Floor Statements

``The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such trial shall be held in the State where the said crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the trial shall be at such place or places as the Congress may by law have directed.''

Article III, section 3:

``Treason against the United States shall consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

``The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture except during the life of the person attainted.''

Mr. Speaker, our Nation is on the verge of going over a fiscal cliff because Washington has a spending problem. President Obama still does not understand this problem as he has recently issued an executive order granting pay increases to most civilian employees and to Members of Congress. I believe that, given our current economic climate and huge Federal deficits, these raises are grossly inappropriate and represent an insult to hardworking American taxpayers. These factors have prompted me to join this legislation to halt these unnecessary salary increases.

You have heard arguments today that Federal workers are being victimized by this legislation. Well, here are a few facts that will rebut that assumption:

One, the income of the average American private sector family has gone down about $4,000 during the last 4 years;

Number two, Federal workers, on average, earn pay and benefits that are equal to about twice that of their private sector counterparts;

Number three, Federal workers pay an amount into their Federal retirement plan that is less than one-tenth of the amount that private sector employees have to pay into Social Security; and

Four, last year, hardworking American taxpayers had to pay about $40 billion to subsidize the insolvency of the Civil Service Retirement System.

Mr. Speaker, for these reasons and the huge deficits of our Federal Government, I support this legislation wholeheartedly.

Mr. Speaker, this is the second consecutive year that I have had the privilege to congratulate a Heisman Trophy winner from one of the two universities in the 17th Congressional District of Texas.

Today, I want to congratulate Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, as the 2012 recipient of the 78th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy.

On Saturdays, ``Johnny Football,'' as he is now known, wowed audiences across the Nation with his steady poise and his remarkable playmaking ability. As a freshman, he personifies the fighting Texas Aggie spirit, and he proves that the impossible is never out of reach.

Leading the Aggies in their inaugural season in the Southeastern Athletic Conference, Johnny threw for 3,419 yards and ran for 1,181 yards, and he garnered 43 touchdowns. He broke a multitude of A&M, SEC, and NCAA records along the way.

Johnny is the first freshman, and only the fifth player, in FBS history to have at least 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a season. He holds FBS freshman records for both rushing yards by a quarterback and all-purpose yards by an individual.

He is the SEC record-holder for total yards in a season, at 4,600, breaking the previous record in two fewer games than the prior record- holder. He also achieved an SEC record for total yards in a single game, at 557 yards, only to break that record 2 weeks later with a 576- yard game.

Johnny has logged nine straight games with 300 or more yards and generated five or more touchdowns in six different games. He tied an 85-year-old A&M record with 19 rushing touchdowns in a season. And, oh, by the way, he still has one more game to play this season.

Johnny has many firsts among the awards and accolades he has garnered in 2012. He was the first player in the history of the SEC to win the Freshman of the Year and the Player of the Year in the same season. He is also the first freshman in FBS history to win the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award. Most notably, he is the first freshman in college football history to win the Heisman Memorial Trophy, awarded to the most outstanding player in college football each year.

Johnny not only shined on the field, but off it as well. Academically, he has successfully completed enough credit hours to be classified as a junior, even though he's just a redshirt freshman.

When he first addressed the media at the end of the regular season, Johnny remained humble and gave credit to his teammates, to his coaches, and to the Aggie 12th man, which is the greatest tradition in all sports. When he addressed the Nation after receiving the Heisman Trophy, he named his offensive line individually, and honored the 1- year anniversary of the passing of a beloved teammate.

Johnny knows where his talents and blessings come from; and he gave glory to God, most importantly.

What makes this year so special is how Johnny and the Aggie football team excelled in their first year playing in the SEC. Not too many people from outside their locker room gave them a fighting chance in their inaugural SEC season, but they believed in themselves.

I want to congratulate Texas A&M University and football coach Kevin Sumlin on a terrific 10-2 regular season. He and his coaching staff are doing extraordinary work down in Aggieland during their first year. Keep up the great work.

