Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in his State of the Union address last week, the President described an economy in which income inequality has deepened and upward mobility has stalled. Unfortunately, in many respects, he is right. The poor are worse off today than we were when President Obama took office. Nearly 7 million more Americans live in poverty today as compared to 2008.

A record 47 million Americans receive food stamps, 13 million more than when President Obama assumed office. Median household income has fallen over $2,000 in the last 4 years. Seventy-six percent of Americans live paycheck to paycheck, and the percentage of working-age people actually in the workforce has dropped to the lowest rates in 35 years. A full 92 million Americans are not part of the labor force. They are either unemployed or not even actively looking for work. They are so frustrated with the Obama economy, they have just given up. When taking into account marginally attached workers--workers who are unemployed but want a job and workers who have part-time jobs who want full-time jobs--the jobless rate today is over 13 percent.

Mr. Speaker, 5 years after this President took office, the state of the Union is not strong. But instead of admitting that his policies have failed, the President offered more Big Government and more class warfare. But, Mr. Speaker, a lack of government isn't the problem, and class warfare isn't a solution. The President says we need to raise the minimum wage and extend emergency unemployment insurance yet again, for the 13th time in his administration.

We should stop thinking small in this country. We are Americans. We should think big. We don't need minimum wages; we need maximum wages. We don't need more unemployment insurance and government dependency; we need jobs and self-sufficiency. The best way to combat income inequality, to restore upward mobility in the American Dream and create a healthy economy is for Washington to get out of the way, whether in the doctor's office, in the job market, or at the gas pump.

That means replacing ObamaCare with patient-centered reforms that will lower the cost of health care without growing government. It means cutting wasteful spending and making reforms to put the Nation on a path towards a balanced budget. It means comprehensive tax reform that rewards work, saving, and investment and allows individuals, families, and businesses to keep more of what they earn. It means rolling back provisions of Dodd-Frank that allow bureaucrats to take away choices, financial services, and products and limit access to credit and take those away from the American people. It means unleashing the energy potential of the United States by ending the war on coal and approving, immediately, the Keystone pipeline. And it means giving the poor a hand up rather than a handout, giving them a job instead of a government check, and giving them the skills they need to escape dependency so that they can achieve their God-given potential.

We can do all this. We can restore the American Dream, and we can restore opportunity and economic growth. And I stand ready to work to get America back on track.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor, commend, and congratulate Dr. Michael B. McCall, founding president of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), on the event of his retirement. Dr. McCall has led KCTCS all of the 16 years since its creation in 1997, and during that time has overseen the coordination of Kentucky's community colleges, technical institutes, and the University of Kentucky into an education system that is now the largest provider of postsecondary education in the Commonwealth.

Dr. McCall, a strong advocate for a robust community college system even before coming to Kentucky, was recruited to KCTCS due to his knowledge, experience, and personal drive to see students succeed. As both an educator and an administrator, he has overseen the physical expansion of KCTCS and a dramatic upgrade in the system's academic quality. Dr. McCall oversaw 45 capital projects totaling approximately $500 million, giving 95 percent of all Kentuckians access to a KCTCS institution within a thirty minute drive. This enhanced presence has helped train the skilled workforce that Kentucky needs in order to compete in the modern economy.

Under Dr. McCall's leadership, enrollment at KCTCS increased by nearly 110 percent, contributing to the education of more than 500,000 Kentuckians. Dr. McCall also established or integrated several specialized programs to provide specialized skills for emergency services and some of Kentucky's signature industries, including emergency medical services, fire and rescue science technology, automotive manufacturing technical training, coal mining, and horseracing. The high-skilled, high-paying jobs in these fields will reinforce the readiness of Kentucky communities to guarantee public safety, grow and develop our local industries, and expand Kentucky's competitive advantage.

Dr. McCall's stewardship of KCTCS has provided the Commonwealth of Kentucky with an academic tradition that will benefit generations to come. I congratulate Dr. McCall on a

terrific career improving the lives of my fellow Kentuckians as he enters retirement and wish him all the best for whatever the future may hold.

Mr. Speaker, United States Air Force Captain David L. Lyon has given the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. He was assigned to the 21st Logistics Readiness Squadron, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado, and gave his life for this country at the age of 28.

