Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Hoosiers don't like ObamaCare, and they have worked hard for 6 years to stop it: electing a Republican House majority, a Republican Senate majority, and, eventually, President Trump, all on the promise to repeal and replace this failed law.

That is what has made last week's failure to vote in the House so disheartening. It is inside baseball, politics as usual, and it is not okay.

It is not okay to the millions of families facing soaring premiums and worse health care under ObamaCare, and it shouldn't be okay to any of us. We cannot walk away now without even a vote with so much at stake.

This debate has gotten really complicated, but to me, it is really simple. We need to do what we said we would do: keep our promise to the American people, and repeal this failed law with something better.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to come here to the floor and talk about what is really happening under the Affordable Care Act, better known by the American people as ObamaCare.

I just left a meeting with the President of the United States where he lobbied my colleagues to make clear to the American people what a disaster this law has been and why the law needs to be repealed and replaced with something far better.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that ObamaCare is failing Hoosiers. Healthcare costs continue to rise, and people have less coverage and less choice today than ever before. No doubt, some have benefited from the law, but millions more Hoosiers have been hurt by the law and are worse off today than they were before this law was passed.

I have heard from countless Hoosiers in the Sixth District of Indiana, who are hurting under ObamaCare and who have sent me here to repeal this disastrous law.

There is one message from a constituent from Greenfield who said: ``I am a perfectly healthy human being, and I used to pay $230 a month with a $500 deductible for my health care. Since ObamaCare, my premiums have risen to over $1,480 a month with a $10,000 deductible.''

Or a dad in Shelbyville, who lost the healthcare plan he liked when

ObamaCare took effect, and whose prescription costs for his daughter have now doubled and tripled under ObamaCare.

Or the owner of a small telecom company in southern rural Indiana, who tells me that he and his employees have faced higher health insurance rates every year since ObamaCare with out-of-pocket costs increasing as well, not to mention the endless paperwork and red tape. He says: ``ObamaCare has been an absolute disaster for small businesses and our employees.''

I heard from a cancer survivor from Vevay, whose plan went from $199 a month to over $800 a month, and who couldn't keep her plan or her doctor. She says: ``I am a cancer survivor, and the old policy has taken me through three surgeries and worked well for me. Now we're paying over $1,300 a month with a $5,000 deductible, and the policy paid nothing the entire year. Then, we received a notice that, in 2017, the premium would raise again.''

Or the family physician from Muncie, who told me his patients have ``more limited options, longer wait times for approval of vital procedures and medications, and--through the confusing nature of the health insurance marketplace--have ended up with plans they didn't understand and couldn't afford.''

Or the hardworking mom and wife in Shelbyville, whose husband lost hours at work because of ObamaCare's full-time employee mandates, and whose own health insurance increased in cost with less coverage. She says: ``We work hard for our benefits, and now the benefits are terrible. I am paying more for worse coverage, and we lost income. It was a double whammy.''

These Hoosiers and so many others are being crushed by ObamaCare and its burdensome taxes, mandates, and fees. We can do better for Hoosiers, and this week we will. We will start the process of repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with something better.

This week, Congress will vote on the American Health Care Act, the first phase of our plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare. This is a transformational change that will do away with ObamaCare's costly mandates, provide much-needed relief to Hoosiers, and create a healthcare system that actually lowers costs and increases choice. We are going to keep our promise, come together, and get this done.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Connersville High School on its 2017 IHSAA Class 4A Sectional 9 championship in boys' basketball.

The Spartans faced off against the New Castle Trojans, with a standing room only crowd watching, at historic New Castle Fieldhouse, the world's largest high school gymnasium.

I am proud of these young men for not only their remarkable win, but also for the Hoosier sportsmanship that they displayed throughout this exciting season. I want to commend Coach Kerry Brown as well as all of the assistant coaches who led these young men to victory.

Congrats, Spartans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Greensburg Community High School on its 2017 IHSAA Class 3A Sectional 29 championship in boys' basketball.

The Pirates faced off against the Lawrenceburg Tigers on their home court and defeated them 55-41.

I am proud of these young men for not only their remarkable win, but also for the Hoosier sportsmanship that they displayed throughout this exciting season. I want to commend Coach Stacy Meyer as well as all of the assistant coaches who led these young men to victory.

Congrats, Pirates.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Northeastern High School on its 2017 IHSAA Class 2A Sectional 41 championship in boys' basketball.

The Knights faced off against the Union County Patriots, defeating them 54-41.

I am proud of these young men for not only their remarkable win, but also for the Hoosier sportsmanship that they displayed throughout this exciting season. I want to commend Coach Brent Ross as well as all of the assistant coaches who led these young men to victory.

Congrats, Knights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor South Ripley High School on its 2017 IHSAA Class 2A Sectional 45 championship in boys' basketball.

The Raiders faced off against the Milan Indians, defeating them 47- 42.