As Johnny said, leadership, respect and putting others first are what being an Aggie is all about. Aggies all across the world stand together, not only as fans, but as members of a team. I proudly echo Johnny's words when I say to the 12th man, to Texas A&M University and to Aggies everywhere, this honor is for you.

As an Aggie former student, I want to thank Johnny for an incredible season, and I look for more exciting seasons in the coming years.

Before I close, I ask all Americans to pray for our country during these difficult times and for our brave military men and women and first responders who are protecting us at home and abroad.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for allowing me to address the House today.

Gig 'em Aggies, God bless America, and Merry Christmas to all.

Mr. Speaker, America recently lost another hero in the war on terror. On September 28, America lost Army Sergeant First Class Riley G. Stephens of Tolar, Texas.

Riley grew up in Tolar. He enlisted as an infantryman in the Army in 1993. He volunteered for the Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course. He also went on to graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course in March of 2005.

At the time of his tragic death, he was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) as a Special Forces medical sergeant. He would go on five separate deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

During his 19 years of service to our country, Sergeant Stephens earned many awards and decorations. He earned the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, two Bronze Star Medals, the Purple Heart, the Army Achievement Medal with Valor, four Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon Military, the Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbons, the NATO Medal, the Air Assault Badge, the Basic Parachutist Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.

On October 7, Sergeant First Class Riley G. Stephens was laid to rest at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery, not far from his hometown in Tolar where, earlier that day, his life was celebrated and his service to our country was celebrated in a church full of friends and family and fellow patriots.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Sergeant Stephens. He will forever be remembered as an outstanding soldier, a husband and a father. We thank him and his family for their service and sacrifice for our country.

His sacrifice reflects the words of Jesus in John 15:13 which say: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

As I close, Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask all Americans to continue praying for our country during these difficult times, for our military men and women, and for our first responders who keep us safe by their sacrifice each day.

God bless our military men and women, and God bless America.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to Dr. Thomas Lester Bratcher, who resided near Cranfills Gap in Bosque County, Texas. He passed on November 3 at the age of 70.

Dr. Bratcher was born in Ft. Worth, Texas on July 9, 1942. He graduated from Eastern Hills High School in Ft. Worth and went on to receive a Bachelors of Science in mathematics from Arlington State College, and a Master of Science in statistics and Ph.D. in statistics from Southern Methodist University.

Dr. Bratcher would go on to teach statistics at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. Years later he moved to central Texas to teach at Baylor University, where he specialized in Bayesian Methods. For the past 20 years he directed the Ph.D. program in statistics at Baylor. Dr. Bratcher was a founder and primary organizer of the Conference of Texas Statisticians which has been meeting now for 32 years.

Dr. Bratcher was an active participant in numerous causes, including the Arts Council and has been serving as Bosque County Republican Chairman since 2009. As Chairman, he was staunch supporter of conservative ideals and helped get city, county, state, and federal officials elected.

Dr. Bratcher was a member and past president of the Council of Texas Statisticians, a member and past president of the Southern Regional Council on Statistics, and a member of the American Statistical Association and the Sigma Xi Society. He was the author of numerous scholarly publications.

Dr. Bratcher is survived by his loving wife, Nancy, mother, Laura Margaret and his loving children, grandchildren, and great- grandchildren.

His loving wife said it best when she wrote that ``his legacy--in all its many expressions of love, courage, integrity, principle, and unbridled passion for all he did--is with us always.''

Today I pay tribute to a humble man who served Bosque County with honor and great respect. I know I am not alone as I say thank you, Dr. Thomas Bratcher, for all that you have done for the Bosque County community.

Mrs. Bratcher and her family remain in our prayers.

I thank Chairman Smith for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor one of my Texas colleagues who has just become the oldest known Member of the House of Representatives to cast a recorded vote on the House floor. And I applaud Congressman Ralph Hall for passing this historic milestone.

Ralph was first elected to represent the Fourth District of Texas back in 1980 and is preparing to enter his 17th term when the 113th Congress convenes next year.

Congressman Hall currently serves as chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. He is the longest-serving Member of the committee and is the first Member to serve as ranking member as both a Republican and as a Democrat.

