Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership of Chairmen Oberstar and Costello, as well as our ranking leaders, Mr. Mica and Mr. Petri, on the aviation infrastructure, but I rise in opposition to the bill which includes a number of provisions which would hurt our Nation's airlines, especially when many are suffering losses.

By sunsetting in 3 years the antitrust immunity for airlines participating in international alliances, this bill puts at risk the global competitiveness of U.S. airlines, and reduces benefits for consumers.

International alliances help better serve Americans when traveling abroad. When airlines partner together, consumers benefit from the enhanced competition. They get greater access to lower fares, better online services, and more connecting options. And if airlines are at risk of losing their immunity, airlines may not enter into alliances and may cut back on cooperation with foreign air carriers. And consumer benefits would be put at risk, along with 15,000 American jobs supported by the industry.

Oversight has been raised as an issue, but there is more than adequate oversight already and review of these alliances by both the Department of Justice and the Department of Transportation. The Transportation Department may amend or revoke any existing immunity grant, and the Department of Justice is able to investigate antitrust concerns.

Mr. Speaker, alliances often require significant and long-term investments for U.S. carriers. Unnecessarily sunsetting them would compromise the viability of the industry, benefits to consumers, and American jobs in a weakened economy.

Another week, another stimulus. This ministimulus, the third or fourth such effort--I've lost count--is more proof of the failed economic policies of Washington Democrats and an acknowledgment that the massive $860 billion stimulus bill has fallen far short of its debt-driven, wastefully spent promises to revive America's recovery.

From a jobs standpoint for small business, this bill does next to nothing. In fact, by increasing taxes on global companies that invest and create jobs here in America, this bill may actually kill more jobs than it creates.

This bill wrongly breaches longstanding tax treaties and increases taxes by more than $7 billion on global companies with subsidiaries here in the United States. We want America to be the place Americans choose to put their workers. Why punish them, especially thousands of Americans without jobs?

This measure also expands the heavily taxpayer subsidized Build America Bonds, which are popular but are taking shape as a long-term entitlement to which our local governments are quickly becoming addicted. That's bad news for America's taxpayers.

Finally, much has been made of the centerpiece of this bill. It's a 100 percent cutout of capital gains on small businesses. But who qualifies for this? I can tell you who doesn't qualify as a small business. Look closely at the section that says, if you're in health, in law, engineering, architecture, accounting, actuarial science, performing arts, consulting, athletics, financial services, brokerage services, or any trade or business where the reputation of your employees counts. You're not eligible if you're in banking, insurance, financing, leasing, investing, or similar business. You're not eligible if you're a farming small business, a business involving extraction of commodities like energy or mining. You can't be a hotel, a motel, a restaurant, or similar business. You can't have ownership or dealings in or renting of real estate property or rental property.

The question is: Who does qualify for this?

The answer is nobody. That's why this does so little for small business, so little for our economy. The truth of the matter is, the reason businesses aren't hiring back workers or hiring new ones is they're scared of the policies in Washington. Cap-and-trade, new health care mandates, new taxes, new regulation, the scary debt. That's what's keeping small businesses on the sidelines. That's what's holding our economy back. This bill does not deserve our support. We can do better.

Mr. Speaker, today we're debating more disaster- related spending. What we have to ask ourselves, what about the money Congress has already sent to help families and communities?

As I stand here, Texas is still waiting for the supplemental disaster funds for Hurricane Ike that Congress approved 18 months ago, Congress, led by Chairman Obey and Ranking Member Lewis, to try to help communities who have suffered the sixth most costly hurricane in American history.

But this time the hold up isn't FEMA; it's HUD. Other States have received their disaster funds, but HUD continues to hold Texas hostage. My fellow Texans and I, from both parties, have written to HUD on this issue. We've requested meetings or calls, and our letters go unanswered. The State of Texas has worked tirelessly with its local communities to put together a strong recovery plan, and we know it because we've just recovered from and are recovering from Hurricane Rita as well.

But HUD keeps moving the goal posts. They say Washington knows best. And if the HUD gets their way, the people most impacted by Hurricane Ike won't even be eligible for help.

It's been 541 days since Congress acted to provide help for disaster victims. Yet HUD continues to tell Texans, your recovery doesn't matter. There's no rush.

