Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I honor the 50th Anniversary of The Piney Woods Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4816 in Porter, Texas.

Since the founding of Post 4816, on May 30, 1967, it has grown from a small unit of just forty members to a far-reaching organization of over three-hundred and fifty dedicated, engaged, and inspiring veterans.

For fifty years, this post has been an integral part of the Porter Community. Its members have dedicated their time and resources to giving back to local veterans and the entire Porter population. Every year, their fundraising efforts allow them to contribute over $300,000 to local causes, improving the lives of everyone in their community. Among the recipients are local children's hospitals, community assistance centers, and veterans and military families in need.

In an effort to encourage community involvement and civil awareness, Post 4816 has created an awards program that recognizes outstanding teachers and students who display academic excellence and patriotism. Similar awards are reserved to recognize local law enforcement officers, medical first responders, and other public servants who show a clear dedication to improving their community.

Post 4816's commitment to service has gone far deeper than just public recognitions and charitable donations. By organizing hospital and home visits to sick and disabled veterans, Post 4816 has left a lasting impact on the lives of many of our community's former service members.

This support system is just one way that Post 4816 embodies the mission of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. By fostering a comradery amongst the veterans of overseas conflict, serving the current service members and veterans in our community, and advocating on behalf of all United States veterans, the members of Post 4816 have completed this mission many times over.

It is my honor to join our local veterans, the citizens of Porter, and the entire Eighth District of Texas to congratulate the veterans of Post 4816 on their fifty-year anniversary, to recognize their history of public service, and to thank them for their dedicated work for our veterans and our community.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall no. 336, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1551, legislation supported by Republicans and Democrats, focused on strengthening America's energy security.

This bill is sponsored and led by Congressman Tom Rice, and it clarifies an

existing law dealing with tax credits for nuclear energy production and making sure these credits work effectively for America. It addresses an urgent problem that now poses a threat to America's energy security and, by extension, our national security.

As a result of an uncertainty with respect to the nuclear production tax credit, there is a risk of construction grinding to a halt on several cutting-edge nuclear power plants in our country. Meanwhile, our global competitors like Russia and China are pushing forward nuclear power to bolster their own energy sectors.

Nuclear power is critical to an all-of-the-above strategy for American energy independence and our national security. It is urgent that we take action now to solve this issue in our Tax Code and provide the certainty that our energy innovators need to continue moving forward with construction. That is exactly what Congressman Rice's bill will do.

To be clear, I would rather be standing here today to announce that this important bill is part of overall tax reform. But the fact is that our focus on that important goal doesn't prevent us from acting to solve urgent problems in existing law like this.

The fact is this bill is not what Washington calls a tax extender. That circus isn't coming back to town. This bill is a solution to a serious and immediate problem in our Tax Code that threatens our energy security. That is why we are moving it forward right now.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Congressman Rice for his leadership on H.R. 1551 and the strong support from the South Carolina and Georgia delegations, all who have weighed in on this. And as we continue working with President Trump in the Senate to deliver comprehensive tax reform this year, we should pass this bill now, provide greater certainty for our nuclear energy innovators.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 378, I call up the bill (H.R. 2581) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require the provision of social security numbers as a condition of receiving the health insurance premium tax credit, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill currently under consideration.

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

Last month House Republicans took a significant step to return patient-centered healthcare to the American people. We passed the American Health Care Act. The American Health Care Act begins our step- by-step process to repeal ObamaCare and replace this collapsing law with a 21st century healthcare system that truly works for American families, job creators, our States, and our taxpayers.

Now, as work on the American Health Care Act moves forward in the Senate, we are moving forward on a parallel track to deliver more solutions for the American people. One of those is the Verify First Act, sponsored by Congressman Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania.

This legislation takes important action to protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse. It prevents the American Health Care Act's monthly tax credits and ObamaCare's current subsidies from being dispensed until the legal status of an eligible recipient can be verified.

Under ObamaCare, people who are in the United States illegally are prohibited from receiving taxpayer-funded subsidies to help purchase health insurance; but like so many aspects of ObamaCare, there is a major defect. ObamaCare starts by assuming a person is a legal resident and sends the money right away even if the verification process is still incomplete.

