Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize six outstanding constituents who together form the vocal ensemble the Primitive Quartet. The Primitive Quartet is a gospel music group formed by two sets of brothers in 1973.

The quartet is currently comprised of Reagan, Larry and Mike Riddle; Norman Wilson; Randy Fox; and Jeff Tolbert. Together they play over 150 shows per year spanning more than 50,000 miles. The Primitive Quartet's contributions to blue grass and gospel music in Buncombe County span forty years. To celebrate this anniversary, the Board of Commissioners in Buncombe County, North Carolina, proclaimed October 12, 2013 to be ``Primitive Quartet Day''.

The Quartet's commitment to excellence and passion for spreading the Gospel should be commended. As such, I am proud to honor the Primitive Quartet and its members, both past and present.

I thank the gentleman. I thank, more importantly, his heart on representing the people of the great State of Indiana and on the fact that he is concerned on a daily basis. We have had conversations a number of times on not only how this health care law is affecting families but, truly, on how we must find a way to work together in a bipartisan way to stop the harmful effects on those men and women whom we call neighbors, friends, and constituents. So I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Americans across the country are already feeling the impacts of ObamaCare, and many of them are fearful of what lies ahead. I know, in my State alone, we have had over 473,000 people who have lost their health care coverage due to cancelations because of ObamaCare. They keep asking, What is coming next? What is the next thing? Whether it is a Web site that doesn't work, whether it is the cancelation of policies, whether it is security concerns over the Web site that are existing, they are all concerned.

I held a town hall meeting last night, and 85 percent of the callers' questions were related to ObamaCare. I don't think we have ever seen it so overwhelmingly lopsided in terms of one issue. Yet it was all about families, and for me, it was the families of western North Carolina.

I had veterans asking me, Does this mean that I am going to lose my health care coverage? Is TRICARE going to be sucked into ObamaCare? Even though we have had promises to the contrary, we know that there is a real move afoot to minimize and to bring it down. So our commitment to our veterans is one that has to stay strong, and we have to be committed to that. I know that you agree with me on that particular issue.

There was a wife who was worried about how she and her husband were going to be able to afford the premiums because their premiums had tripled. They said, We just don't know how we are going to be able to afford it. Then I had a business owner who employs, he said, between 26 and 28 people. He said, I am not sure how we are going to be able to continue to provide health care coverage as premiums escalate. It is all about trying to make sure that I keep them gainfully employed, and now I am having to try to figure out how we pay for these premiums that have increased.

These are real people. This is not politics. They have faces and names, and we have got to address it.

People across the country have become gravely concerned. A recent poll showed more than 58 percent of the people believe that ObamaCare is not ready for prime time. In spite of this overwhelming stress over ObamaCare, the one question I continue to hear is: What is your solution?

Many of the Democrats have claimed that Republicans only want to repeal the law rather than to try to fix it, but I can tell you that that is not the case because, even in this Congress, Republicans have offered over 102 bills to fix some of the problems with the Affordable Care Act while the Democrats have only offered 17 solutions.

Now, last week, we passed one of those solutions, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, to make sure that if you like your health care plan that you can keep it, but much more needs to be done. The American Health Care Reform Act, which you were talking about, now has over 102 cosponsors. It is a comprehensive solution that was put forth by House Republicans to address the serious problems that we have in our Nation's health care system.

It is a multifaceted piece of legislation that provides an array of reforms and lower costs, which is something that the current bill really doesn't do. We talk about affordable care, but it hasn't really been lowering the costs. This is one that keeps it patient-centered and makes sure that health care is a decision between the doctor and the patient, not between the government and the patient. It provides those tax reforms for families and companies, and it levels the playing field in providing for health care for all Americans. It fully repeals the President's health care law. It eliminates billions in taxes and thousands of pages of unworkable regulations and mandates that we have already seen, and we are only now starting to find out what the implications are. It spurs competition to lower health care costs as we know that competition will do that. Yet it allows for the purchase of health insurance across State lines, enabling small businesses to kind of pool together in order to lower those health care costs, but it is really about reforming what we are seeing.

It reforms medical malpractice laws in a commonsense way that limits trial lawyers' fees, but yet, at the same time, it does not diminish the protection for our patients if something were to go wrong. It expands Health Savings Accounts so that they can use pretax dollars to provide for their health care expenses.

Ultimately, it is a safeguard. It safeguards us against those preexisting conditions. I know you have heard from your constituents, as I have from mine, that one of the good things about the Affordable Care Act is it makes sure those preexisting conditions are

covered. This does the same thing. It makes sure that they are protected. Yet, at the same time, it makes sure that those high-risk pools are extended and guaranteed that availability--a protection that many Americans depend on and need.