Capt. Lyon died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was killed in action on December 27, 2013 in Kabul, Afghanistan when an improvised explosive device struck his patrol. Capt. Lyon is survived by his wife, Dana Pounds Lyon of Lexington, Kentucky; his parents, Bob and Jeannie Lyon; and his younger brother, Sean.

There is nothing as noble as the character of a man who so willingly dedicates his life for others. The American warriors serving our military, and their families, understand this better than anybody. They embody what it means to be an American.

Capt. Lyon grew up in Sandpoint, Idaho, with the ambition of graduating from the United States Air Force Academy and answering the call to serve his country. Capt. Lyon was a star athlete, acting as the team captain for the Air Force Falcon's track and field team, and winning a conference title in the shot put at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships. He met the love of his life, Dana Pounds, at the Air Force Academy, and they married shortly after graduating from the Academy.

Capt. Lyon was serving his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, and earned significant recognition with awards that include the Bronze Star

Medal, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Combat Action Medal, Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service Medal, Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon, and the Air Force Training Ribbon.

We grieve the loss of this great American, but we also celebrate and honor his life and his service. Capt. Lyon embodied the best of the American ideals and values we know are instilled in our fighting Airmen. He served this nation as the fine Airman he always wanted to be. He was willing to fight to bring liberty to people he did not know, in a land where he had never been.

I am forever grateful for Capt. Lyon's service to our country and am both humbled and honored by the sacrifice he made for our freedom. Because of his bravery and that of his fellow men and women in uniform, our American freedoms are protected for future generations. He is truly a hero and an inspiration to us all.

I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for his leadership on this important issue.

Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, the more we learn about ObamaCare, the more disappointing it becomes. The American people continue to be disappointed that President Obama's health care law is not only wreaking havoc on their families and that it is not only wreaking havoc on small businesses and on our economy but that now it could be endangering our communities that rely on emergency response services provided by volunteer firefighters and EMTs. This is impacting volunteer firefighters in my home State of Kentucky.

Just this morning, despite a windchill of negative 5 degrees, firefighters in Anderson County, Kentucky, rushed to the aid of fellow citizens to battle a barn fire that was threatening to spread to a nearby home. As their equipment and even the water froze in the extreme temperatures, these brave firefighters courageously took shifts to protect their community.

It is not unusual for these heroic men and women to routinely perform acts of bravery. It is also not unusual for them to hold pancake breakfasts or chili dinners simply to raise enough money to pay their electricity bills. These volunteer companies are now being asked to provide coverage under ObamaCare's costly employer mandate, which Anderson County Fire Chief Mike Barnes warned could force them to lay off heroic, life-saving personnel and leave communities like Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, in Anderson County, without adequate fire protection.

So, while fire departments work tirelessly to provide essential safety services, we must do everything we can to ensure that our emergency services volunteers are not forced to be counted as full-time employees under ObamaCare. It is a cost they simply cannot absorb.

The project of ObamaCare is the project of the entire Obama Presidency. It is a project to determine whether or not Big Government can solve big problems. It is a project to determine whether or not the Federal Government can micromanage one-sixth of the American economy. With this issue with these volunteer fire departments, we now find out, once again, that ObamaCare and the project that it embodies is an abject failure.

Mr. Speaker, for the last 4 years, President Obama repeatedly promised the American people that if you like your health care plan, you can keep it. But for Melody in Lexington, Kentucky, that is simply not true.

Melody received a notice that her health care plan was no longer good enough under ObamaCare. And when Melody looked into options for new insurance, like so many other Americans, she found out that her family's insurance costs would go up by 250 percent, and their deductible would increase by $2,000.

Melody, in this email, told me:

We do not qualify for any premium assistance, even though

we are a family of three living on a single income. We are

more likely to go without health care coverage because our

premiums are going to cost more per year than we would wind

up spending on medical expenses without insurance.

Mr. Speaker, this is not about politics. This is about real people in our districts that are being harmed by ObamaCare. The American people don't need apologies. They don't need temporary administrative waivers. They need permanent solutions that will protect hardworking Americans from the coverage cancelations, loss of access to doctors, and premium spikes.

