[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 213 (Wednesday, December 17, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H6014-H6017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   REPUBLICANS HAVE DELIVERED IN 2025

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Moore 
of Utah was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority 
leader.)


                             General Leave

  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam 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 this Special 
Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I am glad to be joined by several 
of my colleagues for this last Conference Special Order of the year to 
talk about ways we have delivered for all Americans through our 
legislative action, committee work, and more.
  I understand some of my colleagues have commitments, and I am going 
to be respectful of their time, so I will have them start us off before 
I provide some of my own comments.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Kennedy), a 
good friend.
  Mr. KENNEDY of Utah. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Utah 
for yielding and leading this important discussion on how Republicans 
are focusing on making healthcare more affordable for hardworking 
American families. We have taken action and are committed to doing more 
to fix the broken system of ObamaCare that empowered Big Insurance at 
the expense of our taxpayers.
  As a family practice doctor for over 25 years, I hear directly from 
my patients about the skyrocketing cost of insurance and prescription 
drugs. Democrats promised Americans lower costs, more choices, and 
better care. More than a decade later, too many families are asking a 
simple question: What happened?
  Former President Obama, in pushing the ACA, promised that the bill 
would lower healthcare premiums by up to $2,500 per family per year, 
but since ObamaCare went into effect, premiums have nearly tripled and 
deductibles have more than doubled. The cost of coverage for a family 
of four has increased by more than $10,000.
  Back in July of this year, this Republican Congress passed the 
Working Families Tax Cut Act. This important legislation puts more 
money back into the pockets of Americans and will help lower the cost 
of healthcare as well as childcare.

[[Page H6015]]

  Thanks to the Working Families Tax Cut Act, all Bronze and 
Catastrophic ACA Marketplace plans are now considered high-deductible 
plans, allowing more people to contribute to health savings accounts.
  Health savings accounts can now be used to pay for direct primary 
care arrangements that cut out the middleman and allow patients to 
coordinate care directly with their chosen provider.
  High costs are not the only ObamaCare failure. It also resulted in a 
major increase in fraud. A 2024 GAO investigation found that fake 
identities were approved for ObamaCare subsidies at a 100 percent rate, 
often remaining enrolled despite missing or falsified information.
  In 2023, $21 billion in subsidies were paid out with no evidence of 
tax reconciliation. Taxpayers were left footing the bill, as reused 
Social Security numbers, subsidies paid on behalf of deceased 
individuals, and billions in unreconciled payments expose a system 
unable to protect public funds.
  In the Working Families Tax Cut Act, Republicans restored 
accountability and fairness to the healthcare marketplace through 
reforms that save taxpayers billions of dollars and drive down costs 
for everyone. There is full income and eligibility verification before 
subsidies are issued, ensuring assistance goes only to those who 
qualify. We have ended ``anytime'' enrollment abuse that fueled 
fraudulent signups and drove premiums higher for everyone. We closed 
loopholes that allowed illegal immigrants and other ineligible groups 
to access taxpayer-funded health benefits.
  Many Americans have insurance on paper but still cannot afford to use 
it. I am committed, along with my Republican colleagues, to addressing 
the root cause of rising costs to provide real relief for taxpayers and 
families. I appreciate my congressional colleague from Utah for 
yielding to me.

