[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 121 (Wednesday, July 29, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H5760-H5761]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPUBLICANS ARE DELIVERING RESULTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2015, the Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North 
Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 30 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment my two colleagues who 
have just spoken on the floor. I compliment Mr. Newhouse from the State 
of Washington for highlighting a very important event in his district 
involving a significant constituent of his.
  I particularly would also like to recognize Mr. Westerman from 
Arkansas for getting H.R. 2647 passed, the Resilient Federal Forests 
Act of 2015. It is really a coup for a freshman to get such a 
significant bill passed so early in his or her career. It is a major 
bill, a significant bill, and I want to compliment him on bringing his 
expertise in forestry to the House of Representatives. We need people 
with all kinds of backgrounds here who can help get things that the 
American people need for us to do on their behalf, and certainly that 
bill is going to do a lot for American people all across this country.
  Mr. Speaker, it has been said that no one hears about the plane that 
landed safely. What that very apt adage suggests is that we are often 
unaware of good work being done every day, and it isn't until something 
goes wrong that people take notice. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to just 
highlight for a few minutes this evening the great work that this 
Congress has been doing in the past 4\1/2\ years, and particularly 
during the 114th Congress, which began in January.
  Under the leadership of House Republicans, we have been doing very 
good work in tackling the difficult issues facing this Nation. We are 
advancing solutions that build a healthy economy, empowering every 
American to pursue his or her future, to reach his or her full 
potential and achieve a better life. Here, Mr. Speaker, are just a few 
specifics of what we have been accomplishing.
  First, the House is more open. That may sound a little strange to 
people, but it is important that the American people understand that, 
under the majority leadership of Republicans, we have considered over 
200 more amendments than the average over the last 25 years in the 
House of Representatives.
  The House is more collaborative. House committees have passed 10.2 
percent of bills out of committee compared to a 40-year average of only 
6 percent of bills being passed.
  The House is, overall, more productive. The House passed 193 bills in 
the first quarter, well above the 40-year average of 127. Of those, 32 
have also passed the Senate--more than the 25-year average of 29.

                              {time}  2015

  The House is more effective. Over the last 30 years, only one other 
Republican-controlled House had more bills enacted in law to this 
point, and this Congress is above the 40-year average of 29 bills 
enacted with 32.
  The American people want us to come to Washington, use our time well, 
and work on their behalf to get the things done that they see need to 
be done. We are working on our main focus, which are jobs and the 
economy.
  Mr. Speaker, tomorrow's good-paying jobs will come from the freedom 
to innovate from the bottom up, with organic growth, not from top-down 
bureaucracies in Washington, D.C., looking out for themselves and 
attempting, always, to control the American people.
  Mr. Speaker, we have passed many bills, as I have said before. One is 
the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, H.R. 527, 
which was approved by the House by a vote of 260-163 in February of 
this year. That is a bipartisan vote, Mr. Speaker.
  We passed the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, 
H.R. 50, by a bipartisan vote of 250-173.
  We passed the Death Tax Repeal Act, H.R. 1105, by a vote of 240-179; 
this is often called the death tax; it is sometimes called the estate 
tax, but it hits, Mr. Speaker, not just wealthy people, but average 
people with huge, unfair taxes.
  This bill would provide certainty for families and allow small 
businesses to focus on growing new jobs and is the smart thing to do 
for our economy.
  Mr. Speaker, much of the economic turmoil that has gripped this 
Nation is the result of the Federal Government spending beyond its 
means. In North Carolina, I hear often from constituents who are 
worried about our ballooning national debt, which threatens economic 
stability and jeopardizes the American dream for our families.
  Irresponsible spending isn't fair to our kids, who must repay the 
debt, and it is not good for the economy.
  Unknown to many Americans, the House Republican majority has cut 
Federal spending 2 years in a row for the first time since the Korean 
war. We banned earmarks and achieved the most significant spending 
reductions in modern history. We have protected tax cuts for 99 percent 
of individuals and families.
  We passed a balanced budget conference agreement which balances the 
budget within 10 years, without raising taxes, and achieves more than 
$5 trillion in savings. It is the first joint 10-year balanced budget 
resolution since 2001.
  We have passed the Student Success Act, which replaces No Child Left 
Behind, by reducing the Federal footprint in education, restoring local 
control, and empowering parents and education leaders to hold schools 
accountable for effectively teaching students. It stops the Federal 
Government from coercing states into adopting Common Core.
  We expanded and strengthened 529 college savings plans by a vote of 
401-20, a very strong bipartisan vote.
  We have passed an energy policy, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval 
Act, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. We have passed the 
LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act. We have passed Improving 
Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015.
  Mr. Speaker, we are working on the economy, on bringing down the cost 
of energy, on providing for national security.
  We have passed the National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1735, and 
are in conference now with the Senate on this bill.
  We have passed the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act, 
again, by a very large bipartisan vote, 355-63.
  We have passed the Protecting Cyber Networks Act by a large 
bipartisan vote of 307-116.
  We have passed a bill signed into law by the President in June, the 
USA Freedom Act, which ends the bulk collection of data at the National 
Security Agency, prevents government overreach, strengthens protections 
for Americans' civil liberties, and increases the transparency of 
certain national security authorities.
  As my colleague from Arkansas talked about previous to my coming on