Well, tell our communities, tell our families, tell our region that there's no rush. 541 days. HUD needs to act now to approve the Texas plan and simply help our communities rebuild.

The government promised you health care. When forced to buy the government-approved plan or face the tax man, you complied. But the cost didn't go down, it went up; it's the highest ever. It takes now 3 months to see a doctor. And when you need care, the government plan denies it four times more often than your insurance company. Now the government is short on money. They started rationing care, cutting hospital payments, withdrawing coverage from some families, and it has just been 3 years since it all began.

Folks, this isn't the future, this is Massachusetts today. Higher costs, slower care, and rationing. That is why Massachusetts said ``no'' to Obama care. America is saying ``no'' too because bigger government doesn't mean better health care.

I thank and commend the gentlelady from Guam for her resolution. We have so many heroes, aviators who have been shot down in foreign countries, defending our freedom and enduring tremendous hardship, even death.

One of those who was shot down over Vietnam, the longest-serving POW in America, Congressman Sam Johnson of Plano, Texas, is a friend and a true hero to many of us. He opposes this health care bill because he is worried about the impact it will have on veterans. He believes by taking on a huge new entitlement we can never hope to pay for, at the end of the day we will end up robbing Peter to pay Paul, and we will rob from veterans' health care, which we don't even fully fund today as a Nation. It's embarrassing. And yet we are going to launch a brand new health care bill we can never afford to pay for. He is worried about rationing.

He has seen what happens when Congress has the greatest intentions. They passed this wonderful new GI Bill and updated one, yet never even bothered to put in place a mechanism today. Most of the veterans waiting in our offices are just trying to get the fair benefits this Congress promised them, but

this administration, this government can't deliver. He is worried about the fact that we can't fund health care under this bill.

And I think what frustrates people is we already have a Medicare program that is going bankrupt. We have Social Security not far behind. We don't fully fund veterans for military care, yet we are going to add this new entitlement. Americans, I don't think, are very easily fooled. They know the Democrats in Washington aren't really blameless when it comes to who is responsible for driving health care through the roof. Fueled by labor and lawyer contributions, millions and millions of dollars from them in their pockets, Democrats have for decades successfully killed lawsuit reform and efforts to allow small businesses to join together to buy health care at the same discount the big companies get. As champions of government mandates have driven up health care premiums and union contracts have demanded unsustainable health benefits, Democrats have fought voraciously against reasonable efforts to keep health care costs down. Yet today Democrats in Washington wield this sword of a massive government takeover in order to slay the health care beast that they have been feeding for decades and decades.

So tomorrow, even if the powerful combination of threats, union paybacks, and backroom deals ultimately produce 216 votes, the fight isn't over, and nor are the consequences. The images of Democrats in Washington running from town halls, hiding from C-SPAN cameras, slipping in sweetheart deals and arrogantly ignoring the voices of constituents is also indelibly etched in the public's mind. It is a disturbing picture the American people won't easily forget.

I object to that bill. I will fight it with all my might. It is not the right solution for America.

Isn't this troubling? Eight out of ten Americans now believe Congress governs without the consent of the governed. The Democratic Congress and White House simply aren't listening. Americans oppose this $2 trillion takeover of health care, but Democrats are ramming it through over the public's objection. Americans oppose the tax increases, mandates, deficits, Medicare cuts, and government interference in their most intimate health care decisions, but House Democrats arrogantly claim they know what's best for you.

Americans want open, honest government. Democrats are cutting backroom deals, pressing Members of Congress, proclaiming bills passed without a vote of the House--all to circumvent the will of the American people. Americans want Washington to start over immediately; to go back to the basics, to have a step-by-step bipartisan bill that focuses first on lowering health care cost. So, Madam Speaker, why aren't you listening? But know this: A Congress that governs in secrecy and arrogance will not govern long. The American people will see to that.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Edd Kellum Hendee, a beloved father, husband, son and brother taken from his loving family far too soon.

A 1999 graduate of the Naval Academy who served his country honorably as a Lieutenant on the U.S.S. Denver during Operation Enduring Freedom, Hendee earned a Masters in English from George Mason University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

As Vice President of Acquisitions for the Starwood Capital Group, Hendee led one of the largest initial public offerings in history by balancing his keen intellect with a heart the size of Texas and his love for his Savior. Hendee also pushed the limits of his own endurance as an Ironman Triathlete.