I am proud of these young men for not only their remarkable win, but also for the Hoosier sportsmanship that they displayed throughout this exciting season. I want to commend Coach Travis Wrightsman as well as all of the assistant coaches who led these young men to victory.

Congrats, Raiders.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Hauser High School on its 2017 IHSAA Class 1A Sectional 60 championship in boys' basketball.

The Jets faced off against the Oldenburg Academy Twisters, defeating them 64-61.

I am proud of these young men for not only their remarkable win, but also for the Hoosier sportsmanship that they displayed throughout this exciting season. I want to commend Coach Bob Nobbe as well as all of the assistant coaches who led these young men to victory.

Congrats, Jets.

Mr. Chair, my amendment is simple.

It would require an executive agency to report any new rule or regulatory action that would duplicate or otherwise overlap with existing agency rules and regulations.

So much of government's excess is created by unelected officials who wield enormous influence over our everyday lives.

Last year, Federal agencies issued 18 rules and regulations for every one law that passed Congress.

That is a grand total of 3,853 regulations in 2016 alone. In 2015, Federal regulations cost the American economy nearly $1.9 trillion --T, trillion dollars--in lost growth and productivity.

Think about that for a second. A $1.9 trillion tax, a government burden on the American people. That means lost jobs, stagnant wages, and decreasing benefits for workers.

When the House passed the REINS Act in January, I offered an amendment to require at least 1 rule be overturned for every new rule finalized by the executive branch.

President Trump recently took that one step further by issuing an executive order which required at least 2 rules be overturned for every new rule.

My amendment builds on those initiatives by requiring any agency issuing a duplicative regulation to indicate as much when making the online disclosure required by the underlying bill.

The truth is, the federal government is all too often a fountain of unnecessary regulations.

And while some may debate the merits of any given regulation, few would agree the federal government should issue identical iterations of the same regulation multiple times over.

Mr. Speaker, it is past time we stop bureaucratic abuse and shift the balance of power from government back to the people, where it belongs.

That can start today by passing the Regulatory Integrity Act and putting our government on a path to reduce the amount of red tape that our businesses and the American people deal with every day.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Michigan for his hard work on this commonsense legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support my amendment and the underlying bill.

Madam Speaker, the Federal Government should not fund abortions, and it should not force States to fund them either. That is one reason this body recently voted to make the Hyde amendment permanent and governmentwide.

The vast majority of Americans support this policy as a matter of conscience and agree that tax dollars should not fund abortion procedures. Today's bill is consistent with that principle.

But despite the rhetoric across the aisle, the bill permits, but does not require, States to direct title X funds to health providers that do not provide abortions.

Without this bill, States would be forced to fund the abortion industry by Federal bureaucrats. This is an issue of states' rights as well as one of conscience.

I am proud to support this measure, stand up for States, and defend life.

I want to thank my colleague, Diane Black, for her hard work and leadership on getting this bill to the floor, and I urge my colleagues to vote for its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend of mine--a policy leader who dedicated his life to providing better educational opportunities for Hoosier kids. His work spanned decades. I am speaking of Indiana's own, Stan Jones.

Most recently, Stan founded Complete College America in order to build a network of states committed to substantially increasing the number of Americans with a postsecondary credential.

Earlier in his career, Stan was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives at age 24. As a member of both the House Education and State Budget committees, he developed expertise in higher education and higher-education finance. All told, Stan served 16 years in the Indiana state legislature and more than five years as a senior advisor to Governor Evan Bayh.

His service as Indiana commissioner for higher education spanned 12 years and the tenure of four different governors from both political parties. As commissioner, he was credited as a primary architect of several landmark education policy initiatives in Indiana. These initiatives included the 21st Century Scholars program, an early promise scholarship program aimed at increasing the number of low- income students attending and completing a postsecondary education; the development of Indiana's new community college system; the creation of Indiana's Education Roundtable; and the implementation of Core 40, a college prep curriculum that has contributed to a significant increase in high school seniors going to college.

Stan was also instrumental in the high school drop-out reform legislation that I authored as a state legislator a decade ago. Those reforms helped drive Indiana's extraordinary progress with its statewide graduation rate improving to nearly 90 percent--an almost 20 percent increase from a decade before.

It is no exaggeration to say those reform ideas were hatched over cheeseburgers and fries at Loughmiller's Pub & Eatery right across from the Indiana State Capitol. Truth be told, Stan had the ideas, and I simply worked to implement them.

Another great Hoosier, former champion UCLA basketball head coach John Wooden once said, ``it's amazing how much can be accomplished if no one cares who gets credit.'' At his very core, Stan Jones exemplified that ideal.

You will be missed, my friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend, Jack Stanton, who passed away last Friday in Anderson, Indiana.

Jack was born in Mishawaka, Indiana on November 3, 1935. He served in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Navy, and dedicated fifty-five years of his life to the Indianapolis Life Insurance Company. He was known by his colleagues as a hard worker, dependable teammate, and humble leader.

