Floor Statements

Mr. Chair, on rollcall No. 372, the Jackson Lee/Cao amendment, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Well, thank you, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Paul Tonko, for setting up the challenge of setting the record straight.

Just as an aside, a few years ago, as a State legislator, I remember sitting in my room watching C-SPAN, and you and Congressman Ryan were speaking a few years ago. And I thought, Wow, how neat would it be to stand next to them and talk about the same things we're talking about today.

Well, here we are. So it's an honor to share this stage with you to talk about how we get our country back on track and we get our economy moving again.

I agree with so much that has been said here tonight; that America has to be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth. We have to build things here in this country. We have to invest in our workforce. We have to invest in things that are going to make us different than the rest of the world. And we have that here.

You look at the computer. You look at our space program. You look at things that have been invented here. Things don't happen by accident in America. Things happen because we have some of the greatest entrepreneurs. We have the great entrepreneurial spirit, we have great mind, great thinkers. We also have a great form of government that works on behalf of the American people.

However, what we hear from the other side, Mr. Speaker, what we hear from our colleagues on the Republican side, is that ``no'' has been the standard answer here for the last year and a half. The party of ``no.'' The ``just say no'' crowd. Say, No ideas. No solutions. No interest in helping America move back and move to higher places.

Look, we're elected to do things, not just to win elections but to do things and put the country back on track. When you run for office, you make all these promises. But when you govern, it's about choices. And we have to a choice to make. Do we work together as Democrats and Republicans to put America first, to put America back on track, and to put our country moving forward? Or do we participate in this partisan exercise here where all we get is stiff arms?

We have worked very hard to try to bring our colleagues on the other side, Mr. Speaker, to the middle and to govern from the middle and to work hard to make sure that we incorporate some of their ideas. In fact, in the health care debate, there were over 150 Republican amendments. The final version of

the bill reflected the version that was introduced in 1993 by Senator Bob Dole. So while it had a lot of Republican ideas, it had zero Republican votes.

And that is not leadership, Mr. Speaker. Because leadership is about action, not just position. Not just position.

And what we hear is this constant drumbeat about how they want the keys back, as you said, Congressman Tonko. They want the keys back.

Well, the American people remember that they drove us into this ditch by bending over to Big Oil, by bending over for credit card companies and big Wall Street banks and the big insurance companies.

Our political philosophy is this--I know all of us share this--that the government should set the out-of-bounds markers. They should set the goal posts, and let the free market operate in between. But be a good referee. When someone goes out of bounds, you throw the flag. When big oil companies don't have redundancy built into their systems, the referee should be throwing the flag. When private insurance companies are dumping people because they paid their insurance but committed the sin of getting sick, we should throw the flag. Now we could have a debate all day about where those markers and where those out-of-bounds markers are set and where those goal posts are set. But make no question, the government should be the referee.

Well, what do we invest in, Congressman Tonko? We invest in our greatest asset in America, and that's our people. We want to invest in our people, workforce retraining, investing in jobs in our economy, putting people back to work.

Putting the private interests of our citizens over public interests is what we see, Mr. Speaker, from the other side. They want to put private interests ahead of our good public interest.

We've seen the unregulated greed. We've seen what happens when things go unchecked on Wall Street. What we've seen when we've taken office just in the 111th Congress, I mean you and I are both freshmen, and we were handed a $3.5 trillion deficit. The record is very clear.

Look at this chart here, Congressman Tonko and Congresswoman Wasswerman Schultz. I mean, the last three Republican Presidents have given us tremendous debt to our Nation. And what we have heard, Mr. Speaker, from the previous speakers on the other side just a short time ago was how the government is out of control and we're spending. Well, look, it was Republican Presidents who were doing the spending.

The last surplus that America had was a $5.6 trillion surplus handed over to us by President Clinton. So, you know, for them to come over here and lecture Democrats about spending is pretty ironic, considering the facts here that this chart shows.

Now look, we have got to get our spending under control in Washington. Democrats and Republicans both agree on that point. We've got to make sure that we can pay for the wars that we're paying for, these two undeclared wars that we find ourselves in. We need to make sure that we live within our means like working people have to. But let's be clear, a $3.5 trillion deficit handed to us day one when Congressman Tonko and Congressman Boccieri walked through the doors is almost insurmountable in an economy that was on such downward spirals, as you had talked about.

So let's get this straight. This is the deficit that was handed over to us with a trillion-dollar tax cut to the wealthiest Americans, another trillion-dollar tax cut to the top 1 percent of our country, a prescription drug plan that left a huge doughnut hole for our seniors that was $500 billion, and two undeclared, unfunded wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those are the facts.

Instead of giving the keys back, we should revoke the license, quite frankly, because these numbers are stark. And I have children who are going to have to pay for this. You have children who are going to have to pay for this. Let's revisit this, a $1.4 trillion deficit under President Reagan, a $3.3 trillion deficit under President H.W. Bush, a $5.6 trillion surplus under President Clinton, an $11.5 trillion deficit under George W. Bush.

I mean, the numbers are stark, and every answer or every solution that they tried to come up with is about giving more tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans and taking the stripes off the referee. This is not the answer. We need to come together as a country to address this. But certainly the facts are presented here, and that is why it is so important that we have got to invest in the greatest asset in our country, and that's our people. And you know, by doing that with the Recovery Act, investing in workforce investment, retraining workers-- because some of these trade deals have been good for the Ports of Galveston and California and the Port of New York, but they haven't been good for the Midwest. Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and I understand that by reinvesting in our workforce, helping those workers transition from manufacturing jobs that have left is very important to me.