Now, everybody knows what a comedian Ralph is, and I want to share a funny story with you about him. At his birthday party in May of 2011, I was asked to say a few words about him. So I talked for a few minutes about him and about what it was like to serve with him. And I ended by saying that I hoped to wrap up my time in Congress in just three to four terms and that I would never aspire to serve as long as he has, to which Ralph dryly replied, Well, Bill, we're going to miss you. So that's just the way Ralph is. He adds levity to every situation.

Mr. Speaker, it's an honor to work alongside Ralph. I look forward to serving with him in the future in addressing the many pressing needs of the American people.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to J.R. ``Dick'' Birdwell, a proud lifelong Aggie and former City Councilman of College Station, Texas, and Mayor and City Councilman of Lake Jackson, Texas. He passed on April 4th at the age of 81, only two days after he and his beloved wife Joyce celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.

Dick Birdwell was born in Stephenville and moved to College Station in 1945. He graduated from A&M Consolidated High School and went on to receive his undergraduate and masters degrees from Texas A&M University. While at A&M he was a member of the Ross Volunteers and a battalion commander in the Corps of Cadets.

Birdwell was a longtime Dow Chemical Company employee in Houston; Brisbane, Australia; Lake Jackson, Texas; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. After retiring he returned to College Station.

Mayor Birdwell served the citizens of Lake Jackson as Councilman and Mayor from 1979 to 1982, he also served as Councilman of College Station for three terms, serving two consecutive terms from 1988 to 1992, and a third term from 1996 to 1998.

While serving on City Council, Birdwell was known to extensively study the issues and was not shy about expressing his ideas. He was always well prepared for council meetings and showed pride in serving his community.

While residing in College Station, Birdwell would begin to serve his community through numerous engineering organizations, as a mediator for the Dispute Resolution Agency of

Brazos County, as an active member of the Rotary Club of College Station, and as a docent for both the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the Texas A&M Sports Museum.

Even after leaving City Council, Birdwell would take on other city causes such as a petition drive that led to freezing property taxes for senior citizens and the disabled. He would also serve on the cemetery board and as an alternate member of the zoning board of adjustments.

College Station Mayor Nancy Berry may have said it best when she described the passing of Dick Birdwell as ``a phenomenal loss for our community.''

Today I pay tribute to a great Aggie who served College Station with honor and great respect. I know I am not alone as I say thank you, Dick Birdwell, for all that you have done for the Aggie community.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize and honor Mrs. Mel Birdwell, the wife of Texas State Senator Brian Birdwell. She has been one of the most active and visible spouses of a Hood County elected official on the local, state or national level.

For three years Mrs. Birdwell has served on the board of the Republican Women of Hood County. During this time she has assisted with expanding the party, as well as, securing copies of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence to give to every 5th grade student in every Hood County elementary school.

Mrs. Birdwell has served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Hood County where she had extensive positive influences for the children in our community.

One of Mrs. Birdwell's most significant accomplishments would be to that of her and Senator Birdwell's Face the Fire Ministry. This ministry assists burn survivors and wounded servicemen and women and their families. Mrs. Birdwell and her husband began this ministry after her husband's recovery from severe burns due to the 9/11 terrorist attack of the Pentagon. Because her husband's duties as Senator require much of his attention, Mel has single-handedly taken charge of the ministry.

Mrs. Birdwell is also a role model for wives and mothers everywhere in her loyalty to her husband. When presented by the military with a form for her signature which read ``soldier's death imminent within 72 hours'', Mrs. Birdwell fought for them to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of her husband. Her never ending fight for his life and God's intervention is why we have Senator Birdwell with us today.

In 2002, Mrs. Birdwell was presented with the fourth annual Robertson McQuilkin Award for Commitment to Marriage by Family Life Ministries. In 2004, the Department of the Army recognized her 17 plus years of service to the Army family with the Outstanding Civilian Service Medal.

Today we recognize and honor Mrs. Mel Birdwell's devotion, dedication and loyalty to our Nation, our state, our county, and her family.

