Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act

Madam President, I have come to visit with you today and the Members of this body with some concerns I have about people who are being impacted by the health care law. By ``impacted'' I mean hurt. Their lives are being hurt as a result of the impact of the health care law. We are seeing it around the country. As people are trying to comply with the law, we are finding that many people are losing their jobs or part of their jobs if they are working part time--to be held under 30 hours a week because under that criteria, people working less than 30 hours a week do not have to be provided with health insurance.

We have seen stories around the country of municipalities, of public employees who are having their hours cut and as a result, obviously, their take-home pay is cut, their wages are cut as a result of the impact of the health care law, as communities try to comply with all the aspects of the law. We have seen it with police forces, with teachers, with coaches, busdrivers, custodians, cafeteria workers, office clerks, sanitation workers, emergency personnel, university faculty--people all around the country who are being hurt as a result of the law.

Members of the Senate come from my side of the aisle to read letters of folks who have been harmed by the health care law. The majority leader comes to the floor and says these stories are lies. These are stories from people at home to whom I talk on weekends. I will be this weekend in Buffalo, WY, at the health fair, having a chance to visit with folks who are from Wyoming who go to a health fair for low-cost blood screening; also go to visit booths that are there from the heart association, the cancer society, the diabetes association, all taking efforts to try to improve the quality of their life, the quality of their care, and the quality of their overall health.

It is interesting to hear from these people, because I do not think the President hears from them. When I hear the majority leader say the people who come to the floor to talk about them--that these stories are lies, it is calling the people of Wyoming who have honest concerns about the way their lives are being impacted by the health care law as being untruthful.

I have come to the floor with more letters today and to talk about some things. It does make me wonder, when the majority leader comes and says these things are not truthful if he is not hearing the stories from the police officers and the teachers, the coaches and the bus drivers, the custodians, the cafeteria workers, the office clerks, the sanitation workers, the emergency personnel, the university faculty in States all around the country who have their lives impacted by the health care law.

What I do think is that other Senators, Senators who perhaps go home more often than the majority leader, Senators who maybe listen to their constituents more and read the letters, are seeing the damage that is being done by the health care law because the President is responding to their claims, their concerns, and to the point that the President himself has unilaterally delayed many components of the health care law.

These are the delays from 2013. Here is the calendar for the year. All of the X's are different days when there have been different delays. There have been dozens of delays as a result of the health care law impact on families across the country. I wish to read a couple of emails about the impact on lives of people in Wyoming.

This is from a gentleman from Casper, my hometown. I was there Monday. I will be there again tomorrow.

He writes:

My wife and I just received our new monthly premium

information for our health insurance. As of March 1, 2014 it

will go from $505 a month to $1,045 a month, an increase of

over double. This is for a Bronze level plan with a high

deductible and high out of pocket.

You know, I wish the President would actually kind of understand what the impact of this law has been on American families. I wish people who supported it, campaigned for it, would realize the impact on people's lives. He has gotten his premiums going from $505 to over $1,000, double increase, Bronze level plan, what the President wants people to have. It is the minimum level. It has a high deductible and a high out- of-pocket.

He said:

It is also the cheapest plan I have found so far for us

that is available in Wyoming and complies with the ACA.

Because the law says this man needs a lot of insurance. Maybe he does not need it. The President does not know this man, does not know his life, does not know his history, does not know what he actually needs in terms of insurance. But the President claims and the Democrats who voted for this health care law believe they know better than this man what he needs.

But you know what we do find out, when he wants to comply with the law, his insurance premiums more than double, for the cheapest plan which has the highest deductible and the highest out-of-pocket.

He says:

This increase will mean that money we would probably have

spent elsewhere will now need to be budgeted for the

insurance increase.

We go across the State to Moran, WY. Another resident of Wyoming writes:

I am a resident of Wyoming and about half of my income

comes from Social Security. My benefits total $958 a month.

In addition to that, I work part time at a ranch. It is a

seasonal job from May to October. I make about the same

amount there as I do from Social Security. I have recently

managed to submit an application for health care through the

healthcare.gov Web site. The cost to me with my current

income would be a low end of $837 a month with a $4,000

deductible. With the high end, it would be over $1,300 a

month with a $1,000 deductible.

Neither of those amounts are possible with my income range.

I would not be able to afford to live. Now I refigured this

with only my Social Security income and found that it would

be very affordable, lower deductible, lower premiums, but I

wouldn't have the income. I could possibly afford that but

would have to live in a very substandard poverty lifestyle by

quitting working.