And while I'm encouraged that we've seen now 10 consecutive months of manufacturing increase in our country, we have got to be the producers of wealth in this Nation, not just the movers of wealth.

I'm happy to report that small businesses in my community are beginning to grow again. The NuEarth Corporation in Alliance, they have just created 60 new jobs in our small town. Medline Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of medical products, has just created dozens of jobs and will be adding jobs over the next 3 years, they have announced. Nationwide Insurance just announced another 600 new jobs in Ohio. They have a facility in my district, an office building in my district. One of the best news reports that we have heard was that Rolls-Royce, who has invested in fuel cell technology, an alternative energy source that even our military is beginning to use, just announced that they're moving their research headquarters from Singapore to Stark County, Ohio, in the 16th Congressional District. They're going to invest $3 million in equipment and are creating up to 60 new jobs and are retaining 32 that are there already. And it goes on and on.

The statistics are showing that we are improving this economy. We're growing--certainly not fast enough for the million of jobs that have been lost under the previous administration and what we were handed day one when we walked in the office, but we are doing our best to turn this economy around and invest in our people.

Well, leadership is about action, not just political position, as I have said before. And we can win elections by taking comfortable votes and maneuver, but that's not real leadership. We come here to get things done. The American people want leadership. They want us to do things. They don't want us to just have a career. They want us to invest in the country. They want us to serve. They want us to do the right thing, do what we think is right, and move the country forward.

You know, I think that at least our Democratic majority has attempted to reach across the aisle and pull people in and say, Give us some ideas. I have sponsored legislation with Members. Chris Lee from New York and I have sponsored an investment tax credit so that we can keep our research and development here in America instead of outsourcing it and giving folks an

extra bonus if they manufacture their products in America. This is the type of leadership we're asking for. The HIRE Act that I reached across the aisle and worked on with Congressman Rooney from Florida, this just became a law.

So we have good ideas, and we can share them together; but on the big issues that confound our Nation, we need their leadership as well as ours. A stiff arm is not the solution to any of these big problems our Nation is facing. So the question becomes, Are we going to invest in America? Are we going to invest in the working middle class and champion the values of the middle class here in legislation that we pass? You know, in just simple votes that we have taken for people who have lost their jobs under no fault of their own, to give them an unemployment check, to make sure that they have COBRA insurance so that they can keep their family going to the dentist or the doctor, keep bread on their table. I mean, these are simple things. Investing in the future of our kids, like the COMPETES Act.

I mean, I just don't understand. I share the collective value with you and others, and I know that there are some of my Republican colleagues over there who want to invest in small families and strong communities, but their hands are tied because of partisan politics. And the American people are watching, and I think the poll numbers that you read earlier are very true.

The choice that they are making is not to lead. So I think that when it comes to the matter of the economy, we are trying to put our country back on track, and I think we have passed some very good measures here. So setting the fair rules of the road, making sure that we understand that we are going to invest and expand our economy, grow our economy by manufacturing, and becoming the producers of wealth is very important.

You know, nearly 87 percent of the world's economic growth over the next 5 years is going to take place out of the United States. We have a tremendous opportunity with Ohio to export our goods, to invest in our workforce and our manufacturing sector to export some of not just our jobs, but export our goods. We don't want to see any more jobs exported out of this country. And that's what we've seen with some of these trade deals that have been championed by previous administrations.

But certainly when we invest in our economy, and we invest in a big opportunity for us like energy, when you build a new nuclear reactor, you can't outsource it. When you build a new solar array, you can't outsource those jobs. When you build a wind turbine that has 8,000 manufactured parts, 200 tons of steel, the roller bearings are made of Timken, a manufacturer in my congressional district. Those are real jobs. You can't outsource that wind turbine. So we can invest in our future and help us become energy independent in the long run. And that's what we've done with taking these big steps and investing in energy policy that makes sense.

Now, you will hear from my friends on the other side of the aisle who want to identify our legislation, our national energy policy and our legislation that's going to end our dependence on foreign oil in the Middle East, make our economy more secure in the long run because $1 billion leaves America every day and goes over to the Middle East where we are funding Ahmadinejad and so many others. We're funding both sides of this war just by our consumption habits.

So investing in our workforce, creating jobs that can't be outsourced, ending our dependence on foreign oil, these are traditional values, American values that we should all champion. But what are they talking about? Cap-and-trade. Well, come up with a better free market idea, because it was a Republican idea. John McCain has three times introduced a cap-and-trade bill.

Because in 2007, AEP and Connecticut were in this court battle, and the Supreme Court said that the EPA was allowed to curb pollution under the Clean Air Act. Well, we decided to have a free market approach, one that's proven. Because cap-and-trade's been in existence since the 1990s. It curbed acid rain, reduced sulfuric acid, and drove innovation and creativity in that market. So it's a free market approach, a proven one. So if you have a better idea, let's hear one. But it was your idea. So by championing your idea, now they are demagoguing our energy policy as cap-and-trade.

Absolutely. And our Web site is Boccieri.house.gov. That's B-o-c-c-i-e-r-i.house.gov. Please join our Facebook there and leave us your comments as well.

I enjoyed this conversation and dialogue we had. Let's work together to put America back on track. We can do this. America has played second place to no one. And we can invest in our future, invest in our greatest asset, our workforce, and we can do it together.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moore) and the committee for their work on this important bill that recognizes the service of our strong military members who find themselves on multiple rotations, and some of those who find themselves injured. Today the Blue Star/Gold Star Flag Act of 2009 is a tribute to those military families.

In 2009, one of my constituents was required by her condominium association to remove the Service flag. It was placed in her window in honor of her son, an Iraq war soldier who had served multiple tours and was twice injured in the line of duty while serving over in Iraq. They were both roadside bombs.

