Floor Statements

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 443: Page 199, line 6, after the dollar

amount, insert ``(reduced by $150,000,000)''.

Page 203, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $150,000,000)''.

Page 204, line 8, after the first dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $150,000,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 444: Page 199, line 6, after the dollar

amount, insert ``(reduced by $298,000,000)''.

Page 203, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $298,000,000)''.

Page 204, line 8, after the first dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $298,000,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 244: Page 199, line 6, after the dollar

amount, insert ``(reduced by $298,000,000)''.

Page 203, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $298,000,000)''.

Page 204, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $298,000,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 245: Page 199, line 6, after the dollar

amount, insert ``(reduced by $150,000,000)''.

Page 203, line 23, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $150,000,000)''.

Page 204, line 8, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $150,000,000)''.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 363: Increase the Department of Justice,

Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring program by

$150,000,000.

Reduce the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census,

PERIODIC CENSUSES AND PROGRAMS by $150,000,000.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 364: Increase the Department of Justice,

Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring program by

$298,000,000.

Reduce the Department of Commerce, Bureau of Census,

PERIODIC CENSUSES AND PROGRAMS by $298,000,000.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 365: On page 204, strike line 8 and insert:

(5) ``$298,000,000'' for ``$298,000,000.

On page 208, decrease funds for the Department of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census, Periodic Census and Programs by

$298,000,000.

Offered By: Mr. Reichert

Amendment No. 366: On page 204, strike line 8 and insert:

(5) ``$150,000,000'' for ``$298,000,000.

On page 208, decrease funds for the Department of Commerce,

Bureau of the Census, Periodic Census and Programs by

$150,000,000.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I am here today to say that I am going to vote ``yes'' to repeal this health care bill because I think the American people deserve better.

There were promises made in this bill--promises, promises, promises. There were promises made and, unfortunately, promises that were broken. Think back to last year. Think back to what the American people were promised in this bill. Three promises come to mind: One, Americans were told that the overhaul would make health care more affordable. Two, they were told that this would make health care more efficient. Three, they were told that they could keep their health care if they liked it.

The American people deserve to hear the truth, and the American people deserve better. It is their health. It is their life. Here is the truth: Over $500 million worth of taxes on small businesses and American families across this country and $500 billion cut from Medicare.

Here are some examples: a 2.3 percent tax on medical devices, wheelchairs, and walkers; a 3.8 percent tax on employers; an additional tax penalty on employers who don't provide a certain amount of health care for their workers; a 40 percent tax on so-called ``Cadillac'' health care plans--and government paperwork bureaucracy.

There is a requirement that you fill out a 1099 form for employees, requiring the hiring of 16,000 IRS workers. Who is going to pay for that?

Remember this promise President Obama made and others made: You can keep your health care if you like it? President Obama himself said, Well, there might have been some language snuck into this bill that runs contrary to that promise.

Madam Speaker, the American people deserve better. The American people deserve the truth. It is their health and it is their life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of an outstanding marching band in my district--the Eighth District of Washington--that recently returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London to perform in the invitation-only New Year's Day Parade there. It isn't the first time the band has performed on a grand scale and to a grand audience and it most certainly won't be the last.

The Mercer Island High School marching band, composed of approximately 200 young people, returned from their whirlwind trip to London just a few days ago. And although the winter storms slowed down 87 of the band's members, Mr. Speaker, their performance went off without a hitch. They marched from Trafalgar Square to Big Ben and on to the steps of Parliament. The bells of Westminster Abbey sounded out and the entire experience was, as their director Parker Bixby put it, ``surreal.''

One of the more notable things about the Mercer Island High School marching band's trip to London, Mr. Speaker, is that this is not the first time the band has performed at such a prestigious event. In 1996, the band performed at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena and played there again in 2006. What's more, the band will return to Pasadena for the Parade next year, as well. The band's engagements are well documented and internationally known.