His proud parents would tell you that their son's exceptional achievements paled in comparison to his greatest accomplishment, the family that he, and the love of his life, Claudine Moore Hendee, were building with their sons, Campbell Luke, 4, and Hudson Jacob, 2, and 8- month-old daughter Reagan Reese.

In addition to his wife and three children, Edd K. Hendee leaves behind his devoted parents, Nina Johnson and Edd Campbell Hendee, his sisters, Lisa Hendee Blackard and Kristin Ann Hendee, his mother-in-law Norma Jean Moore, father-in-law Gary Lee Moore, sisters-in-law Gena Moore Rush and Gabriella Lee Moore, brothers-in-law Chris Kirkland Blackard and David Rush, as well as friends and co-workers around the globe.

Hendee's quick smile and infectious laugh will be remembered fondly by all who knew him. If there was one thing we could learn from him, it would be to never let a minute pass without treasuring family and making every moment with them count to the absolute fullest.

Mr. Speaker, this past week was the 1-year anniversary of the so-called ``stimulus bill''--$862 billion--every dime of it borrowed from the future and from our grandchildren.

When that bill was rushed through the House with almost no time to study it, we were promised as a country that it would jump-start the economy, that it would stabilize unemployment and that it would restore consumer confidence.

The fact of the matter is that we have lost 4 million jobs since the stimulus was passed. Unemployment has risen dramatically. It continues to hover around 10 percent. Only 6 percent of Americans in the latest poll believe that the stimulus actually created jobs in America. Most of them feel that that extra debt has actually hampered the economy. Six percent. By comparison, I should say 7 percent of Americans still believe Elvis is alive, so you

sort of know what range this credibility has for the stimulus.

The fact of the matter is that stimulus wasn't designed to create jobs. It was designed to bail out government workers at the State and local levels. The truth is, if you are a government worker or if you belong to a teachers' union, you probably got a pay raise from the stimulus. If you work in construction or in manufacturing, you probably got a pink slip.

The fact of the matter is the government has grown since the stimulus has passed. The jobs in the private sector--small businesses and medium-sized businesses--are disappearing and continue to disappear, and that's because it wasn't designed to create small business jobs. In fact, more money in the stimulus was set aside to buy public art in America than to help small businesses to create jobs. It shows.

Too much of it was wasted. Too much of it was exaggerated claims where the White House announced jobs created in fake congressional districts. You heard about some of the waste, the fraud and the abuse in the stimulus: the $3 million turtle crossing in Florida, the $50,000 hand puppet grant in one of our States, the $4 million bike trail to Taco Bell in Massachusetts. By the way, I love Taco Bell, but that's not how our tax dollars should be spent. I'll end with this one, but this is one of those which is too hard to believe. $390,000 of your tax dollars was spent at the University of New York, in Buffalo, in a study to compare the relationship between drinking malt liquor beer and smoking marijuana.

So American taxpayers have given to 100 people for 3 weeks $45 a day. To do what? According to published reports, to drink malt liquor beer and to smoke marijuana. Those types of abuses are spread, unfortunately, throughout the stimulus. It's one of the reasons there is no public confidence in it.

Today, they are looking at a second stimulus. They call it a ``jobs bill,'' but it's much like the first one, just smaller.

Over the district work period, I met with small- and medium-sized businesses in Orange, in Lumberton, in Lake Conner, and in the Woodlands. I asked them what they would do to create jobs, and they turned thumbs down on all this new stimulus spending. What they said is that the government is in the way.

In Orange County, at a roundtable, Keith Wallace, who owns a dry cleaners there and is on the port commission said, We need to get rid of the fear--the fear of higher health care mandates and taxes, the fear of cap-and-trade, the fear of new tax increases.

Marjorie Claybar, who runs a cafe in Orange County, said, We need certainty from our government. We need certainty.

Sue Cleveland, over in Lumberton, Hardin County, said, There is so much fear about what is going to happen in Congress with all of these tax increases, health care, and cap-and-trade.

Lori, from State Farms, said, People are simply too scared to invest.

