Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3962) to provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 3961) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare SGR payment system for physicians.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 903 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions). All time yielded during consideration of the rule is for debate only.

General Leave

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to insert extraneous materials into the Record.

I yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

(Mrs. LOWEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

(Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).

(Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. LEE of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Kilpatrick) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Zoe Lofgren).

(Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Sutton).

(Ms. SUTTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis).

(Mrs. DAVIS of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

I object.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) for a unanimous consent request.

I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Hawaii (Ms. Hirono) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Roybal-Allard).

(Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, regular order, please.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Capps) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from California (Mrs. Napolitano) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. NAPOLITANO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kilroy) for a unanimous consent request.

Regular order, please.

Regular order.

Mr. Speaker, I have already yielded to the gentlelady from Ohio (Ms. Kilroy).

Mr. Speaker, I would inquire of Ms. Kilroy, have you had time to raise your objection?

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from the Virgin Islands for a unanimous consent request.

I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Harman) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Baldwin) for a unanimous consent request.

I am calling for regular order. I would like to really get on with this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from California (Ms. Eshoo) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas) for a unanimous consent request.

I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus) for a unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Speier) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. SPEIER asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Loretta Sanchez) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Richardson) for a unanimous-consent request.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from New Hampshire (Ms. Shea-Porter) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Ms. SHEA-PORTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Ms. WATSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to my fellow New Yorker (Ms. Velazquez) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Ms. VELAZQUEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Mrs. HALVORSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the Delegate from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Ms. NORTON asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Corrine Brown) for a unanimous-consent request.

(Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin, Ms. Gwen Moore, for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, because of the kind indulgence of our friends on the other side, we have no further speakers, but we would like to sit quietly and listen to the other side.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, let me say, once again, to get to this great debate, we are greatly in your debt, Mr. Speaker, to find ourselves here this morning.

The legislation that we take up today is the culmination of a fight for health care reform that dates back at least a century and has been one of the greatest political struggles of our era. It shouldn't be this way. Many years ago, every other western nation enacted broad health care coverage for its citizens but not in the United States. Only in this country has there been such a visceral anti-government urge to resist something that benefits almost everyone. Only here do efforts to bring about improved health care for all Americans crash against entrenched interests and corporate resistance. And only here do arguments about reforming insurance spark ideological attacks from the far right.

One need only to have looked at the windows of the Capitol earlier this week to see the manifestation of that anger. Thousands of protesters showed up to threaten us into not voting in favor of this bill. If they expected us to run for cover or vote against this bill, they are going to be disappointed. Hearing those extreme views only made most of us more confident that we are doing the right thing here today by approving this bill.

Throughout the years, those same voices of opposition, whether it's Republicans or corporate interests, have rallied against reforms. It is worth pointing out for the record that Republicans who want to participate in this process did. We had more than 100 hearings, heard from 181 witnesses, Democrat and Republican, and considered hundreds of amendments. Fully 121 were approved in the committees, including 22 from Republicans. Their input has been heard when they wanted to participate.

In 1912, President Theodore Roosevelt split from the Republican Party to lead a more progressive effort and champion health care for all Americans, but he lost the next election to Woodrow Wilson and the effort failed. Later, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would lead another charge on this front as part of the New Deal platform. While Roosevelt was able to win passage of Social Security over great and extreme opposition, again by the same people who oppose this today, he was able to enact Social Security in 1935, but he was not able to extend that coverage to all Americans for health.

Still later, President Harry Truman made another try for health care, followed by President Lyndon Johnson, who was able to pass legislation in 1965 that implemented Medicare and Medicaid. Once again, it passed over Republican opposition that extends to this day.

President Richard Nixon followed up on President Johnson's Great Society by seeking to expand Federal programs and favoring broad health insurance. Sadly, those efforts were again derailed.

By the time President Clinton attempted to revisit the issue in 1993, the debate had become so polarized and fraught with special interests that the entire process collapsed almost before it started. I don't need to remind most of my colleagues here about the awful vilification of reform embodied by the ``Harry and Louise'' television ad campaign and by mail house threats to senior citizens that going to what they called the ``wrong doctor'' could result in a $10,000 fine and perhaps prison time.

These ads and those mail-order ads were paid for by big contributions from insurance companies and were led by the Republicans. And the same forces are still fighting us. The insurance industry and the big drug companies have partnered with the extreme right fringe to try to stop this effort in its tracks. We saw a lot of that this past summer.

Let me say this loud and clear: Eliminating the stranglehold that big insurance companies have on health care is one of the best parts of this bill, and, for the first time, 85 percent of the premium dollars have to go for health care, not for outrageous salaries and compensation.

We are poised for victory. We stand here today on the brink of history, with the opportunity to make good on a promise that will forever improve the lives of nearly 36 million Americans who have no health insurance. This is the most important vote we will ever take, and I am proud to stand here today.

With this bill we can end the constant worry by people who don't have insurance to cover sudden illness or an accident, who are the parents of a child who had severe brain trauma before he reached his teenage years and within a year or two could reach his lifetime cap on insurance, and though he was not yet a teenager, would be forever uninsurable in the United States of America.

We will stop telling women, as we discussed last night in the Rules Committee, that they have to pay 48 percent more for health insurance because, as it was explained last night, it is all right to do that because women have different diseases. We want to have an end to that.

How many small businesses in little towns in America have had to close up or to end coverage for employees because they could not afford exorbitant insurance premiums? Small business has to compete with big business and

gets no break on providing insurance for their employees.

And now this year we have literally thousands of organizations on our side favoring the bill. From AARP, who would never go for any bill that in any way would hurt senior citizens because that is their life's work, the Consumers Union, the American Cancer Society and the American Medical Association, they have all joined in this cause.

