[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 97 (Wednesday, June 17, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H4445]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       REPEAL MEDICAL DEVICE TAX

  (Mr. KATKO asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for 
bipartisan legislation before the House, the Protect Medical Innovation 
Act of 2015, to permanently repeal the onerous medical device tax.
  This medical device tax has condemned our manufacturers of medical 
devices in the United States to less competition and being less 
competitive throughout the world. These manufacturers are now competing 
with one arm tied behind their backs because of this onerous tax. It 
has had serious consequences across this great land for companies--job 
losses, jobs moving overseas, less innovation, and fewer products 
coming to market.
  This morning was another great example of that because I got word 
that the largest medical manufacturer in my district, Welch Allyn, was 
just bought out. Those jobs are now in jeopardy, hundreds and hundreds 
of well-paying jobs. They did this strictly because they couldn't 
compete at their size because of all of the things that were against 
them, including the medical device tax.
  There is no question that the medical device tax played a role in 
their having to sell, and there is no question that the medical device 
tax has now put hundreds of well-paying jobs in jeopardy in central New 
York.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in repealing this onerous tax.

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