griffith, who introduced legislation just 
yesterday--again showing leadership on this side of the aisle--about 
deregulating the EPA to issue achievable standards for industrial, 
commercial and institutional boilers, process heaters, incinerators, 
and for other purposes. For that, we are very grateful for his 
leadership.
  I would now like to yield time to the gentleman from Colorado.
  Mr. GARDNER. I thank the gentlelady from Alabama for her leadership 
on this matter and for the time and opportunity tonight to speak about 
jobs, our economy and what's happening to our country.
  Something that really startled me a little bit tonight was when the 
gentlelady from Washington made this statement. In speaking to her 
constituents, in speaking to businesses around her district, she 
mentioned that one of them said, Let us succeed. I was taken aback when 
she said that, that somebody would actually come to her and say, All we 
want the government to do, all we want our policymakers to do, all we 
want our regulations to do is to let us succeed.
  Isn't it amazing that we have transformed our economy from a time 
when people could go out and achieve what they wanted to achieve by 
working hard, by sacrificing, by taking risks, and now they're 
concerned because their government is in a place where it won't let 
them succeed. I'm glad that you mentioned that tonight because I think 
that's at the very heart of what every single one of us has talked 
about tonight and what we will continue to talk about over the next 
months and years to come:
  How do we make sure that the policies that we put in place in this 
country aren't government-driven decisions that dictate what we're 
going to do for people's businesses or lives?--but instead get 
government out of the way so that we can let our businesses, our 
families and America's working families succeed?

  Yesterday, a report was issued by the Congressional Budget Office, 
but I don't know how many people saw or took the time to listen to or 
to read what the Congressional Budget Office report had to say. It 
talked about the fact that we have a $1.6 trillion deficit in this 
country and that we have a $14 trillion debt, all of this at the same 
time that our unemployment levels in this country have crept back up 
over 9 percent--unacceptably high.
  Those of us in the Chamber tonight were sent here in November because 
we believe that we have more important work to do than simply spending 
money that we don't have, than passing regulations that kill jobs. The 
work that we were sent here to do in November is work to get our 
economy back on track.
  The report from the Congressional Budget Office indicates that the 
situation of our economy is actually worse than many have been led to 
believe. Our national debt will grow to be larger than the entire U.S. 
economy this year. We officially owe more than the entire country 
produces in a year. That will happen at the end of this year. If this 
isn't a wake-up call to what is happening in our economy, to what is 
happening in our spending, I don't know what will be. We cannot afford 
to wait and delay. We've got to solve this problem now.
  I want to read a quote from the Congressional Budget Office report: 
The sooner that long-term changes to spending and revenues are agreed 
on and the sooner they are carried out once the economic weakness ends, 
the smaller will be the damage to the economy from the growing Federal 
debt.
  The report didn't say we can avoid the damage. The report didn't say 
there won't be any damage. The report said the smaller will be the 
damage. A $14 trillion debt. A $1.6 trillion deficit. That is damaging 
our economy; it's damaging our country, and it's damaging our 
opportunity to create jobs and long-term economic stability. It is a 
clear call to action from the Congressional Budget Office. We've got to 
be bulldogs around this Chamber when it comes to reducing our spending. 
We have to make sure that we are standing up to the regulators who want 
to put people out of business simply because they're sitting behind a 
desk and think they can.
  Tom Blach is a constituent of mine who came to me 2 years ago and 
said, I'm worried that I'll lose my business because of overregulation. 
Do you know what he saw over the course of the last 2 years? He saw the 
people he did business with, the people he partnered with leave the 
State of Colorado because of overregulation.
  Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to tour Roggen, Colorado, 
Haxtun, Colorado, Akron, Colorado, in the Eastern Plains to talk to 
farmers, wheat growers, cattlemen, ag businessmen, all who came to me 
with a similar theme: what is happening to them with overregulation and 
their concern that they won't have the opportunity to pass on their 
legacies to future generations because of a government that has decided 
it knows best and knows more than they.
  I want to talk a little bit about what the gentlelady from Alabama 
said when she was referring to the tombstone that we saw shown earlier 
by the minority, which said ``ending Medicare'' on the tombstone.
  Today in committee, we had an opportunity to vote on an amendment 
that said we will oppose and vote against any amendment, any bill, any 
legislation that would end Medicare. Do you know what our colleagues on 
the Democrat side of the aisle did? They voted ``present.'' They voted 
``present,'' refusing to stand up for Medicare because they know, when 
we ask where their plan is, they don't have one. When we ask them where 
the jobs are, they don't know. When we ask them for leadership, they 
run and hide. Why?--because they're voting ``present'' when it comes to 
saving Medicare.
  Mrs. ROBY. Thank you so much.
  I would now like to yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. REED. I thank the gentlelady from Alabama for yielding time, and 
I thank my colleagues for coming to the floor of the House tonight to 
stand with us as we have a discussion with the American people--an 
honest and open discussion. That's what we were called to do in 
November of this past year with the great election that brought this 
majority to this Chamber, because we were sick and tired of the smoke 
and mirrors, of the gamesmanship and of the political rhetoric of 
yesterday.