So he has these options: He can continue what he does, but he cannot afford the insurance, or he can get affordable insurance by quitting working but then cannot afford to live. This is what the President of the United States and the Democrats have given the people of America.

He said:

I would like to work and contribute as long as I'm able but

things are looking pretty bleak for me.

This is a man who wants to work. This is a man who wants to work, but the health care law is making it a lot harder for him to do so. He said:

I am giving you this information in the hope that it will

be of some value in combating the unfairness of the

Affordable Care Act.

The unfairness of the Affordable Care Act. I have to believe that Senators on both sides of the aisle who actually go home and listen to their constituents hear about this, hear these stories, hear these stories all around the country, of the unfairness of the Affordable Care Act.

He then goes on and says:

Thank you so much for your service to your country and the

great State of Wyoming.

So here we have dozens of delays--and this is last year. Now it has happened again. Just yesterday the President came up with another delay. It is interesting the way it has made the front page of the New York Times, a paper that has supported the President, supported the law, front page, above the fold, story by Robert Pear.

The Obama administration, grappling with continued

political fallout over its health care law, said Wednesday

that it would allow consumers to renew health insurance

policies that did not comply with the new law for two more

years--

This is the New York Times speaking, front page, above the fold. This is not me. But they are repeating the kind of things I have been saying.

pushing the issue well beyond this fall's midterm elections.

So what is the idea here? Push it out beyond the elections, make people not see the reality and the danger and the damage that is coming their way until after they vote.

The article goes on, front page above the fold, today's New York Times:

The reprieve was the latest in a series of waivers,

deadline extensions and unilateral actions by the

administration--

Here you have them. This is just in 2013. Now we have more in 2014.

--unilateral actions by the administration that have drawn

criticism from the law's opponents and supporters, many

saying President Obama was testing the limits of his powers.

I believe that. I believe the President has gone way beyond the limits of his powers.

The action reflects the difficulties Mr. Obama--

The President of the United States, who told the American people, if they like what they have they can keep it; if they like their doctor, they can keep their doctor; who said insurance premiums would go down-- all of which are untrue, one called the ``lie of the year.''

The action reflects the difficulties Mr. Obama has faced in

trying to build support for the Affordable Care Act and the

uproar over his promise--which he later acknowledged has been

overstated--that people who liked their insurance plans could

keep them, no matter what.

Over 5 million Americans got letters of cancellation, 3,500 in the State of Wyoming. A woman with a wonderful policy that worked for her, worked for her family, lost her insurance because it did not cover maternity care. She writes to me as a doctor and says:

Dr. Barrasso, please explain to the President of the United

States that I have had a hysterectomy. I don't need maternity

coverage.

You would think the President would understand that. You would think the Democrats who shoved this health care law down the throats of the American people would understand that as well.

This is interesting. Still on the front page of this morning's New York Times:

Under pressure from Democratic candidates who are

struggling to defend the President's signature domestic

policy, Mr. Obama in November announced a one-year reprieve

for insurance plans that did not meet the minimum coverage

requirements of the 2010 health care law.

Wednesday's action goes much further, essentially stalling

for two more years one of the central tenets of the much-

debated law, which was supposed to eliminate what White House

officials called substandard insurance and junk policies.

If this is what the President believes, why is he now coming out and having a delay announced--not coming to Congress, not saying: Hey, let's try to do something a little differently. Let me propose this. Let's have a bipartisan agreement to come up with some solutions to actually help people get what they wanted in the beginning with health care reform, the care they need from a doctor they choose at lower costs.

The letters I am reading show people not being able to do that. They are paying much higher rates for things they do not need, will never use. We are hearing from people all across the country who are losing their doctor, can't keep their doctor, higher out-of-pocket costs.

We hear now the President wants to do some things unilaterally because a group of Democratic Senators who are up for reelection are worried about their political future, not about the future of the American people and the health care of the American people. That is why they are doing this.

You say: No, that seems like an exaggeration.

Well, let's go on. This next paragraph in the New York Times this morning:

The extension could help Democrats in tight midterm

election races because it may avoid the cancellation of

policies that would otherwise have occurred at the height of

the political campaign season this fall.

So the cancellations are still going to happen, people are still going to continue to be hurt. We have over 5 million people who have gotten letters of cancellation. It is not saying: Oh, the cancellations are never going to happen. It is saying: It will push them out until after the election, so people will not be so irritated, angry, and aggravated at the Democrats who voted for it, in an effort to try to save their elections, try to save their Senate seats, but not to help the American people.

This goes on:

In announcing the new transition policy, the Department of

Health and Human Services said it had been devised ``in close

consultation with members of Congress,'' and it gave credit

to a number of Democrats in competitive races, including

Senators Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, Jeanne Shaheen of New

Hampshire and Mark Udall of Colorado.

