[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 123 (Monday, July 23, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H6637-H6639]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          A BETTER WAY AGENDA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Mimi Walters) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, 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.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, House 
Republicans made a promise to the American people that there was a 
better way forward under our leadership. Our Better Way Agenda outlined 
a pathway toward safer communities, a stronger military, and a robust 
economy. Since then, House Republicans have compiled a record of 
results, not rhetoric. Thanks to this progress, the American people are 
better off now.
  Republicans started by moving bills that address some of the biggest 
issues plaguing cities and towns across the country:

  We have passed over 50 bills to put an end to the opioid epidemic in 
our communities.
  FOSTA, which will dismantle the online sex trafficking industry, was 
signed into law.
  We are also keeping our children safe by providing additional funding 
and resources for school safety programs.
  We are rebuilding our military, ensuring our troops have the tools, 
training, and equipment they need to carry out their missions and keep 
us safe both at home and abroad. Our brave men and women in uniform 
received their largest pay raise in nearly 10 years.
  We are keeping our promise to provide our veterans with the care they 
have earned by overhauling the VA and ensuring that they have access to 
reliable, quality care.
  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has undoubtedly had the most significant 
positive effect on the daily lives of Americans. Tax reform has led to 
unprecedented economic growth across our Nation. Americans are keeping 
more of their hard-earned paychecks, while companies in all 50 States 
are creating jobs and opportunity for all.
  At home in Orange County, the unemployment rate has dropped to a near 
20-year low, while pay and benefits continue to rise. Nationally, 
jobless claims have fallen to their lowest levels since 1969, and 
economic confidence is soaring.
  Mr. Speaker, I could go on about the numerous accomplishments House 
Republicans have achieved in the last 18 months, but the American 
people don't

[[Page H6638]]

need convincing. They are seeing the results firsthand. Our Nation is, 
without question, better off now, and we will continue our work to 
improve the lives of all Americans.
  I am proud to introduce my friend and fellow committee member on the 
Energy and Commerce Committee, Congressman Buddy Carter from the First 
District of Georgia.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).
  Mr. CARTER of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for 
yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in discussing how 
Americans are better off now.
  Two years ago, I told the First District of Georgia about our Better 
Way Agenda, our bold agenda to tackle some of our Nation's greatest 
challenges and improve the lives of everyday Americans.
  Now, 2 years later, I am thrilled Americans are experiencing the 
results. We have instituted sound, progrowth policies, and the economy 
is booming.
  Now people are no longer asking: Where are the jobs? Instead, thanks 
to tax reform, rolling back burdensome regulations, and more, we have 
more job openings than job seekers.
  Just last week, I visited a local business called Game Changers, with 
locations in Richmond Hill and Savannah. While there, I learned their 
revenue is up at both of their locations. They are hiring new employees 
at both locations, and they have increased wages and given bonuses to 
their employees.
  It is incredible to hear these stories of how local small businesses 
and hardworking Georgians are thriving again.
  That is not all. As the proud Representative of every branch of the 
military, I have been fighting for our troops, veterans, and military 
families because they deserve better. Republicans have taken historic 
actions to rebuild our military and fix the VA.
  After years of neglect, we have provided new investments in training, 
equipment, and personnel to reverse the damage of the last decade. 
Members of our military put their lives on the line for our country, 
and we are working to provide the support to ensure they are the most 
well-prepared and well-equipped force on the planet.
  Finally, we have made major strides to make our communities safer, 
including fighting the opioid epidemic. The House has passed more than 
50 bills combating this crisis that is killing 115 Americans every day.
  The list goes on and on. House Republicans are fighting every day for 
Americans in Washington to deliver results, not rhetoric. I hear it 
from small businesses, big businesses, and citizens in the First 
District all the time. Americans are truly better off now.
  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx), who sits on the House 
Committees on Education and the Workforce and Oversight and Government 
Reform. Virginia Foxx is the Congresswoman who represents North 
Carolina's Fifth District.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congresswoman Walters, and I 
appreciate her leading this Special Order tonight to bring to the 
attention of the American people the fact that they are better off now 
than they were 2 years ago. This is an important message for us to 
share with the American people. Many of us are doing it individually, 
but we appreciate the gentlewoman's leadership on this.
  Mr. Speaker, 2 years ago, House Republicans promised to replace our 
broken Tax Code and rein in the runaway administrative state that 
stifled our economy and made it harder for businesses to create jobs 
and grow.
  We proposed a better way to grow the economy with solutions for 
hardworking Americans who were being chewed up by our system and 
struggling to get by. This Congress, we have delivered on our promises, 
and I am pleased to say that North Carolinians are better off now.
  We passed the most significant tax reform in over 30 years, and 
everyday Americans are already reaping the benefits. According to the 
Tax Foundation, the average increase in take-home pay for a family of 
four in the Fifth District is $1,843. I would like to say that again, 
Mr. Speaker: $1,843. Those are hard-earned wages being kept in 
paychecks and not sent to Washington to finance inefficient government 
bureaucracy.
  Speaking of bureaucracy, Mr. Speaker, this Congress has also enacted 
historic regulatory relief, with 16 Congressional Review Act 
resolutions becoming law. Five of those resolutions came out of the 
House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which I chair, and I 
was able to get a sixth enacted that I sponsored that came through 
another committee.

