[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 101 (Tuesday, July 16, 2013)]
[House]
[Page H4491]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               THE PRESIDENT'S HEALTH CARE MANDATE DELAYS

  (Mr. BURGESS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, some of the Affordable Care Act's oldest 
and strongest supporters are now coming out against the bill. 
Yesterday, the three largest unions in the country wrote a letter to 
Speaker Pelosi and Leader Reid and said that the President's health 
care takeover would ``destroy the foundation of the 40-hour workweek 
that is the backbone of the American middle class.'' Their concern--my 
concern--is that the employer mandate will force small businesses to 
move their employees to part time in an effort to avoid additional 
expenses.
  While I wish they had realized this before spending so much time and 
so much money on getting the law passed, at this point I couldn't agree 
with them more.
  This week, it is very important that we pass the bills to delay the 
individual mandate and delay the employer mandate for a year. This will 
give us time to consider how to keep the Affordable Care Act from 
destroying our economy.
  To quote the union's letter:

       Time is running out. We have a problem. You need to fix it. 
     The unintended consequences of the Affordable Care Act are 
     severe.

  Further quoting:

       We can no longer stand silent in the face of the elements 
     of the Affordable Care Act that will destroy the very health 
     care and well-being of millions of hardworking Americans.

  By passing these two bills this week, we will take an important step 
in minimizing the damage from the Affordable Care Act.

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