The reason we are here at this moment is because of the leadership of our Speaker, Ms. Pelosi, who is a powerful leader, a compassionate woman, and an inclusive colleague who deserves all the credit for bringing us here to this momentous event that we face today, the most momentous in the history of America.

Before we vote, it is also fitting that we recall the words of the late Senator Kennedy, who spoke as far back as 1978 about the lack of health care coverage in this country. Senator Kennedy said, ``One of the most shameful things about modern America is that in our unbelievably rich land, the quality of health care available to many of our people is unbelievably poor, and the cost is unbelievably high.''

I agree with Senator Kennedy. We cannot afford not to pass this legislation.

Now is our chance to fix our health care system, improve the lives of millions of Americans, and make more corporations in America competitive in a global economy.

With great heartfelt thanks to our great Speaker pro tempore this morning, Mr. Dingell, I reserve the balance of my time.

Parliamentary inquiry.

The question is, could the Speaker please advise us of the time that is being consumed. Does it come off the time that would be allowed in the rule for debate by the gentlewoman from New York?

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to object.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that what is occurring is that the facts of the case are that this has gone beyond the rules of the House in the presentation, and I object and would ask for regular order.

Mr. Speaker, I believe what is occurring now is not only opposed to the House rules but is containing further comment, which was not allowed in the rule nor in the general provisions of the House.

Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Could the Speaker please advise me about the time that is presently being consumed?

Mr. Speaker, I object.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. Speaker, I would ask to be heard.

Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are asking for an extension of 1 hour on both sides under the rule that will equally allow both sides 30 additional minutes to be heard, because it's obvious that Members of Congress need to be heard and this rule does not provide the amount of time necessary, and the people who are here is an example of why this is wrong.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to inquire of the time remaining on both sides.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate that.

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Schmidt) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. SCHMIDT asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from Oklahoma (Ms. Fallin) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. FALLIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. BLACKBURN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Bono Mack) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. BONO MACK asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. MILLER of Michigan asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from the State of Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. CAPITO asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. BIGGERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Mrs. Bachmann) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. BACHMANN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. JENKINS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mrs. LUMMIS asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. GINNY BROWN-WAITE of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Alexander) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. ALEXANDER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Culberson) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. CULBERSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. GOHMERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. WILSON of South Carolina asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. ROSKAM asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Coffman) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. COFFMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I would yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. FLAKE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) for a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. BURTON of Indiana asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to inquire upon the time that is left on both sides, please, sir.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger) for a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. GRANGER asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. Speaker, parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, I was just wondering if this was a stalling tactic by the majority party on delaying the vote on this important bill which will kill 5.5 million jobs today?

Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve the right to object.

I understand that this may be a train that is rolling, but it appears that the majority side is interested in stalling this bill. Would it be appropriate to ask unanimous consent that all extension and revision of remarks could be done en bloc.

Mr. Speaker, continuing to observe the right to object, how about increasing the debate time? It appears that the majority party is attempting to expand their debate time.

I would ask unanimous consent that each side be added 1 hour of debate time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the right to object.

Again, Mr. Speaker, it is my understanding that the majority party appears to be continuing to delay the process here. It would be appropriate, if the majority party is interested in fairness in this process, to provide for increasing debate time on both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I object.

Mr. Speaker, continuing to reserve then, if you are not interested in obtaining my objection, continuing to reserve, again it appears that this is a process by which the majority party is interested once again in trying to subvert the rules and expand the debate time on the majority side.

Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object.

Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Is it not appropriate for a Member of the House to be able to reserve a right to object on a unanimous consent request?

Further inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

At the time that a unanimous consent request is made, the Speaker has apparently determined that the statement, as soon as it is completed, does not allow for a reservation. Is it not, under the rules of the House, appropriate for a Member of the House to reserve a right to object based upon a unanimous consent request?

Does the rule not provide on a unanimous consent request that there be no significant embellishment of remarks, and in fact the majority party has continued to embellish their remarks upon their UC request?

Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, to fulfill your proper admonition of the House that we proceed with comity and respect and allow the voices on both sides to be heard, my parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker, is to ask that we would--and we are prepared to do so with a unanimous consent--agree to expand the debate by 1 hour to allow other Members of the House on both sides--could we have a unanimous consent request, Mr. Speaker, to expand the debate?

Parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, is it in order, I would like to make a unanimous consent to expand the debate by 1 hour.

Will the gentlelady from New York yield to expand the debate by 1 hour? I would like to make that unanimous consent request to expand the debate by 1 hour so that everyone can speak.

Mr. Speaker, a parliamentary inquiry.

Mr. Speaker, is there any other motion that the minority can make other than a unanimous consent to expand the debate and allow more Members of the House to be heard in an amicable way?

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition on behalf of the people of District Seven to register my strenuous opposition to this government takeover of the health care system which will bankrupt our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this job- killing bill because it piles on debt on my brand-new 3-month-old grandbaby.

We agree that real healthcare reform is a necessity.

We must provide uninsured Americans with meaningful healthcare reform.

But the trillion dollar Pelosi bill is not the answer.

The Pelosi bill will drive already hurting hardworking families and seniors further into debt.

My home state of Florida is suffering with 11.2% unemployment.

This is not the right time to burden families with increased taxes.

Also, with over 162 billion dollars in harmful cuts to Medicare Advantage, the Pelosi plan will force millions of seniors to lose their current health coverage.

And Medicare prescription drug premiums will likely rise by 20 percent.

The trillion dollar Pelosi bill makes it tougher on seniors to get the coverage and treatment they deserve after a lifetime of hard work and sacrifice.

There is a disconnect between Congress and reality when we think creating bureaucracies is the same as creating solutions.