Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor and congratulate the Dr. Hector P. Garcia Middle School science bowl team from San Antonio, Texas. Led by their coach Shelley Beck, these fine young men and women have achieved a spot in the 2012 U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl competition on April 26 28, 2012 in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Through their perseverance and hard work the team won their regional elimination tournament to be selected as one of the 44 middle schools to compete at the national finals for prizes and rewards. I am proud to congratulate Rachel Moore, Irene Chu, Kathleen Ran, Minji Kim, and Sophie He for this outstanding achievement and wish them the best of luck in the competition.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise today to honor and congratulate the Sandra Day O'Connor High School science bowl team from Helotes, Texas. Led by their coach Tony Potter, these fine young men and women have achieved a spot in the 2012 U.S. Department of Energy National Science Bowl competition on April 26 28, 2012 in Chevy Chase, Maryland, and at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

Through their perseverance and hard work the team won their regional elimination tournament to be selected as one of the 69 high schools to compete at the national finals for prizes and rewards. I am proud to congratulate Zac Cozzi, Yun Liang, Paul Cozzi, Jenny Qi, and Robert Perce for this outstanding achievement and wish them the best of luck in the competition.

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to our economy, one thing is abundantly clear: President Obama's policies have failed.

We are experiencing the worst stretch of unemployment since the Great Depression, despite a trillion-dollar stimulus plan that the Obama administration said would hold unemployment below 8 percent and despite record low interest rates.

The unemployment rate has remained above 8 percent for 36 straight months, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the jobless rate will remain above 8 percent through 2014. Almost 13 million Americans are out of work, and the share of unemployed people looking for work for more than 6 months, or the long-term unemployment, topped 40 percent in December 2009 for the first time since 1948 and has remained above that level ever since.

Because his policies have failed, President Obama has turned to the politics of envy and division. The only solutions he can come up with involve more spending, more taxes, and more government. These are the policies that failed in the first place.

House Republicans have a plan for America's job creators. It's time for the President and Democrats in the Senate to stop blocking our jobs bills.

This week, the House will consider the JOBS Act, a legislative package designed to jump-start our economy and restore opportunities for America's primary job creators. These are our small businesses, the start-ups, and the entrepreneurs.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama asked Congress to send him a bill that helps small businesses and entrepreneurs succeed, and the JOBS Act does exactly that.

Madam Speaker, when the Democrats passed the unconstitutional government takeover of health care, they cleverly front-loaded some of the provisions but left the most troubling mandates and requirements to be implemented at a later date.

Recently, the Obama administration released its controversial contraception mandate, and Americans got a glance of the looming disaster that the health care law will produce once it actually goes fully into effect. This mandate is one of the first prescribed by the Democrats' government health care takeover, but it will not be the last. Unfortunately, the HHS ruling that ignores religious freedom is just one example of the many disastrous provisions of a top-down, government-controlled health care system.

If Americans did not like this provision, they certainly won't like the IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a group of 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats who will control virtually every health care decision.

I urge my colleagues to support commonsense legislation that will protect the rights of all human life, including the unborn, and to continue working to fully repeal the Democrats' government health care takeover as a whole, as well as the harmful individual provisions that violate our constitutional rights.

I thank my colleague, Chairman Smith, for yielding.

Madam Speaker, too often the American people feel that Members of Congress live by and benefit personally from a different set of rules than those by which ordinary Americans live.

To me, this lack of confidence is unacceptable. It is imperative that we rebuild the trust of the American people in their elected Representatives.

The STOCK Act will help do just that. It explicitly bans Members of Congress and congressional staff from using information obtained on the job and using it to profit from securities trading and gives the Securities and Exchange Commission the ability to investigate and prosecute them just like any other American.