It is time for the President to keep his promise and allow Americans who like their health care plans to keep them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my sincere congratulations to the students of the Montgomery County School District for their academic achievement, as evidenced by their top 12 percent ranking in Kentucky's Unbridled Learning assessment and accountability system.

I would also like to congratulate the leadership of this school district, the principals, the teachers, and the involved parents for a job well done. They are a true example of a public school system that is working to the best of its abilities.

I know how hard everyone involved labored to improve their District, and now, their dedication to reforms and unprecedented approach to student achievement has produced incredible results.

This achievement is an example of the leadership and determination that proves Kentucky to be a Commonwealth of Excellence.

It is truly an honor to serve as their Congressman in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Keep up the good work, Montgomery County!

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlelady from Missouri for her leadership in leading this Special Order.

Many Americans watching on TV right now are frustrated. They are angry with what they are seeing in Washington. They don't understand why political conflict has to get in the way of solutions.

They are saying, and they are saying to all of us, why are the politicians putting their political agendas ahead of what is good for the country?

I share that frustration and anger, and I understand what they are saying. They are saying, why can't the politicians get their act together?

Why can't they reopen the government and avert default?

But you know, as important as it is to reopen the government, and as important as it is to avert a short-term default, and those are very critical, it is equally important that we stop business as usual in Washington.

It is important that Members of Congress do what they were elected to do, which is exercise leadership, stand up for what is right and what is in the long-term best interest of the Nation.

What is in the long-term best interest of the Nation is to stop spending money we don't have. It is to stop racking up mounds of debt to end the reckless practices in Washington that are literally mortgaging the future of our children and our grandchildren and pushing this country to the brink of national bankruptcy.

Now, some have accused House Republicans of holding the country hostage solely for the purpose of repealing or defunding the President's signature legislative achievement, ObamaCare.

Why is this relevant?

The President says ObamaCare should not be part of any negotiations to fund the government or raise the debt limit. But my constituents in Kentucky recognize the President's health care law for what it actually is, which is a massive increase in Federal spending.

Its projected cost has more than doubled since the President originally claimed it would reduce the deficit. It will cost American taxpayers $2 trillion over the next decade, and its true cost will continue to grow.

ObamaCare was rammed through Congress on a partisan basis through a process that was specifically reserved for budget-related bills, the reconciliation process. So for anyone to suggest that ObamaCare is unrelated to the budget is both cynical and inconsistent with Congress' ongoing responsibility to scrutinize Federal spending.

After racking up $7 trillion in debt in just 5 years, the President stubbornly refuses to negotiate over ObamaCare. But make no mistake: Congress would not be doing its job if it ignored ObamaCare and its massive cost in the ongoing debate about how to save America from bankruptcy.

So, Mr. Speaker, let me just conclude by saying this. It would be unfair for young people and the next generation if we simply raised the debt limit without also addressing the underlying cause of our problems, without also addressing the cause of our fiscal situation, and that is runaway government spending. This is our opportunity. This is our moment. Let's seize this opportunity on a bipartisan basis. It is time for solutions.

I thank the gentlewoman for her leadership in this Special Order.

Let's not just raise the debt limit and keep kicking the can down the road. Let's solve America's problem and finally force the government to live within its means.

Mr. Speaker, the President says ObamaCare should not be part of any negotiations to fund the government or raise the debt limit. But my constituents in Kentucky recognize the President's health care law for what it actually is--a massive increase in Federal spending.

Its projected cost has more than doubled since the President originally claimed it would reduce the deficit. It will cost American taxpayers $2 trillion over the next decade, and its true costs will continue to grow.

ObamaCare was rammed through Congress on a partisan basis through a process specifically reserved for budget-related bills. So for anyone to suggest that ObamaCare should be left out of budget discussions in Washington is both cynical and inconsistent with Congress's ongoing responsibility to constantly scrutinize Federal spending.

After racking up $7 trillion in debt in just 5 years, the President stubbornly refuses to negotiate over ObamaCare. But make no mistake, Mr. Speaker: Congress would not be doing its job if it ignored ObamaCare and its massive costs in the ongoing debate about how to save America from bankruptcy.