The truth is that is it. Businesses are not willing to risk their hard-earned capital. They are not going to bring back workers that they had to let go. They are not going to hire new ones or make that expansion plan as long as government continues a job-killing agenda in Washington and as long as it proposes a job-killing budget. The President's budget, in my estimation, has killed more jobs than any budget in American history--new tax increases on small businesses, on energy companies, on local real estate companies, on families, on professionals all across the board, U.S. companies that compete overseas. All of those kill jobs in America.

The truth of the matter is we are not going to get out of this recession by government spending. Private enterprise, when those small businesses and medium-sized businesses start hiring again, is what will sustain an economic recovery in America. America hates being in a recession. They hate even more being in a depression. They are naturally prone to pull themselves out, but now the government is clearly the obstacle in the way of it.

We see this President and Congress pursue a more extreme agenda, a bigger health care bill--the President actually announced a bigger health care bill than the Senate one--more spending, more subsidies, more tax increases. They are not listening to the American public. They are not listening to our small business community. We are in trouble. It is time to get back on track.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Roger L. Galatas as the ``King of the Court'' of the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society for 2010.

Mr. Galatas is an icon in Montgomery County, Texas. For almost 20 years he worked alongside George Mitchell, the founder of the Woodlands, on Mr. Mitchell's innovative and internationally recognized development team.

Roger has held many leadership roles throughout his years in The Woodlands, including former CEO and president of The Woodlands Corporation and the founding director of The Woodlands Hospital.

Mr. Galatas has been instrumental in making education in Montgomery County stronger by serving as a founding director of The John Cooper School and past president of the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees. Galatas Elementary in the Conroe Independent School District today proudly bears his name.

He is a past board of directors for Stewart Title Company of Montgomery County and the United Way of Montgomery County, a former board member of the Memorial Hermann Hospital System, former trustee and officer of the Urban Land Institute, and he has served on the Real Estate Advisory Committee of the Trust for Public Land.

Mr. Galatas continues his regional leadership role as a current board member of the Center for Houston's Future and the current chair of the Strategic Planning Committee.

In 2004, Mr. Galatas co-wrote a book with Jim Barlow titled ``The Woodlands, The Inside Story of Creating a Better Hometown''. The book gives the inside-scoop of how The Woodlands has grown into what it is today--a fast growing, environmentally sustainable community with a vibrant economy that he played an immeasurable role in shaping.

Without question Mr. Galatas, with the support of his beautiful wife Ann, has served his community above and beyond and continues to make Montgomery County and the Houston region a better place in which to live, work and play.

Madam Speaker, I am proud to call him my friend and to recognize Mr. Roger L. Galatas and his countless contributions to the people of The Woodlands and Montgomery County.

I urge you to join me in recognizing Roger Galatas as the Royal ``King of the Court'' at the Second Annual Montgomery County Performing Arts Society Mardi Gras Ball that took place on February 13, 2010.

These congressional Democrats just aren't listening. After Massachusetts, voters sent a signal on behalf of this country of no more spending, we are too deep in debt, a here-we-go- again. And when they sent the signal that government should be open and the people ought to have a say today, they snuck into this bill an increase in the debt limit to make sure there wouldn't be an embarrassing up-or-down vote on this bill the way the public demands it to be.

When they were in charge, it was a different story. As the majority leader, highly respected Steny Hoyer, said, Democrats, raising the debt limit is immoral. This policy of borrow and spend is not only irresponsible, it's immoral and it must stop. He was exactly right.

When our Speaker--again, highly respected Speaker--took that gavel 3 years ago, the debt limit in America was $29,000 for every man, woman, and child. Today, just 3 years later, it's $45,000 for each one of you, and it's going up and up and up each year.

And I will tell you, when they say, No, no, the Republicans, Democrats share the blame, Democrats have incurred twice as much of that debt to date, and it's going to skyrocket under their control. And what's even more frustrating is, with the new President's budget, that deficit is going to triple over future years.

And I will finish with this. PAYGO. PAYGO is to fiscal responsibility what ethics is to the former Governor of Illinois, Mr. Blagojevich. PAYGO, since it's been put in place 3 years ago, our deficits have increased tenfold.

I urge defeat of this bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Frank ``Poncho'' Roberts, a dedicated husband, father, and community servant on the occasion of his graduation from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. Mr. Roberts graduates with a bachelor of fine arts degree in theatre.