I would like to thank my friend from Texas (Mr. Gohmert) for allowing me a few minutes of his time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an American hero, Brian Bachmann, who served as Precinct 1 Constable of Brazos County, Texas, who was killed in the line of duty on August 13, 2012. Also, with yesterday being the 11th anniversary of 9/11, I also want to recognize first responders all across our country.

As I began to write my reflections for this conversation, which I originally delivered on August 18, the words that kept coming to mind to talk about were the words ``home'' and ``celebration.''

Before proceeding, I want to remind us of the heroes of Texas District 17. Since I was sworn into office on January 5, 2011, the 17th Congressional District of Texas has lost seven military personnel: Sergeant Scott Burgess; Staff Sergeant Bryan Burgess; Sergeant Edward F. Dixon, III; PFC Jesse Dietrich; Lieutenant Colonel David Cabrera; Captain Nathan Anderson; and Lieutenant Colonel Roy Tisdale.

In addition, we have lost two law enforcement personnel during that time, Deputy Sheriff Taylor from Johnson County; and on August 13, we lost Constable Brian Bachmann. In each case, God called home one of his children and heaven has been celebrating since each of those arrivals.

Brian and I met in early 2010 when we were both running for our respective offices. Neither of us had ever run for public office before; and even though we came from different backgrounds, we formed a great friendship that endured the rigors of tough political campaigns.

Following our victories, we remained great friends. Each time we were together at various events, we always picked up our conversations where we had left off at the prior events. Most of the time we teased each other in these conversations.

The last time I talked to Brian was the Thursday before he was called home by God. We were both volunteers at the Brazos Valley Food Bank's Feast of Caring. We started out by teasing each other again. He began saying that I must not be a very good politician because I was already having to run again for office, to which I replied, Oh really, Bachmann? From what I've seen, you're the reason we need term limits.

Following that conversation and fellowship, we went back to cleaning tables and serving food. I never appreciated the fact that I wouldn't see him on this Earth again.

This is the Brian Bachmann that I knew, the friendly and always smiling guy who could care less about anyone's title. He was the person that loved our community and would do anything for it. He was the model public servant. However, and more importantly, he was a servant leader who ultimately modeled the words of Jesus in John 15:13 which state: ``Greater love hath no man than this that he lay down his life for his friends.''

I started this conversation by talking about home and celebration. At the end of each week, I jump on a plane and head home from Washington to Texas. That is where I'm happiest. That's where my wife, Gina is. It is close to our sons, our daughter-in-law and our granddaughter. In short, it is the community that I love. I always celebrate those homecomings, and my sense of excitement always builds as the airliner approaches Bryan/College Station.

The same thing happened on the afternoon of August 13. As Brian's situation changed here on Earth, others were preparing his new home. Brian knew this day would come. However, like the rest of us, he didn't know when, where, or how. But because of his relationship with Christ, he knew that he would someday be able to look forward to going to his next home for eternity. God knew all the details about Brian's homecoming, and the celebration started immediately on the afternoon when he left us.

The Apostle Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 5:8, where he says: ``We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.'' This is the same knowledge that all Christians have. We know that when our human life ends, we will move to our eternal home with God.

At that moment, on August 13, Brian instantly heard the voices of those who had gone before him welcoming him home but, more importantly, the One who loved Brian enough to die for him held out his nail-pierced hands, embraced him and said, ``Howdy, Brian. Welcome to your new home.'' Those same hands and arms embrace and comfort Brian's family and all of us here now.

About 20 years ago, Max Lucado wrote a book titled ``The Applause of Heaven.'' I'm going to paraphrase the last few paragraphs of that book, as follows:

You'll be home soon. You may not have noticed it, but you're closer to home than ever before. Each moment is a step taken. Each breath is a page turned. Each day is a mile marker passed, a mountain climbed. You're closer to home than you've ever been.

Just as when my airline flight approaches Bryan/College Station each week, before you know it, your appointed arrival time will come. You'll descend the ramp and enter the city. You'll see the faces that are waiting for you. You'll hear your name spoken by those who love you. And in the back, behind the anxious crowd, the One who would rather die than live without you will remove His pierced hands from His heavenly robe and applaud your arrival.

