Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8351, the Formula Act.

I appreciate Mr. Blumenauer and his willingness to work with me on this bipartisan effort to address our Nation's infant formula shortage.

The Formula Act makes infant formula more accessible and affordable by allowing it to be imported duty-free through the end of the year.

Make no mistake: Mothers and families should never have to experience the extreme despair of worrying whether shelves will be stocked with the formula they need for their infants.

As a father of two, including a 1-year-old, I think I can speak for many others across America that nothing is more important than the health and well-being of our children.

The Biden administration knew of the looming infant formula shortage for months and yet failed to develop a strategy or adequately respond. While we wait for domestic production to fully resume, families should not have to pay additional taxes on imported formula to feed their little ones.

I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee, as well as the full House, to use trade tools to strengthen critical supply chains like infant formula.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy), a member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I appreciate the dialogue that we have been having here today. I think it is important, as my colleague just mentioned, that we work together to make sure this doesn't happen again.

I think we need to look across the Federal agencies to make sure that these very powerful agencies that have the power to shut down an industry, perhaps, that they have to plan ahead for what happens if that occurs so that people don't suffer as a result.

When we hear the statistics that 90 percent of stores didn't have something, that means they had none, not just more expensive product that we see across the economy. It is hard to believe that the inflation rate is announced at 9.1 percent when it sure seems like things are a lot more expensive than just 9.1 percent more than last year.

The fact of the matter is, let's work together to prevent this formula situation from ever happening again.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 1168.

I thank Dr. Wenstrup and Representative Plaskett for their work on this bipartisan resolution. This measure affirms the importance of U.S. economic partnerships in the Western Hemisphere and, more specifically, with nations in the Caribbean region.

Over the last two decades, economic partnerships and trade programs have created job opportunities for Caribbean workers and innovators, provided incentives for nations to strengthen the rule of law, and provided new market opportunities for American businesses.

While this resolution highlights the importance of existing trade programs in the region, it also encourages further enhancements to these trade programs.

I have said it before, and I will say it again: If we are not proactive in engaging with our trading partners in the region and around the world, others who do not share our values, our respect for economic freedom and the rule of law, or our interest in regional stability and growth, will.

By engaging and fostering trade with our Caribbean neighbors, we will strengthen and make the Western Hemisphere more competitive as a region as China tries to seize even more of the global market share.

I look forward to working with the sponsors to use trade as a key tool in strengthening the region.

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

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the gentleman from Nebraska, the Honorable Mike Flood, be permitted to take the oath of office today.

His certificate of election has not arrived, but there is no contest, and no question has been raised with regard to his election.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Nebraska delegation, it is my distinct privilege to introduce Members of this body to our new colleague, Representative Mike Flood.

Mike has a long record of service in the unicameral as the youngest speaker of the legislature in our State's history. However, what defines Mike's life is not his successful business in radio or the positive mark he made on Nebraska in the State legislature. It is his commitment to his family. He always has put his wife, Mandy, and his boys, Brendan and Blake, first. They are at the center of everything he does.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to be the first Member of the House of Representatives to yield to our new colleague, Representative Mike Flood.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this bill.

To suggest that this bill is a collaborative effort is simply inaccurate. There could be a number of other ways to describe that as well, but it is unfortunate that we are at a place where we could have had an opportunity to advance some good legislation.

I am a supporter of the E15 bill. I have done a lot of work on this, and not just because gas prices are high right now, but because I think that E15 and allowing consumers more choices at the pump would actually engage consumers as it relates to energy policy and energy products.

I do have serious concerns, though, as others have mentioned, about provisions that the Democrats insisted be included in this bill, like the new, very duplicative investigative authority at USDA.

Even more concerning to me is Democrats' continued strategy of seeking to blame others for the situation on energy and the cost of virtually everything in our economy rather than acknowledging that President Biden's economic policies have actually created this mess.

Biden stimulus dollars have driven inflation. Biden's stimulus dollars paid Americans not to return to work, therefore, worsening our supply chain crisis. The President's executive orders canceling new lease options and shutting down the Keystone XL pipeline have certainly contributed to increased gas prices.

Real inflation relief legislation would actually reign in spending, get more Americans back to work, provide broad regulatory relief, and increase domestic energy production. This bill is certainly not it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and honor the service of a great Nebraskan, Mr. Frank Smith who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. Mr. Smith (no relation) was recently recognized by the Gage County Board of Supervisors for his service to Nebraskans and our country. I am honored to have the opportunity to join my fellow Nebraskans in thanking Mr. Smith for his service.

On May 5th, he turned 100. A member of the Greatest Generation, he was born in Omaha and raised in Beatrice. He studied agriculture at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and he enlisted in the Army on June 10, 1942. He served during World War II and was awarded the World War II campaign medal with three Bronze Stars and the Good Conduct medal. He was honorably discharged as a corporal. Corporal Frank Smith, USA, Retired, enlisted because he loves our great country, and his volunteerism has continued in the years following his military service.

