[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[House]
[Page 25789]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              HEALTH CARE

  (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. PAULSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to another 
job-killing proposal that only Washington could dream up. Only here 
would people proclaim to lower the cost of health care by taxing it and 
making it more expensive.
  Just today it has been reported that House leadership is now likely 
to include a $20 billion excise tax on medical devices as part of their 
health care reform bill. This new proposal will halt innovation and 
ultimately make health care more expensive for patients.
  One week ago I held a field hearing in my district about the impact 
of this innovation tax. I heard from companies both large and small 
that there will be resultant job losses and cuts to research and 
development.
  Mr. Speaker, these proposed taxes are a very wrong-headed approach. 
Let's get back on the right track and remove this tax so we can keep 
the jobs we have and make sure that we continue the innovation that is 
alive and well in both Minnesota and in our Nation.

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