                              {time}  2020

  We are here today to lead. We are here today to talk in an honest and 
open fashion about not talking points generated from a political party 
but a philosophy that will bring America back to be the land of 
opportunity, not only for us but for our kids and for our 
grandchildren.
  You know, I love hearing the stories that my colleagues are offering 
about constituents from their home district, about people that are 
suffering and that are looking for jobs, that are in the ranks of the 
unemployed. But I also think of the people that are presently in a job, 
people like Brad Pfister and his wife, Tammy, who are raising a 
beautiful young girl by the name of Alexa, and they sit in their living 
rooms, watching their daughter play with the family toys, the Slinky, 
all the things that, you know, we think of as the American Dream, the 
things that we enjoy with our families. And what he's worried about is 
will he have a job, not just tomorrow, but will he have a job 6 months 
from now? Will he have a job a year from now?
  That uncertainty, that fear is something that the men and women and

[[Page H4522]]

children of America should not have to live in because we are the 
strongest Nation on the face of the Earth. We are the land of 
opportunity. So, when you hear us talking here tonight, it is not about 
political posturing. It is about articulating a philosophy to America 
that we, each of us, hold dear, and the philosophy can really be summed 
up in four points.
  You hear us talk a lot about the national debt, and I've been asked 
at town hall meetings on a regular basis, why is that such a 
fundamental issue? Why, other than the threat that it presents to us as 
a Nation, because everyone gets that, why is it so important that we 
get the national debt under control? And my response has always been 
that if you're going to create the confidence in the American market in 
the people that are going to expend millions, billions of dollars to 
create that new manufacturing base in America, they've got to have the 
confidence that the American market, that the fiscal house of the 
United States Government, is in order so that they can make that 
investment in a safe and secure market. So that's issue number one.
  Not only do we have to balance the books and get our fiscal house in 
order, we have to have an honest conversation about removing the 
excessive regulations that are being promulgated out of Washington, 
D.C., and in our State capitals throughout the entire Nation. And when 
we talk about that, what we're talking about is not going in and 
repealing all regulation. It's about having commonsense, reasonable 
regulatory oversight, but not going to the point that we're seeing out 
of Washington, D.C., that is letting go of common sense and regulating, 
in my opinion, for the sake of just regulating. That is not good 
government.
  We also believe that our Tax Code in America needs to be reformed. We 
have talked greatly about it, not only because it's the right thing to 
do, but also to create a marketplace in America that's going to be 
competitive worldwide because we are in the world economy. That is the 
reality of our world, and we need to recognize it, and we need to give 
our private sector those tools or that environment that allows us to 
compete on the world economic stage.
  The fourth point that I think many of my colleagues here tonight hold 
near and dear, just like I do, is that we have to adopt and commit our 
Nation to a comprehensive, domestic orientated energy plan. Why is that 
important? Not only because of the national security interests that so 
many people can inherently latch on to--you know, we are importing 
about 9 million barrels of oil a day, coming from countries and sources 
that are publicly adverse and sworn enemies of the United States of 
America. So it just doesn't make sense. But a second issue that needs 
to be articulated on the energy plan is that if we can grow a domestic, 
stable source of energy here in America, we will create a marketplace 
in America that can rely on long-term, stable, low-cost sources of 
energy.
  I can tell you as a small developer myself, when I looked at putting 
a project together, there were always three things I looked at in the 
private sector. I said, what are the taxes, what are the insurance 
costs, and what are the utility costs? And as a mayor of a small city, 
the city of Corning, my hometown in New York, when I met with 
developers who were looking to locate into our community, utility costs 
were always in the top three of concern.
  So, if we can adopt and commit ourselves to a domestic orientated, 
comprehensive energy plan, I am confident we can lower those costs so 
the American market can become competitive again. That means bringing 
back our manufacturers. That means building things here in America. And 
as my colleagues have articulated over and over again, government is 
not here to create jobs. That is not what our Founding Fathers 
envisioned. What the Founding Fathers envisioned was a government that 
preserved and protected the right to have the opportunity to succeed in 
one's life, not a guarantee to succeed, not one where the government is 
the one signing the front of the paycheck, but, rather, the individual 
is going out and earning that paycheck without interference from the 
government and from sources in the private sector.