Mr. Speaker, in the context of the debate that is going on in the country right now about how we get our national finances in order, I think it is very important to remember that it would be unfair for future generations of Americans--for our kids and our grandkids--if we raise the debt ceiling without making the reforms necessary to get government spending under control. No one wants to default on our national debt, but no one should want to leave mountains of debt to our future children and grandchildren.

Congress must continue to focus on reforming government to avert a national debt crisis. The President says ObamaCare shouldn't be part of the discussion related to funding the government or to raising the debt limit, but ObamaCare is fundamentally connected to spending and debt. The President's signature health care law, after all, was passed through the reconciliation process, which is reserved exclusively for budget-related bills.

For those who use this special budget process to now say that it is not budget-related is very cynical. ObamaCare's projected cost has more than doubled since the President originally claimed it would reduce the deficit. It will cost this country $2 trillion over the next 10 years. I urge everyone to remember that ObamaCare is part of the discussion about how we reduce our national debt.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on National Manufacturing Day to recognize the importance of manufacturing in the great Commonwealth of Kentucky, and specifically in the Sixth Congressional District.

With over 212,000 manufacturing jobs, manufacturing employs 12 percent of Kentucky's workers.

Manufacturers are drawn to Kentucky because of the highly educated workforce, diverse economy, and relatively low energy costs. These factors contribute to the Bluegrass Region consistently ranking in the Top Ten by Forbes Magazine as one of ``Best places to Start a Business.''

My district is home to great manufacturers such as Toyota, Lexmark, Double Star, Big Ass Fans, 3M, and Hitachi. These employers make important contributions to both the local and national economies, while creating thousands of jobs for my constituents back home.

To promote policies that help American manufacturers, I have joined the Congressional Manufacturing Caucus. In Congress, I remain focused on advancing an agenda that promotes economic growth, and increasing the competitiveness of our manufacturers will always be central to that goal.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are frustrated and angry that politicians in Washington can't even work together to keep the government open and operating. They're hearing a lot of rhetoric from the White House and Congress about who is to blame, but instead of trading accusations about who is to blame, the President and Congress should face the realities of divided government. The only way forward in divided government when there is a difference of opinion, when there's an impasse, is negotiation and compromise.

I come from the same congressional district that was once represented by Henry Clay, a great statesman and Speaker of the House. Clay, who was known as the ``Great Compromiser,'' knew that in divided government, the only way forward is through negotiation and compromise. Unfortunately, the President and the Senate majority leader continue to reject the model of Henry Clay. They continue to say that they will refuse to negotiate, refuse to compromise, refuse to work in a bipartisan way to achieve a middle ground and end this government shutdown.

Last night, the President hosted congressional leaders at the White House; but rather than offer to negotiate about how to reopen the government and fix some of the harmful effects of ObamaCare, the President reiterated his stubborn refusal to negotiate. Regrettably, the meeting was more political theater than a genuine effort to resolve this impasse.

In contrast, this House has offered to negotiate. The House has offered multiple compromises. Since September 20, the House has voted no less than 14 times to fund the government, to fund critical parts of the government, to fund the District of Columbia, to fund the National Institutes of Health, to fund our national parks, to fund our troops, to fund our veterans, and to end this government shutdown.

But instead of working with House Republicans to reopen the government, this administration directed barricades to be placed at the World War II Memorial, inconveniencing our Honor Flight veterans visiting our Nation's Capital. Instead of working with House Republicans to end the interruption of lifesaving clinical trials for cancer patients through the NIH, the Senate majority leader asked: Why would we want to do that?

Our friends on the other side of the aisle say they want to vote on a so-called clean CR. They insist that we ignore the voices of millions of our constituents who are flooding our offices

with calls asking for protection from ObamaCare. But the truth is this: The House has compromised over and over and over again, and the only demand that this House is making to the President and this Senate is that if you insist on ObamaCare, if you refuse to delay this law or fix its harmful features, then at least do away with your special deal. At least give up your special exemption and your special perk under this law. At least join with House Republicans in requiring all politicians in Washington, the President, members of the Cabinet, Members of Congress and their staff, to live under the same health care law that they have imposed on the American people. At least live by the laws you write.