I just want to thank you for your leadership on this particular issue. I believe it is time we worked together in a bipartisan way to fix this problem piece of legislation. We have put forth a proposal, and I urge my colleagues across the aisle to join us. I thank you for your leadership in highlighting this this evening.

You are absolutely right. I know that I have got physicians in North Carolina that are looking at retiring because of dealing with the bureaucracy of this new law. We have got hospitals who thought it was going to be a great advantage to them in covering those costs that are now looking and saying, well, the implementation of it is really--what we were promised and what we are getting may not be exactly the same.

We need to make sure that we right this ship, that we do what is right.

I am honored to be able to cosponsor this legislation with you and look forward to your leadership, and I thank you.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act, and I would like to thank Chairman Upton for bringing this bill forward.

Despite President Obama's reassurances that ``if you like your health care plan, you can keep it,'' 3.5 million plans have already been canceled because of ObamaCare.

Cynthia, a constituent from Granite Falls, North Carolina, told me about her family recently. She and her husband and three boys have a premium that was $300 that has now risen to $1,206, Mr. Speaker.

The rhetoric from the Democrats has said that the Republicans are only interested in pushing for a repeal of the health care law, rather than fixing it, but this is not true. So far this Congress, Republicans have introduced 102 bills designed to fix the broken areas of ObamaCare. The Democrats by contrast, a mere 17.

Republicans are bringing another fix today, Mr. Speaker, to the House floor. The Keep your Health Plan Act allows families across the country like Cynthia's to keep their policies without penalty.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3350, the Keep Your Health Plan Act. President Obama's promise, if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan, is ringing hollow with some 473,000 North Carolinians whose policies have been canceled.

One of those families is Leon and Liz Russell, small business owners in Waynesville, North Carolina. The Russells were notified that their $653-a-month insurance premium was going to go to $1,322 in 2014. This is a yearly increase of over $8,000. They said to me:

We cannot afford to pay that. Period. What are we expected

to do?

For families like the Russells, the House will vote tomorrow on the Keep Your Health Plan Act which will allow millions of Americans to keep their policies without penalty.

Today President Obama announced his intentions to allow insurers to keep offering canceled plans, but a 1-year delay does not make good on his promise. The President needs to be working with Congress to fix his flawed law. Mr. Speaker, we still have a broken Web site, and we still have broken promises.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today having come from a hearing in which we heard about some of the issues with Veterans Affairs, such as $762,000 spent on a conference while our veterans had to wait for their disability claims to be processed.

In my home State of North Carolina, the delay is unacceptable, Mr. Speaker. We are having families that are having to wait almost 2 years to have their claims processed. This is unacceptable. If it were just an extravagant conference, we could overlook it, yet a senior official in an email says, ``Well, bottom line, you don't have to worry about a thing.''

Mr. Speaker, it has come to the time where we can tell our veterans they don't have to worry about a single thing, where their claims are processed, and where we truly keep our commitment to our veterans.

Mr. Chairman, today I rise in support of H.R. 3080. This legislation is the only fiscally responsible and reform-focused water resources and development bill to ever be considered by this House. This bill, as the chairman has pointed out, contains no earmarks, places us on a path of a more limited role for the Federal Government in water infrastructure development, and lays the groundwork for private sector and State level oversight.

H.R. 3080 promotes public-private partnerships and expands the ability of the private sector to contribute necessary funds to expedite and move projects forward. It also places a strict time limit on the amount of time and money that the Federal Government is allowed to spend on feasibility studies. It took the Federal Government 10 years to complete a study on how to fix Jacksonville's Mile Point navigation problem and allow for greater cargo movement. That project is slated to create 3,500 jobs.

The Port Everglades channel dredging study took 17 years and cost upwards of $10 million to complete. Project study delays like these are unacceptable, and have far-reaching negative economic consequences.

Mr. Speaker, today I am honored to recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) as they celebrate their 102nd National Day on October 10, 2013.

The Republic of China, commonly known as Taiwan, maintains a robust economic and cultural relationship with the United States and serves as a strong trade partner. In my home state of North Carolina, Taiwan is among our top ten export markets in Asia.

As an ally in the Asia Pacific region and an important trade partner of the United States, Taiwan should be included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House to further this goal.

As we continue to nurture bilateral relations with Taiwan, I invite our friends from Taiwan to visit the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I come here today to speak from the heart of a true story that's happening really right now in my district. It's a story of an innkeeper, Bruce O'Connell, who's operated the Pisgah Inn since 1979. It's an inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and that inn has been operated really at no cost to the Federal Government for years and years and years. In fact, as he operates it, he sends money to the Federal Government. So this government shutdown shouldn't have anything to do with the Pisgah Inn. The Blue Ridge Parkway is open for business. It continues to allow cars to go both ways on the parkway. But yet what we see is under the direction of this administration, the edict has come out to close the inn down.