The Service flag, or the Blue Star flag or Gold Star flag, is an official banner, as has been said, by the Department of Defense, and it's been on display by families of members serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war.

The Service flag has significant meaning to our Nation and the families of the men and women who are serving. It's a symbol of the sacrifices and service of our members of the military who put their lives on the line every day to protect all of us, and that's why family members should be allowed to fly the flag in honor of those sacrifices, no matter where they live.

This bipartisan, commonsense measure is based on the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005 that passed both Chambers overwhelmingly during the 109th Congress. The legislation prohibits residential real estate management associations from preventing residents from displaying the

Service flag on or around their homes or places of dwelling. I introduced this measure to ensure that people have the right to display the Service flag without limitation.

As a major in the Air Force Reserve and flying multiple missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, flying those wounded and fallen soldiers out of the country, it is significant that we allow the families to be represented and to be represented of the service of their loved one. I was honored when I learned that the Ohio State Legislature had displayed a Service flag for me while I was serving in Iraq and Afghanistan from 2004 through 2005. It was at the State capitol and on display.

I would like to thank all the supporters of this legislation, as my office has received thousands of signatures from Ohioans and members of the military, as well as those families around the country who support this measure, as well as endorsements from the Air Force Sergeants Association, VoteVets.org, and over 50 of my colleagues have supported this legislation, which will aid in its passage.

I would like to thank Chairman Frank, Ranking Member Spencer Bachus for their help on this important bill that honors the service of our military members and gives all people, no matter where they live, the right to honor them, too.

As I've said before, as a military member myself, I'm proud to stand before you today having worked on those critical measures which can become law for our veterans, including improving access to health care in rural areas for veterans, ensuring the VA can adequately handle mental health issues for those returning vets from the front lines.

You know, today we stand together in a bipartisan way. We intend to make the Blue Star/Gold Star Flag Act of 2009 a law for military families. While they stood up and fought for us, it's now time that we stand up and fight for their families to recognize their service.

I thank the gentlelady from Florida for organizing this hour to talk about jobs and the economy and what the Democratic Caucus has been doing to try to put our country back on track.

Let me just say that I applaud all my Members for being here, because there is one singular issue that I hear over and over again in my Midwest district in Ohio: we need to be the producers of wealth. We need to build things here, not just move wealth. And that is why it is so important that we focus on putting our country back on track, creating jobs that can't be outsourced, investing in our green economy, investing in the infrastructure that is going to make our country energy independent, not only for the jobs that it will create, but because it is a matter of national security.

This Congress has gone on lightning speed with great work to try to put that message and drive that message home in Midwest States like Ohio.

And let me just say the fruits of what we have been trying to sow for the last several months here--and you hear the Just Say No crowd who get up and talk about how they are against everything. We know what they are against, but what are you for? Are you for putting people back to work in Ohio? Are you for growing our economy? Are you for putting our Nation on a path toward security, with lessening our dependence on foreign oil? Those are the things that we are standing for in this Congress, and we want them to join us. These answers aren't Democrat or Republican, they are not conservative or liberal. They are American answers that deserve American solutions.

So if you are just trying to score political points, if you don't believe that you should bet against America and Americans, then join us, because we want to put our country back on track.

Great things are happening in Ohio. We are starting to see the rebirth of our manufacturing sector after consecutive quarters of job loss and a stagnant economy that was handed to us.

I remind my colleagues, when we took over in 2009, in the 111th Congress, we were facing exploding deficits; $3.5 trillion was handed off to this Congress, two unfunded undeclared wars, an economy that was in free-fall. We didn't know where we were going to land. We had greed on Wall Street and banking chaos. This was a lot of work that this Congress had try to get our arms around, but we see that what we have been able to do is begin to put our country back on track.

Nine consecutive months of manufacturing growth, the best in the last 6 years, that's a strong message. And while we still need to do some work, and we have a lot of work to do on unemployment, this economy is growing again.

And let me just remind, you don't hear this on the conservative talk radio shows, you don't hear this on the conservative cable shows, but this is the reality of what the Congress has been dealing with: one Democratic President in the last 20 years, and we had a $5.6 trillion surplus that was turned into an $11 trillion deficit by the previous administration. You don't hear that talked about. You don't hear about the fact that we were handed a $3.5 trillion deficit just coming into office in 2009, but that is the facts and that is the reality.

I want to tell you that we are beginning to grow this economy and beginning to put people back to work. Just in my district alone, Barbasol Shaving Company is expanding, adding new jobs in Ashland, Ohio. We have the NuEarth Corporation in my hometown of Alliance, adding new jobs and expanding. Luk Manufacturing is expanding, $40 million investment. TekFor in Worcester ended up bringing back 200 workers. These are real jobs that affect real families in our community, and that's what we have got to champion.

Those are the things that we have been fighting for here in the Congress, and we want them to join us. We have a message to the Just Say No crowd: join us. Help us put America back on track. We need you.

Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chair, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Chair, if you believe like I do that we need to be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth, then you're going to like this amendment. If you believe, like I do, that we need to invest in the innovative spirit of America, then you're going to like this amendment. If you believe, like I do, that we need to be investing in our national defense and manufacturing in Ohio and across the Midwest, then you're going to like the amendment we have to offer.

I rise today in support of the Boccieri-Schauer-Davis-Donnelly amend- ment which will expand the Federal loan guarantees for innovative technologies in manufacturing from $50 million to $100 million. This amendment is an investment in our Nation's manufacturing base, the backbone of our economic recovery that will give additional funding for loans to embrace advances in technology, innovation and retool and rebuild so that we can compete on a global scale.

