Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the Republican House Leadership for following through on the Pledge to America. While the Democratic legislators in Wisconsin are fleeing from their responsibility, Republicans in Washington are working virtually around the clock into the weekend to create jobs by reducing excessive spending.

In these first few weeks of the 112th Congress, Leadership has navigated the House through a flurry of activity. House Republicans have made good on several campaign promises such as: reducing government spending by cutting Congressional office budgets, stopping unnecessary printing, and repealing Obamacare which the NFIB reports will kill 1.6 million jobs. As Molly K. Hooper wrote in The Hill on Friday, ``Democrats like the openness in the GOP House.'' Leadership has done an extraordinary job in accomplishing much in such a short amount of time to live up to promises and reduce government borrowing to promote private sector job creation.

In conclusion, God Bless our Troops and we will never forget September the 11th in the Global War on Terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday marked the gruesome second anniversary of the administration's misnamed stimulus plan. When this irresponsible plan of massive spending was introduced, liberals promised unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. At that time, House Republicans, led by John Boehner, explained that our Nation cannot borrow and spend our way to prosperity, and the failure of this stimulus plan is a sad reminder of this.

Now, 2 years later, taxpayers have more than $817 billion added to the national debt. Unemployment is still above 9 percent and has been above 9 percent for 21 straight months. That means 14 million Americans are without jobs. Our debt is over $14 trillion.

I have introduced legislation for an audit of the stimulus to show the American people where their tax dollars were spent. Where is the money? Where are the jobs?

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the proposed budget for next year was released by the current administration. This budget fails to address the issue of Washington's 4-year spending excess.

The proposed budget freezes will not work. They will not provide a path to fundamental reform. The proposed budget destroys jobs by adding $1.3 trillion to the national debt. Bill Miller of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that the budget leads to $175 billion in new tax increases. It cripples job creation by spending too much, taxing too much, and borrowing too much. Excessive borrowing by the government competes unfairly with small businesses.

I support fundamental cuts that will promote private sector job creation. We cannot expect to borrow the way to prosperity. House Republicans are committed to combining sound policy with practical solutions to create jobs. We need to cut spending, reduce borrowing, keep taxes low, and provide the necessary tools to jump-start job creation.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke of Dillon, South Carolina, is the latest leading economist to admit that out-of-control deficits could hurt our national economy. Last week, Mr. Bernanke warned, ``Sustained high rates of government borrowing would both drain funds away from private investment and increase our debt to foreigners.'' This borrowing would lead to higher lending costs for small businesses and consumers. This threatens small businesses across America trying to create jobs.

At the same time, House Republicans are proposing billions in spending cuts. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan called this is a ``down- payment'' in attacking Washington's spending spree. This is just the beginning. As Speaker John Boehner has stated, ``There's no limit to the amount of spending we're willing to cut.'' Republicans made a pledge to America, and we're now making good on it.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, for over 40 years Rhett Bickley has dedicated his time and effort to ensuring the preservation of South Carolina's ecosystem. From 1966 to 2000, Rhett worked for the South Carolina Forestry Commission where he served in numerous capacities ranging from Urban and District Forester to Director of Training and Safety.

From 2000 to 2010, Rhett served as the Lexington County Landscape Administrator. In addition to his roles with the South Carolina Forestry Commission and as the Lexington County Landscape Administrator, Rhett served as Chairman of the Lexington County Soil and Water Conservation District and as Vice-chairman of the Greater Columbia Landscapee Association. He has encouraged community leaders such as attorney Jake Moore of IRMO to promote Labor Day tree plantings. Rhett also served as Commissioner of the Lexington County Soil and Water Conservation District

from 2000-2010 and as Treasurer of the South Carolina Association of Conservation Districts from 2003-2008.

Throughout his esteemed career Rhett has been the recipient of many distinguished awards. He was a Clemson University Outstanding Forestry Alumnus in 1982 and the South Carolina Wildlife Federation Forest Conservationist of the Year in 1985. Moreover, Rhett received the prestigious honor of being named a Certified Forester by the Society of American Foresters in 1999.

Recently, Rhett retired from a 44 year career dedicated to ensuring the well-being of South Carolina's ecosystem. I appreciate Rhett's steadfast dedication to the Palmetto State and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Madam Speaker, yesterday, Byron York, in the Washington Examiner, correctly recognized the memory of Ronald Reagan on the 100th anniversary of the President's birth.

Without question, President Reagan stood for policies like lower taxes, less regulation, and a strong national defense.