[[Page H5761]]

the floor, we have passed several bills to honor our veterans. They 
have earned our respect, and they shouldn't have to wait in line for 
months or years to see a doctor.
  When our brave servicemembers come home, we have to keep our word to 
them by modernizing our VA system to deliver the best care in the 
world, and we have kept our promises to our veterans.
  Mr. Speaker, we have focused also on the human side of what needs to 
be done in our society. We have passed the Justice for Victims of 
Trafficking Act. It was signed into law on May 29, 2015. Human 
trafficking is a major problem in our country, and we are doing all 
that we can to diminish it and eliminate it.
  Mr. Speaker, we have passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection 
Act with a bipartisan vote, H.R. 36. We expect that bill to be passed 
in the Senate.
  We have also passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. It was 
approved by the House in January. This bill would permanently free 
taxpayers from subsidizing abortion or insurance coverage that includes 
abortion. Mr. Speaker, we care very much for the most vulnerable among 
us.
  We are also doing everything we can through our hearings to hold 
President Obama and the executive branch accountable in conjunction 
with our constitutional duties. We continue to look for ways to improve 
what the Department of Veterans Affairs does.
  We have witnessed the incompetence of the Office of Personnel 
Management, which allowed its records of Federal employees to be 
hacked.
  We have held hearings on the Secret Service scandal.
  We have done everything we can to stop the EPA from imposing its 
clean water rule, which is very tough on our farmers in particular, but 
on people all over this country.
  We have challenged, again, ObamaCare in court with the U.S. House of 
Representatives vs. Burwell lawsuit; and we hope for a positive result 
from that.
  We are also continuing our investigations into other scandals of this 
administration, including the situation in Benghazi. Last fall, House 
investigators learned that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton 
used a private email server located in her home, rather than an 
official email account, as required by administration policy. She also 
failed to preserve her official emails for government records as 
required by the Federal Records Act.
  Without the diligent work of the Select Committee on Benghazi, this 
highly questionable email arrangement would have remained secret. 
Because of a select committee deposition of Sidney Blumenthal, a former 
aide to President Bill Clinton, the committee was able to demonstrate 
that, despite former Secretary Clinton's assertions to the contrary, 
she did not produce all of her official emails to the State Department.
  The select committee is deposing senior State Department officials, 
including Clinton's closest aides, and will call former Secretary 
Clinton as a witness as soon as the State Department produces all of 
the records owed to the committee.
  We are continuing our investigation of the IRS and its unlawful 
targeting of conservatives.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the people's House, and we Republicans in the 
majority will continue to do the work of the American people by passing 
appropriate legislation and by holding this administration accountable 
for what it should be doing and what it has done that is inappropriate.
  The Republican-led House, Mr. Speaker, in the past 7 months, has 
delivered real results that would solve many of the challenges that 
face our Nation, but there is still more to do to make the outdated 
models in Washington, D.C., more effective, efficient, and accountable.
  As we go home to our districts for the August recess, not a vacation, 
but an opportunity for us to be in our districts, to be with our 
constituents, to hear from our constituents what their concerns are, we 
will be gathering more ideas for legislation and come back to Congress 
in September with a renewed commitment to do the people's business in 
the people's House.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________