                              {time}  1930

  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Utah, a 
physician and attorney, for bringing up all of these issues. It is so 
important to call up the reality of it.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Loudermilk).
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a friend and 
former member of my congressional staff, Mr. John Bart Mitcham, on his 
milestone birthday and for his service to Georgia's 11th Congressional 
District, the State of Georgia, and the United States of America.
  Mr. Bart Mitcham was born on December 24, 1945, in Ada, Oklahoma, to 
John and Virginia Mitcham. Bart's parents both served in the United 
States Navy during World War II, with his father serving as a naval 
aviator on the USS Hornet during some of the most critical moments in 
the Pacific theater.
  Bart knew from an early age that he wanted to serve his country as a 
naval aviator. So eager to learn to fly, Bart washed aircraft in 
exchange for 1 hour of flight time while he was in high school. He also 
served as a cadet in the Civil Air Patrol, the civilian auxiliary of 
the United States Air Force.
  Bart attended Tyler Junior College on a music scholarship, where he 
played in the school's band and performed at high-profile events, 
including the Cotton Bowl, as well as Dallas Cowboys games. He later 
transferred to the University of Oklahoma, Edmond, where he graduated 
in 1968, commissioning as an ensign in the United States Navy.
  Fulfilling his lifelong dream to become a naval aviator like his 
father, Bart began naval flight training and, upon graduation, was 
assigned to Naval Air Station Dallas, where he flew the storied F-4 
Phantom.
  Bart was then transferred to the USS Enterprise, where he flew combat 
missions in Vietnam. He later served at the Defense Intelligence Agency 
and as a commanding officer at Naval Air Station Atlanta before 
retiring at the rank of captain in 1994, almost 26 years of service.
  Bart is not only recognized for his exemplary service to our country 
as a veteran, but he is also recognized as a man of numerous talents 
and passions. Bart attained a law degree from Woodrow Wilson Law 
School, attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and earned a 
master of divinity from Andersonville Seminary. He operated a real 
estate appraisal business while pastoring churches.
  During his service in the United States Navy, Bart studied several 
martial arts disciplines before achieving a seventh-degree black belt. 
He then taught martial arts and self-defense classes, developed his own 
self-defense technique, and was inducted into the Martial Arts Hall of 
Fame.
  Wanting to use his expertise, training, and talents to continue to 
serve others, Bart became a licensed private investigator and an 
executive protection agent. As his reputation expanded, Bart opened his 
own agency and began teaching and facilitating classes in private 
investigation and executive protection. For a time, he served as a 
member of the Georgia Board of Private Detective and Security Agencies.
  Due to Bart's vast experience and reputation, he became part of my 
staff when I entered Congress. He was our veteran engagement liaison 
and the security director for several years. He was an excellent choice 
for this role, reaching out to help fellow veterans as well as helping 
to ensure the safety and security of myself and our staff.
  Bart continued his legacy of community service by taking on the role 
of an associate magistrate judge for Bartow County, Georgia.
  Throughout his exemplary career of service to others above self, Bart 
has touched countless lives across our country.
  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the United States House of 
Representatives, the people of Georgia's 11th Congressional District, I 
wish my friend, Bart Mitcham, a wonderful 80th birthday and extend my 
sincerest gratitude for his lifetime of service. May God bless him, and 
I wish him a happy birthday.
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's 
remarks.
  Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest).
  Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, the Christmas story as recorded in Luke 
Chapter 2.
  ``And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree 
from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.''
  ``And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph 
also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, 
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of 
the house and lineage of David:) to be taxed with Mary his espoused 
wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while they were 
there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she 
brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, 
and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the 
inn.
  ``And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, 
keeping watch over their flock by night.''
  ``And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the 
Lord shone round about them: and they were so afraid. And the angel 
said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of 
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day 
in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the King. And this shall 
be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling 
clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a 
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God 
in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will toward men.''
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
  Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I will one more time point out what 
should be the most important issue facing this body in 2026. I have 
talked before about the huge marriage penalties that we build into our 
income transfer programs, also known as welfare programs.

  When you add up the penalties that you have to endure if, say, a 
single mom marries a husband with an income, and we look at the food 
stamps, the low-income housing, the earned income tax credit, the TANF 
check, and the Pell grants, you can easily wind up in a situation in 
which you are penalized $25,000 a year if you get married.
  This is the primary reason why, in the 1950s, we only had about 4 
percent of the newborn children in this country

[[Page H6016]]

born without a mother and father at home, and now, we are over 40 
percent.
  It is not difficult if people in this body would meet with some 
average people rather than the lobbyists or the big campaign 
contributors. It is very easy to find young people today who are not 
getting married specifically because they find that the Federal 
Government has almost a policy of punishing people who get married.
  Even the Republican Party in its big, beautiful bill has, as I 
count--maybe there are more--three programs in which we are penalizing 
married couples. I found out today on the tuition credits for private 
schools that we are supposed to brag about, there is a big marriage 
penalty there, as we punish people who want to go to private school who 
are married.
  We also increased the low-income housing tax credit so that more and 
more Americans are in housing in which they are discouraged from 
getting married.
  They are also, by the way, discouraged from working harder because in 
all these programs, in addition to being penalized for getting married, 
there comes a point where if you take on overtime or get a raise, they 
begin to take the benefits away from you.
  That is what they do in the low-income housing tax credit. If you are 
paying so much in rent and decide to work overtime or decide to get a 
second job, the housing development will have to say: Sorry, you are 
working harder, so we have to raise your rent. That is another thing we 
should be looking at and trying to change.

