Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her leadership here and on the committee as well.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1101, the Small Business Health Fairness Act.

It is amazing as a freshman in this body to watch this debate over what we are trying to do on this side when we know what has already transpired, what has been done:

The Affordable Care Act was going to lower our premiums $2,500. That is what the President said. But they went up by $4,800.

In my home State of Minnesota, we have seen back-to-back increases of 55 and 67 percent, 100,000 people thrown off their plan.

We have got 1,000 counties in this country with just one insurer.

The exchanges are imploding. As young, healthy people can't afford the premiums, they drop out, and the pools only have the older and the sicker.

We have job lock, where people trying to start a small business can't get the same tax advantages or purchasing power as those in big companies.

So what to do? We are going to stabilize the insurance markets through choice and competition, and that is what H.R. 1101 does. It lowers premiums. It enlarges pools. We do that. We must do that to save the health insurance markets and health care in America. That is the agenda of H.R. 1101. That is the agenda of what we are trying to do in global healthcare reform.

So today, as we debate how to fix health care in America, let us not forget the status quo and the debacle it is. So I stand and I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I further urge my colleagues to finish the job over what we are starting on real healthcare reform.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and celebrate the life of Bill Cooper. Bill was a leader, innovator, philanthropist, and a friend, and he lived the American Dream.

He grew up in Detroit, where he worked as a police officer while earning a degree in accounting. His career in banking brought him to Minnesota in 1985, when he became CEO of Twin Cities Federal. He transformed this small savings and loan into a thriving national bank.

Bill worked to ensure that all children also had access to a quality education by founding the Friends of Education, which sponsors 15 schools and serves more than 9,000 children.

Bill was a defining force as well in Minnesota politics. He always stood up for conservative principles and served as chairman of the State Republican Party from 1997 to 1999.

Bill Cooper left his mark on Minnesota, and he will be deeply missed by all of us who knew him.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join in this commitment to civility.

First off, I want to thank all of my freshmen colleagues on both sides of the aisle for participating today and going through the orientation and getting to know one another. It was a wonderful experience. I had the pleasure of talking with many of them over the last few weeks, and they share many of the same goals as I do, as this entire body does.

I agree with many of my colleagues on many issues. I can safely say I also disagree with some of them on a few issues. But while we may disagree, we do not assume that they are acting in bad faith. Rather than dismiss those who disagree with us, we must use that disagreement to challenge ourselves to be better.

You see, this process isn't easy, and addressing the issues our Nation is facing isn't easy either. In fact, I would argue, our ability to get things done, why we were sent here, rests on the ability to participate in productive political dialogue and discourse.

So substituting sincere communication, honest debate with grandstanding or a political ambush or shouting louder than somebody else is too clever by half, and it will not get the things done that we need to get done. Shouting louder than your neighbor doesn't accomplish anything other than silencing your neighbor. In fact, that is not progress; that is an affront to free speech and the ability to listen to all of those around us. It doesn't help, when we shout over each other, help you understand your neighbor's beliefs, and it doesn't help your neighbor understand your beliefs.

Now, I am reminded of this quote that gets used all too often these days: While I disapprove or might disapprove of what you say, I will defend to the death your right to say it.

So we may disagree with each other, we may even disapprove of what somebody else says, but it is important to know, it is always important to let each other say it. Freedom of speech is not limited to the loudest among us; it is a right afforded to all of us.

Of course, this commitment to civility doesn't mean we don't believe in the essence of free speech or the right and necessity to disagree with one another. We will. It simply means that we will do it in way that respects the rights of everyone. We believe, and so should those who oppose our policies, that the right to speak also entails the right to be heard.

Mr. Chairman, today, I join many of my colleagues in taking the first steps to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

My home State of Minnesota has been hit especially hard by this law. Minnesotans have seen their health insurance choices shrink, while their premiums, copays, and deductibles skyrocket. I should know.

For the last, in fact, over 5 years, I have been in the individual market and my own insurance premiums have nearly tripled, and I have gone through three insurers.

Minnesotans have seen a 50 to 67 percent increase in the premium costs this year alone. That is the fourth highest increase in the country.

As Democratic Governor Mark Dayton of Minnesota stated: ``. . . the Affordable Care Act is no longer affordable. . . .''

In fact, politicians in Minnesota are looking for waivers from the Affordable Care Act; not more of it. The other side likes to talk about healthcare access. Mr. Chairman, I would argue that the single biggest obstacle to healthcare access right now is the Affordable Care Act. It is not sustainable.

It is time to repeal this failed legislation and replace it with meaningful reforms that empower consumers, expand choice, and increase affordability.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, so all Minnesotans and all Americans can have access to affordable and portable health care.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to say how incredibly proud I am to be representing Minnesota's Second District. It is an honor that I do not take lightly, and I am excited to get to work for my constituents.

Here in the House we have hit the ground running. During my first 2 weeks in Congress, we took steps to jump-start our economy by addressing the massive web of regulations that were issued by unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats in the administration. In fact, 2016 was a record-breaking year for Federal agencies. Unfortunately, the record they set is not a good one.

In 2016 alone, there were 3,853 finalized rules and regulations, amounting to 97,110 pages. That is more than any year in history. Based on the page numbers alone, this amount of regulations may seem staggering, but the economic costs are even more damaging. In 2015, regulations cost American consumers and small businesses an estimated $1.88 trillion in lost economic productivity and higher prices.

Many in Washington have started to call Federal regulators the fourth branch of government, unelected branch of government when it comes from the agencies. For too long, these regulators have run rampant, hurting our small businesses, stifling job growth, and hampering our economy. In fact, we have had one of the slowest economic recoveries coming out of a severe recession in modern times.

That is why, last week, I was proud to join my colleagues in passing the REINS Act and the Midnight Rules Relief Act. Additionally, this week we passed the Regulatory Accountability Act. Today I am proud to introduce my first piece of legislation, the Reforming Executive Guidance Act. This will further increase transparency and ensure that regulatory agencies are held accountable for their actions.

My bill will ensure that significant guidance documents promulgated by the regulatory agencies are subject to congressional review. These guidance documents are only meant to clarify regulations. However, over the years, executive agencies have used these guidance documents more and more often to expand their power and make significant policy changes. We are the accountable branch who are to make those policy changes. These policy changes are negatively affecting our businesses and imposing these significant costs on our economy.

My bill simply ensures that significant guidance documents are fully subject to the Congressional Review Act and the Administrative Procedure Act's notice and comment requirement. Not only does this increase congressional oversight, it also increases transparency, as the public will now have the ability to review these guidance documents before they are finalized. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this straightforward, commonsense legislation.

I look forward to working with my colleagues throughout the 115th Congress as we address the major issues facing the American people.