Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, we've just seen 12 straight months of private sector jobs growth and there is a 2-year low in the unemployment rate. Now is the time for us to give our economy another push forward with a smart budget that invests in critical needs and lowers the deficit with intelligent

spending cuts. But instead, what are we giving the American people? More uncertainty with another short-term extension.

This short-term continuing resolution must stop. The American people need jobs, not misguided plans that undermine the future of our Nation. Unfortunately, the Republican-passed budget would give pink slips to 7,000 American workers. And now, with a continued assault on mortgage relief programs, the Republicans are ready to start handing out foreclosure notices, too.

Let's stop this madness. Let's work together on a budget plan that create jobs, reduces the deficit, and keeps our families in their homes.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Lady Knights, the Rialto High School girls basketball team, and congratulate them for winning the CIF--Southern Section Division 2AA title game.

The Lady Knights came back from behind in the final minutes of the championship game to beat Ventura Buena 55 to 53 at the buzzer, clinching the first section title in the school's history. After a season of hard work and determination, Rialto trailed by three points with just over two minutes to go in the game.

Point guard, Summer Webb, tied the game with a three-pointer. Following the play, Janae Sharpe stole the ball, passing to Webb for an assist that pushed the Lady Knights two points ahead. Ventura Buena answered with two free throws, tying the championship game. Sharpe converted another steal to a lay-up but Buena Ventura tied the game again with nineteen seconds remaining.

This game was the Lady Knights first section appearance in the history of the Rialto girls' basketball program and it came down to the last tenth of a second. With seventeen seconds remaining on the clock, Coach Michael Anderson designed a play to give Sharpe the final shot of the game. Hundreds of fans looked on from the stands of the Anaheim Convention Center. Sharpe received the inbounds pass.

Crossing half court with composure, she let nine seconds tick off the game clock. Sharpe paused again at the three-point line, only three seconds remained. She drove into the lane, released a jumper, and scored the game-winning shot as the buzzer sounded. The blue-clad Rialto fans celebrated in an uproar as the players on the floor rushed into a dog-pile. The Lady Knights secured the championship in their first section final appearance.

I would like to extend my heart-felt congratulations to Head Coach Michael Anderson and his coaching team, Bryant Young, Toneisha Knox, Erika Matkins and Juanita Perez. I would also like to acknowledge the families, fans, and teachers in the greater Rialto community for their support. Of course, I want to congratulate the girls on the Rialto High School basketball team: Janae Sharpe, Bianca Brown, Brittani Walker, Channe Armstrong, Summer Ramsey, Summer Webb, Cynthia Mora, Montoya Washington, Ma' Kaela Buhl, Danae ``Mary'' Williams, Jasmin Samano. I wish you all the best of luck in the Southern California Regional playoffs.

Mr. Speaker, as the recent job report shows, our economy is steadily improving with 12 straight months of private sector job growth.

Now, I state, now is the time for us to build on this progress and work together in a bipartisan effort to create jobs, not reduce jobs. I state, not to reduce jobs.

But, sadly, my Republican friends are letting the extremists dictate their agenda, protecting special interests at the expense of working families. The Republican budget would destroy 700,000 jobs and turn back the clock, I say, turn back the clock on our recent economic progress. This budget would do critical harm to American families. Mothers and children would be stripped of nutrition benefits from the WIC program. Thousands of youth would be kicked out of Head Start.

And now the Republicans are ready to continue their assault on the middle class by terminating the mortgage relief program that keeps families in their homes.

We should be helping families, not making them homeless. Let's work together to pass a budget that creates jobs and helps middle class Americans.

Mr. Speaker, creating jobs and strengthening the economy must be the number one priority in Congress. Unemployment across the Nation remains far too high. In my district, unemployment still remains near 14 percent. Yet instead of focusing on creating jobs, the Republican budget plan passed last month would cause 700,000 Americans to lose their jobs. They will struggle to put food on the table.

This budget is an assault on middle- and low-income families. Thousands of teachers will be laid off, job training programs across the country will be eliminated, Pell Grants will be slashed for low- income college students, and investment in education will decrease.

And now the Republicans are proposing yet another tax on middle class families to pay for the 1099 reporting fix.