  We have rolled back some of the most burdensome Obama-era regulations 
concocted by Washington bureaucrats who thought they knew better than 
American farmers and business owners. But Republicans did not agree 
with them.
  North Carolina's economy is evidence that Republicans' policies are 
working for the American people. Just compare the North Carolina 
Department of Commerce's figures from June of last year to this year 
and you will see that our State now stands 100,000 jobs ahead. There is 
still work to be done, but thanks to tax and regulatory relief, North 
Carolinians are better off now.
  Again, I want to thank Congresswoman Mimi Walters for leading this 
Special Order tonight, Mr. Speaker.
  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Mr. Speaker, I have the privilege to 
introduce the chairwoman of the House Republican Conference.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. 
McMorris Rodgers).
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and colleague 
for yielding and for hosting us this evening in a Special Order to talk 
more about Americans who are better off now because of our hard work 
over this Congress. I want to just join in sharing why Americans and 
their families are better off, and it is because Republicans have 
provided a better way and results that work.
  After years of struggling to get ahead, hardworking men and women are 
now seeing jobs, opportunity, and confidence come roaring back. This is 
the comeback story that was made possible at the beginning through our 
Better Way Agenda. Over the past 2 years, we have worked hard to 
deliver on that agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, at better.gop, you can check out the promises that we 
have kept and why, as a result, America is stronger at home and abroad 
with a booming economy, safer communities, and a revived military.
  After historic tax reform and our work to rein in Obama-era 
regulations, unemployment is at a historic low, job openings at a 
record high, paychecks are growing, and wages are rising right along 
with consumer confidence.
  In my home State of Washington, the average wage increase just hit a 
10-year high, and those increases are benefiting rural communities as 
well, like Garfield County.
  Garfield County is in my district. It is the smallest county in the 
State of Washington, and the average wage increase has been 8.7 percent 
in the last year.
  Asotin County is another small, rural county, and they have seen a 
6.6 percent increase in the last year. For other rural counties, 
unemployment rates are dropping sharply.
  Pend Oreille County is in my district. They have seen a 3.2 percent 
drop in their unemployment rate.
  For families and small businesses that are no longer overtaxed and 
overregulated, they have confidence again that they can achieve a 
better life and reach their full potential. That is what I am most 
excited about. I am excited about the hope and the optimism that it is 
bringing to people in eastern Washington and across this country.