We should be celebrating Brian's heavenly homecoming here on Earth as well. He is another soldier that fought the good fight and gone home where God has told him, ``Well done, good and faithful servant.''

Brian's parents, Brad and Carmen, his wife, Donna, and his children, Sam, Amanda, Colby and Caitlyn, can all take comfort in Brian's homecoming because we know that the cross of Jesus has won again.

Brian's sacrifice should remind us that we're all here to serve. It is my prayer that Brian's homecoming reminds us of all our human frailties and the shortness of our time here on this Earth. I'm hopeful that all of us will have the type of relationship with Christ that Brian did, so we will have similar homecomings with Him in heaven.

Let me close by asking everyone here to pray for and support the Bachmann family. Please pray for our country during these troubled times. Please pray for our military men and women who sacrifice to protect us abroad, and please pray for our first responders like Brian Bachmann who protect us here at home.

Brian, we celebrate your homecoming.

I again thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer an amendment which addresses another misguided and restrictive Federal regulation.

Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act prevents Federal agencies from entering into contracts for the procurement of fuels unless their life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions are less than or equal to emissions from an equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources.

The initial purpose of section 526 was to stop the Defense Department's plans to buy and develop coal-based or coal-to-liquid jet fuel. This restriction was based on the opinion of some environmentalists that coal-based jet fuel might produce more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional, petroleum-derived fuels.

My amendment is a simple fix, and that fix is to not restrict our fuel choices based on extreme environmental views, bad policies, and misguided regulations like those in section 526.

Placing limits on Federal agencies' fuel choices is an unacceptable precedent to set in regard to America's petroleum independence and our national security. Mr. Chair, section 526 restrictions make our Nation more dependent on unstable Middle Eastern oil. Stopping the impact of section 526 will help us promote American energy, improve the American economy, and create American jobs. In addition, and probably most important, we must ensure that our military has adequate fuel resources and that it can rely on domestic and more stable sources of fuel.

With increasing competition for energy and fuel resources and with the continued volatility and instability in the Middle East, it is now more important than ever for our country to become more energy independent and to further develop and produce all of our domestic energy resources.

In some circles, there is a misconception that my amendment somehow prevents the Federal Government and our military from being able to produce and use alternative fuels. Mr. Chair, this viewpoint is categorically false. All my amendment does is to allow Federal purchasers, particularly our military, to be able to acquire the fuels that best and most efficiently meet their needs.

I offered a similar amendment to the CJS appropriations bill for FY 2013, and it passed with strong bipartisan support. My identical amendments to four other FY 2013 appropriations bills also each passed by voice vote. My friend, Mr. Conaway, also had language added to the defense authorization bill to exempt the Defense Department from this burdensome regulation.

Let's remember the following problems with section 526: one, it increases our reliance on unstable Middle Eastern oil; two, it hurts our military readiness, our national security and our energy security; three, it prevents the increased use of some sources of safe, clean and efficient American oil and gas; four, it hurts American jobs and the American economy; five, last and certainly not least, it costs our taxpayers more of their hard-earned dollars.

My amendment fixes those problems. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this commonsense amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

All my amendment does is remove any external restrictions from the Department of Defense being able to acquire fuels. It doesn't restrict their ability to acquire alternative fuels, such as the Green Fleet.

Now, I have issues with paying $56 a gallon for fuel, but I'm willing to battle that at a future date. I'm not endorsing the use of those expensive fuels. I think they're irresponsible uses of taxpayer funds when the purpose of the military is to defend our country, not to be trying to promote alternative fuels.

The logic applies. But again, I think it's an order of magnitude.

For instance, technology to do coal-to-liquids fuels was used by the Germans in World War II. It's been tried in the past. It's still not cost effective. I think there's an order of magnitude. For instance, if the military can do it for, let's say, 50 percent more than it costs for conventional fuel, that's one thing; but if it has to pay 10 times more for biobase fuels, that's another issue.