I urge my Republican friends to stand with the American middle class families and break free from the right-wing extremists. Let's work together on a real budget that creates jobs and responsibly lowers the deficit.

Mr. Speaker, Congress should be focusing on creating jobs, helping middle class families, and lowering the deficit with intelligent spending cuts--and I say with ``intelligent'' spending cuts. But instead, we're headed towards a devastating government shutdown.

Policy experts from across the political spectrum all agree the Republican budget will result in more job losses, I state more job losses, and more suffering of our families. Senator McCain's chief economic adviser estimates that the Republican budget will lead to 700,000 jobs being lost. Even Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs say the budget plan will cause our economy to shrink by 2 percent.

In my district, teachers, police officers, firefighters who are set to lose their jobs deserve better. I say they deserve better. The time to play politics with our budget is over. I urge my Republican friends to break free from the extremists in their party. Let's work together. Let's work together on a real plan to create jobs and strengthen our economy.

Mr. Speaker, right now Congress' top priority should be creating jobs and lowering the deficit with intelligent spending cuts.

The President's proposed budget is a good starting point, putting us on track to lower the deficit by $1.1 trillion over 10 years.

But instead of focusing on a bipartisan approach, the Republican spending bill includes cuts that will destroy jobs--and I say destroy jobs--and kick hundreds of thousands of children to the curb; 55,000 fewer teachers in the classroom; 1,300 fewer police officers on our streets; 200,000 kids kicked out of Head Start--while many Republicans live in their Capitol offices.

If the Republicans are serious about cutting the deficit, then why were they so happy to support the tax cuts for the wealthiest few Americans?

Today's debate is about the haves and the have-nots. Unfortunately, the have-nots, once again, are getting the short end of the stick.

Let us put aside this misguided bill and work together on a reasonable budget to put America's families first.

President Obama understands that it's a very difficult time for the American people. Our economy is improving, but unemployment remains around 9 percent across the Nation and is close to 14 percent in California's Inland Empire.

Right now we should be working on a plan that creates jobs and makes intelligent cuts to the budget. But instead, the Republicans have introduced a spending bill that will undermine the future of the American children.

The Republican CR is another attempt to play politics with the well- being of every American. There will be 200,000 children kicked out of Head Start while Republicans still live in their offices. Over $700 million will be cut from WIC. Pell Grants will be reduced, making college unaffordable to tens of thousands, and thousands more teachers will be receiving pink slips.

Scripture tells us, ``Love thy neighbor as thyself,'' but apparently, for Republicans, it's about ``me, myself, and Irene.''

Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to roll up its sleeves and begin to work together. Democrats and Republicans must come together to create new jobs for the American people, strengthen our recovery, and reduce the debt.

Yet instead of finding some common ground solution, Republicans have put forward an agenda that only serves to divide the American people. Yes, we must lower the deficit and national debt, but it is wrong to balance the budget on the backs of honorable Americans with dangerous cuts that may lead to double-digit unemployment.

In my district in California in the Inland Empire, our unemployment rate is nearly 14 percent. My constituents can't afford to have Congress play politics with the budget and the national debt. They need jobs. They need to make sure that they are putting food on the table and paying their mortgage, not another government shutdown.

I urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to focus on the big picture and get to work on creating jobs. Let's build our future.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues--Democrats and Republicans--to support small business and small business trucking.

As we debate H. Res. 72, the most critical issue facing America is how to increase jobs so that families can rise up against economic hardships.

Small businesses are essential to our nation's economy.

They account for half of our gross domestic product, more than half our jobs, and three-fourths of new jobs created each year.

We must support new and small businesses through open access to loans, credit and capital.

We can reduce onerous paperwork, and give small companies the tools they need to

take care of their employees and build their companies.

By passing legislation focused on protecting the economic vitality of small businesses in the trucking industry and all other sectors, we will facilitate economic growth for all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, at tonight's State of the Union Address, it is vitally important that President Obama lays out an effective strategy for new job creation.

The economy is improving, and with more than 1 million private sector jobs created in the last year, more people are going back to work; but far too many Americans still find themselves without jobs, especially in my district in the Inland Empire, where unemployment is 14 percent.

At this time of enormous challenges, we must all recognize that the problems we face cannot be solved by a Democrat or a Republican solution alone. Only--and I state only--by working together and finding common ground will we overcome the obstacles in front of us.