Ninety-six percent of Ohio's exports come from the manufacturing of more than $84 billion worth of goods, yet manufacturers in my northeastern Ohio district have been hit disproportionately hard by this economic recession, and we need to do more to expand. Companies like Sandridge Food Corporation in Medina, Barbasol Shaving Cream plant in Ashland, and the new jobs at NuEarth Corporation in Alliance all need the resources and innovative spirit to move our economy down the field. We need to grow and create jobs not only in Ohio but across our country. This will be the impetus for leading us out of this recession. This amendment nearly authorizes $100 million to rebuild and retool our economy.

At this time, Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I would inquire how much time I have left.

Thank you. I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Donnelly).

Mr. Chair, I yield myself 1 minute.

I understand that the gentleman from Texas is rising in opposition to this amendment because he believes that it is unnecessary. But let me tell you what we're doing in Ohio. We have a community college that has worked closely with the local economy, making a bridge between the local innovation and investments and the research and development to create pipelines for jobs. Rolls-Royce Corporation just announced that they're moving their research for their fuel cells from Singapore to Stark County, Ohio. And they have a pipeline there. They're creating a curriculum based on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. They need the resources, they need the tools to help innovate and move us out of this recession so we can end our dependence on foreign oil. This is a small example of how successful a program like this could be in our great State of Ohio.

Mr. Chair, I yield 30 seconds to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the Chair of the committee.

I would like to inquire how much time we have remaining, Mr. Chair.

I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Schauer).

Mr. Chair, at this time I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, can you believe it? The United States House of Representatives under Democrat majorities have delivered the largest tax reductions in America's history to middle class families. That's right. Ninety-five percent of American workers got a tax cut in the stimulus bill. The stimulus bill acted as a backstop against further job loss, and it helped create some jobs along the way, like what is happening in my district.

Ameridial, in Canton, is adding hundreds of jobs. LuK USA, which makes drive trains for the automotive industry, invested $18 million with a $2 million tax abatement that was handed out through some of our recovery efforts, and now they're adding another $60 million investment in expansion. Tekfor just added another $31 million in expansion. These are real signs of economic life and prosperity right in the heartland of Ohio.

Let me remind my conservative friends on the other side, amidst the constant drumbeat that we hear from conservative talk radio, that this is the record, that this is the record of job losses and that this is the record of job recovery that we have seen under this administration and under this leadership.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 85th anniversary of WHBC-AM Radio, the oldest radio station in Stark County and Canton, Ohio.

Founded in 1925, WHBC was the first Catholic station in the country. It later changed formats and quickly became one of the shining, trusted voices of northeast Ohio. In the golden age of broadcasting, parents and children would gather around the radio and listen to WHBC.

Bing Crosby's music was soothing and simple. Dragnet was exciting and fun. A father and son could listen to a ball game and the Indians win their last World Series in 1948.

Today, WHBC is as diverse a station as the citizens of northeast Ohio. WHBC gives people the facts, and its programming gets to the heart of who we are as northeast Ohioans. Fans can listen to their favorite teams in the car, or as I like to do, turn down the television and listen to WHBC's play-by-play. I listen to WHBC because it's a quality radio station and has maintained that standard for 85 years.

Congratulations.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of the recent 60th anniversary of the Toastmasters Club 767 located in Alliance, Ohio, where I live.

The Toastmasters, now an international club with members in China and India, has given some 250,000 Americans the opportunity to overcome their fear of public speaking, become better listeners, and gain confidence in community relations. Alliance Toastmasters has given that opportunity to people in my community for some 60 years now, having grown from just four members at its inception to now dozens.

In Alliance, Ohio, and elsewhere, there are politicians, administrators and teachers who have gained much of their confidence and ability to communicate from their experience in the Toastmasters Club; but more than anything Toastmasters presents an opportunity for people to engage with their neighbor, learn from one another, and to develop their thoughts about our world.

In an age of 24-hour news, Internet surfing and texting, Toastmasters is a reminder of just how important it is that we maintain face-to-face communication with one another. I commend Alliance Club 767 for helping people in my community gain confidence in doing just that for 60 memorable years, and I thank them for their service to our community.

Mr. Speaker, can you imagine that the Democratic leadership in the United States Congress has given the largest tax cut to middle class America? Well, that is certainly not the narrative that you hear out there on the television shows and some of the radio shows, but $288 billion in tax cuts for individuals and small businesses delivered with the Recovery Act.

Nearly 40 percent of that tax package was tax relief to middle class families, like the Making Work Pay Tax Credit, $400 for a worker, $800 per couple. Two hundred sixty thousand families in the 16th District are already benefiting. Eight thousand dollar tax credit for first-time homebuyers. Sixty thousand people in Ohio filed, totaling some $402 million in tax credits. Expansion of the child tax credit. Up to $2,500 in tax savings for families sending their kids to college. Two hundred sixty-four thousand Ohioans are benefiting. Five billion dollars to help businesses. Fifteen billion dollars to allow companies to carry over their losses.

This serves as a reminder that the recovery package is the single largest tax cut for American middle class families. Remember this tax day who was standing with you.

Her story took me to a place I hadn't been in a long time. I'm talking about Natoma Canfield, the face of this debate, who's sitting in a hospital room at the Cleveland Clinic right now, with no insurance, getting blood transfusions for the next 30 days. She doesn't have health care insurance because, in 2009, her rates increased 25 percent. In 2010, her rates went up another 40 percent. Finally, she just couldn't take it as a single mom, so she dropped her health care insurance because she couldn't afford it.