Upon returning from tours in Africa and Italy with a heavy weapons company, he went on to work in farming, then as a prison chaplain. When asked about his patriotic dedication, he said, ``My government's important to me, although it's not always so good as it should be, but it's mine.''

At 100 years old, he continues to volunteer with Blue Rivers Area Agency on Aging, delivering meals to fellow senior citizens every day. To put it simply, his life story is extraordinary. It would be easy for someone who has done and given as much as Frank to sit back and relax, but he continues serving others.

I thank Mr. Smith for all his service and sacrifice.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6968.

I think it has been well-laid out here that we could have done this some weeks ago on March 9 when the bill originally passed. It is regrettable that Speaker Pelosi chose to try to add some controversial provisions that actually slowed it down.

It is high time that we come together in an action like this.

Mr. Speaker, I am glad to say that as the lead Republican on the Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee, I support this, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity that we can work together. I appreciate the comments of the chairman and our ranking member.

It is only appropriate that we move to use the key trade tools at our disposal to hold Vladimir Putin accountable for these atrocities that he has committed against Ukraine because we know it is being felt around the world, in addition to what the people of Ukraine are feeling.

I am glad that we can act in this manner. I wish we would have done it sooner, but I am glad we can act today.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to call up H.R. 471, the PAUSE Act, to protect all Americans from Biden's border crisis.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay'' on rollcall No. 103.

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

Madam Speaker, this issue is so important I don't think we should automatically accept a partisan proposal that doesn't even get to the heart of the problem.

Today we actually could be voting on H.R. 19, the Lower Costs, More Cures Act, a bipartisan bill that would not only address the root causes of the high insulin prices, but lower costs for all patients.

Instead, and I might say, very sadly, we are voting on a partisan messaging bill to give Washington a greater say in Americans' medical decisions while raising premiums on seniors and the millions of Americans with private health insurance.

This is nothing more than an attempt by my colleagues on the other side to pass just piece by piece their cures-killing Socialist takeover of the entire innovation sector. And worse, despite the misleading title of this current bill, it does nothing to lower the actual price of insulin. Instead, it uses budget games and regulations to disguise the actual cost of insulin for all consumers.

This is just another instance of misguided health and economic policies coming at a time when more than half of Americans are worried about rising prices and the economy. And, of course, like the President's budget released this week, this bill, too, is only ``paid for'' with gimmicks, adding to our deficit and the core causes of inflation.

We can and should do more for the American people who are struggling. The American people expect us to work together. We could be doing that.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record letters from numerous groups representing and reflecting the views of millions of Americans.

AMAC Action,

Leesburg, FL, March 30, 2022.

Hon. Steve Scalise,

House Republican Whip,

Washington, DC.

Dear Whip Scalise: On behalf of the 2.3 million members of

AMAC--Association of Mature American Citizens, I write to

express our concern with H.R. 6833, the Affordable Insulin

Now Act.

Not too long ago, former President Trump made significant

gains in lowering insulin costs for Americans. He initiated

the Part D Senior Savings Model a voluntary program which

allows beneficiaries to choose enhanced Part D plan options

that offer lower out-of-pocket costs for insulin. He also

signed an Executive Order that delivered inexpensive insulin

and epinephrine to lower income patients. Unfortunately,

President Biden delayed this Executive Order the day after he

took office in 2021 before rescinding it later that year.

Now, the Democrats are considering H.R. 6833 which is an

unserious attempt to lower the price of insulin. This bill

would exert price controls on private market insulin to cap

the costs paid by patients. H.R. 6833 takes us closer to

further pharmaceutical price-fixing, a policy contained the

Build Back Better plan. Price-fixing drugs leads to rationing

and shortages as evidenced in other countries who have

employed this policy. The Democrats' bill is estimated to

increase spending by about $11 billion, and the bill is paid

for by delaying the rebate rule for one year. This Trump-era

rule compels pharmacy benefit managers to share the rebates

they receive from drug manufacturers with Part D

beneficiaries to lower their out-of-pocket expenses.

The Affordable Insulin Now Act is an election year

messaging act on the part of Democrats. If they were serious

about lowering the cost of insulin, they would work with

Republicans on innovative programs like the Part D Senior

Savings Model, a program that is expanding with robust

participation by plan sponsors and offers predictable insulin

costs that do not exceed $35/month.

As an organization comprised of Americans who are age 55-

plus, controlling drug costs, especially insulin costs, is

paramount to maintaining a good quality of life for AMAC

members. H.R. 6833 is a step in the wrong direction for

lowering insulin prices and opens the door for further

government price-fixing and regulation.

Sincerely,

Bob Carlstrom,

President, AMAC Action,

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Schweikert), who is an expert in health policy.

Madam Speaker, it is interesting listening to the debate here. Certainly my colleague, Mr. Doggett, I think very appropriately pointed out:

This bill does not lower the price of insulin by one penny.

It just simply shifts around who pays for what.