                              {time}  1940

  Madam Speaker, a third penalty comes in a mild increase in Pell 
grants with regard to technical schools. In order to get it, a Pell 
grant is another one of those programs where a person can't work that 
hard and can't be married to somebody with an income.
  In any event, I implore my colleagues and implore my leadership team 
to see what they can do in the year 2026 by not penalizing Americans 
for getting married and not penalizing Americans for working too hard 
so we try to work our way back.
  There was a time with stronger families--I realize all families can 
succeed, and I know all sorts of families who do succeed by being very 
conscientious with their children. Nevertheless, I think we would all 
agree America would be better off if we worked our way back from the 42 
percent of children born without a mother and father at home back down 
to the 6 percent or 5 percent or 4 percent that it was in the 1950s or 
1960s.
  Mr. MOORE of Utah. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from 
Wisconsin and the issue that he brings up. It is something that some of 
my State legislators are working on, namely Ms. Melissa Garff Ballard. 
She is an excellent policymaker and lawmaker back home. This is 
something she cares deeply about and is doing quite a lot of good work 
on at the State level. I applaud her for that.
  Madam Speaker, I thank you and all my colleagues for your comments 
this evening. It is very much appreciated.
  As we move into the next couple of weeks when we get to celebrate the 
holidays, it is excellent to look back and think about the amazing work 
that has taken place over the last year. As it is dominating the 
headlines, we recognize there is a lot to talk about with healthcare, 
particularly this week. I want to touch on a few aspects.
  To be abundantly clear, Republicans are currently dealing with the 
aftermath of what has been a decade or so of failure. The Democrats put 
in place an unaffordable and fraudulent healthcare system.
  For years, Democrats promised ObamaCare would lower costs. In 
reality, premiums have increased nearly 80 percent since the so-called 
Affordable Care Act was enacted. The average premium for family 
coverage is nearly $27,000 per year.
  A report from the Government Accountability Office confirms what 
Republicans have said for years. There is significant fraud associated 
with COVID-era enhanced premium tax credits established by the trifecta 
of President Joe Biden and majorities in the House and Senate led by 
Democrats.
  Again, in 2021, Democrats put in place what is called the enhanced 
premium tax credits. They did this during their COVID-era bills: The 
American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act. These were two 
bills that were massive expansions for several programs. In particular, 
they were able to pass this legislation on party-line votes and set it 
for 4 years. Democrats set this policy during COVID to last for 4 years 
and expire at the end of this year.
  In this study, GAO found that 58,000 enrollees matched Social 
Security death records, with 7,000 of them being deceased before 
enrollment began. One Social Security number was even associated with 
125 different ObamaCare policies in one year. That is the first level 
of potential fraud.
  The second item is that a zero-dollar premium obviously leads to more 
fraud, and that is what we have seen happen. Enrollment went up without 
people using or even knowing that they had coverage. This is something 
we need checks and balances on.
  When they moved the original Obama subsidies--and those aren't going 
anywhere. They are still in place. They are not expiring at the end of 
this year. They have existed from the start. It is only the Democrat 
Party's 2021 enhanced version that is expiring.
  The worst aspect of those, in my opinion, is the fact that a person 
used to be required to pay just 2 percent of their annual income toward 
health insurance premiums. The taxpayer dollars paid the insurance 
company the remainder of that. A person was only required to pay 2 
percent. That moved to zero percent in 2021.
  Since 2021, there was a massive expansion of people being on these 
premiums and this insurance coverage but never using it. They never 
used it year over year, but the insurance company continued to get 
taxpayer-funded subsidies directly to them to cover nothing because 
they never used it.
  The percentage of people who weren't using their health insurance 
went up significantly. It wasn't like people were getting hurt or sick 
at a similar rate. What was happening was they didn't know they were in 
the system. As part of the GAO study will explain, they were getting 
signed up.
  The last final piece that I will highlight here are the income caps. 
People could still be making 400 percent above the Federal poverty 
level the insurance companies that they were getting signed up for were 
still receiving these subsidies.
  Originally, when we talk about ObamaCare, it was just for folks who 
were very low-income and were uninsured and didn't have the ability to 
make any payments toward covering their own insurance.
  What ObamaCare does is it says if a person is 100 percent or 150 
percent of poverty level, all that is required is that the person pay 2 
percent of their income, the Federal taxpayers will cover the rest, it 
will be sent it to the insurance company, and the subsidy will be 
covered. In most cases that is $300 a year a person would have to cover 
of their own.
  When that moved to zero dollars, that is when a lot of fraud 
happened. Even if a person is paying $5, $10, or $20 a month toward 
insurance, at least you know it is an actual policy and going 
somewhere. When it becomes zero dollars, all sorts of shenanigans can 
happen. That is something we have to move away from.
  With this enhanced version of these COVID-era subsidies expiring on 
the Democrats' timeline, then that zero-dollar aspect will go away. It 
will be $200 a year for some folks, as opposed to zero dollars. That 
alone will create an opportunity to cut away a lot of fraud.