Mr. Speaker, let me conclude by asking my colleagues on the other side of the aisle a simple question: If ObamaCare is such a great program for the American people, if it is so worth defending that you're willing to shut down the government to defend it, then why won't you participate in it? Think about it. If ObamaCare's exchanges are such a perfect solution to the problems of health care in our Nation, then why are Democrats in the White House and in Congress so intent on keeping their special exemption from them?

Mr. Speaker, it is wrong for politicians in Washington to shut down the government and vote against every bill to reopen the government just to keep their special deal that no other American gets under ObamaCare. So I call on the President and the Senate to end their stubborn refusal to negotiate, end their suborn refusal to compromise, end their stubborn refusal to open this government just so that they can keep their special exemption under ObamaCare.

Mr. Speaker, I say that, if ObamaCare is such a great law for the American people, then it should be good enough for President Obama and Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to promote awareness of the fact that September is ``Suicide Prevention Month,'' and to specifically highlight the vulnerabilities of our nation's veteran community.

Tragically, the Department of Veterans Affairs reports that, on average, 22 United States military members and veterans commit suicide every day. Not all battle wounds are visible from the outside.

Please stand with me to help emphasize, not only to our hurting veterans but every American in need of help that people matter-- relationships matter--and their lives remain full of hope and meaning.

When a loved one is in crisis, even the smallest act can make a lifesaving difference. I ask that we all take time to learn to recognize signs of isolation, withdrawal and suicidal behavior. And further, I ask that when we grow concerned for an individual, we become proactive and reach out to appropriately address the situation.

To all those who are hurting--no matter what problems you are dealing with, you can find a reason to keep living. If you are a veteran in need of help, please call 1-800-273-8255 or for non-veterans please call 1-800-273-TALK.

It's time to act, because ``It Matters.''

Mr. Speaker, tonight the House is voting once again to fund the government and to prevent a shutdown. The House is also continuing the effort to listen to the American people and give a voice to those who want to limit the harmful impact of ObamaCare.

The President said that the House is shutting down the government, but the House has acted multiple times to prevent a government shutdown. It is the President and the Senate majority leader who are refusing to negotiate, refusing to compromise, refusing to seek a bipartisan solution or a middle ground.

The President will negotiate with Vladimir Putin, the President will negotiate with the leaders of Iran, but he won't negotiate with the duly elected Representatives of the people in Congress.

In divided government, the only way forward is to negotiate. The American people witnessed one-party rule in 2010 when Congress rammed through ObamaCare on a party-line vote, and they didn't like it. The only thing that was bipartisan about ObamaCare in 2010 when it was enacted was the bipartisan opposition to it, and so they elected a different Congress and they divided power. So when you have divided power in government, the only way forward, when there is a difference of opinion, is to negotiate and compromise.

I come from the district, Mr. Speaker, of Henry Clay, a great Speaker of the House. Henry Clay is a model for this President and this Congress. We need to come together and negotiate and abandon the stubborn refusal to lead, which will guarantee a government shutdown. The President needs to work with House Republicans to find a middle ground, and this bill is the middle ground, Mr. Speaker.

When I found out that Members of Congress, the President, members of his Cabinet, and the political elite in Washington got a special exemption from ObamaCare, I introduced a simple, two-page piece of legislation, and it's called the Live by the Laws You Write Act, and it's a simple concept:

Why should we allow the administration to delay ObamaCare for large employers and exempt Members of Congress, himself, and the elite, but not also provide relief for individuals and families?

I believe that the President and Members of Congress should live by the same health care law that they have imposed on the American people. And so I call on my colleagues in the House, both on this side and that side of the aisle, to support fairness for the American people. If ObamaCare is what the President insists on, then it should apply to everyone, and that includes the politicians in Washington.

I thank my friend, the gentleman from Minnesota, my friend, the gentleman from Indiana, and I want to compliment both of the gentlemen here and my friends on the other side of the aisle for their leadership, and, in particular, the gentleman from Minnesota, who has been an absolute champion in advocating life-improving and lifesaving technologies that really stand a chance of declining as a sector of our economy and, more importantly, declining as an opportunity for Americans and people all around this world to achieve a better life, a better way of life, and to actually have an opportunity to live because of some of this lifesaving technology.