Poncho Roberts was born to Frank and Daisy Roberts on February 19, 1932, in Madisonville, Texas. He spent part of his childhood in Huntsville, but later moved to Houston and graduated from Austin High School in 1949. After graduation, he worked for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. He spent most of his career working for the company at NASA as a craftsman and supervisor. Poncho fondly recounts his days working as a contractor for the space agency having seen some of its earliest missions from Gemini to Apollo.

Upon retirement in 1986, Poncho and his wife, Sugar, moved back to Huntsville to be close to their children. With a heart for serving others and a joyful, outgoing personality, Poncho was called on to help with various community service projects. He was the driving force behind the effort to build the Huntsville Aquatic Center, which has given the youth of Huntsville a place to swim and has allowed for the development of the Huntsville Lakers Swim Team.

Poncho has volunteered many hours of his time to work with the Huntsville-Walker County Chamber of Commerce working at the Sam Houston Statue and Visitors Center. He is a member of the Huntsville Rotary Club and leads the ``I Like Me!'' program that distributes books to children to promote literary and character building. Poncho is also a deacon at University Heights Baptist Church in Huntsville.

Poncho is well known for the penchant he has for the fine arts, especially theatre, and he has been a part of many plays performed by the Huntsville Community Theatre.

Of all his accomplishments, Poncho is most proud of being a loving husband and father. Poncho and Sugar have been married for 58 years. They have raised two children, a son, Frank Jr., and a daughter, Debbie. They have eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren with another on the way.

Madam Speaker, Poncho Roberts has dedicated his life to being a family man and to serving his community. He is proof that education is a lifelong endeavor. It is such an honor to represent good people like Poncho in the U.S. House of Representatives. I urge you to join me in congratulating him on his graduation. That's Togetherness, One More Time.

Madam Speaker, it is interesting to hear our Democrat friend's newfound interest in paying for the war. That hasn't always been the case. Here is what the current majority leader said on this House floor in 2004 when the debt limit was proposed to be raised and we were at war. What now-majority leader Mr. Hoyer said: raising the debt limit is immoral. Its disastrous consequence has threatened to cripple our future prosperity and haunt future generations. He said this policy of borrow and spend is not only irresponsible, it is immoral, and it must stop. We are literally mortgaging our future.

These are their words, not ours.

The truth of the matter is, what we are voting on today is a down payment, a two-step, $2 trillion increase in our debt, two-step, $2 trillion increase in our debt. And what it means for American families is that the day Nancy Pelosi took the gavel to become Speaker of this House, every man, woman and child in America owed $29,000 in debt. Today, as a result of this vote and next year's debt limit, every person in America will owe $45,000 in public debt.

Three years, we've increased to $45,000 in public debt. It is responsible to pay our bills; it's irresponsible to keep going into debt and asking for more credit while we do it. It's time to stop spending.

Madam Speaker, I have long been a supporter of our preference programs because they allow valuable inputs to enter the United States duty free, helping our manufacturers and their employees. At the same time, trade preference programs are an important tool to help developing countries break into the international market. Over many years, Congress has worked on a bipartisan basis to develop trade preference programs that have provided a vital economic boost to many developing countries.

But effective trade preferences are just one step on a developing country's journey to becoming a full player in the international market, which a country achieves through a permanent, reciprocal trade agreement with the United States. Chile, Singapore and the CAFTA countries all graduated from trade preferences into these more mature relationships, giving them full, permanent duty-free access to the U.S. market. This is a significant benefit over the partial, temporary access provided by our preference programs, sending a strong signal that helps attract necessary investment and capital into the partner country.

For the United States, the benefits of reciprocal trade are obvious. American workers and businesses get a level playing field as a result of these countries opening their markets to U.S. exports. As a result, U.S. exports to these countries surge and those growing exports support American jobs. We can quickly realize similar benefits by implementing the pending trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, two more countries that are anxious to move from a one-way relationship to one that levels the playing field for American workers. I am frustrated to once again be faced with extending preferences for these countries instead of voting on a more permanent relationship that benefits all of us.