  I am so happy to be here with my colleagues this evening, and I join 
you proudly in this fight, in this philosophy of leadership that we 
have brought to Washington, D.C., and will continue this fight and 
continue the leadership out of this House Chamber to stand for America, 
for our kids and our grandchildren, and make it again the land of 
opportunity that we have all enjoyed.
  Mrs. ROBY. I thank the gentleman from New York.
  Before I call on the gentleman from Arkansas, I just want to make a 
point to your story about a company here in the United States trying to 
achieve exactly what you're talking about. We know the private sector 
creates jobs. Our friends on the other side of the aisle, all they're 
doing is standing in the way. We continue to lead, to deregulate.
  Recently, a startup company named Staxxon based in Ohio developed 
prototypes and patented an innovative new technology for shipping 
containers that could save U.S. manufacturers, retailers, and sea, 
rail, and truck carriers millions of dollars annually by reducing the 
cost of moving and storing shipping containers. Staxxon raised about $1 
million, all private money, to hire 5 people, buy supplies, hire local 
welders, and build prototypes. The third party costs--attorneys, 
accountants, filing fees, printing, et cetera, of compliance with the 
relevant security regulations to raise $1 million in $30,000 units from 
private individuals was over $75,000, enough to hire a full-time 
welder.
  He has expressed the need to make the regulatory barriers to raising 
private investor startup money for innovative entrepreneurial companies 
like Staxxon much lower while maintaining reasonable protections for 
private investors and large banking and investment companies.
  It is easier for an individual to get a credit card with a $30,000 
limit or a home equity loan for $30,000 than it is for the same person 
in this country, the United States of America, to decide to invest 
$30,000 in a United States startup company like Staxxon, which goes 
directly to the point that you're making.
  Again, House Republicans continue to lead, but we don't see the same 
leadership on the other side of the aisle.
  I would now like to yield time to the gentleman from Arkansas.
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. I thank the gentlelady from Alabama.
  One of the ways that we in the House are focused on creating an 
environment so the private sector can create jobs is by pushing the 
President to do something about the pending trade agreements. There are 
three pending trade agreements: one with Panama, one with Colombia, and 
one with South Korea. And all three of them are just sitting there, 
sitting there while other countries are developing relationships and 
increasing exports to these countries.
  Now, in January of last year President Obama said, ``If America sits 
on the sidelines while other Nations sign trade deals, we will lose the 
opportunity to create jobs on our shores.''

                              {time}  2030

  I couldn't agree more. The President recognized last year that we 
need to move quickly with regard to these agreements that will increase 
exports. Why? Because if we increase exports, we increase jobs. Some 
estimates say that if we pass these three trade agreements, that we 
will create hundreds of thousands of jobs. So it's not just important 
that we pass them. It's important that we pass them quickly.
  Why? Well, I sat down this past week with the Ambassador from 
Colombia, and he was talking about how his country has greatly 
increased trade with Europe while they're waiting on the administration 
here in the United States to move on the agreement with their country 
so that we can increase our exports and do business more efficiently, 
create jobs in this country. He said, We're waiting. We're waiting for 
the administration to take action. We keep hearing, It's coming. It's 
coming. We're working on it. But he knows that those are just words. We 
need to get these trade deals passed and in place so that we can 
compete.
  Right now, businesses from Europe are visiting South Korea, they're 
visiting Colombia, they're visiting Panama, and they're doing business. 
And

[[Page H4523]]