  Democrats created a program that Americans can't afford. The 
unaffordable care act works for insurance companies, but it does not 
work for patients. Like I mentioned, it is filled with waste and fraud.
  Insurance revenues have increased from $245 billion, when ObamaCare 
was originally passed, to $1.4 trillion in 2023. I love it when 
private-sector company growth happens. I am a big supporter of it. I 
have supported tax policy to ensure that can happen.
  That type of increase, when ObamaCare gets established, to see that 
rampant amount of growth, there is a problem there. We can celebrate 
economic growth across the board, shareholder value, and all that 
stuff.

[[Page H6017]]

When we look at the massive increase year over year, aside from revenue 
and profits, there is something wrong with this entire situation. We 
can directly correlate it to when ObamaCare came into play.
  We can't have insurance companies seeing such record profits and at 
the same time taxpayers are forced to sort of subsidize these plans. 
That is not a healthy way to grow a market.
  The Affordable Care Act--ObamaCare, ACA--broke the American 
healthcare system. It created numerous problems over the last decade. 
Since its inception, these premium costs have skyrocketed. Networks 
have shrunk, and the system has become bloated and inefficient.
  It is important to remember that the enhanced premium tax credit 
expiration at the end of the year, again, was set by Democrats. When 
they are complaining that Republicans are going to let this expire, 
that was their timeline. This zero-dollar issue and then not capping 
it, so it is only targeted towards lower-income individuals, had to go 
away. Even in compromise and bipartisan approaches to deal with this 
expiration, those aspects had to go away. Those are things that were on 
the chopping block.
  Again, I think when folks understand, the subsidies aren't going away 
entirely. If a person is a low-income individual and making 100 percent 
of the Federal poverty line--and for a single person, that is maybe 
$15,000 or $20,000 a year--that plan will only require that person to 
pay a few hundred dollars a year.
  Just by moving it so it doesn't go to zero dollars creates it so 
there is not so much fraud in the system. Then, hopefully, over time we 
don't see this rapid, rapid increase in premiums because that is bad 
for all Americans.

                              {time}  1950

  Americans simply deserve better, and we have not been giving the 
healthcare system with the exception of ObamaCare.
  This is why House Republicans have proposed legislation that delivers 
real relief. The Lower Healthcare Premiums for All Americans Act 
focuses on lasting policies that provide predictability and 
transparency.
  As the name suggests, this is focused on the entirety of the 
individuals on healthcare. This isn't just targeted toward a small 7 
percent of the total population that is that narrow margin in 
ObamaCare. This is touching every single person, and that is the only 
way to actually lower health premium costs over time.
  This bill lowers premiums through pharmacy transparency and cost-
sharing reductions. This legislation improves options for workers by 
expanding access to associated health plans. It also ensures that small 
and midsize employers can offer more tailored, affordable care, and it 
codifies and strengthens CHOICE arrangements, permitting employees to 
pay their premiums pretax.
  All of those things are targeted toward a broad group of people and 
not just this tiny little subset that we are hearing a lot of 
complaining about right now. We are actually focused on the entirety of 
the world that is out there paying more and more for their health 
insurance.
  It is time to implement policies that work for all Americans and that 
provide predictability and affordability.
  I am grateful to be a voice from Utah on the Committee on Ways and 
Means Health Subcommittee during this critical moment, and I am excited 
to see this legislation move forward and delivering real results, 
savings, and peace of mind for Utahns and Americans across the country.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________