Having served President Reagan's Energy Secretary, Jim Edwards, as deputy general counsel from 1981 to 1982, I saw firsthand his success in reducing regulations; I witnessed the success of a strong national defense by being an International Republican Institute election observer in Bulgaria, witnessing captive nations achieve freedom and democracy, with victory in the Cold War causing the defeat of communism across Europe and Asia.

Ed Meese was quoted for his contrasting the liberating policies of Reagan as opposed to the Big Government agenda of the current President.

The resources for conservatives are highlighted in California at the Reagan Library at Simi Valley and the Reagan Ranch Center of the Young America's Foundation at Santa Barbara.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, as Americans recognize Black History Month, I am honored that this month in the midlands of South Carolina that history is being made by the Reverend Dr. Charles B. Jackson, Sr.

Dr. Jackson is being hailed on February 27 for serving a historic and extraordinary 40 years of dynamic leadership at Brookland Baptist Church in West Columbia. He began preaching at age 9, and at age 18 was installed as pastor, energizing one of the fastest-growing congregations in the Southeast. With great humility, he encouraged the church's 65 ministries.

Dr. Jackson promoted a new sanctuary that seats 2,300, followed by a 68,000-square foot community resource center. In 2008, Brookland acquired a 94,000-square foot educational facility, with 11 acres downtown, while employing over 160 dedicated personnel. A second location was launched in Richland Northeast, pastored by Dr. Christopher Leevy Johnson.

Dr. Jackson is married to the former Robin Hoefer, and he is the father of two children, Rev. Charles B. Jackson, Jr., pastor of the New Laurel Street Baptist Church, and Candace Jackson, an associate attorney with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough; along with his daughter-in-law, the former

Iva Gaymon; and four grandchildren, Kayla, Charles, III, Caleb, and Carter.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, this week the House will consider House Resolution 38, which promotes a reduction of current spending to the 2008 levels or less for the remainder of the fiscal year. This legislation seeks to cure the illness in Washington known as runaway spending.

For the past 4 years, liberals in Washington have been on a spending spree that has not only resulted in a loss of jobs, but also historic deficits. This job-destroying agenda is not sound policy for Americans today, and it burdens future generations of Americans with crushing debt.

Last week the House took steps to repeal and replace the job-killing government takeover of health care. The NFIB, the National Federation of Independent Business, the largest organization in the United States of small businesses, reports that that will put 1.6 million jobs at risk. Now we must focus our attention on limiting spending levels.

Currently, our national deficit stands at $14 trillion. Saddling future generations with today's debt is not the solution. The time has come to implement spending reforms to ensure we cut spending. The American people in November spoke clearly for fiscal responsibility. The tea party has made a difference--taxed enough already.

Mr. Speaker, this week I was startled to read in Free Times a brief by Corey Hutchins that the National Labor Relations Board announced plans to sue South Carolina and three other States because voters approved ballot amendments in November.

In South Carolina, more than 85 percent of voters chose ``yes'' on an amendment to give employees the constitutional vote by secret ballot on union representation. This threat is an insult to the voters of the Palmetto State, and it is an insult to the sacred right of secret ballot. Sadly, this is an underhanded admission by the administration that union bosses want to evade voters and deny Congress its right to stop Card Check, which has forced unionization of workers.

It's an admission workers know that today union leaders are more focused on their own personal enrichment with union dues than the rights of workers.

Fortunately, South Carolina is a right-to-work State where workers are protected, new jobs are created, and we respect the votes of all citizens. I commend the efforts of South Carolina Representative Eric Bedingfield and Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler for sponsoring the amendment.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, yesterday the House passed a bill that repealed the liberal unconstitutional health care takeover. I would like to congratulate my colleagues who voted in favor of the repeal of the job-killing health law act. The winning margin was new conservative Members elected in November to truly promote limited government and expanded freedom.

Our work is not yet complete. Today, the House will be voting on true, real health care reform authored by Chairman David Dreier--reform that can make health care accessible, reform that will make health care affordable, reform that will not eliminate small businesses.

I hope all Members will work together for this kind of health care reform. The measure we are voting on today will not deprive seniors of care. It will not create long waiting lines for the sick. It will not burden future generations of Americans with massive debt.

Madam Speaker, this is the kind of health care reform Americans want to see. It's a solution for our families who need to preserve the doctor-patient relationship.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, today, the voice of the American people will be heard. The current administration's unconstitutional health care takeover is not the will of the people.

Tea party participants have made a difference.

The current law would cost taxpayers over $2.6 trillion. It adds to the rising health care cost. The health care takeover is not workable. The National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB, America's largest organization of small businesses, estimates it will eliminate 1.6 million jobs.