The community of Mercer Island, with a population of 22,890, is remarkably supportive of the arts. The City's Arts Council, the Rotary Club, the Schools Foundation, other community groups, and many individuals comprise a community dedicated to young musicians and artists. It is indeed a testament to the community, Mr. Speaker, that the trip to London was even possible. Raising money is never easy, especially in our economic climate. However, the people of Mercer Island generously gave to help make the dream trip a reality.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate director Bixby for his tireless efforts, Mercer Island Superintendent Gary Plano for his support, Mayor Jim Pearman and the City Council for their support, and the people of Mercer Island for their generosity. Above all, I would like to thank the members of the band for working every day to create a product that is respected and admired around the world.

I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, there are a few words that have touched me over the last few days that I would like to share. First, thankfulness, thoughtfulness, prayerfulness, patience, wisdom, and hope.

First we should remember those who have lost loved ones, keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They'll not need them just today, but they'll need them in the weeks, the months, and the years to come. A pain that will never leave their hearts.

Second, thankfulness. We sure thank God for Gabby's remarkable recovery and pray that her recovery continues in a speedy way and in a way that causes her to recover to the point where she can return to this House and work with us again.

And I think of patience and wisdom--and I'm addressing the Speaker but asking the Members of this body to think about patience and wisdom in a moment because first of all, let's respect the investigation that's being conducted by the law enforcement officers across this country, the Federal, local, and State agencies. Let's respect their continued efforts in weeding through the information that they're gathering. Let's be patient when we think about legislation and laws that we might be passing that could inhibit that investigation or maybe even inhibit some of the freedoms that we today enjoy, patience in allowing them to gather the needed information where we can base good decisions on building good laws that protect the citizens of this great Nation.

And lastly hope. Hope, which is a thing we all hold near and dear to our hearts, hope that this country continues to maintain its freedom, hope in the American people, hope that we can all stand together after this tragedy. If there is a silver lining in this tragedy, it is the hope and the strength and the trust that the people of this country can build together to keep this country free.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I am excited to be here today. And I thank my constituents for the opportunity to once more serve them again as their Representative here in the United States Capitol.

In the days ahead, Congress will debate and pass proposals that will affect the health, the livelihood, and the well-being of every American citizen. Today, as Mr. Dreier said, we are setting the tone now for how well we will serve them in this Congress. Our service should, first and foremost, be transparent and be respectful, be inclusive, work together.

So I am proud that legislation that I authored a couple of years ago is now included in this rules package that we are about to vote on today. My bill requires each of the 21 standing committees in this House to post recorded votes on their Web sites within 48 hours because Americans deserve to know how bills take shape at every step along the way. They deserve easy access to votes taken not just on the floor but also in the committee.

Government transparency is essential to a healthy democracy. By using existing committee Web sites, we can offer this information in a fiscally responsible and easily accessible way. And I am pleased that my work was included in this bill.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to express my support for this bipartisan tax compromise. We need to do this. We need to do this to prevent a massive tax increase on the American people, on American families and on American businesses.

The clock is ticking and the American people are waiting. If Congress doesn't approve this proposal, our small businesses will be saddled and crushed by a $858 billion tax hike. One-third of all business activity in the United States will see higher taxes--businesses that create 80 percent of our jobs in this country. Raising taxes on small businesses in the middle of a recession is absolutely the last thing Congress should do. Even those in Congress who want to raise taxes must question the timing of doing so when credit is scarce, wages are being cut, and people are losing their jobs.

As I travel around my district, I hear one consistent theme over and over again from small business owners: they need certainty. They want certainty--certainty so they know what Uncle Sam is going to take from them from their bottom lines now and into the future; certainty so they can plan for and make future investments--hire workers and buy equipment; certainty so they can pursue the American Dream without worrying about how government will get in the way.

Opponents of extending all of the individual income tax rates ignore the fact that more than 4.5 million small businesses in America pay taxes at the individual rate, not at the corporate rate. Failure to extend the current individual tax rates is a tax hike on small businesses.