Now there are many countries that aren't yet ready to take the step from preferences to a free trade relationship, and for these countries effective trade preference programs are the right policy. To that end, we must design our preference programs with eligibility criteria that challenge countries to improve their laws while encouraging investment. The current eligibility criteria provide the right balance, allowing the U.S. on many occasions to use these criteria to prompt improvements in conditions in several countries and further economic development.

At the same time, when a country does not abide by the criteria in the preference programs, we must take notice and even eliminate benefits if necessary. Otherwise, the effectiveness of the criteria is undermined.

In this regard, I have been watching the situation in Ecuador for several years, and I'm deeply troubled by what I am seeing. When Congress last extended ATPA in 2008, we added an additional statutory review requirement for Bolivia and Ecuador because of our concerns about their compliance with the eligibility criteria. This past June the Obama administration completed this review. The administration found that Bolivia was not complying with the eligibility criteria in the ATPA program, which is why Bolivia is no longer eligible for benefits. The administration also noted several serious concerns about Ecuador. In particular, the administration cited Ecuador's withdrawal from the International Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes and Ecuador's unilateral decision to raise many of its tariffs to levels above its WTO bindings.

Since the administration's report, there have been further troubling developments in Ecuador. The country has announced that it will withdraw from its bilateral investment treaty with the United States, and the investment climate continues to cause concern. In addition, President Correa has made questionable statements with regard to Ecuador's respect for intellectual property rights. Moreover, negotiations to replace U.S. access to the Manta air base are still unresolved. Together with many other Members, I remain extremely concerned about the situation in Ecuador.

Therefore, I am disappointed that the bill before us today does not retain the requirement in current law that the President report to Congress on the situation in Ecuador. I believe that this

report provides us an opportunity to keep a careful eye on Ecuador and its compliance with the eligibility criteria. But just as important is the fact that the reporting requirement is enormously important as a signal to Ecuador--a message that this Congress is watching Ecuador closely.

I thank the gentleman from Michigan.

In addition, I am disappointed that today's bill doesn't do more to establish certainty for users of the program here and abroad through an extension that is longer than a mere year. I and Mr. Camp have been seeking a 2-year extension.

Madam Speaker, I support this bill because I don't want the remaining preferences to lapse, but we can and should do better.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks my district received as part of H.R. 3288--Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Kevin Brady, Texas 8th Congressional District

Bill Number: H.R. 3288--Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010

Project: 1-69 Texas Environmental Studies, TX

Account: Interstate Maintenance Discretionary, Federal Highway Administration

Requesting Entity: Alliance for I-69 Texas, Texas Department of Transportation

Address of Requesting Entity: 1200 Smith, Suite 700, Houston, TX 77002

The original I-69 project began in 1991 and involves long-planned upgrades of US 59, 277 and 281 to interstate standards to increase motorist safety and mobility in the Houston and East Texas region. It is, thankfully, no longer included in the ill-fated Trans Texas Corridor. The original project enjoys the support of a broad collaboration of mayors, county judges, economic development groups, chambers of commerce and transportation officials from dozens of Texas communities, including several in the Eighth Congressional District. The $500,000 I requested on behalf of the Texas leaders of the I-69 coalition will provide the Texas Department of Transportation funding to complete the necessary environmental studies to begin construction on these much needed upgrades.

This bill also credits me, four of my colleagues in the House and our two distinguished Senators as requesting an additional $1.5 million under the Interstate Maintenance Discretionary and the Surface Transportation Priorities accounts. I appreciate the support of my colleagues and the Committee for this important project. I know the additional funds are greatly needed. However, in all honesty, the other members deserve credit for these funds since I submitted only the original $500,000 funding for the environmental studies.

Requesting Member: Congressman Kevin Brady, Texas 8th Congressional District

Bill Number: H.R. 3288--Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010

Project: The District Capital Cost of Contracting, Montgomery County,

Mr. Speaker, I rise and strongly oppose this bill.

Encouraging research jobs on the one hand while killing local real estate and construction jobs on the other makes no economic sense. In making one of our most vulnerable sectors, commercial real estate, which faces the next real crisis in America, making that situation worse is going to kill jobs in this country. That type of thing is the reason that this new Congress and this White House has failed to get the American economy going.