I remember as a young boy standing at my mom's bedside when she told me she had breast cancer. Luckily, my mom had good health care insurance. She survived and is alive today. But how many people do not have health care insurance and how would my life have changed if she did not make it? Where would I be? Would I have been able to go to college? Would we have been able to afford her treatment?

Nearly 40,000 people in the 16th District do not have health care insurance, and 9,800 people live with preexisting conditions.

I'll remind my friends on the other side who voted to send Tommy Thompson to Iraq with billion-dollar checks in hand to make sure that every man, woman, and child in Iraq had universal health care coverage: If it's good enough for Iraqis, it's good enough for Americans. Who are you going to stand with today; the insurance industry or Americans like Natoma?

Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Well, I thank the gentleman from my adjoining district, the 17th Congressional District in Ohio. The 16th Congressional District of Ohio has had its share of people who are without health insurance. And in fact, nearly 39,000 people in my district right now are wondering how they're going to pay for coverage, how they're going to pay their doctors' bills should they have an emergency now. There are 9,800 residents in the 16th Congressional District who have preexisting conditions. As we speak right now, they will not be able to get health care coverage.

Let me speak to you about the face of this national debate because our friends on the other side like to make this national debate about Speaker Pelosi or Leader Reid or even the President of the United States.

At the end of the day, the face of this issue is about Natoma Canfield. Natoma Canfield right now is sitting at the Cleveland Clinic, hanging on for dear life, getting blood transfusions every day for the next 30 days without health care insurance. Now her story moved me so because she brought me back to a place that I haven't been in a long, long time. I remember as a young boy standing at the bed of my mom--I was the oldest son--and she was telling me that she had breast cancer, and she didn't know what the future had in store for her. She was going to get treatment but wanted us to be prepared.

Now, she had health care insurance, and she survives today. But I wonder now as a father of four children what would have happened to my life if my mom didn't have health care insurance. What would have happened to her? Would I have been able to go to college? Would I have had to work? How would we have paid for her treatments? My life could have been considerably different based upon this situation.

That story is played out hundreds of thousands of times not only across the 16th Congressional District but across this country. Too many of our citizens are one accident, one medical emergency, one diagnosis away from complete and utter bankruptcy, financial ruin. And in fact, in 2007, they said nearly 70 percent of all bankruptcies in the United States were because they had no insurance.

Now, I would remind my friend from Ohio, in 2004 our Secretary of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson, flew to Iraq with billion- dollar checks in hand to make sure that every man, woman and child in Iraq had universal access to the doctor that they wanted to see. Now, why is that good for Iraqis and not for Americans? Why do Americans have to pay for Iraqis to see their physician anytime they wanted to, but that's not good enough for our own people? Well, the time has come, the hour is at hand. Too many politicians are worried about their futures and not about the futures of the people that we represent. They're worried about the reelection. They're worried about their job security instead of the job security and the health security of the families that we represent.

I know a lot of people are angry. They watch the display of back and forth here in Washington. They become frustrated, frustrated because of all the blocking and stiff arms. You know, I would remind my colleagues on the other side, the bill that we have before us today and that we will vote on this weekend, the bill that is before the House of Representatives, when the components are added from the President's bipartisan summit and the four Republican ideas are added into this bill, this bill will be identical, if not completely identical, to the bill that was introduced by Lincoln Chafee and Bob Dole in 1993 as a Republican counterproposal to the Clinton administration's health care debate.

Leadership doesn't need to be worrying about who's going to control this House. They need to be making sure that Natoma Canfield can keep her house because without health care insurance--she told me on the phone the other day that she's worried about her home going into foreclosure.

Now, I know that a lot of people are uneasy about this process that we have here in Washington. I know a lot of people are suggesting that we ought to stop and start over, but the insurance companies aren't starting over. We see broad increases in insurance premiums, 40 percent, 50 percent sometimes. Where does this end? Where does it stop? Where do the most abusive practices stop? When you can block someone from seeing their doctor because

they had a preexisting condition, when you can deny someone coverage because they got sick, when you can tell somebody that they have reached their lifetime cap, and they can no longer be insured, that is what this debate is about, about the faces of our constituents.

Let me tell you, before I turn it over to my friend, about a young boy who made the journey to Washington, D.C. I couldn't be in Ohio today because we had votes, so I brought Ohio to Washington. I had a family here, a young boy by the name of Jay. Jay was here, and this young boy has autism. He is uninsurable. He has a preexisting condition because he has autism.

I was walking down the hall with his mother Esther, and she was in tears after our announcement. She said that, you know, I know this is a tough decision for you and the country, but it's one that is very necessary. And I told her, I said, If we don't succeed at this task in front of us, Jay will never be able to obtain health care insurance unless we vote on this bill, unless we say enough. Because on day one when this bill passes, Jay will be able to get health care insurance. We will no longer allow the insurance industry to deny people because they had a preexisting condition. I think this is a fight worth having. I do, Mr. Ryan, and that's why I'm here today.

Madam Speaker, as Chairman Berman has said, I am one of just a handful of Members who have served in Afghanistan. I remember serving on the ground there as I was deployed as a tactics officer in Operation Vigilant Sentinel. As a C-130 pilot, they sent some forward- deployed troops there to make sure that our troops got the right supplies, and that the missions that we were doing were safe, and that our crews would come home very honorably and soon.

I have to tell you that I remember that day walking to the chow hall. I had my 9-millimeter strapped to my side, walking in my uniform. And there were soldiers gathered along the streets on either side. I kind of peeked my head around, and then a Humvee drove by with the flag on it. And everybody was standing at perfect attention. I was asking somebody what that was. And they said, well, that was one of the soldiers who had recently been killed in action, and he is on his journey back to the United States.