The American people expect that those who serve in government do so with integrity. The STOCK Act will help ensure that those in government meet this expectation.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Today we are taking an important step towards changing the way Washington does business; and it couldn't come at a more opportune time as our national debt crossed the $15 trillion threshold this week, which means that now on average every American household's share of the national debt is $127,899. Our Nation is in the midst of a spending- driven debt crisis. We have run three successive $1 trillion-plus deficits. We are borrowing approximately 40 cents out of every dollar the Federal Government spends; and the CBO estimates that, by the end of the decade, we'll be spending almost $1 trillion just to pay the interest on our debt.

If we do nothing, the problem will get worse. We will continue spending, borrowing, and accumulating more debt, until one day our children and grandchildren and their futures are drowned in a sea of red ink. Our inability to get our fiscal house in order will leave them with a downsized American Dream.

As a father of three children, this is something that I refuse to do. I am the son of Mexican immigrants who came to this Nation to provide their children with a better life and to live in a land where my opportunity would be limited only by how hard I worked and how big I could dream.

I want to ensure that America remains a land of unlimited opportunity for our children and grandchildren. I don't want the legacy of this generation of Americans to be that we're the first generation of Americans to pass on a smaller American Dream to future generations.

For too long, our Nation has spent far beyond its means. We have run up a national credit card, borrowing from our children's and grandchildren's future to pay for spending today. We need to cut up the national credit card and make sure the dire situation we have gotten ourselves into never happens again, and a balanced budget amendment will do just that.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Army SPC Adrian Garcia of El Paso, TX. SPC Garcia was only three weeks into his first deployment when he was attacked while on a routine patrol in Ramadi, Iraq in March 2007. SPC Garcia was manning the turret of an up-armored HUMMVEE when a Rocket Propelled Grenade attack shattered both of his legs. SPC Garcia's injuries were so severe that both of his legs required amputations above the knee, leaving him in a wheelchair.

On November 11, 2011, Homes for Our Troops will provide Army SPC Adrian Garcia with a brand new home at no cost. SPC Garcia's new home will be specially adapted to accommodate his needs, allowing him to be more productive and independent. The work of Homes for Our Troops and the community of El Paso, Texas, is a great example of the appreciation we should show our brave men and women who have served our nation in uniform.

I extend my personal thanks and sincere appreciation to SPC Garcia for his sacrifice made while protecting our freedom. We owe our veterans a huge amount of gratitude--particularly those who have been injured while serving their Nation. As President Calvin Coolidge said, ``The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Marine Corporal Jose ``Daniel'' Gasca of El Paso, TX. Corporal Gasca was driving an up- armored HUMVEE when it was hit by a control detonated IED in Fallujah, Iraq in September 2008. Corporal Gasca suffered spinal fractures, broken ribs, a ruptured spleen, and leg injuries so severe that both of his legs required amputation. Corporal Gasca, his wife, Angel, and their sons; 3 year old Mathew and newborn Eli, currently live in a non- handicapped home while Daniel continues his treatments and therapies at Walter Reed.

On November 10, 2011, Homes for Our Troops will provide Corporal Gasca with a brand new home at no cost. Coporal Gasca's new home will be specially adapted to accommodate his needs, allowing him to be more productive and independent. The work of Homes for Our Troops and the community of El Paso, Texas, is a great example of the appreciation we should show our brave men and women who have served our nation in uniform.

I extend my personal thanks and sincere appreciation to Corporal Gasca for his sacrifice made while protecting our freedom. We owe our veterans a huge amount of gratitude--particularly those who have been injured while serving their nation. As President Calvin Coolidge said, ``The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Access to Capital for Job Creators Act.

I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy) and the gentlelady from California (Ms. Waters) for this bipartisan effort as well as thank our leadership on the committee.

As a nation, we have an unemployment rate that is hovering around 9 percent and 14 million Americans out of work. We've had 32 consecutive months with unemployment rates at or above 8 percent. Yet Senator Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, insists, ``It's very clear that private sector jobs have been doing fine.''

The American people disagree.