So the reason that the White House goes time after time, all these delays, all this and that, is not to help the American people; it is not to help patients; it is not to help the providers of health care; it is not to help the taxpayers; it is to help a couple of Democratic Senators whom they name--whom the Secretary of Health and Human Services names as recipients of the help because the President is worried about Democrats losing elections this fall.

The Hill newspaper yesterday. ``New ObamaCare delay to help midterm Dems.'' Not to help Americans, not to help the people from my State who write letters about the concerns of their lives, not to help all of those people about whom my colleagues and I continue to come to the floor with letters to tell their stories, to tell about their lives, to tell about the pain they are suffering because of the health care law.

It is not about the failed Web site. We all know the Web site. The President said: It will be as easy to use as Amazon, cheaper than your cell phone bill. You will be able to keep your doctor--several days before the Web site opened and crashed. No, it is more than about the Web site. It is about people's lives. It is about if they are able to keep their doctor. It is about cuts to Medicare Advantage and hurting our seniors who are having a harder time getting doctors. It is about people paying higher premiums. It is about people having higher out-of- pocket costs, higher copays, higher deductibles. It is all of those things.

It is about hospitals in States that are not part of any of these exchanges, people in the communities cannot go there, they have to travel further distances. Nope, the President is not doing this for any of those reasons, not to help any of those people, he is doing it to help midterm Democrats because they are afraid they are going to lose their States, their majority, afraid they are going to be impacted and thrown out of office for absolutely reckless behavior on the part of a Congress that did not work in a bipartisan way, shoved the health care law down the throats of the American people in a way not to improve their lives, but to say that Congress knows better than people back home.

I am going to continue to come to the floor with letters and stories. I will be at the health fair in Buffalo, WY, on Saturday morning talking to folks in my community, seeing what they have to say about their lives, their families, their jobs, their wages, those of them who are losing jobs or losing hours as a result of the health care law, those who cannot afford new insurance under the exchanges even though they had insurance they liked--even though they did not like the price, it was cheaper than it is now. The President said it wasn't good enough for them.

I am going to continue to work for solutions to help patients all across this country have patient-centered care--not government-centered care or insurance company-centered care--to help patients get the care they need from a doctor they chose at lower cost--a complete failure by this administration and by this health care law.

I yield the floor, and I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for leading the effort on your side of the aisle. Also, I would like to thank Congressman Thompson, my colleague from California, for helping move this through the House. I want to thank Chairman Camp, Ranking Member Levin, Majority Leader Cantor, and Democratic Leader Pelosi for helping me get this important bill to the floor. Also, I thank the lead cosponsors, Congressman Heck, as well as Congressman Issa, who joined Congressman Thompson and me in this effort, as well as Senator Hirono in the Senate for doing the important work over there.

I rise today in support of H.R. 3771, the Philippines Charitable Giving Assistance Act, which would incentivize Americans to make charitable contributions to Typhoon Haiyan relief now.

Last November, Typhoon Haiyan was a storm of truly destructive power. With sustained winds of almost 200 miles per hour, it was the strongest storm ever to make landfall, resulting in the devastating effects that necessitate our action today.

Sadly, the results were catastrophic to the Philippines. According to that nation, 16 million people were affected, 4.1 million were displaced, and over 6,200 perished. Months after the disaster, help is still desperately needed. This includes a need for health care, food, clean water, and shelter.

The United Nations developed a Strategic Response Plan to coordinate and prioritize assistance from U.N. agencies, nongovernmental organizations, other international entities, and the Philippine Government. The U.N. has said $788 million will be needed to accomplish the goals of the SRP through October 2014. Of that amount, only $369 million has been provided so far.

Now, while I know Americans can and do help anyone in need, we have a special relationship, as my colleague from California pointed out, with the Philippines. Between 1898 and 1946, the Philippines was a part of the United States before becoming independent. There are today about 3.4 million Filipino Americans, including over 450,000 living in the San Francisco Bay area alone.

My San Francisco Bay area congressional district has a rich and vibrant Filipino community, from groups like Filipino Advocates for Justice to leaders like Father Geoffrey Baraan, my friend and the pastor at St. Anne Catholic Church in Union City, as well as Linda Canlas of the New Haven Unified School District in the East Bay.

Many of the Filipinos in my district, like many across the country, have friends or family still in the Philippines. That is why it is so important we do all we can to help.

The values of our country call for us to care for people across the world. More often than not, that includes people we will never see or ever meet, but no one is invisible. And after Typhoon Haiyan, people in my district are asking what they can do to help. H.R. 3771 empowers them to help.