As we have seen with so many Federal programs, it is all but impossible to get fraudulently claimed money back after it is already out the door. This flaw of ObamaCare is no different. It has resulted in taxpayer-funded subsidies being spent on people who are not in the United States legally and, therefore, not eligible to receive them.

My constituents in Texas and yours around the country work too hard to see their tax dollars wasted by Washington's carelessness. The best solution to protect taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse is to stop it before it occurs, and that is what the Verify First Act by Mr. Barletta will do.

This bill strengthens existing verification tools by making a commonsense change. Rather than sending the money first and confirming legal status later, it verifies legal status up

front. So if you want to receive financial support for health insurance, this bill simply requires that you first provide a Social Security number or another form of acceptable information to validate citizenship or immigration status.

This commonsense change will apply to ObamaCare beginning with next year's open enrollment period, and after ObamaCare is repealed, it will apply to the tax credits offered in the American Health Care Act when they take effect. This helps ensure that taxpayer-funded assistance for the purchase of health insurance is only distributed to people who are eligible, not to those who are in our country illegally.

I want to thank Congressman Barletta for his leadership on this important legislation. The Verify First Act is a much-needed solution to safeguard taxpayer dollars from waste, fraud, and abuse both now and in the future, and that is crucial as we continue our efforts to repeal and replace the failing ObamaCare law. It is vital to improving America's health system for the long term.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in supporting the passage of the Verify First Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta), the author of the Verify First Act, and as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, I am proud to advance this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a key member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Marino).

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Renacci), a colleague of mine on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the rules of the House are very clear about imputing the character of lawmakers, and I would warn the gentlewoman, she is treading on the rules.

I am considering.

I will monitor the remainder of the remarks.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Let's make sure we fact-check some things here. Nothing in this bill changes the eligibility of the Affordable Care Act and who is eligible for it. In fact, the Republican healthcare bill that passed the House, according to the American Action Network, there will be roughly 5.3 million more Americans that will be eligible for help for their healthcare under the Republican plan than under the Affordable Care Act.

Let's fact-check a couple of other issues. We are told that this has all come about because the IRS has not funded properly, but I would remind our Democrat colleagues that the majority of our Democrat colleagues supported the spending levels, which President Obama signed into law regarding the Internal Revenue Service.

Secondly, they have raised the issue that there are no Social Security numbers available. But in truth, nearly 96 percent of children born in America receive their Social Security numbers within 2 weeks. There is an expedited process going forward to achieve the others as well.

We are told, listening today: there is no fraud in ObamaCare; there is no fraud to worry about; there is no need for this bill by Mr. Barletta.

But I remind our colleagues that twice the Government Accountability Office looked at eligibility within the Affordable Care Act. In 2014, they used fake identities to see if they could obtain ObamaCare coverage on the exchange, and in 11 out of 12 applications--some with no data at all--the GAO was granted subsidies for people who don't even exist.

So you say: Well, that is 2014. Certainly, things got better.

Well, last year, they ran it again in the special enrollment period, and in this test, the GAO was able to obtain coverage for imaginary people in 9 out of 12 cases.

We are told today that our taxpayer dollars aren't being wasted. Well, the American public knows better, and they know this because we have worked for 7 years to oppose what we knew would be a failing law. We held more than 200 congressional hearings. We had 65-plus hours of open debate on the American Health Care Act, and 37 bills passed the House that were ultimately, in one form or another, included in the Republican bill.

The bottom line is this, Mr. Speaker: Our Democrat friends are in denial. ObamaCare is collapsing. Prices have more than doubled. They haven't gone down. They have more than doubled for most Americans; in some States more than tripled, and those rates aren't going down. They are skyrocketing. People aren't getting more choices of healthcare plans. They are disappearing.

Texas has seen nine insurers abandon our State--I think more than any other State--and it is getting fewer and fewer. It is occurring across the country.

You are not able to see more local doctors and go to more local hospitals; just the opposite. It is fewer, and that is hurting everyone in America. ObamaCare is a sinking ship, and it is taking some very good Americans down with it.

The question is: Do we begin to give people a lifeline to truly affordable care?