I'm 62 years old and a freshman in this, the people's House. Before coming to Congress, I spent my entire career in the private sector. I've signed the front of a paycheck. I know something about how to create jobs. What I know is that attempting to spend our way to an economic recovery won't work, and we have the economy today that proves just that.

From the experiences gained from an almost 40-year career in private business, to get the private sector creating jobs again and our economy growing, government needs to get out of the way and not be an impediment to job creation.

This is the philosophy that has governed bill after bill that the House has passed to get our economy moving again. Unfortunately, these bills are rotting at the doorstep of the Senate as Harry Reid refuses to allow them to be considered. The Access to Capital for Job Creators Act is governed by the same philosophy. This will help fix an outdated government regulation that is inhibiting capital formation for small businesses that are having a hard time accessing loans from financial institutions.

To get the economy back on track, job creation in the private sector is the key. We need to get government out of the way and let private sector job creators do what they do best--create jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jerry Workman. Brother Workman, as he was called by the almost 5,000 students he taught, was a beloved science teacher for over 40 years at Pecos High School in Pecos, Texas. After battling colon and abdominal cancer, Mr. Workman passed away on October 6, 2011. However, his memory will live on through the thousands of students he mentored and inspired through his love of teaching.

Jerry Samuel Workman, Sr. was born on March 7, 1940 in Angel-Flatts, Texas. Mr. Workman moved to Pecos in 1965 to pursue a job opportunity after serving in the U.S. Army and the National Guard. Unable to find the job he was seeking, he was invited to apply for an opening as a teacher at Pecos High School and teach ``for a year or two.'' Forty-six years later, he was still teaching. Over the years Mr. Workman selflessly taught thousands of students and coached numerous UIL Science teams; drove countless miles in a school bus, and helped students find scholarships to attend college.

When Jerry Workman was diagnosed with cancer, his family set up a Facebook page to update past and present students on his health. The page called, ``Jerry Workman taught me more than Chemistry,'' has become populated with friends, family, and former students sharing memories of Brother Workman. Jerry Workman dedicated his life to serving the youth of Pecos, Texas. His passing is a great loss to not only the community, but the entire State of Texas.

Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to be able to cast my vote in support of the Colombia free trade agreement, even though it has taken almost 5 years to get a vote on it. I thank Chairman Camp, Chairman Dreier, and Chairman Brady for their leadership on this cause.

The Colombia free trade agreement is important for several reasons. First, it will create jobs here in the United States. The International Trade Commission has estimated this will increase U.S. exports to Colombia by over $1 billion. It will grow our Nation's economy by over $2 billion and create thousands of new jobs here at home.

In the case of the 23rd District of Texas, the Colombia free trade agreement is of particular importance as I have a great deal of agriculture in my district and more than half of current U.S. agricultural exports to Colombia will become duty free immediately and almost all remaining tariffs gone after 15 years. This agreement is also important as it demonstrates our commitment to a steadfast ally in Latin America against oppressive regimes like Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

Fundamentally, this agreement is about the economic freedom of the American people to be able to have a wide array of choices and to pay less for those choices because of the power of trade and competition.

I rise in strong support of the Panama free trade agreement. Like the Colombian agreement, this agreement has been pending for far too long. And I thank the leadership of Chairmen Brady, Dreier, and Camp.

At a time when unemployment is hovering above 9 percent, the Panama free trade agreement will be a welcome shot in the arm to help the U.S. economy. The International Trade Commission's analysis shows that the Panama agreement will boost U.S. exports to Panama for key products between 9 percent and 145 percent. This will mean thousands of new jobs here at home. The Commerce Department has estimated that every $1 billion in exports creates 6,000 new jobs.

This agreement will benefit all sectors of the American economy, from agricultural to financial services to manufacturing. It does so by leveling the playing field for American exporters who currently face tariffs of up to 260 percent while Panama exports face virtually no tariffs in the United States.