Mr. Speaker, on June 28, America lost another hero, Army Lieutenant Colonel Roy Lin Tisdale.

Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale grew up in Alvin, Texas, and went to Texas A&M University, where he was a member of the Corps of Cadets. After graduating from Texas A&M in 1993, he was commissioned as an Army infantry officer. He served two full tours in Iraq, two full tours in Afghanistan, and made additional short visits to both theaters.

At the time of his tragic death, Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale was commander of the 525th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 525th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade, stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

During his 19 years of service to our country, Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale earned many awards and recognitions. He earned the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Joint Military Unit Award, the National Defense Service Medal, the Meritorious Unit Citation, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Air Assault Badge, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, and Senior Parachutist Badge.

On July 5, the life of Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale was remembered at Central Baptist Church of Bryan, Texas, and he was later laid to rest at the Aggie Field of Honor in College Station, Texas.

In response to the activities of an extremist group that protests at American military funerals, over 600 college students and community members, a majority of them Texas Aggies, came together to form a ``Maroon Wall'' to prevent those protests from disrupting the funeral and burial. America should be proud of this community of patriotic and respectful Americans that came together to honor the service and sacrifice of Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale and ensure that he was given the respect that he deserved.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Army Lieutenant Colonel Roy Tisdale. He will forever be remembered as an outstanding soldier, husband, and father. We thank him and his family for their service and sacrifice for our country. His sacrifice reflects the words of Jesus in John 15:13, ``Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.''

Continuing a distinguished heritage of military service for our country, Lieutenant Colonel Tisdale is the 27th Texas Aggie to die in the service of our country since 9/11. He, like tens of thousands of Aggies before him, answered ``Here,'' when his country called.

God bless our military men and women, and God bless America.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as a Representative of the great state of Texas, I am honored to be a citizen of a state which is home to an outstanding institution like Rice University. Rice is celebrating its 100 year anniversary, as it was inaugurated in October 12, 1912, in Houston, Texas.

Rice has consistently been ranked as one of the top 20 national universities in the United States by U.S. News & World Report every year since the rankings began in 1983.

Rice also ranks among the 10 best value private colleges by Princeton Review.

The James A. Baker III Institute for public policy at Rice is world renowned for its contributions as a think tank.

Rice has constituently been ranked among the top 20 universities in the U.S. overall and for Hispanic students.

Rice University is one of three Tier One research and education universities in Texas. Rice is ranked the number 4 best value among private Universities.

Rice plays a leading role in research in many fields, including nanotechnology, space, cellular technology, bioinformatics, energy, health, and the environment.

I congratulate Rice University for 100 years of preparing its students to succeed in a highly competitive and complex world, and look forward to 100 more.

Mr. Reed, I want to thank you for managing this Special Order today, and thank you for allowing me some time to participate.

I'm very proud of our freshman class here in Washington. We have changed things in this town, at least on this side of the Capitol, and we're responding to what the American people want. The American people overwhelmingly do not want ObamaCare.

So I have to thank Mr. Palazzo and Mr. West and Mrs. Black. I assume Mr. Woodall's going to speak in a few minutes, and Mr. Gardner, and thank them for getting up here and telling the truth.

A few minutes ago I was sitting in the Chair as the Speaker pro tempore, and the gentleman from California (Mr. Garamendi), a Democrat, and Mr. Tonko, a Democrat from New York, invited me to come down and debate with them, so I'm here to debate with them.

If you'd listen to what the Democrats say about ObamaCare, you'd think the world was going to be perfect and butterflies were going to be singing Kumbaya. You'd think that everything was going to be just fine.

When you go to the HHS Web site that talks about ObamaCare, all you see are all the things that tell you about how great your life is going to be, but it doesn't discuss the cost. And only in this town we call Washington, D.C., this town that's based on fantasy, can you believe things like that, where you can get everything for a cost of nothing.

Well, Americans know that's not the case. They know that you can't do that, and Americans know that you can't take one-sixth of our economy and turn it over to bureaucrats like the people that run the GSA. Now, the people at the GSA partied real well, but I don't trust them with our Nation's health care, not my granddaughter's, not my grandmother's, none of their health care.