With this bill, Mr. Barletta insists in a commonsense way that your tax dollars go to those we are trying to help: those who can't get healthcare at work; those who don't get it through government programs like Medicare or the VA; those small-business people; those folks coming out of college; those entrepreneurs who are at home starting a new business or raising their families; even those early retirees. Those are the people we are trying to help, and every dollar counts.

Mr. Barletta's bill, which I am proud as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee to bring to you, makes a commonsense requirement: that you be verified to get those subsidies before you receive them; to make sure those precious dollars actually go to the Americans we are trying to help.

I strongly support the Verify First Act. If you stand for stopping waste, and fraud, and abuse in protection of your tax dollars, I would urge your support for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, this isn't about verifying for infants. Ninety-six percent of children receive their Social Security numbers within 2 weeks after they are born in a hospital, and many of them have parents who are eligible for these credits as well, so it is immediate care. Even without all that, they can achieve and receive healthcare immediately as they process the premium support.

In the American Health Care Act that passed the House, there are more than $1 billion set aside to help further the verification process to make sure that we are providing timely credits--but for those who are eligible. In truth, our friends across the aisle want to detract from the challenge today, which is that ObamaCare is a sinking ship.

Today's bill is about the taxpayers. Congress has to do all in its power to ensure the money taken from hardworking taxpayers is actually used for programs that improve their lives in this country and are not frittered away on fraud and abuse.

That is why this bill is so critical. It doesn't change eligibility. It simply says that we are not going to pay first and chase later, which always is a losing approach for taxpayers. Not a dollar of taxpayer money should go out the door until citizenship or legal status is verified, period.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to defeat the Democrats' motion to recommit and stand on behalf of taxpayers who want those dollars to go to Americans we are truly trying to help for the first time get truly affordable healthcare.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Walker. And first let me thank him for not just hosting this evening, People's Night, but his leadership of the Republican Study Committee and how he is leading our efforts to truly move this country back in the right direction.

As a friend, and from someone who admires him so much, I thank him for his leadership. It has already made a huge difference in issues like repealing ObamaCare.

So how many of you are pleased with the way you are taxed in America? Not many Americans are because the code we have got, it is so complex and so costly, it is just unfair.

So House Republicans are working with this President and the Senate to deliver the first pro-growth tax reform in a generation. We know this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and the goals we set out from the House is, first, we want a Tax Code not designed merely to wring money from you. We have that Tax Code. We want a Tax Code built for growth, designed to grow jobs, your wages, and the U.S. economy.

In doing that, we want to leapfrog America from nearly dead last among our global competitors back into the lead pack as the best place on this Earth for that next new job, that next new investment.

What we propose is a Tax Code with three big reforms: The lowest rates for our local businesses in modern history, and redesigned so our local companies can compete and win anywhere in the world, especially here at home.

Secondly, we are proposing for families and individuals a code so fair and simple that 9 out of 10 Americans will be able to file using a simple postcard system, and it works.

And the final reform is because we propose a much fairer and simpler Tax Code; we propose a fairer and simpler tax collector.

So we proposed to bust up the IRS and redesign it into a 21st century agency focused on you, the taxpayer. These are the reforms included in the House Republican blueprint. We are excited to work with President Trump and the Senate to deliver on pro-grow tax reform, bold, that leapfrogs America back to the front and returns jobs back to the United States--manufacturing, research and headquarters jobs.

It is a tough challenge. We will need your input. I encourage you to come to the Ways and Means Committee website, learn more, speak out, be part of changing and reforming this horrible Tax Code.

Mr. Walker, thank you again for your leadership of this Special Order and our efforts.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 292, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 293, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

(By unanimous consent, Mr. Blumenauer was allowed to speak out of order.)

Moment of Silence for Portland Victims

Mr. Speaker, today I, along with Representative Brian Babin and Representative Louie Gohmert, recognize the 50th anniversary of the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District, better known as ``DETCOG.''

In November of 1966, over fifty community officials and leaders, concerned with the economic growth and development of East Texas and the quality of life of its residents, gathered together to lay the groundwork for the Deep East Texas Economic Development District.

The Honorable Charles Wilson, a Member of the Texas Senate and later a Member of the United States House of Representatives, was unanimously elected Chair, and later President, of the new organization.