I began to think about that soldier. Who were they? What branch of service were they in? How did they meet their fate? Did they know after C-130 pilots would fly in and unload them, cargo and troops on that very geographic spot, if they knew that they were going to fly home that way. And I remember that anonymous soldier because the mission that we have there is very important.

Whether we agree with this war or not, we have to understand that those troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan are there only because our country asked them to go. I believe that we do need to bring our troops home safely, honorably, and soon, but not yet. Discussion is good, but arbitrary deadlines are not. I am concerned about walking away from Afghanistan too prematurely. We must ensure some stability not only in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan, because of their arsenal of nuclear weapons. It would be disastrous if we allowed some terrorist to get their hands on that arsenal of weapons.

So our policy in Afghanistan has a direct impact on the stability of our region. That is important to me, and we must continue our pursuit of those perpetrators of 9/11 in that region.

The gentleman I serve with from Ohio is a deeply honorable man, and he believes, as I do, that we need to bring our troops home safely, honorably, and soon. However, the only person that is in a position to judge the number of troops needed in Afghanistan, after considering the advice and counsel of the Secretary of Defense and the generals tasked with executing our strategy, in my opinion, is the President of the United States.

Congress's responsibility is to judge the President's strategy, making sure it meets our national defense goals, and provide him with the resources required for success. The war in Afghanistan is a top national security priority for our country. Having flown dozens of missions in and out of Bagram and Kandahar, I understand that success can only be achieved when the Afghan Government stands on its own and defends itself against any threats, whether those threats are physical, economic, or constitutional.

This means that the Afghan Government needs to be fully functional, standing on its own with an army and police force capable of defending the country, and sealing the border with Pakistan; an economy that provides its citizens with an acceptable standard of living; and a reliable government and judicial structure that delivers critical services and enforces a uniform rule of law throughout the country.

Afghanistan needs civilian investments, comparable if not bigger than our military investment. While securing Afghanistan is important to our national security, our troops cannot do it alone.

It has been said that we need a foreign policy based on realism rather than idealism, and I concur with that. That's why I will not be supporting this resolution today. While I do support the gentleman's efforts to have this discussion, we need to take a very long-term strategy and find out how we do bring our troops home safely, honorably, and soon.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Sorry for the confusion this evening.

Tonight I am joined by several of my colleagues from around the country who want to talk to you about the economy and how we are working hard here in Congress to set the record straight, but also, more importantly, to put our people back to work.

If you remember when we took office, Mr. Speaker, we were suffering from one of the worst recessions since the Great Depression. In fact, many have called this the Great Recession. And ironically, of all commercials, there is a contemporary insurance commercial out on the airwaves today that says, ``How will we remember the time and our experience? Will we remember this time as the great recession or the recession that made us great?'' I think

tonight you are going to hear from my colleagues who say that we are going to be remembered for the recession that will once again make this country as great as it has been in the past by focusing on real things, real challenges, and offering up real solutions.

When we took office, Mr. Speaker, the economy was in freefall. We didn't know where we were going to land. Record job losses were across the airwaves, people were standing in lines waiting for unemployment checks, and we found out that it was the most significant job loss since the Great Depression.

Record job losses. We didn't know where the economy was going to fall. Two undeclared, unfunded wars. A banking system in chaos. Greed on Wall Street. It was a perfect prescription for a perfect storm, and one that has led us to where we now have enormous challenges in front of us. The job market was losing 750,000 jobs a month, and unemployment was climbing just as fast. The economy was contracting at a rate of over 6 percent, the worst in decades. Foreclosures were at record levels. Home prices had plummeted by 30 percent. The decline of home prices, stock values, pensions and other retirement plans had cost American households over $10 trillion in wealth.

In fact, since the Great Recession had started, Mr. Speaker, since 2007, Americans' wealth had plummeted by $17.5 trillion according to the Federal Reserve. Seventeen and a half trillion dollars of loss of wealth since the recession started in June of 2007. It didn't start to pick up until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Now, we have heard a lot of hype about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. We heard a lot about the fact that this was the largest investment of capital in our Nation's history. We have heard a lot about the fact that this was the largest tax reduction in our country's history. Faced with this economic meltdown that we were handed when we walked into the door here in the 111th Congress, it required swift action.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that Members of Congress will be judged by two measures: by action or inaction. And the Congress took swift action to act as a backstop against further job loss, to create some jobs along the way. That is what the stimulus was about. And every economic expert you speak to today says that this brought us back from the brink of a great depression.

So I want to tell those detractors today that it wasn't until we enacted the stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, that Americans' wealth started to grow again. And in fact we see pensions are starting to climb, we see the fact that Americans' IRAs and 401(k)s are back on the path towards prosperity, and in fact we have recognized a $5 trillion recovery since the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the stimulus.

We are starting to create jobs, albeit not at the pace that I would like to see. But we have to understand the ditch that we are trying to climb out of. And I want to say to you that while we see manufacturing increasing, while we see home sales increasing, we need to see more and more people get back to work. And that is what my colleagues are focusing on here today.

Around the world over the last century the typical financial crisis caused jobless rates to rise almost 5 years, according to the economist Carmen Reinhart. Over the timeline our rate would still be rising by early 2012. And as Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson, who were both Republicans, said, that many others warned in 2008 if dramatic action was not taken to break back the recession, the United States could spiral into another Great Depression. These are experts. These are economists. These are people who have distinction and recognition all around the world. It is important that we recognize that we had to take swift action here.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, the economy grew by almost 6 percent. Six percent. Job losses for the fourth quarter in 2009 were one-seventh of what they were when we took office, Mr. Speaker. The nonpartisan Center for Budget and Policy Priorities said that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act kept more than 6 million Americans out of poverty and reduced the severity of poverty for more than 33 million more.

Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn't enact a robust policy to extend unemployment benefits, to extend coverage for health care so folks could keep their health care during this time of great need? Could you imagine if we didn't help our people what kind of condition we would find the people that we represent?

Well, it is disappointing because the challenges that confront us, Mr. Speaker, aren't Democrat or Republican challenges. They are not conservative or liberal challenges. They are not even moderate challenges. They are American challenges. And it is so frustrating to me that we have got to find the courage to stand up and confront these together. That is why I am so disappointed in my colleagues who didn't lend their support to help America recover in her greatest time of need.

A few more facts before I ask some of my colleagues to be recognized here.

According to economists polled in a recent USA Today survey, unemployment would have hit 10.8 percent higher than December's 10 percent rate without the Recovery Act. The difference would have translated into another 1.2 million jobs lost. These problems were years in the making, and they are not going to be fixed overnight. In fact, I can argue it is a decade of failed economic policies that have led us here.

A lot of our colleagues on the other side like to talk about the national debt. You know, when President Clinton left office, our country was facing a $5.6 trillion surplus, a $5.6 trillion surplus, and when President Bush left office, we were facing almost a $13 trillion deficit. So it is very clear that after two tax cuts to the wealthiest among us, after two undeclared, unfunded wars and a prescription drug plan that left a huge doughnut hole for average working families and seniors, we have a deficit now that has put us on the brink. And that's why we had a quick reaction and that is why we passed the American Recovery Act.

Now I want to call on my colleague from California, because she is going to talk about how this has impacted one of the largest States in the country, and I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu).

I thank the gentlelady from California who made some very compelling arguments about why California needs to have this investment.

While we are joined by several of my colleagues tonight, let me just say a little bit about what we are doing to create jobs in Ohio.

In Ohio's 16th Congressional District, we have had some good news recently. Rolls Royce, an international company, has announced that they are going to move their fuel cell research from Singapore to Stark County, Ohio. They are going to expand their fuel cell research and development activities, investing $3 million in equipment, creating up to 60 jobs and retaining 32, while offering apprenticeship and training programs with the local college.

Barbasol Shaving Cream invested $7.2 million to buy land and a new plant in Ashland, Ohio; a 78,000-square-foot plant to start, 30 new employees, and grow up to about 75.

Scotts Miracle-Gro is opening a manufacturing plant in Orrville, where they are expected to create nearly a hundred jobs in the next several months.

Shearer's Foods, they make potato chips, and they are mighty good, I might add. They broke ground earlier this summer to build a new production facility in Massillon's Northeast Commercial Park. They will hire as many as a hundred employees in the first phase of development. These are the type of success stories that have been helped, if not augmented, by the efforts of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

With that, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott).

Well, I thank the senior gentleman from Virginia.

I just want to be clear about your chart. It looks as if we stabilized the job losses in this country and started to grow them again after the Recovery Act was passed.

Well, these are exciting numbers. We have got to get people back to work. And I concur with the gentleman from Virginia.

Let me revisit for just a moment exactly what the Recovery Act and the stimulus bill included.

Thirty-seven percent of the package was tax cuts. $288 billion was given to small businesses so that they could help grow and invest in our new economy. In my opinion, that is going to be our investment in energy. $288 billion was invested back so small businesses could start growing again and investing back.

Largest tax cut in America's history, largest tax cut for working middle class families. In fact, 95 percent of middle class families in our country got some tax relief through their employer. $144 billion, or 18 percent of the Recovery Act, was allocated to State and local fiscal relief. More than 90 percent of the State aid is going to help folks who are finding themselves on Medicaid rolls. Fighting to make sure that we didn't have double-digit increases in tuition across State universities and so that our local school districts could keep teachers hired and we could keep custodians in the building. This is very important, Mr. Speaker, that we understand that we help bring our economy back from the brink of a great recession.

As that contemporary commercial says today, How will we remember this time? How will we remember it? Will we remember it as the great recession or the recession that made us great? I think with these key investments into our people, into our workforce, and into our country, we are definitely making our country stronger.

I want to take a moment to recognize a distinguished gentleman that I have a lot of respect for. Not only do we share a common heritage, but we share a common belief that we should invest in our people, in our country, and in

our way of life. Congressman Pascrell from New Jersey is a man who I have a lot of respect for, and I would like to yield him some time so that he can talk about exactly what we're doing to help put America back to work. Congressman Pascrell, my friend, you have the floor.

The gentleman from New Jersey has some very good ideas, which we have got to look at very seriously, about putting our country back to work and about long-term investments.

You know, I have often said that we have got to be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth, and that we have got to build things here.

In 1950, over half the jobs in our country were in manufacturing. Today, one out of 10 of our jobs is in manufacturing. We are actually building. Some of that has been because of the fact that we have gained in productivity and because we have gained in efficiency. Yet we have still outsourced too many of our jobs. In States like New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois, we have seen some of those manufacturing jobs go overseas.

Our great trade imbalance that we have, the trade deficit that we have every year, is very troubling to me. We have a trade imbalance with China--$280 billion every year. We have a trade imbalance with oil-producing countries because they send $330 billion of oil over to the United States. Those two account for some of the largest imbalances our country has ever known in terms of our trade policy.