I stand ready to work with all of my colleagues, Republicans and the tea party included, to think outside the box and create a better future for our children and our country.

As we prepare for the President's address tonight, I ask my friends on the other side of the aisle: Are you ready to work with us to move forward?

Instead of focusing on creating new jobs and helping middle class families, our Republican friends want to turn back the clock. We all know this week's vote to repeal and replace the health reform is nothing but political fiction, with no intention of doing anything to improve health care. It's just a smoke screen. The reality is that a repeal of reform will be bad for our economy and worse for American families and businesses.

In my district alone, repealing health care reform would discriminate against the 305,000 people who suffer from preexisting conditions--129 million nationwide. It would eliminate tax credits for 10,000 small businesses, kick 5,000 young adults off their parents' insurance plans--and 1.2 million nationwide--and it throws more than 5,000 seniors back into the doughnut hole of higher drug costs--2.7 million nationwide.

Let's stand with American families and say ``yes'' to more jobs and ``no'' to all efforts to repeal health reform.

Madam Speaker, I oppose this repeal of the health bill that is good for my district.

Madam Speaker, right now, Democrats and Republicans should be coming together to create new jobs, help struggling middle class families, and reduce the deficit. But instead of dealing with the problems of today, our Republican friends want to turn back the clock. Now is the time for job creation, not job elimination.

We have heard some say that health reform will bankrupt our Nation. But we know that is not true. In fact the Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that health reform lowers the deficit by over $1 trillion.

We have heard some say that the business community cannot afford health care reform. But we know that repealing reform actually increases taxes on America's small businesses, by eliminating health care tax credits.

Repealing the health care reform law means:

Discrimination against individuals with pre-existing conditions-- jeopardizing coverage for up to 305 thousand individuals in my District;

Gender discrimination that allows insurance companies to charge women higher premiums than men for the same coverage; and

Higher prescription drug costs for seniors on Medicare--including over 5 thousand seniors in my District who will be thrown back into the ``Donut Hole.''

Hospitals in my District are already busting at the seams. They can't afford the $146 million in uncompensated care costs that repeal would bring.

I refuse to go back home and tell parents in my District that 56 thousand of their children will no longer be able to find insurance because of pre-existing health conditions.

We must continue to move forward and focus on job creation. Now is not the time to return to the failed policies of the past.

Let's stand with American families and say ``no'' to more insurance company control; ``no'' to increasing the deficit; and ``no'' to all efforts to repeal health reform.

All throughout Congress, the Republicans consistently asked, ``Where are the jobs?'' They asked this last year. Yet in their first major action, the House Republicans are showing their true colors: playing politics at the expense of hardworking Americans.

Under the Republican plan to repeal health reform, small businesses will not be able to receive $40 billion in tax credits that will allow them to cover employees; insurance premiums will continue to rise, forcing businesses to cut benefits and lay off employees; and they will add to the deficit, exploding it to $1 trillion over the next 20 years, creating more uncertainty in our economy.

Instead of serving hardworking American families, Republicans would rather have American small businesses serve greedy health insurance companies. Republicans are proving yet again that they are indeed the party of ``no''--no relief, no health care, no jobs.

I urge my colleagues to stand with American small businesses and workers and resist any attempt to repeal health reform.

Madam Speaker, I thank you for your service to our country, for your sacrifice and unyielding dedication.

Because of your leadership, Democrats have much to be proud of during our work in the 110th and 111th Congress.

As Speaker, you have made the United States a better country. Women have more rights in the workforce, children are safer, our military is stronger and our economy was saved from near complete collapse.

Without you at the helm, healthcare for all would only be a dream. Because of your labor, it will be a reality.

As the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, you have left an indelible mark on our history. Your positive, supportive and empowering leadership will forever remind us of what it is to be an American.

Your strength of leadership will continue to serve the American people well as we protect the victories we have secured, and renew our efforts to move America forward.

Speaker, I remember the day of your swearing-in. All the children surrounding you as you pounded the gavel leading us on a new direction. You have made them proud. You have made us all proud.

Thank you, Speaker Pelosi. Thank you.

Madam Speaker, I was absent on Wednesday, December 22, 2010. I had legislative business in the district. Had I been present, I would have voted in support of the Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 847--James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act.