The Deep East Texas Economic Development District continued its meetings throughout 1967. It employed its first Executive Director in August and opened its first office in September. In 1968, the District even became a Regional Planning Commission under the laws of the State of Texas, and in 1972, it adopted the new name of Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District.

DETCOG has facilitated the development of effective responses to such issues as community and economic development, affordable housing, aging and disability services, public safety and emergency response, disaster recovery, information and referral services, volunteerism, transportation and the environment that have had a profound and positive impact on the Deep East Texas Region.

Over the past half-century, DETCOG's activities have improved the quality of life for all residents in the 12-county region known as Deep East Texas, including the counties of Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity and Tyler.

Representative Babin, Representative Gohmert, and I are proud to congratulate the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and Economic Development District on its 50th Anniversary and its legacy of outstanding service to the governments and citizens of the Deep East Texas region.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to thank Chairwoman Black for her leadership on this effort, as well as Chairman Walden of the Energy and Commerce Committee for incredible work.

As chairman on behalf of the Ways and Means Committee who work alongside you, I am honored to speak in support of the American Health Care Act because it guarantees coverage for those with preexisting illnesses.

It guarantees coverage for those with preexisting illnesses. In fact, this bill takes decisive action to repeal all of the bad parts, all of the damage done by ObamaCare, and begin a thoughtful step-by-step process to deliver a patient-centered healthcare system, not a Washington-centered healthcare system, to the American people.

While ObamaCare has helped some, far more have been hurt by this law. And more ObamaCare failures are piling up every day. Just yesterday, Aetna announced it will exit Virginia's individual health market next year. And it is not just the State's ObamaCare exchanges they are leaving behind. Aetna will not offer any plans next year in the individual market in Virginia.

The same thing is happening in Iowa. And my friends on the Democratic aisle have done nothing to stop this--

nothing. But today, because of this bill, thousands of people will have hope for a new plan to provide the healthcare coverage they need. Millions of Americans throughout the country are facing just terrible options.

People of Texas have been hit particularly hard. Between last year and this year, nine healthcare insurers have exited ObamaCare exchanges in the Lone Star State. No other State saw more insurers leave. For my family, the failures of this law have come to mean some incredibly tough choices. They have had to accept, under ObamaCare, you can't access affordable coverage that is tailored to what they need. They have had to learn how to get by as their monthly health premiums just skyrocket each and every year--bigger than their mortgage payments. They have had to choose between paying out of pocket for the care they need or not getting care at all.

Under ObamaCare, the ability to receive treatment from a doctor you know and who knows you has become a luxury that too many can't afford. Today, with the American Health Care Act, the Republicans propose we have an opportunity to provide immediate relief from this failing law. More than that, we can provide Americans with real choices in health care, not the painful decision they are forced to live with under ObamaCare.

Under the Ways and Means Committee area, this starts by repealing the law's crushing taxes and mandates, and that is where Ways and Means takes action. Under ObamaCare, the individual and employer mandate penalties allow Washington to strong-arm you, to strong-arm Americans into ObamaCare plans you do not want and cannot afford.

Not anymore. Under the Republican plan, we repeal the individual and employer mandate tax penalties so Americans have the freedom to make the healthcare choices that are right for them. Under ObamaCare, over $1 trillion of taxes were imposed on the American people. Under the Republican plan, those taxes are gone that burden American small businesses and families.

Under our plan, we provide increased health savings accounts so Americans can save easier for the out-of-pocket costs that hit them under any health care; and then we create a personal individual tax credit so Americans can buy plans that are right for them, not what is right for government.

Healthcare premiums, they can choose a plan that can go with them from job to job, State to State, home to start a business, or a family, and even into those preretirement years.

Today is about taking on a collapsing ObamaCare and replacing for the American people health care that they want, that they can use, and that they can afford; driven not by what Washington wants, but driven by what American families need in their health care.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the support of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this month, the Houston County Tadmor Community will celebrate the one hundredth birthday of Katy Lucille Henderson, a cherished leader and faithful servant in the community.