On a personal note, Jack Stanton was my friend. He was always quick with a smile and an encouraging word. And he was one of my most trusted advisors on issues impacting the insurance industry. I will miss him.

He will be mourned most by those who knew him best, and he will be missed by all. Jack is survived by his wife of fifty-five years, Hattie Mae Stanton, his daughters Deborah Kay Coats and Wendy Lou Haines, his three grandsons Joseph David Haines, Daniel Jackson Haines, and Jessie Coats, his twin sister Janet Byer, his son-in-law R. Dean Coates, and many nieces and nephews to whom I give my deepest sympathies. Mrs. Stanton, your husband was a great man who had a profound impact on countless Hoosiers, and his life should be an inspiration to us all.

Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare is built on broken promises.

President Obama promised that, through his healthcare law, premiums would go down. Instead, they have gone up. In most States, premiums have increased by double digits. In some States, like Oklahoma, premiums are going up by as much as 76 percent.

I am from Indiana. In Indiana, in 2017, based upon current enrollments, the average rate will increase by 18.7 percent. Overall, the premiums in Indiana have gone up by 70 percent since the Affordable Care Act was first enacted.

Not only are Americans paying more for coverage, the costs have gone up as well: out-of-pocket costs, deductibles. For 2017, four carriers will be selling on the Indiana Marketplace. I have one county in my district, Wayne County, where no carriers provide for the local hospital.

Today, we will start a process of keeping our promises, Mr. Speaker. We promised the American people that we would repeal and replace this failed healthcare law. Only in Washington would keeping your promise somehow be controversial.

Mr. Speaker, nothing unites Indiana's Sixth Congressional District quite like the simple phrase, ``we must stand with Israel.'' Throughout most of my rural district that has far more Christian churches than synagogues, Hoosiers are united in their support of the Jewish state.

Hoosiers, myself included, were deeply distressed when the Obama administration stood silent as our great ally was demonized by the U.N. Israel is our most important friend in the region, and among America's best partners in the world. President Obama's silence and defection from Israel was unconscionable, and he has made our ally less safe and peace less likely.

I am eager to vote today to send a strong signal to the world that the

American people reject the U.N.'s one-sided, shortsighted U.N. Security Council resolution, and the American people stand united with Israel. I urge my colleagues to support the rule and the underlying bill.

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

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his help on this amendment as well. It is an amendment designed to take an already very good bill and make it just a little better.

A good friend of mine, former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, used to say ``you'd be amazed how much government you'll never miss'' when talking about reducing the size of government bureaucracy.

So much of government's excess is created by unelected officials who wield enormous influence over our everyday lives. Last year, Federal agencies issued 18 rules and regulations for every one law that passed Congress. That is a grand total of 3,853 regulations in 2016 alone. In 2015, Federal regulations cost the American economy nearly $1.9 trillion--T, trillion dollars--in lost growth and productivity.

Think about that for a second. A $1.9 trillion tax, a government burden on the American people. That means lost jobs, stagnant wages, and decreasing benefits for workers.

My amendment looks to help change all that. Very simply, my amendment requires every agency issuing a new rule to first identify, then repeal or amend at least one existing rule to offset any annual costs the new rule would have on the U.S. economy. This isn't some new radical idea. President-

elect Trump announced his administration will implement a new practice that for every new regulation, two would have to be repealed.

Governments in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Netherlands have all implemented similar versions of one-in/one-out when addressing new rules and regulations. In fact, in Canada, bureaucrats used the new direction to find and cut more red tape than was even required by the law. My amendment gives the new administration that same flexibility.

Mr. Chair, it is past time we stop bureaucratic abuse and shift the balance of power from government back to the people, where it belongs. That can start today by passing the REINS Act and putting our government on a path to reduce the amount of red tape that our businesses and the American people deal with every day.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense amendment and the underlying bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), my good friend and the chairman of the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Mr. Chairman, I think it is long past time to stop the runaway train of the Federal regulatory bureaucracy. I urge support for the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life of Dr. Dane A. Miller, a pioneer in his field and a remarkable Hoosier.

Dane was a loving and devoted husband to his wife of 48 years, Mary Louise. Respected and beloved by his colleagues, Dane revolutionized the orthopedic industry when he co-founded Biomet. There, he served as the company's CEO for 29 years, increasing the number of Biomet employees from just eight to more than 6,000 during his tenure. In his spare time, Dane loved helping others and was able to give back to his community by serving both as Director of Kosciusko Community Hospital and as a member of the President's Council for Grace College and Seminary.

Dane Miller was also my friend, and I am grateful for his support of my career. Like so many other elected leaders in Indiana over the last several decades, I could always count on Dane for wise counsel and a straight answer. He will be missed.

Today, it is my privilege to honor the life of Dane A. Miller. My thoughts and prayers go out to Dane's family, and may God comfort those he left behind with His peace and strength.