The medical technology industry impacts all of us all over this country. The medical device industry is in virtually every State. But it's in my home State, the Commonwealth of Kentucky as well. Kentucky has over 7,500 jobs in the medical technology industry.

The med-tech job multiplier factor in Kentucky guarantees that for every one job in the Commonwealth's medical technology sector, 1.8 additional jobs are created as a result. And these jobs are responsible for over $364 million in total personal income and $1.3 billion in annual output for Kentucky. According to the Battellle study, the medical device tax could cost Kentucky over 100 jobs in this high- paying, high-tech sector.

But as my friends have noted tonight, this is not just about jobs. It's not just about economic growth or free enterprise and the opportunities that these companies create for workers and for people. It's really about creating a quality of life for so many Kentucky families. This truly is a life-or-death decision.

There's a lot of reasons why I oppose ObamaCare, but tonight you're seeing something happen on ObamaCare that we haven't seen as much, and that is a huge bipartisan outpouring of opposition to this particular feature of ObamaCare, the medical device tax, a tax on the revenues of medical device manufacturers, not on the profits, but the revenues, a job-killing, innovation-destroying tax that absolutely should be repealed. And we should do it sooner rather than later.

But there's a human dimension to this. There's a reason why we should repeal this tax, and it is because it is going to compromise the quality of health care that Americans and people all over this planet receive because of the innovation of the medical technology sector.

This innovation has benefited my own family in a profound way recently, and it's benefited, actually, two members of my family. The gentleman from Minnesota was mentioning my father, and certainly my father is the beneficiary of a pacemaker. And it was just December 25 last year, Christmas Day, last year, I got a call from my mother, and she told me that my father had fainted. He had a fainting spell, and that obviously worried me and my wife. And so I picked up the phone and asked to speak to my father, and I did. And he was a little shaky, and I encouraged him to stop drinking the coffee and call us back if he needed anything.

About an hour later, again, Christmas morning--we were planning on going over to his home to see him later that day--I got another phone call, this time again from my mother. But this time it was from the emergency room, and it was very alarming. And she said, You need to get over here right away.

So I got in the car and sped over to the ER and walked in there, and I was greeted by the emergency room physician, and he said that my father was in a room getting an EKG. And I went over there and he showed me the tape of the EKG, and it showed his--basically, a flat line.

And I said, Well, what does that mean?

And he said, Andy, your father's heart is slowing down.

Now, that is a very grim report from an emergency room physician, I can tell you. And I know families all across this country experience difficult health care emergencies in their families as well.

But I asked the doctor, I said, Well, what are we going to do about this?

And he said, We're going to call in an electrophysiology expert, a cardiologist who's going to come in, and we are going to take a look at this.

The electrophysiology expert came in and he said, We've got good news. We can fix your father. We can put in a pacemaker in emergency surgery, and we really think we can fix this problem. Otherwise, he's in good health. It's just that he has an electrical problem with his cardiovascular system.

And so my father went into emergency surgery, got a pacemaker, a great new piece of technology put into his heart. And when he came out of surgery, the doctor checked everything and everything was great, and this pacemaker had saved my father's life.

Another story, my sister, Emily, 2 years older than me, she has suffered from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis for her entire life. And for those of you listening on TV tonight and those of who have loved ones, or if you suffer yourself from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, you know what a disabling condition this can be.

It eats away at the joints. Emily is a brave person. She's a very faithful person, a very optimistic person. But she's gone through a lot. One of the things she's had to go through is hip replacement surgery and knee replacement surgery. And when anyone who is an athlete and gets hip replacements or joints replacements or suffers from arthritis and has to have these surgeries, you know that this is critical in order to become functional in your life.

Fortunately, through the innovation of medical devices, through the unbelievable entrepreneurial spirit, American medical device manufacturers have come up with prosthetic hips and joints and knees. And those innovations, those medical devices, were implanted in my sister's broken and disabled body, and she can walk because

of that. Because of that, she can walk. And hundreds and thousands and even millions of Americans can walk because of the unbelievable innovation of medical device manufacturers.