On April 24th, 1917, George and Josephine Augusta Stewart Henderson welcomed a new addition to the family, Katy Lucille Henderson, better known as Lucille. In her life, Lucille has witnessed the growth and transformation that took place in the world during the 20th and 21st Centuries. Growing up, Lucille's family used a horse drawn buggy as their primary mode of transportation. She vividly remembers the introduction of many ``modern'' inventions such as the electric light bulb, refrigeration, and indoor plumbing. However, few modern marvels have had a great impact on Lucille compared to hearing her favorite hymn, How Great Thou Art, or the majestic voice of the great Mahalia Jackson.

After graduating high school in 1936, Lucille married Carl Lester Franklin. While Carl served in the military during World War II, Lucille dedicated her time to working in the community and serving as a cook at the Kennard West Side Schools. For more than 50 years, she has served the Lord as a Stewardess at the Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church and as a respected role model in the Tadmor Community.

Together, Lucille and Carl raised five children: Carl E. Franklin, Barbara Franklin, Marva G. Anglin, Charles D. Franklin, and Ronald L. Franklin. Lucille is also blessed with a stepdaughter, Doris Gibson.

Lucille's family continues to grow as she is blessed with twelve grandchildren and ten great-grand children: Byron Franklin, Abria Perry, Brian Franklin, Bobby R. Anglin, George K. Anglin, Kyla N. Franklin, Micha A. Franklin, Diondra I. Franklin, Nichelle R. Franklin, Patrice L. Franklin, Robbyn L. Traylor, and Rosslyn K. Douglas; along with Doris' children: Mitchell, Marcus and Milton; Malkijah Perry, Aniya Perry, Briana M. Franklin, Jayna Franklin, Jordan Anglin, Jayron Anglin, Kennedy Anglin, Reign K. Traylor, Ryleigh M. Traylor, and Cadence K. Douglas.

From her home in the Tadmor Community, Lucille continues to see the world transform around her; however, she recently joked with her family that she ``has never been on an airplane and never will be!''

As she celebrates her 100th birthday, I would like join her family, friends, and the Tadmor Community to wish Lucille a very happy and blessed birthday.

Mr. Speaker, today, I am honored to recognize and thank Brent Akin for his selfless commitment to the safety and well- being of the Montgomery County community.

On April 30th, Detective Akin of the Montgomery County Sheriffs Department will enter a well-deserved retirement after almost thirty years of dedicated public service.

A native Texan, Brent was born and raised in Houston by his parents, JoAnn and Rowland Akin. Together with his five siblings: Joe, Ricky, Bill, Deronda, and Rowland, Brent grew up in the Houston community. In 1983, Brent married the love of his life, Catherine Parada and, two years later, packed their belongings and moved to The Woodlands, TX where they have resided ever since. In 1987, Brent and Catherine welcomed a beautiful daughter, Emily, who has blessed them with a son- in-law, Stephen Richards, and a grandson, Noah.

Brent officially began his career in law enforcement when he graduated from the t police academy in 1987. Just one year later, he joined the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, where he has served for nearly thirty years, working under five sheriffs. Most recently, Brent works as a Detective, but during his many years of distinguished service, he held various positions within the department as a Patrol Officer and Internal Affairs Officer.

Throughout his career, Brent has helped countless members of our community conducting criminal investigations, providing security for community events, and patrolling the cities and roads of Montgomery County. Brent has worked to solve many high profile cases, including the 1999 Wanda Pitts murder case. His close attention to detail, perseverance, commitment to the law and serving his community is evident in every case he has worked on.

Brent has honorably dedicated himself to Montgomery County as is evidenced by countless first-hand accounts and the many commendations he has received, such as the Public Safety Hero Award in 2009.

I am pleased to join Brent's family friends, the citizens of Montgomery County, and the entire Eighth Congressional District of Texas to give thanks and wish him well as he begins his retirement.

Mr. Speaker, after four decades of service on the Downhome Gospel radio show on KMVL and two decades as the show's primary host, Alene Owens signed off Madisonville's airwaves on Sunday, April 2, 2017.

Although she was born 84 years ago in Nacogdoches, Texas, Miss Alene and her family settled in Madisonville in 1976 where she began working as an assistant radio co-host. Never did she think she would host the Sunday morning gospel hour, but that is just what happened. After the host moved away, KMVL owner Leon Hunt asked Miss Alene to take over.