Yesterday, they had to close it down at 6 clock. So I got a call this morning from Bruce, and he says Congressman Meadows, I just want to let you know that I'm going to open my inn back up.

Now I expected to hear all kinds of just heartfelt hurt and concern from Bruce. But what he said is that you're fighting for the right thing. You're fighting for our future. You're fighting for our children. You're fighting for our grandchildren. And I'm going to open back up knowing that the cost of this particular thing may cost me a business that I've had for many, many years. But you know, Congressman Meadows, it is the right thing to do, that we must stand together and fight. We must make sure that what we do is, our voice is heard. So I want to say thank you to a patriot who is willing, at great cost to himself, stand and fight for what he knows is right.

And I'm going to close with this because this fight is not a new story. On the back of the Delaware quarter is a horse and rider. Many people think it's Paul Revere, but indeed it is not. It is an unknown or little-known patriot by the name of Caesar Rodney. His statue is in this very building. It's on the back of a quarter commemorating what he did because, actually, he got on a horse when the founding of our Nation was there, he got on a horse and rode through the night, through driving storms, to arrive in Philadelphia to cast the deciding vote that created this great country.

Now why do I share this story? Because across his face was a green scarf that covered a cancer that could be best operated on back in England. So he knew that by signing that document, he potentially was signing his death warrant.

It is that kind of patriotism, Mr. Speaker, that we are seeing day in and day out. It is exemplified by the men and women across this country--World War II veterans who have come in and crossed a barricade. They fought, and many patriots died, for the cause of freedom. And I just want to say thank you to the patriots across this great land that are standing up to fight on behalf of this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I come here today just perplexed at what I see unfolding here today. My colleague just said that two wrongs don't make a right; and indeed, she is correct. But today, this fight is really starting to get to be more political and we're not focusing on the people.

Yesterday in this very Chamber, Mr. Speaker, we put forth three different bills, one that would pay our veterans and make sure that those benefits continue to flow. And what did the Democrats say? They said ``no.'' One would open up our parks and monuments to be that economic stimulus once again. And what did the Democrats say? They said ``no.'' Then, even in the District of Columbia, where we looked, Mr. Speaker, at truly putting forth and allowing them to use some of their funds to pay the teachers and do some of the operations--I can tell you, I don't get any votes from the District of Columbia. For me, that is not a politically expedient thing to do, but it was the right thing to do. So what did we do, Mr. Speaker? We put forth a bill. Yet what did the Democrats say? ``No.''

I am so troubled that what we are seeing over and over again is this bantering back and forth, and yet we are willing to open up parts of the government and continue to do that every single day until we get everything restored.

This is not about ObamaCare. ObamaCare is mandatory spending. This is about getting the government back open in a responsible way. What we're doing is working very hard, trying to work in a bipartisan way to do that.

So, Mr. Speaker, I rise today to just say that it is time that the Senate comes back to the negotiating table and starts to negotiate on behalf of the American people that they represent. We have a responsibility to our veterans, to those that serve in the Reserves. So today, we will see more opportunities in this very Chamber to fund those things that are precious, near and dear to all of us. I humbly ask my colleagues on the other side to join us, in a bipartisan effort, to start working for the American people and representing them.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to ask the Senate to work with the House because of this shutdown.

You know, four times now we have met here in the House to send a plan over to Harry Reid to ask him to consider to negotiate, to find some solution to avoid the shutdown. But indeed, he made a decision that we would not have an honest, open debate; we would

not negotiate. Instead, one person in the Senate decides the fate of our government, of the American people, and it all comes down to Harry Reid.

When we look at this, we were here until 1:30 this morning passing the fourth proposal--and I agree with some of my colleagues, they're saying you're negotiating against yourself. But we wanted to go that extra mile to make sure that we put forth that final proposal that says: Can we not find some common ground?

Now Mr. Speaker, some of my colleagues have made comparisons to the Taliban. You know, I don't find that there are any American citizens that deserve that kind of rhetoric and name-calling. It's time that we have an honest and open debate about the merits of this offer, the merits of this debate.

I come from North Carolina. And in North Carolina, we are one of two States that are the worst off of the side effects of ObamaCare. I just got off of a phone call from a government worker who I thought was going to give me a hard time because of the shutdown, and yet she and her husband said that they serve our Federal Government loyally right now. He has served in the military. And he says: You know what, we're standing with you, Mr. Meadows, because you're standing with the people.