Fundamentally, this agreement is about the economic freedom of the American people to be able to have a wide array of choices and pay less for those choices because of the power of trade and competition.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of the South Korea free trade agreement, which is the most significant trade agreement the United States has negotiated in more than 16 years, and I thank the leadership of our chairmen, Mr. Camp, Mr. Brady, and Mr. Dreier, in this regard.

The International Trade Commission's analysis shows that the South Korean agreement will increase U.S. exports to South Korea by at least $9.7 billion annually, the tariff cuts alone will add $10.1 billion to the U.S. economy annually, and that U.S. exports to South Korea will increase by nearly 30 percent more than imports from South Korea.

The economic activity that will result from the South Korean agreement will mean thousands of new jobs here at home. The Commerce Department has estimated that every $1 billion in exports creates 6,000 new jobs.

In particular, the South Korean agreement is especially beneficial for agriculture. In the 23rd District of Texas, I have the privilege to represent many agricultural producers. This agreement would be a huge win for American farmers and ranchers by ensuring that our competitors who are also seeking trade agreements with Korea are not at an advantage in South Korea's $15 billion per year agricultural market.

Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 751, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''.

Amendment No. 16 Offered by Mr. Waxman

Mr. Speaker, I would like to, first of all, thank Chairman Kevin Brady for his leadership on trade, and for organizing this very important Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, right now the number one concern of the American people is job creation. Over the past 2\1/2\ years, the Obama administration's solution for job creation has been nothing more than more spending, more borrowing, more taxing, and it simply has not worked. Instead of job creation, all that the American people have gotten is more debt.

Since the day he was sworn into office, President Obama has been sitting on a no-cost jobs solution in the form of our pending free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. Together, these three agreements have the potential to create hundreds of thousands of new jobs by opening up the markets of our trading partners to U.S. exports, which would drive job creation and economic growth here at home.

Several of my colleagues have already spoken of the importance of these agreements, so I will discuss the importance of these agreements to my home State of Texas.

While the Texas economy is very diverse, an important pillar is agriculture. In the 23rd District of Texas that I have the privilege of representing, the beef industry is a very important part of the economy, as is cotton.

All of these three pending trade agreements represent huge opportunities for Texas agricultural producers. For example, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, the Colombia agreement will eliminate the current 80 percent duty imposed on prime and choice cuts of beef, with all beef tariffs eliminated after 10 years. Cotton, another important agricultural export from Texas, will see Colombian tariffs on cotton imports completely eliminated once the agreement is passed.

In the case of Panama, U.S. beef exports that currently face tariffs of 10 to 30 percent will be immediately lifted for prime and choice cuts of beef, with the rest eliminated within 15 years.

The Korean agreement has the opportunity to be a huge windfall for agricultural exports. The United States Department of Agriculture estimates that the Korean agreement will increase annual exports to Korea by a minimum of $1.9 billion upon full implementation. For U.S. beef exports, Korean tariffs will be completely phased out in 15 years. Cotton will see its current duty-free status become permanent, guaranteeing U.S. cotton producers will compete in Korea on a level playing field with other cotton-producing nations.

There is no doubt that all three pending free trade agreements are good for agricultural producers in Texas and in the United States. These agreements are also good for the United States' service industries.

I am proud to say that I serve on the House Financial Services Committee. Currently, U.S. financial services providers face challenges to doing business in all three nations with which we have pending free trade agreements. The services industry in each nation is growing, and with passage of this agreement, American financial services firms will have better access and better ability to compete in a vibrant and growing market.

These agreements are also important to the United States' standing in the world. In particular, the Colombia agreement should be passed so that Colombia can serve as a counterweight to Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

Despite all the benefits, at the end of the day, these agreements are about creating jobs here in the United States. Every day that we fail to pass these agreements, we fail to create jobs and economic activity that would exist had we already passed them.

At a time when we're seeing unemployment at its worst since the Great Depression, I am happy that President Obama finally decided to submit them for consideration, and I look forward to all three agreements receiving swift consideration in Congress and quickly becoming law shortly thereafter.