Miss Alene says she didn't know much about the radio business or hosting a radio show back then, but she dove right in and started sharing her love of the Lord to all who tuned in. She cherishes the listeners and supporters of her show and considers herself blessed to share God's glory over the radio.

As a busy member of Lakeview Missionary Baptist Church, Miss Alene has more praise for the Lord than ever. She is Superintendent of her Sunday School Class and a member of a prayer band that meets four times a week--all while striving to get even more involved in her Women's Bible Class.

As if her calling wasn't enough, Miss Alene is excited about having more time to enjoy her nine great-grandchildren. While she feels the Lord moving her in a new direction, she remains thankful for her faithful listeners, station owner Leon Hunt, the KMVL family, and especially her Heavenly Father for ``the strength to continue on this long.''

She is confident that the next Downhome Gospel host will take the program she has loved for four decades to ``another level in the name of Jesus.'' As she embarks on her next adventure, it is my honor to recognize Miss Alene and thank her for her many years of faithful service.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, last month, President Trump stood right here in this room and said to Congress: ObamaCare is collapsing. He called on us to take decisive action to protect all Americans.

Today we have a choice to make: will we answer the President's call to action and pass this legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare? Or will we allow ObamaCare to remain fully in place and deny our constituents the relief they urgently need?

I, for one, refuse to allow my constituents in Texas to suffer ObamaCare's impacts any longer. For the past 7 years, we have watched ObamaCare fail Americans on every single promise, and throughout this time, as the Obama administration turned a deaf ear to the American people, House Republicans were listening. We were listening to all those facing severe premium increases, people like Lauren in my district, in my hometown of The Woodlands. Lauren recently emailed me to say that her premiums this year have gone up by nearly 70 percent. Now they are $900 a month.

We were listening to all those who can no longer see the doctor of their choice or access the care they need at an affordable price, people like Elizabeth from Conroe, Texas, another constituent of my mine. Her family pays about $800 a month in healthcare premiums, yet they can no longer see any of the doctors they know and trust. This includes the primary care doctor that Elizabeth and her husband have been seeing for over a decade. It includes her children's longtime pediatrician. All of these doctors are now out of reach, thanks to ObamaCare.

That is the thing with this law. It has helped some, no doubt, but far more people have been hurt, people like Lauren and Elizabeth, who are paying significantly more for significantly less access to health care.

It doesn't have to be this way. After 7 years of listening carefully to the American people, we have now arrived at this moment of decisive action. With the American Health Care Act, we have the best opportunity since ObamaCare's enactment to repeal this harmful law, clear the deck, and begin over with a step-by-step process to deliver a healthcare system based on what patients and families truly want and need, not what Washington thinks is best.

This bill gets us off to an excellent start. First, it delivers swift relief to the American people by immediately repealing ObamaCare's most harmful provisions. The individual mandate--the tax penalty--is gone. The employer mandate tax penalty is gone. Nearly $900 billion in ObamaCare tax hikes that have driven up costs and reduced access to care for families, patients, and jobs, those tax hikes are gone.

From here, the American Health Care Act takes significant action to replace ObamaCare with patient-focused solutions that expand choice, lower

costs, and enhance competition. This is where we reclaim control of health care from Washington and put it back where it belongs--with patients, families, and States.

We expand health savings accounts, making them more flexible and more user-friendly. We protect health coverage for the more than 150 million Americans who receive it through their job. We deliver the largest entitlement reform in decades, giving power to States to improve and streamline Medicaid so they can better serve the needs of local patients and families.

For low- and middle-income Americans who don't receive coverage through work or a Federal program, we offer an advanceable, refundable tax credit that people can use immediately to help purchase coverage that is tailored to their needs. These tax credits provide a conservative, free-market alternative to inefficient ObamaCare subsidies that exist today. They deliver support to low- and middle- income Americans. At the same time, they will encourage real competition and choice in the health insurance market.

Finally, as a committed pro-life conservative, I am pleased to say this bill defunds Planned Parenthood while funding the community health centers for women's truly needed health care, and takes vital action to protect the right to life. No Federal funding can be used for elective abortions. The language is crystal clear.