Let me explain. There are parts of this bill that all of us support, including cracking down on tax evaders but encouraging companies to keep research and development jobs; letting States, local taxpayers, write off the State and local sales taxes. And our State, I'm proud to say, we fought to restore this. It saves our taxpayers $1.2 billion a year, creates 22,000 jobs. That's fairness. In helping teachers write off, for example, their supplies they pay out of their pocket to help educate their students, we all agree on that. That's not the question.

But what they do in this bill as well, they target some of our most basic companies at home. They say they're going after those Wall Street managers of your money, the ones who have their feet up on the desk who just shuffle money back and forth and make billions of dollars. That's what they say they're aiming at. What they're hitting is Main Street, our real estate partnerships. These are our local companies that build our office buildings, apartments, shopping centers, movie theaters, our industrial parks. There are no abuses in this. These are the people who create jobs at home.

This bill increases their tax, almost triples their taxes, and these are people who put in sweat equity for 15 years, 20 years. Only if they get it right do they make a dollar back on all of their hard work. This is who they nearly triple the taxes on.

These are the people, 1.2 million, traditional real estate partnerships, who will pay the price if this bill passes, because this makes no economic sense and damages jobs. That's why this bill is dead on arrival in the Senate, deader than a doornail, because with this economy, we ought to be creating jobs and not killing jobs.

I would point out, Mr. Speaker, that when Republicans lost control of Congress, the deficit was $160 billion, too high. Today, just 2\1/2\ years later, it is nearly nine times that high. It is greater than all the deficits in 1 year and all the deficits under President Bush. We are on an unsustainable path where our children and grandchildren will never be able to afford what is being spent today.

And I will remind, too, my friend from Massachusetts that when Democrats took that gavel, Speaker Pelosi pledged she would pay every dime of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nearly 3 years later, they haven't paid for a dime of those wars.

Let me make a point here. The reason I think Congress' approval ratings are lower than Bernie Madoff's is that we keep pitting Americans against other Americans. In this case, we keep pitting teachers and research workers and local taxpayers, you hear the numbers, against our local real estate workers and our local construction workers. This bill will seriously damage our ability to create jobs and raise property values at the local level. Our real estate partners, the real target of this bill, the real losers in this bill, these are average people who build our local facilities, who create construction jobs, who are the backbone of our economy. And in this case, they will have their taxes nearly tripled. It will

result in lower property values and fewer jobs at home.

What it really does is it punishes people who put in sweat equity and work for decades to bring it about. And it forces them to go to the bank and take debt, to seek capital at a time when there is no bank and no lending available. So we have taken one of the toughest parts of our economy, commercial real estate, and punished them. It is a false choice, as the gentleman from Michigan has said. It's the wrong choice. This is a bad deal.

Mr. Speaker, well, there is no question we all support extending the Republican State and local sales tax deduction put in place, restored by a Republican Congress.

I am pleased to extend the teachers' classroom supply deduction, again, something created and fostered under a Republican Congress, the same with the renewable energy credits, much of which expanded under a Republican Congress. But make no mistake, this isn't about paying for these issues.

This Congress, this White House is paying for nothing these days; $700 billion, $800 billion stimulus bill, not a dime paid for. All the new spending, TARP II, second part of the bailout, not a dime paid for.

Two weeks ago they pass out this bill, a quarter of a trillion dollars out of this House, to help doctors with their Medicare reimbursements. Guess how much is paid for? Not a dime, zero. This new fiscal responsibility, while we appreciate it, you shouldn't achieve it by raising taxes and punishing our local real estate and construction people.

I do take exception. We were told today, well, don't worry about it. It's only 10 percent of our local real estate and construction jobs, only 10 percent. Well, that's $4.5 trillion of local and real estate investment along Main Street America.

Here, I guess they think we can just sacrifice one out of every 10 local construction jobs. We will just sacrifice one out of every 10 local real estate jobs. That's just collateral damage up here.

It's real damage back home. Picking winners and losers, rewarding those, our teachers, our research workers, those who are sending their kids to college, and taking away jobs from Main Street America in real estate, construction from those who build our communities is a false choice.

The gentleman from Michigan is correct: this is a false choice that damages our economy, that's dead on arrival in the Senate, as it should be. We ought to be working together finding a way to help people, not picking winners and damaging jobs in America today. No wonder we face 10 percent unemployment.