As amended, it is a bipartisan bill that would provide a temporary incentive for Americans to contribute immediately to typhoon relief efforts. It would allow certain monetary charitable contributions made after the date the bill is signed and before April 15, which is in just a few weeks, to be treated as if they were made in 2013.

Charitable contributions which qualify are monetary ones which are made to help persons in areas affected by Typhoon Haiyan and otherwise qualify as tax deductible donations. Qualifying contributions can thus be deducted on a person's 2013 taxes, which are covered by returns filed this year, as opposed to ones which are filed for the 2014 tax year.

By lowering a person's 2013 tax bill, which is due this year, the bill provides an incentive to act now for typhoon relief. This is important because the sooner that the aid comes and is provided, the sooner our friends in the Philippines can recover.

I should note that this is important in making a qualifying contribution. It doesn't matter if you have already filed your return this year.

I encourage all Members to support this bill. The Senate already cleared legislation with identical text in S. 1821. It also agreed that, if H.R. 3771 passed in the same form, the bill before us automatically would pass the Senate and go right to the President's desk.

When the bill is passed and signed into law, as I hope it will be, I further want to ask all Members and international aid organizations interested in Philippines relief to let people know about it as soon as possible. Time is of the essence. We will only have a few weeks for people to take advantage of this tax incentive, and we must do so so that we can continue to spread the word.

The people of the Philippines are not alone as they rebuild their lives and their beautiful country. H.R. 3771 allows Americans to play an important role in this effort, an effort that we should all care about.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise in support of H.R. 3771. This bill allows taxpayers to treat charitable contributions in support of Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts in the Philippines made between the date of enactment of this bill and April 15, 2014, as if they were made in the 2013 tax year.

More than 4 months ago, on November 8, Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines, killing 6,000 people, destroying more than 1 million homes, displacing 4 million people, and affecting 16 million people.

Following this disaster, there was an outpouring of support for the people of the Philippines and from people around our country, including a number of folks in my district, particularly members of the Filipino American community, like Norma Placido, president of the Filipino Community of Solano

County, and members of the Filipino American Chamber of Solano County. Many of my constituents have family members in the Philippines that were affected by this typhoon, and they are trying to do everything possible to help them rebuild.

The United Nations-developed Strategic Response Plan, to coordinate and prioritize assistance, estimates that $788 million will be needed for humanitarian aid through November 2014. Sadly, only $369 million has been contributed to date. This bipartisan legislation, which I am proud to be part of with my colleague, Mr. Swalwell, from California, Representative Heck from Nevada, and Representative Issa from California will allow people to deduct qualifying charitable contributions made after the date of enactment of this bill and before the 15th of April on their 2013 tax returns. This will help incentivize charitable giving to the Philippine rebuilding efforts while the need is so great. Identical legislation has already been introduced and was passed unanimously by the Senate earlier this year.

Our country's relationship with the Philippines runs very deep. In World War II, 57,000 military Philippine servicemembers and 900,000 Philippine civilians gave their lives in support of our Allied Forces. And the Manila American Cemetery holds 17,202 brave American and Filipino troops killed during World War II.

The Philippines sent 7,500 combat troops to the Korean war and 2,000 troops to the Vietnam war. They sent 200 medical personnel to assist in the gulf war, and 60 medics, engineers, and other troops to assist in the Iraq war. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, they offered to send our country a 25-team member of aid workers, and the Philippines Red Cross donated money. And they are one of our closest allies in the war on terror.

When tragedy strikes around the world, Americans don't sit on the sidelines; we help. Our allies in the Philippines are still working on their long-term rebuilding effort, and this bipartisan legislation will make sure that our committees are able to provide the help our friends need for this important phase of rebuilding.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this important piece of legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell), my friend and a great leader on this effort.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly) for his help and persistence on this.

As we have already discussed, Typhoon Haiyan has been absolutely devastating. It hurt a tremendous number of people and has hurt communities. We really need to do everything we can to make sure that Americans can do what we do so well, and that is help our allies and our friends. This bill does that.

This bill, as the gentleman from Pennsylvania pointed out, is common sense. It has been done before. There is precedent. And this is a nation of our allies and our friends who are waiting for our help. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam President, nearly 4 months ago the most powerful storm on record struck the Philippines, killing 6,000 people and injuring 27,000 people. According to USAID, more than 4 million people were displaced, and one out of six people in the country was affected. Photographs show the immense destruction caused by Typhoon Haiyan. In some areas nearly all of the buildings were destroyed.