Now, we, as I said, in this town we're changing things as the freshman class. Most of us that came in this class came from the real world. We know how to sign the front side of a paycheck, we know what the commitment is like to have to hire an employee, to have to make sure that that employee's family gets a paycheck so that that family will have food and housing and education; that they can be part of a robust local economy so that they can be part of a healthy middle class in this country.

But bureaucrats don't do that. The private sector does that, builds that healthy economy for Americans.

So, again, I just can't see how you could say that we could turn over health care to folks like the ones that run the GSA.

What Mr. Garamendi and Mr. Tonko need to do, when they say that everything's for free and costs nothing, and the world's going to be better off, they need to come talk to a small software company in Waco, Texas, that saw their premiums go up in 2011 by 27 percent and saw their health insurance premiums go up this year by 23 percent. Or the small manufacturer in Bryan-College Station, Texas, that's looked at their premiums increase by a combination of about 40 percent over the last 2 years. And each of these companies is thinking, Do I have to drop coverage? Do I have to lay off employees so I can absorb the extra cost? Do I move my operations overseas?

The folks on the other side of the aisle need to understand that the taxes, the restrictions, the regulations that come with ObamaCare are a tax on all America. When you tax the economy, you tax all Americans. And we've already talked in great detail. Mr. West laid out all the taxes in ObamaCare, did it pretty well.

But I just say, when you add it all up, and you add all those taxes together, they're a tax on the economy, and that's a tax on the middle class. That's a tax on every class in America. And that's not what Americans want.

I voted for the repeal of ObamaCare today, and I'm proud I did. And I'd urge that Harry Reid, over in the Senate, take it up.

And so I've put together sort of the top 10 fatal flaws that are part of ObamaCare, and here they are.

Number one, the worst of them is it's a violation of our constitutional liberties, your right to your religious preferences, where you can have a bureaucrat, like the ones at the GSA, cram down your throat what your employer has to provide for you or what it may not provide for you.

Number two, it fails in its primary goals of controlling costs and allowing Americans to keep their health insurance coverage. You heard our other freshman speakers lay that out well today.

Number three, it hurts our hardworking taxpayers by adding over 20 new taxes, costing over $800 billion, taxes on things like home sales and investment income. Those hit the middle class just like everybody else.

Number four, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, as we call it around here, it will cost our Nation over 800,000 jobs. How's that good for the middle class?

In addition, now that the State Medicaid mandate was ruled unconstitutional, the costs of ObamaCare are going to increase by $700 billion. And that's already on top, further damaging our fragile fiscal situation at the Federal level.

Number six, we've already talked about this tonight, a half a trillion dollars cut from Medicare, hurting our seniors.

Number seven, ObamaCare puts 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats between doctors and patients.

Mr. Speaker, I don't want people who run the GSA between me and my doctor or between my granddaughter and her doctor or my daughter-in-law and her doctor. This is an assault on all Americans--women and men, young and old.

Number eight, even though it has been partially implemented, it has caused health care premiums to inflate dramatically across the country.

Number nine, ObamaCare is causing massive uncertainty for American businesses, hurting American job growth and our economy and the American middle class, adding further pain to all of the economic policies that we are experiencing in the Obama economy.

Number 10, we heard about this earlier, about the Federal takeover of the student loan program, which is another accounting gimmick that was used to pay for the Democratic takeover of health care.

So, Mr. Reed and Mr. Speaker, I would say it's time for us--and we did today--to recognize that these fatal flaws mean that this program should be overturned. We did the right thing today. We took bold action, and I think it's high time that the Senate acted and did the same thing.

One of the things that Mr. Tonko and Mr. Garamendi talked about is if Americans wanted to hear the facts. They laid out their version of the facts. Americans can go my Web site. There is an ObamaCare section at flores.house.gov that's right at the top of the page. You can find out about the taxes. You can find out about the law and about the times we've tried to repeal this thing. You can read the law to see what's in it. You can read the Supreme Court decision. Then you can also see what the Republican alternatives are, some of the ideas of the alternatives to fix this.