                              {time}  1945

  It wasn't that long ago, in 2010, unemployment was at 9.9 percent. 
Our policies have unleashed economic growth. It is now at 4 percent. 
More Americans are coming off the sidelines and into the workforce. 
Just last month, there were 600,000 Americans. I am proud to say that 
it includes people with disabilities.
  As The Washington Post recently reported, the jobless rate for 
workers with disabilities has fallen at a faster rate than the general 
population. This is great news because Washington State is getting 
ready to launch our ABLE accounts. I was proud to lead efforts in tax 
reform to provide a way for

[[Page H6639]]

those with disabilities to explore work, get a part-time job or an 
internship, and take that money and put it back into their ABLE 
account.
  Today, 50,000 people in my State will be eligible for ABLE accounts. 
It will help them find a job that gives them independence, dignity, and 
purpose. We all recognize that a job is a foundation for a better life.
  A booming economy isn't the only reason why Americans are better off. 
We have also made significant investments to combat the opioid crisis 
and human trafficking, target dangerous criminals, and make schools 
safer.
  After the Obama administration left our Armed Forces depleted, we 
have made good on promises to revive and rebuild our military. In 
addition to giving our troops the biggest pay increase in almost a 
decade, we have provided for the largest increase in defense in 15 
years. Our troops, including those I have the privilege of representing 
at Fairchild Air Force Base, will now have additional resources to 
train, address the readiness crisis, and keep America secure.
  Madam Speaker, the American people don't want rhetoric. They want 
results. After years of slow growth, lack of confidence, stagnant 
wages, and a stagnant economy, they asked for a better way. I am proud 
to have been a part of a group that has proven that we can get those 
results done. By putting people first and focusing on improving lives, 
we have delivered real results and a better way forward. That is why 
Americans are better off today. I invite everyone to learn more at 
better.gop.
  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield to the 
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Ferguson), serving on the Committee on the 
Budget, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, representing the Third 
District of Georgia.
  Mr. FERGUSON. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from California for 
leading this Special Order.
  What a year and half it has been since I came to Congress. There have 
been a lot of positive things that have gone on, and I think Americans 
feel that they are better off now.
  If you listen to the media and the rhetoric, you wouldn't know it. 
Every time I travel home and I talk to the folks in the Third District 
of Georgia, I get this sense of optimism, this reality that they are 
doing better. Their wages are up. There are more job opportunities. 
They are doing better. They feel safer, and they feel more secure.
  In spite of what you might have heard on TV and in the other parts of 
the media, more than 177 bills have been signed into law in the 115th 
Congress. That is the most of any Congress at this point since 2008. 
The results are clear: Americans are better off.
  I have heard from small businesses like Shred-X in Griffin, Georgia; 
Custom Truck and Body Works in Woodbury, Georgia; and Emma Hill 
Manufacturing in LaGrange, Georgia. All of these businesses are making 
investments. They are expanding. They are being more productive. Most 
importantly, they are hiring more people, and they are investing in 
their people with higher wages and better training. Families are doing 
better throughout our district.
  But these businesses are doing more than simply investing in their 
people and in their businesses. They are investing in their 
communities. So our communities are becoming more helpful.
  All of this is a result of a tax reform bill, a better regulatory 
environment, and a changing attitude in education that ensures that 
people pursue their talents and not just a degree. They are involved in 
making sure that they are able to make a living in viable careers for a 
long period of time.
  It is not just the economy that is making us more secure. We have 
invested heavily in our military, and we have fully funded our men and 
women serving this Nation. Most importantly, when they returned home, 
we have made the changes in the VA that, over time, will make sure that 
they have the benefits that they have earned and, quite candidly, that 
they deserve.
  We have also made investments in many other areas. Think about what 
we have been able to accomplish with human trafficking. We are 
beginning to take steps to really change how we view addiction and the 
opioid crisis. We are making progress, and that is making Americans 
better.
  So it is easy to get caught up in the news of the moment, to get 
clouded from the really good things that are happening. But we are here 
to remind America that things are better now because of the work that 
we have done in this House of Representatives.
  Mrs. MIMI WALTERS of California. Madam Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.

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