Today, because of the magnitude of the devastation, the Philippines has not yet recovered. It will take them a long time. Relief efforts continue. These efforts have been aided by direct assistance from the U.S. Government to the Philippines, one of our closest allies in Asia. Relief efforts have also been funded by charitable donations made by individuals in the United States. Many of these donations come from Filipino Americans in this country, part of the extensive diaspora here that is the foundation of the deep connections between the Philippines and the United States.

I am about to ask unanimous consent to pass legislation that will encourage people to continue donating to typhoon relief efforts in the Philippines. It has been 4 months since Typhoon Haiyan but help is still desperately needed. Four months is a virtual eternity of news cycles, and other crises in other parts of the world demand our attention. But we should not forget the immense human suffering caused by Typhoon Haiyan.

This legislation, S. 1821, would allow people who make donations after the date of enactment to deduct those donations from last year's taxes. In other words, they can reduce their 2013 tax bill by contributing now. It is a modest step, but it is one we should take.

This is bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by Senator Heller. This legislation is also cosponsored by Senator Menendez and the majority leader, Senator Reid. I thank them for their support.

Identical bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representatives Swalwell and Thompson. That bill has 35 cosponsors, including 9 Republicans: Representatives Calvert, Franks, Grimm, Heck, Issa, Miller, Royce, Valadao, and Young. I thank them for their support.

After the earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Congress passed nearly identical legislation to encourage donations to that country. That legislation passed by unanimous consent in the Senate. The Senate companion bill, S. 2936, had 40 cosponsors, 15 of whom were Republicans. They included Senators Alexander, Cornyn, Enzi, Grassley, Hatch, Johanns, Roberts, and Thune. I hope the Senate will provide the same support to the Philippines that it provided to Haiti.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Finance Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 1821; that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration; that the Hirono-Heller amendment, which is at the desk, be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be read a third time and passed; further, that upon passage, the bill be held at the desk, and that if the Senate receives from the House a bill, the text of which is identical to S. 1821, as passed by the Senate, the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration, the bill be read three times and passed, without any intervening action or debate; finally, that passage of the Senate bill be vitiated and the bill be indefinitely postponed, and all motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, I thank Senator Sessions very much for his agreement regarding the concerns we have for our friends in the Philippines, and I look forward to working

with the Senator to come up with a measure that will accomplish what my bill seeks to accomplish.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3771) to accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I applaud the efforts of my colleagues. This is a commonsense way of doing things, and I don't think that many Americans realize the total devastation that Haiyan caused when it hit the Philippines, when you look at the loss of life, when you look at the number of displaced people, when you look at how many people it totally affected.

Now, when it comes to loss of life, we are talking about 6,200 people killed by this storm, 4.1 million displaced; and it affected over 14.1 million people.

The purpose of this legislation is kind of common sense. It allows people up to April 15 to go ahead and make a contribution to try and stem the effects of those losses. It just makes sense. It is something we have always done as Americans.

When we look at the special relationship we have with the Philippines, I don't think we can really look too far beyond where our history has been together as a people to understand that, when times get tough, when things happen to other folks, and when we can step in and help them, that we always do. It is just who we are. It is unique to America.

So I thank the gentleman for bringing it forward. I think it makes sense to all of us. This is truly bipartisan.

At a time when most people think that this House of Representatives can't do things that are bipartisan and doesn't act in the best for all people concerned, I think this surely does show that, by allowing Americans up until April 15 of this year to be able to make a contribution to help ease the devastation in the Philippines and still be able to use taxes from 2013. That is unique, and that is something I think we should do.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I will continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time. So at this time, I will reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank both Mr. Thompson and Mr. Swalwell so much for bringing this bill forward.

Again, I would just like to point out the uniqueness of the exceptional country that we live in. There is never a time that Americans don't always stand up. We are the first responders anytime there is any kind of crisis or tragedy anywhere in the world.

I think it just points out uniquely how we are so exceptional in a world right now that seems to be torn apart and seems to be upside down in almost every measure, so to be able to be here today with you to take a look at our friends in the Philippines and understand the devastation that they have gone through and say we are just doing something, that makes sense. This is not a Republican issue or a Democrat issue; it is simply an American issue. Once again, American hearts have always pulled together anytime people really needed us.

I don't know if people realize that the gentleman from California (Mr. Swalwell) just arrived here, and it is a fete for him to be able to do this, to get this piece of legislation through.

So I strongly urge all of our colleagues to push forward on H.R. 3771. I just think it is unique for us at this time, especially, to get this done.

I yield back the balance of my time, Madam Speaker.