And this summer, my sister had to have a couple of hip revisions because it had been 15 years since her last hip replacement. So she had two surgeries and had hip revisions and new implants into her hips so that she could continue to function--disabled--but still function and do all the things she can do to serve her community and her family.

Mr. Speaker, I tell these stories not because my family is unique. There's families all around this country sitting at home tonight who can tell stories just like the stories I told tonight about my father and the pacemaker that saved his life or my sister and the prosthetic joints that she now has that help her in her daily life.

There are all kinds of stories like this. There's the story of Sheila that Congressman Young was talking about in the Hoosier State of Indiana.

This has a human dimension to it. ObamaCare is bad policy for a lot of reasons, but on this particular reason we need to come together as a country. It was great to see friends on the other side of the aisle come and join us in the fight to repeal this job-killing medical device tax, which is really impairing the quality of life for so many Americans and has the potential to really suppress medical innovation that improves lives.

I'll just conclude by saying this: in a note of bipartisan optimism in a time of conflict and divided government in Washington, the truth be told, there's no such thing as a Republican heart attack or a Democrat heart attack. There's no such thing as Republican arthritis or Democratic arthritis.

The human condition is such that we face these challenges in our lives. And our loved ones and our families face these challenges in our life. So why on Earth would we support a policy in Washington, D.C., that limits the innovation that can better the human condition?

And so that's what I would say in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, my friends and colleagues here tonight. Let's repeal this medical device tax, let's help American families all around this country, and let's help the human condition to make sure that they have the opportunity for health and achieve their potential.

I appreciate the gentleman's leadership.

I thank the gentleman, my friend from Ohio, for yielding and for organizing this Special Order on coal.

This fall marks the fifth anniversary of the financial crisis. We remain burdened by a weak economic recovery, with unemployment still lingering above 7 percent, two-thirds of the American people living paycheck to paycheck, and only 58 percent of the working-age population in this country employed. But this does not seem to concern this President or this administration. Unable to wage a war in Syria due to immense public opposition, the President, for some reason, seems intent on conducting a war on jobs.

Whether it's driving up the cost of health care with the disastrous Affordable Care Act or burdening community banks with mountains of bureaucratic red tape from the Dodd-Frank Act, this administration is seemingly intent on doing everything in its power to ensure this recovery remains slow and painful.

The finalization of the New Source Performance Standards rules from the EPA for greenhouse gas emissions this week will represent the latest and perhaps the most damaging barrage in this war on jobs. This regulatory carbon tax is the keystone of a radical environmental agenda, the disastrous results of which are already known in my district of central and eastern Kentucky. The consequences of these regulations have echoed throughout the hills of Appalachia, and they will reverberate across the country in years to come.

The New Source Performance Standards will finish the job that a deadlocked permitting process and multibillion-dollar regulations like Utility MACT have started: killing the coal industry and driving up the cost of energy, a top-line budget item for families already struggling to get by in this President's economy.

But then, no one should be surprised. This is the one promise the President made and has kept. When running in 2008, President Obama, then Candidate Obama, said his policies would make the cost of electricity ``necessarily skyrocket.'' More recently, White House climate adviser Daniel Schrag recently admitted this administration's previously only thinly veiled position. Mr. Schrag said, famously now, ``a war on coal is exactly what's needed.''

Mr. Speaker, I can't think of another example of a Presidential administration pledging to put hardworking Americans in a centuries' old industry totally out of work, apparently for the crime of providing low-cost energy that drives the engine of our economy.

The damage of these policies is already clear in Kentucky. Just yesterday, another 525 coal miners employed at three eastern Kentucky mines operated by the James River Coal Company were given pink slips. My heart goes out to these miners and to their families. And I have met some of these people. They're just trying to follow their ancestors by digging up a piece of the American Dream in the Appalachian foothills.

Last month, the Commonwealth of Kentucky released statistics on the health of the coal industry for the second quarter of this year, and the story they tell is dire, even before yesterday's news of another 525 layoffs. Eastern Kentucky coal mines facing the brunt of this President's regulatory overreach shed another 851 jobs last quarter, leaving the total number of Kentucky employed at the mines at just 12,342. That is the lowest number since Kentucky began keeping such statistics in 1927. Eastern Kentucky coal production is down a whopping 41.4 percent in just the last 2 years. And with those reductions, we have lost over 5,700 mining jobs.