My colleagues who want to discuss comprehensive tax reform should remember that extending all of the rates now will give us the chance to have that discussion without adding a massive tax increase on small businesses.

Avoiding this tax hike is just as important for families across this country as it is for our small businesses. Millions of Americans are employed by small businesses that will face this tax hike; and in many cases, their wages and their jobs hang in the balance of the decision that we will make here today.

The business world needs certainty and families need certainty-- certainty to plan for the cost of higher education for their children, certainty to buy homes that they can call their own, and certainty for the day-to-day task of making ends meet in order to provide for the basic needs of their families. Businesses are struggling and families are hurting. The last thing we need government to do is to reach deeper into their pockets and take their hard-earned dollars.

This compromise package isn't perfect, as has been said over and over--compromise rarely is--but perfection shouldn't be the barrier to what is practical and necessary.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this omnibus trade package. I, along with my friend and colleague from Washington State (Mr. McDermott), urge all of my colleagues to support it.

I am particularly pleased that this bill extends trade preference programs. Preferences are a powerful developmental tool, and they can also be used to improve laws, environment and labor standards, and intellectual property rights protections. Developing nations, American workers, and businesses have benefited considerably when our preference program partnerships move to a permanent free trade agreement.

One country that has graduated from preferences is South Korea. It continues to be among the leading exporters to the United States. It is a great model of how a country can graduate from the preference partnership to a free trade agreement that levels the playing field for American workers--a free trade agreement that deserves broad support and swift passage in the next Congress.

As unemployment remains high, we must continue to knock down trade barriers for American goods and services--``sell American'' to customers all over the world--to protect and create jobs here at home.

I urge support for this package today.

Madam Speaker, I rise today somberly, recognizing a larger-than-life entertainer and broadcaster in the Pacific Northwest who passed away on Wednesday, November 10. Dave Niehaus, the fantastic voice of the Seattle Mariners, will be remembered as a terrific husband, father, and grandfather, a loyal employee, and a broadcaster who left an indelible mark in Seattle and beyond.

It's a true honor to know Dave was a constituent of the 8th District of Washington, the District I represent. His wife Marilyn, along with many of Dave's family members and friends remain in the District. I offer my sincere condolences for their loss and thank them for allowing Dave to share his profound gifts with all of us. The public lost an astounding sportscaster on November 10, Madam Speaker, but his family lost a remarkable friend. I wish them all the best in the future.

After word of Dave's death reached the public, Madam Speaker, a Seattle sportswriter wrote this: ``The pleasure of listening to him on a stormy day in April or one of those long, lush nights in July always has felt like an inalienable right of being a sports fan in Seattle . . . What a voice!'' I can attest to the power of his voice. My family, friends, and staff can as well. We all welcomed him into our homes on summer evenings like a member of the family. The talent he possessed was both enviable and cherished, Madam Speaker. When the Seattle Mariners take the field on Opening Day next year, every individual on and off the field will be thinking of Dave.

The Seattle Mariners have played 5,385 games since they became a franchise in 1977. Dave Niehaus called 5,284 of those games, Madam Speaker. What a legacy! I doubt an organization anywhere can depend on an employee like the Mariners depended on Dave. And he didn't just show up, Madam Speaker. He defined his profession and he finally earned the ultimate recognition in 2008: Major League Baseball Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick award, the highest honor a baseball broadcaster can achieve-- an honor he richly deserved.

Madam Speaker, Dave is one of the finest sportscasters of all time, regardless of the sport. His Hall-of-Fame career will never be forgotten. Children in middle school right now will be telling their grandkids about listening to Dave on the radio--reminiscing on his classic voice and truly incredibly talents. His catches phrases will be immortalized and his unfailing optimism will never die. God bless his wonderful family and, Madam Speaker, I speak for millions of baseball fans when I say Dave will be greatly missed, thank you.