the problem that we have, even if we ultimately get these agreements 
passed--and I certainly hope we will--we will have lost valuable time. 
It's not like flipping a switch. When the agreements are passed, 
everything is equal. We're competing with Europe for the business of 
Colombia or Panama or South Korea. It's not that easy.
  Why? Because while we are sitting on the sidelines waiting for these 
deals to be passed, the Europeans and others around the world are 
developing relationships. They're flying to these countries. They're 
meeting for lunch. They're touring their factories. They're exchanging 
business cards. They're signing contracts, all while we sit idly by, 
waiting on the President to do something.
  The President talked about doing something on these deals last year. 
He recognized that if we don't do something, we're going to lose the 
ability to compete. But what has he done? Nothing. Talk is cheap, Mr. 
President. We are waiting on you to move these trade deals with 
Colombia, with South Korea, and with Panama. You want to do something 
that sends a signal to this country that you are serious about job 
creation, Mr. President? Then get those deals passed. Get those deals 
passed. Get out of the way of our businesses and let them compete with 
Europe and other countries around the world so that they can create 
jobs. We're ready in this House. We're ready. We will help you get them 
passed. Just join us, Mr. President.
  Mrs. ROBY. I thank the gentleman from Arkansas.
  I would now like to yield to the gentleman from Indiana.
  Mr. STUTZMAN. I thank the gentlewoman.
  It's good to be with you all this evening and talking about the 
situation that we are currently in in our country. I will tell you, 
what a sobering moment, being first elected to Washington and coming 
and finding out about the budget situation that we currently face. This 
is about our kids' and our grandkids' futures. And I know for myself 
and for all of you that that is why you run for office, that is why you 
ran to come to Washington is to address the challenges that we have 
here in Washington.
  It's hard to comprehend the budgeting that has been taking place over 
the past several years here in Washington, D.C. When we're all back at 
home and we're facing a tough economy, we're facing a job market that 
is not that strong, our friends and family, we have people that we know 
personally that are out of work and are trying to survive in a very 
fragile economy, yet it seems like we come to Washington and we explain 
the situation back home and it continues to fall on deaf ears. It falls 
on deaf ears at the White House. It falls on deaf ears on the other 
side of the aisle. It falls on deaf ears in the Senate. And ladies and 
gentlemen, I believe that this is a time for us. This is the greatest 
opportunity that we will have to change the way Washington works.
  We talk a lot about the debt that we are facing here in this country, 
$14 trillion of debt. We have a debt ceiling, a vote that's coming up 
here before long. We've almost maxed out the credit cards. And there's 
just no discussion, no real fortitude to deal with the spending habits 
of Washington, D.C.
  Now, I can tell you that taxes and debt kill jobs, and if we want to 
get people back to work, we need to tackle both of those and address 
them in a meaningful way that will produce work for Americans.
  I was in a Budget Committee meeting today, and it just is so 
surprising to me and it just shows the position of so many Washington 
politicians, that they're out of touch with reality. And that when you 
have a $1.5 trillion deficit, the quickest way for politicians in 
Washington is, well, let's just raise taxes. Well, if any taxes go up 
in this economy, it's going to kill job creation.
  As my friend from Wisconsin was talking earlier about the comparison 
between Walmart and Kmart, he hit the nail on the head. You raise 
prices, people are going to go somewhere else. And the solution to the 
Democrats here in Washington is, well, let's just raise taxes to pay 
for the deficit that we have.
  Let me just give you a quick comparison--and I will end briefly 
here--is that if you are making about $2,000 a month but you are 
spending $3,500 a month, you are in a pretty deep hole. And every 
American knows it. We all know that if you are spending $1,500 more 
than what you are taking in a month, that's a recipe for disaster and 
bankruptcy. That's where we are at in Washington. The Federal 
Government is spending $1,500 a month more in comparison to what we're 
taking in in a month.
  Now, their solution is taxes. Their solution is to increase the debt. 
Neither one of those is the right solution. I believe for us to get 
jobs back in our economy and job creators who are working, whether it's 
down at the McDonald's and it's those who are going to be, you know, 
making the Big Macs there at McDonald's and providing a job for a high 
school kid or for a college kid, that's what people are looking for. 
They are looking for confidence in this market.
  Ladies and gentlemen, it's good to be with you this evening. I'm 
thrilled that you are here and that you are spreading the message of 
what needs to happen here in Washington. I look forward to more 
discussion.
  Mrs. ROBY. Thank you.
  And as we move into a discussion now, with the little bit of time we 
have left, it's like owning a business that brings in $100,000 worth of 
profit, yet you owe the bank $400,000. That, again, goes to the example 
that you made about your household, our businesses. Everyone is 
tightening their belts in this country but for the Federal Government.
  I would like to yield to the gentlelady from Washington.
  Ms. HERRERA BEUTLER. You know, it's really interesting. There are two 
different philosophies competing here. One is government does it best, 
and the one you hear tonight is that the American people do it best.
  This last week in the Small Business Committee, Treasury Secretary 
Tim Geithner was there defending how slowly they have moved to make 
credit available to small business. When I think about small business 
owners--Steak Burger in Vancouver, you can get a great steak burger 
there, steak sandwich--you know, these are small businesses that are 
hiring young people, high schoolers, kids in college. And as they are 
trying to keep some of these part-time, minimum-wage kids in jobs, 
right, it's making it harder for them when the Treasury Secretary 
believes that raising taxes is how we meet the spending binge here. 
It's just ridiculous. It's two fundamentally different beliefs.
  We here on the House floor tonight believe that Americans can grow 
jobs and manage their own money much better than the Treasury Secretary 
or than Washington, D.C. It's just plain simple.
  So, thank you.
  Mrs. ROBY. I yield to the gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. KINZINGER of Illinois. I want to say, look, this is a great 
example of freshmen that have come here from all different backgrounds 
for the purpose of saving our country, saving our Union. And we've seen 
a great diverse group here from different States, from different 
backgrounds, and it really is amazing.
  I've got to just say, standing here, I am inspired by what I am 
seeing for the future of America, and I really think we are going to go 
some places.