Mr. Reed, I thank you for your leadership on this, and I look forward to serving with you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the repeal of the ObamaCare Act. The original ObamaCare Act, which was passed in the middle of the night by the last Congress, without being read, has numerous fatal flaws.

One, the worst of these is that it is a violation of our constitutional liberties.

Two, it fails upon its primary goals of controlling costs and allowing Americans to keep their current health insurance coverage.

Three, it hurts our hardworking taxpayers by adding over 20 new taxes costing over $800 billion.

Four, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the CBO, it will cost our Nation's workers over 800,000 jobs.

Five, in addition, now that the State Medicaid mandate has been ruled unconstitutional, those costs will increase by several hundred billion dollars over its already massive cost.

Six, ObamaCare puts 15 unelected, unaccountable Federal bureaucrats between Americans and their health care providers.

Seven, even though just partially implemented, it has caused health care insurance premiums across the country to increase dramatically.

Eight, last but not least, ObamaCare is causing massive uncertainty for American business, hurting American job growth and our economy and the American middle class, adding pain to an already troubled Obama economy.

Mr. Speaker, in light of these many flaws, it is time for Congress to do the right thing and to repeal this fatally flawed legislation. That is what H.R. 6079 does, simply put, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I rise to offer an amendment which addresses another misguided and restrictive Federal regulation.

Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act prevents Federal agencies from entering into contracts for the procurement of fuels unless their life cycles of greenhouse gas emissions are less than or equal to emissions from an equivalent conventional fuel produced from conventional petroleum sources. In summary, my amendment would stop the government from enforcing this ban on all Federal agencies funded by the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.

The initial purpose of section 526 was to stop the Defense Department's plans to buy and develop coal-based and/or coal-to-liquids jet fuel. This restriction was based on the opinion of some environmentalists that coal-based jet fuel might produce more greenhouse gas emissions than traditional petroleum-derived fuels.

Unfortunately, the ban on the fuel choices of section 526 has been expanded to include all Federal agencies,

not just the Defense Department. This is why I am offering this amendment to the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill.

Federal agencies should not be burdened with wasting their time in studying fuel restrictions when there is a simple fix. That fix is to not restrict our fuel choices based on extreme environmental views, bad policies and misguided regulations like those in section 526. Placing limits on Federal agencies' fuel choices is an unacceptable precedent to set in regard to America's energy independence and our national security.

Mr. Chairman, section 526 restrictions make our Nation more dependent on Middle Eastern oil. Stopping the impact of section 526 will help us to promote American energy, to improve the American economy, and to create American jobs. In addition, we must ensure that our military has adequate fuel resources so that it can rely on domestic and more stable sources of fuel.

With the increasing competition for energy and fuel resources and with the continued volatility and instability in the Middle East, it is now more important than ever for our country to become more energy independent and to develop and produce all of our domestic energy resources.

Mr. Chairman, in some circles there is a misconception that my amendment somehow prevents the Federal Government and our military from being able to procure and use alternative fuels such as biofuels. Mr. Chairman, this viewpoint is categorically false. All my amendment does is allow the Federal purchasers of fuels, particularly our military, to be able to acquire the fuels that best and most efficiently meet their needs.

I offered a similar amendment to the CJS appropriations bill, and it passed with bipartisan support. My identical amendments to the three other FY13 appropriations bills also passed by voice vote. My friend, Mr. Conaway, also had language added to the Defense authorization bill to exempt the Defense Department from this burdensome regulation.

Let's summarize the problems with section 526. Number one, it increases our reliance on Middle Eastern oil. Number two, it hurts our military readiness, our national security, and our energy security. Number three, it also prevents the potential increased uses of some sources of safe, clean, and efficient American oil and gas. Number four, it hurts American jobs and the American economy. And five, last but not least, it costs our taxpayers more of their hard-earned dollars.

My amendment fixes these problems, and I urge my colleagues to support the passage of this commonsense amendment.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.