And now the New Source Performance Standards will prohibit coal from even competing in the energy marketplace, even though the final regulations have now been delayed a year due to industry and public opposition, as so often before this administration has brushed those concerns aside and proceeded apace. The EPA even forecasts, given the regulatory environment, that there will be no new coal plants built after this year.

Rather than phasing in rules to allow all types of fuel to adapt, these regulations on new and existing plants single out coal, stifling the promise of carbon capture in its crib, a technology that could have provided the United States with a revolutionary technology on the magnitude of hydraulic fracturing that could have changed the course and shape of our economy, driven exports, and paid real benefits in terms of carbon emissions reductions. Instead, the United States will endure unilateral economic disarmament while our international competitors continue to pursue growth-oriented energy policies.

Over the next few years as these policies take hold, the rest of the country will be made aware of this disaster that is already taking place in Appalachia. Already, one-fifth of the Nation's coal-fired plants--204 plants across 25 States--closed between 2009 and 2012. The rest will shutter prematurely in

the years following implementation of the New Source Performance Standards.

Seven EPA regulations already proposed over the last 4 years are forecast to cost $16.7 billion annually once fully implemented. The New Source Performance Standards will trump even that figure, constituting the largest energy tax of all time implemented by regulatory fiat without the consent of the people's elected representatives in Congress. That's because this President's own party couldn't enact this radical environmental agenda through cap-and-trade in the first 2 years of this President's administration.

The loss of 69,000 megawatts of coal-fired power will ripple through the economy, costing an estimated 887,000 jobs in the mining, utility, shipping, and manufacturing sectors per year. The President had pledged to spur growth in manufacturing, and low energy costs at home coupled with rising wages in countries like China and India promised to restore our competitive advantage in manufacturing. But the New Source Performance Standards will quickly put an end to those prospects.

Mr. Speaker, the United States has 250 years' worth of coal reserves at current consumption rates that could, if utilized, provide affordable energy and high-tech manufacturing feedstocks. But the President isn't interested in playing this ace up America's sleeve. Instead, he wants to stay the course on a disastrous energy rationing policy that has already put thousands in the unemployment lines in my neck of the woods in Kentucky and all throughout central Appalachia and will put hundreds of thousands of more hardworking Americans there in the years to come.

So I urge the President to abandon these disastrous, job-killing policies and to come to Congress to work on a plan that will relieve energy costs for our families. Put the American people back to work and protect the environment. Otherwise, this week's announcement of these New Source Performance Standards will demonstrate a willful denial of these ambitions and a ruthless attack on a centuries-old industry that has provided jobs and economic opportunity for thousands of Americans.

I want to end my comments this evening by telling a story that illustrates the human cost and the human dimension of this administration's war on coal.

In the eastern edge of my district sits a small town of Campton, Kentucky, in Wolfe County, Kentucky. When I was home during the August recess, I went there and had a town hall meeting to listen to the concerns of people who are struggling.

I met a young woman by the name of Sally. She came up to me after a town hall meeting with tears welling up in her eyes. She looked at me and she said, my husband just lost his job in the coal mines--he's a coal miner. He lost his job because the Environmental Protection Agency would not issue a coal mining permit to his employer. As a result, they had to lay off all of the coal miners, including my husband--is what this woman told me.

She said, Here's the problem: My children need to go back to school. It's August, and it's time to go back to school. They're growing up, and they don't have shoes, they've grown out of their shoes. And so I don't know what to do because we can't afford shoes. So I went ahead and bought them flip-flops so they wouldn't be embarrassed to go back to school.

Imagine that, politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., putting this working family in central Appalachia in that kind of economic distress so that they can't even afford shoes for their children. I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat, a supporter of this administration or not, it is fundamentally wrong, it is fundamentally immoral for the Federal Government to put working American families into economic distress.

So I call on my colleagues in Congress to stand firm and stand in opposition to this radical agenda, which is destroying jobs, destroying opportunity, and destroying the American Dream.