                              {time}  2040

  I think we cannot be second-best anymore. I don't think people have 
to say that America is going to be second-best. We can always stay 
best.
  Mrs. ROBY. And, again, at forums like this tonight, as I stated at 
the beginning, Americans deserve the truth, and the strongest truth 
comes directly from the mouths of Americans who are feeling the pain in 
their homes and in their businesses.
  I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. DUFFY. I agree. Americans are sick of being lied to. We're going 
to level with the American people.
  We just had a joint economic hearing a couple of days ago, and we 
learned that it is 18 percent more expensive to manufacture in America 
as opposed to other countries, and that's outside of wages. That's our 
Tax Code and our

[[Page H4524]]

regulations. It's more expensive to manufacture in America. Those are 
the policies right here in Washington that are making it more 
expensive. That's absolutely wrong.
  I've got to tell you I had a chance to listen to our colleagues on 
the Democrat side of the aisle go on about tax breaks for big oil 
companies. I don't know if anyone heard their great conversation about 
tax breaks for big oil companies.
  But I just got here in January. I'm a freshman. I'm new to this, but 
I don't recall our passing any bills that had tax breaks for oil 
companies. And they had control of this House for 4 years. Where were 
their bills to deal with tax breaks for big oil companies? I never saw 
them.
  I hear this commentary that tries to get people ginned up, and it 
takes our eye off the ball, which is true job creation and making us 
more competitive in a global economy.
  Mrs. ROBY. And becoming less dependent on Middle Eastern oil is all 
about these very energy bills, that, again, we have shown consistent 
leadership on just in the 6 months that we've been in the majority.
  I go to the gas pump. I pump gas in my car. I know how much it costs. 
I'm in the grocery store. I see the rising costs of food as it relates 
to these energy costs. And yet again today we see the President dip 
into our oil reserves, which should be for emergencies, yet we're using 
it for politics at a time when this country must become less dependent 
on Middle Eastern oil.
  I yield to the gentleman from Colorado.
  Mr. GARDNER. I thank the gentlewoman.
  And what's amazing about the argument, today the President releases 
the oil from our emergency reserve. Yet yesterday on this very floor, a 
number of people were arguing that, no, we don't need new expansions in 
production. We don't need more oil being put online in this country 
because that won't lower the price of fuel. So yesterday they were 
saying that more supplies won't reduce the price of fuel, but today 
they're saying release this strategic petroleum reserve because it will 
reduce the price of fuel. A very confused argument.
  Mrs. ROBY. Very. Thank you so much.
  Mr. DUFFY. Will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. ROBY. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. DUFFY. And if you look at tapping into these oil reserves, what 
does that do to endanger the security of this country? As the 
gentlelady knows, in the South, whether it's tornadoes or whether it's 
floods or whether it's hurricanes, things happen in the gulf where we 
would have to tap into the reserve because our energy supply could be 
at risk. And here for political purposes to try to drive prices down 
over the summer driving season, the President has tapped into that 
reserve. I think that's absolutely unacceptable for political purposes, 
especially, as we know, that real risks come up that can cause us a 
need for that energy supply.
  Mrs. ROBY. Thank you.
  I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas very quickly.
  Mr. GRIFFIN of Arkansas. I would just like to say there have been a 
lot of topics covered tonight, from Medicare to debt to energy. They 
all relate to jobs. Whether we're talking about reducing the regulatory 
burden, revising the Tax Code, passing trade agreements, working on 
energy development and becoming more energy independent, or paying down 
the debt, they all relate to job creation and making this a country 
where the private sector can create jobs.
  Mrs. ROBY. Again, thank you to all of the freshmen who are here 
tonight and the States you represent, the districts you represent. We 
all are here to work for America and American jobs. Thank you for your 
time, and I look forward to doing this again soon.

                          ____________________