We know that 95 percent of the marketplace is outside the United States, and Ohio is leading the Nation. Some of our local municipalities have begun to start exporting some of their goods overseas, creating their own trade relationships. We need more help here from the American Government, from the Federal Government, so that States like Ohio, Virginia, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania can help make those needed investments into our local communities.

We have to be the producers of wealth. We have to build things again in this country. It's not only a matter of our economic security. It's a matter of our national security. That's why it is so key and strategic that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act invests in our people, in our country and in our future, and that we also lay the groundwork for future prosperity by investing in energy.

Energy is a key component of our Nation's economy, but it is very troubling when we import 66 percent of our oil from overseas and 40 percent from the Middle East. We see that the largest user of energy in our country is our Nation's military. The Department of Defense is the largest user of energy in our country. So it is very key, not only to our economic interests but to our national security interests, that we move away from our dependence on foreign oil, that we invest and create jobs here that cannot be outsourced, and that we make sure that we put our people back to work. That's why it is so important that we make these needed investments.

According to Andrew Stettner, I have to say--he is a deputy director of the National Employment Law Center--14.9 million jobless Americans have been out of work for an average of 30 weeks, which is the highest level since the government began keeping those records in the 1950s. It is the highest record.

We have some on the other side who are suggesting that we shouldn't have extended unemployment benefits. I've even heard some who have had the audacity to say that we shouldn't be giving them government/ taxpayer money because they don't want to work. Are you kidding me? We have millions of people out of work in this country who are now just being called back to work. In fact, some of my friends on the other side voted against an extension of unemployment benefits which would have helped 11,600 Ohioans who have found themselves struggling just to put bread on their tables for their families.

To me, we have got to invest in our people. If we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can spend money to invest in our people, in our country, and we can put Americans back to work.

I want to yield some time before we close today, Mr. Speaker, to a good friend of mine from Virginia, a gentleman who has the passion and vigor to take on the challenges of our great country, Tom Perriello.

Congressman Perriello, enlighten us for a few moments, sir.

I agree with the gentleman from Virginia. We have seen almost a flip from a 6 percent job loss, when we began the 111th Congress in January of 2009, to nearly a 6 percent job growth in our gross domestic product. Yet we know that this is not about the GDP. This is about the j-o-b-s. We have got to put people back to work. That's why we are focusing on doing that.

There are some things that we have done for our small businesses, to help struggling small businesses stay open:

There is the net operating loss carry-back. We have also extended tax credits for renewable energy production because, as my colleague and I know, the cheapest energy is the energy we never use. Small businesses can save a lot by writing that off. They can save by weathering their businesses and by weathering their homes. That's what is going to save money in the long term.

We are also going to give bonus appreciation, which extends to businesses

that are buying equipment, such as computers. It speeds up the appreciation through 2009. That is helping our small businesses write off those losses so that they can get folks back to work.

Well, Mr. Speaker, he is exactly right. The gentleman from Virginia is exactly right that we have got to invest in our people, in our country, in our way of life. As that contemporary commercial says on the airwaves, Is this going to be remembered as the great recession or the recession that makes us great?

I believe that we can do this if we work together, if we invest in our people. Again, if we can spend $1 trillion on war, we can certainly spend money to make sure that we invest in our people and do the things that are going to set us on the track towards prosperity.

We are starting to begin to see the glimmers of light. We are starting to see the glimmers of hope that people once again are going to be on to a path of prosperity.

I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia, because he believes that our greatest days are still yet to come. We will be stronger, we will be more robust, and we will be smarter on how we handle these future downturns. This is the time that we cannot let go away from us. We have got to invest in our people, in our country, and that is why I am so proud of the gentleman from Virginia, who stands with me saying that we will again be the producers of wealth, not just the movers of wealth.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in recognition of the Ohio Air National Guard, recently dispatched to Haiti to participate in the relief efforts after the devastating earthquake there.

The 179th Airlift Wing of the National Guard was among the first units to land in Haiti, ready to improve communication at the Port-au- Prince airport and to dispatch search and rescue crews, knowing full well of the conditions awaiting them.

As a former member and pilot of the 179th Airlift Wing, I flew on various missions with them around the globe, and I know of their dedication.

The conditions in Haiti are, indeed, horrific, and I pray for those who have perished and for the loved ones they have left behind. I am proud that my home State of Ohio symbolizes what so many in the U.S. Armed Forces already know: No matter where devastation occurs, there are courageous and selfless young men and women across our Nation who are willing to respond to the call of duty.

To the members of the 179th Airlift Wing of the Ohio Air National Guard, each of you are heroes today, and I commend you for rising to the call of duty in this desperate time of need. Thank you for your service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in recognition of a fine businessman from Stark County, Ohio. His name is Rodney Napier. His service to the relief effort and helping those in Haiti who need long- term medical care as a result of the earthquake is a show of selfless and truly inspirational giving to the world.

Mr. Napier helped found the Granted Wish Foundation, a national non- profit whose mission is ``to provide wishful fulfillment to disabled, disadvantaged and deserving individuals and families.''

When the earthquake shocked Haiti and the world, Mr. Napier made his corporate jet available so that supplies, doctors, missionaries, and other relief workers could get to the island for help. Humbled by what he saw while volunteering himself, he realized he had to do more. He donated nearly $70,000 to the relief effort. He also auctioned off three Super Bowl tickets, totaling $12,000, and the Granted Wish Foundation collected more than $63,000 for Haitians in need. Using these donations, two medical treatment vehicles went to Haiti so that physicians could rehabilitate permanently disabled children.

Mr. Napier proves that simple acts of charity can make the difference and save lives. He lives by the biblical lesson that ``to whom much is given, much is expected.'' Whether in our local community or in Haiti, we need leaders like him.