The American Health Care Act represents a critical first step in our multiphase effort to tear down ObamaCare and reinstate patient-focused solutions that help all Americans. But we know there is more work to do. ObamaCare was a massive government takeover of health care. To fully uproot the law, it is going to take a sustained, coordinated, and relentless effort from both Congress and the administration. Fortunately, we have incredible partners in President Trump and Secretary Price at the Department of Health and Human Services. They are already beginning work on the next phases of the process, stripping away ObamaCare's regulations so we can enact additional free-market solutions. These include consensus conservative proposals, such as allowing insurance to be sold across State lines.

But to see success in the next phases, we have to take the first step today. We have to pass the American Health Care Act, deliver immediate relief to the American people, and provide a conservative path forward.

In closing, I thank all the leaders in the House who worked hard to craft the bill before us today: Chairman Greg Walden, Chairman Diane Black, and so many others.

I also want to offer my gratitude to everyone from the Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Committee on Taxation, and the House Office of Legislative Counsel who provided analysis and support as we developed this legislation.

I would like to give a special thanks to Emily Murry, Stephanie Parks, and all of our hardworking staff on the Ways and Means Committee.

At the end of the day, on this day, we will have our first true vote to repeal ObamaCare. History will record where we stand. This is a clear choice. We can stand with President Trump and more freedom for Americans to buy health care they choose, or stand with ObamaCare and more government that gets in the way. I proudly stand with President Trump and more freedom for the American people.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Tiberi), the chairman of the Health Subcommittee, who played an invaluable role in solutions to lower healthcare costs for Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. Speaker, I first would remind my friend from Georgia that nearly 700,000 Georgians have chosen to either pay a fine or exempt themselves from ObamaCare because it has failed them so badly.

And to my friend from Michigan, 420,000 Michiganders, more than half, chose to exempt themselves from ObamaCare rather than accept that failed health care.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota, (Mr. Paulsen), a key member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my friend from Texas that 2 million Texans eligible, forced into ObamaCare and getting deep subsidies, have said: No thanks. ObamaCare has failed me.

Two out of three Texans eligible.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed), a key member of our Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my friend from California, 1.5 million Californians forced into ObamaCare and given generous subsidies found a way to exempt themselves because ObamaCare failed.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a small-businessman and a key member of our committee.

Mr. Speaker, I would remind my friend from Connecticut that 190,000 residents in Connecticut, two out of three eligible for ObamaCare, believed it failed them so badly they paid a tax or exempted themselves.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), who has weighed in in such a key way on health care.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my dear friend from Oregon, 153,000 Oregonians eligible for ObamaCare with generous subsidies said thank you, but no thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice), my good friend and a key member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my good and thoughtful friend that 290,000 Wisconsinites that chose not to get ObamaCare were willing to pay a tax to stay out of a failed healthcare system.

I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), a new member of our committee who is doing tremendous things in health care.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my good friend from New Jersey that 314,000 residents of New Jersey said ``no thank you'' to ObamaCare because it failed them.

I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bishop), a new member of the committee, who dove into this issue with great thoughtful and conscientious work.

I remind my friend from New York, nearly four out of five New Yorkers said no to ObamaCare because it failed them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), my dear friend.

Mr. Speaker, I remind my good friend from Illinois, half a million Illinoisans have said no to ObamaCare because it failed them.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, do you want to know how bad ObamaCare is?

Twice as many Americans have exempted themselves, have paid a fine, or found another way out of ObamaCare for everyone who took it.

I am a conservative, and I am proud of the conservative win in this bill. I am proud of the $1 trillion in tax relief on our small businesses, our patients, and our families. I am proud of the more than $1 trillion of spending cuts that Washington cannot afford nor sustain. I am proud of the first reforms in Medicaid since the program was created in giving States back control of that plan, including the option of a work requirement.

I am proud to repeal ObamaCare mandates that have forced Americans into health care they can't afford and don't want. I am proud to defund Planned Parenthood once and for all. And I am proud of the $150 billion of deficit reduction.

This is a clear choice, and we will stand where we stand today: the choice between President Trump and more freedom or ObamaCare and less freedom. I stand with President Trump.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall no. 181, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 171 I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''