Today's vote on Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act promotes a commonsense approach to the health care issues facing our country. Instead of forcing Americans to comply with a Big Government takeover of health care, repeal will open the discussion of providing affordable care to families, preserving the doctor-patient relationship and protecting jobs.

This is what the American people want the new Congress to achieve. Now is the time to repeal the takeover and to forward a plan that provides for access and affordability.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for your leadership.

Mr. Speaker, one of the many threats of this unconstitutional health care takeover is the unfunded State mandates. In my home State of South Carolina, newly inaugurated Governor Nikki Haley has correctly warned that the Palmetto State cannot afford the health care mandate. Governor Haley even went so far as to ask the President to opt out of this unfunded mandate. The reason is because the health care takeover calls for an additional $1 billion in new State spending.

The takeover will cripple small businesses. A recent study by the National Federation of Independent Business, NFIB, America's largest organization of small businesses, has indicated that the mandate will lead to the elimination of 1.6 million jobs.

This law imposes burdens on all Americans. It's a threat to senior citizens in that it will lead to waiting lists, deferral services, and rationing. It's a threat to our Nation's youth in that it burdens them with excessive debt.

Mr. Speaker, the liberal health care takeover destroys jobs, limits freedoms, and expands Big Government.

Mr. Speaker, Senator Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston) presided over the historic inauguration in Columbia, South Carolina, on January 12, 2011, as President of the State Senate. With the Inauguration of Governor Nikki Randhawa Haley as the first female Governor in the 341-year history of the state and in the first all-Republican inauguration in over 130 years, Senator McConnell delivered a moving tribute to our Constitution:

Welcome to the inauguration of the 117th Governor of South Carolina and for the Inauguration of the Lt. Governor of South Carolina and Constitutional Officers.

As a wife and the mother of two, Nikki Haley understands the importance of what is at stake both for our state and for her family. With young children and a husband who wears the uniform of our state and Nation, she should know full well the importance of what is ahead in the coming years for our state and this country, and knowing that, she has offered herself for service in this difficult time. Her steadfast convictions have brought her here today ready to do what she believes is best for all South Carolinians.

We have come again to celebrate the wonder of our system of government--a system of government that allows for the transition of power from one person to another without the need for guns or violence but with only words and ideas.

We have all been called to serve for myriad reasons. We all have different ideas and varied goals. Despite our different issues and the different paths we take to get there, our legislative journey must all have the same starting point--our oath of office. No matter the political party or our philosophical bent we all have one thing in common: the bedrock of our political service is our sworn oath to uphold and follow the constitution.

To paraphrase Hugo Black, our constitution was not written in sand but in the foundation of our state and Nation. It is our bedrock and is not to be altered by the shifting winds of current sentiment. Our constitution must always be followed strictly and faithfully by those who elect to serve. It is what our founders put in place to protect those at home from those of us in Columbia and Washington. It is a limit on what we can do. The constitution is both the means to an end as well as the beginning and end of what we do. We must never allow our desire to achieve some laudable goal tempt us to try and bypass the constitution. No great right will ever justify the wrong needed to get there.

Let us depart from each issue we confront as we leave this celebration--united in a desire to provide for a better future for our children and grandchildren. With God's will, we will muster the strength, wisdom and patience to do what we must do.

Our state's motto is ``Dum Spiro Spero'' or ``while I breathe, I hope.'' Let us leave here and have each breath we take and each word we speak give hope to those at home that our best days are not behind us but yet are still ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to congratulate my good friend Richard Perry, a Washington and Lee University graduate, and his wife Kristin Perry on the birth of their daughter Liza May Perry. Liza was born on Saturday, January 1, 2011, in Washington, DC.

Liza May Perry is six pounds and two ounces of pride and joy to her loving grandparents, Anne and Robert ``Skipper'' Perry, Jr. of Aiken, South Carolina, and Winifred Joan Off of West Chester, Pennsylvania. I am so excited for this new blessing to the Perry family and wish them all the best.

Mr. Speaker, South Carolinians are still celebrating Wednesday's inauguration of Governor Nikki Randhawa Haley of Lexington as the first female governor in the 341-year history of our State. She is the second Indian-American governor in American history, in the tradition of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, recognizing the growing significance of Indian Americans in American society.

Our family is very grateful for the swearing in of my oldest son, Alan Wilson of Lexington, as America's youngest attorney general. His prosecution experience will serve the people of South Carolina well.

The inauguration was also historic for being the first all-Republican inauguration in over 130 years with Lieutenant Governor Ken Ard; Secretary of State Mark Hammond; Treasurer Curtis Loftis; Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom; Superintendent of Education Mick Zais; Adjutant General Bob Livingston, Jr., America's only popularly elected adjutant general; and Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.