We have seen that pattern in healthcare across America for some time now, and I would hope that we could learn from that.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Madam Speaker, I think that this discussion that we are having here today is important. I also believe that we need to work together on solutions to actually reduce the cost of insulin, again, not just shifting around who pays for what. But certainly I am willing to give my colleague on the other side more information about the information Mr. Schweikert was sharing. He is very knowledgeable on the subject. He certainly works with his constituents a lot, constituents in need. And we know that literally millions of people across America are in need for lower-cost insulin. We owe them, I think, a much better approach than just simple government intrusion and more government involvement shifting around the cost.

I was a bit alarmed earlier when I heard that we should maybe make Medicare prescription coverage more like the VA. We need to remember that the VA offers roughly 50 percent of the options for participants compared to Medicare. I don't think we want to reduce the choices that seniors would have with their formularies within Medicare part D. If anything, we should make sure they have more choices. We know that more choices in the marketplace bring down the price, and we need to focus in that direction.

Madam Speaker, I urge a ``no'' vote on this bill. We owe the American people a diligent effort, working together to truly reduce the cost of insulin.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the motion to instruct conferees. I welcome this opportunity to reconcile the differences between the House and the Senate bills. This is an opportunity to finally hold China accountable, and I hope we get to a strong work product that we can be proud of.

The House version of this bill, the COMPETES Act, truly is a nonstarter for House Republicans--no surprise--for both sides of the Senate as well, and actually for the American people--and that is my concern.

While it was messaged as legislation to combat the Chinese Communist Party's predatory practices, the trade provisions in the House bill did little to level the playing field with China, adding hurdles that would hurt American consumers and small businesses.

Instead, that bill actually discourages work during a workforce shortage by expanding and delinking the trade adjustment assistance from new trade opportunities. It adds red tape and narrows eligibility of trade programs like GSP and MTB. These are relief measures that we know help small businesses and manufacturers in the marketplace. The bill also exacerbates our supply chain crisis by making unvetted changes to de minimus; and it also fails to address the administration's lackluster effort to compete with China in the Indo- Pacific and around the world.

The Senate's bipartisan approach, while imperfect, addresses China, promotes small businesses of all sizes across our country, and more than anything, it empowers American consumers right here at home.

It offers a clean renewal of MTB, retroactively extends GSP, mandates a section 301 exclusion process with retroactivity, and does not include the Green New Deal wish list.

Let's work together on a final product that actually holds China accountable.

Madam Speaker, I reiterate my support and certainly urge my colleagues to do the same.

Madam Speaker, I am glad we are finally considering SECURE 2.0, which will help every American family save. The Savers Credit improvements in this bill will help low-income families start putting aside money for the future, certainly a key to getting out of poverty.

The enhanced credit for small employers offering retirement plans will

help more businesses offer plans, an important factor in recruiting and retaining talent.

New tools--like allowing employers to match workers' student loan repayments with retirement contributions--eliminate the need for young workers to choose between paying their debt or saving for retirement.

Provisions like enhanced catch-up contributions and delaying required minimum distributions until age 75 will help older workers have more control as they near retirement. This is a strong package for savers of all ages.

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their efforts to get this to the floor and I certainly urge support.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to support the long overdue legislation to hold Russia accountable for its invasion of Ukraine. It is unfortunate it took so long to get to this point, but I am glad we have finally reached a consensus.

This bill, as you know, revokes permanent normal trade relations for Russia and normal trade relations for Belarus, putting them in the same trade category as North Korea and Cuba, and appropriately so.

The U.S. must take the lead in showing the real economic consequences of violent acts against NATO members and partners, and this bill is a key element of that.

We were all moved by President Zelenskyy's address earlier this week,

and I am glad we are finally answering his call for additional assistance. We can and should do more, especially when it comes to banning energy imports from Russia.

As Republican leader of the Trade Subcommittee, I am glad this bill is finally seeing a vote on the House floor. I support this bill and certainly urge my colleagues to do the same so we can use the trade tools at our disposal to hold Vladimir Putin accountable.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak on H.R. 6968, the Suspending Energy Imports from Russia Act.

This bill Democrats have brought to the floor, although important, is not what it actually could be. It is actually a missed opportunity to address our trade relationships with Russia and Belarus, and it is a missed opportunity to bolster domestic American-produced energy in a serious fashion so that we can address energy prices here at home.

Every Member of this body knows that we could and should be voting on the stronger bipartisan product that leaders on the Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committees agreed to merely days ago. It was bipartisan and bicameral. It revoked permanent normal trade relations for Russia and normal trade relationships for Belarus.

It also included an energy import ban and instead of loopholes, provided an off-ramp should Russia reverse course in Ukraine and earn back our trust. The text we have before us today is obviously not that bill.

The President demanded a lesser path and the House Democrats have chosen to support him in that effort. However, I do know that doing nothing is not an option.

I will support this bill, and I urge my Democratic colleagues to join Republicans in our push to use the trade tools at our disposal to address Vladimir Putin's unacceptable tyrannical aggression against Ukraine.