I think that what we must do is never forget who we've been elected to represent and support. Because you know what, it's not about here in Washington, D.C. It is not about the people that write down the news headlines. It's about the people that we represent back home. And it's time that we start negotiating.

I find it unconscionable that we would send four different proposals to the Senate, and three of them they didn't even vote on. Why is that? Because they want to provide political cover. This quit being about the people and it started to be about politics. Why? Because Harry thinks that he will have an advantage by shutting down the government, that they will blame those in the House. Well, I want to ask you, Mr. Reid, how can you blame someone who has sent you four different proposals, and the best that you can do is just say no response?

I think it is high time that we get together and we work together for the common good. You know, there is not a better example of that than when we passed a Pay the Military Act just the other day in the event of a shutdown to make sure that our military men and women who serve this country faithfully and loyally are paid. And what did we find? Well, that wasn't politically expedient to ignore over in the Senate, so they passed that and it is now law.

It is time that we put the American people in the same focus. It's time that we come together and understand that there are hurting families back home--people that are losing their jobs, people that are having to be forced to part-time, people that truly are starting to see their insurance go away. They can't keep their doctors anymore. It's high time that we start to address that. People expect a difference, and I'm committed to represent those people of western North Carolina.

I think the other part of it is key, and I'll close with this, Mr. Speaker: I'm willing to work around the clock so that we can find the best way to make sure that we put people back to work here in the government because they are families, too. I've got friends that I've met here that I can see, and I can honestly say that it is hurting me that Harry Reid is not thinking about them.

This is not about politics, it's about people. And it's about time that we come together and start to negotiate. I challenge the leader of the Senate to quit giving the cover votes. Because when we put forth something that says that Congress should not get a better deal than the American people, he should have taken it up.

Madam Speaker, today, I rise to honor one of my constituents from Henderson County, Jane Calvo, on her retirement after nearly 26 years in a career with the Federal service.

Mrs. Calvo spent the early part of her career in the Foreign Service with the State Department. For nearly 4 years, she served in the U.S. Embassy in Costa Rica. After some time away, she served as an exceptional district caseworker for one of my predecessors, former Representative Charles Taylor, for the entire eight terms of his service in Congress. Most recently, since 2007, Mrs. Calvo has worked at the Social Security Administration in western North Carolina.

Mrs. Calvo first moved to Henderson County 35 years ago, and her exemplary record of service to our Nation in her various roles merits the highest commendation, and I am proud to have her as a constituent.

Madam Speaker, today, I wish Mrs. Calvo all the best in her retirement, where she will have more time to spend with her husband of 40 years, Alfredo, and her two adult sons, Al and Michael. On behalf of the 11th District, I thank Mrs. Calvo for her distinguished career of service to this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to hopefully address some of the things that were just mentioned.

We talk about a moral obligation. Truly, it is troubling to me to hear so much talk in terms of a moral obligation when my State, the State of North Carolina, is about to see the largest increase in insurance premiums because of the Affordable Care Act in the country. When we talk about 27-year-olds that can purchase insurance today, Mr. Speaker, for $35 a month, and it goes to over $180 a month, what is morally right about that, I ask you, Mr. Speaker?

You know, we've talked a whole lot in this Chamber about the fact that there was a vote taken, that a President was elected. Indeed, we did elect a President a mere 9 months ago. But I want to remind you, Mr. Speaker, that I was also elected some 9 months ago. And we did not elect a dictator; we elected a President. We did not have a vote that did not elect Representatives. It is time that the Representatives start representing the people that they were elected to uphold and protect.

You know, we've heard a lot in this Chamber this evening about the government--the government this, the government that. When do we start focusing on the people? Because it is the people who are losing jobs. It's the people who can't keep their insurance. It's the people whose insurance premiums are going up. It's the people who are losing their jobs and being cut back on hours to get part-time.

It is time that we stop acting like loyal subjects and start acting like the Representatives that we were voted into office to uphold and represent the people of this great country.

Mr. Speaker, my remarks will change based on the last remarks that were just given.

I think it's important that we do not challenge in this Chamber the love that each Member here has for their country. Many of us have made great sacrifices to represent the people, Mr. Speaker, that we represent.

To question that is certainly looking at history with a very myopic view. Because if we were to blame this just on the Tea Party or some extreme group, we would be ignoring history. This government has been shut down 17 times, Mr. Speaker, and 13 of those times it was when a Democrat was in that chair.

I think it's clear that, under Tip O'Neill, it was shut down more than anybody else, and it's important that we make sure that it's clarified tonight.

One other clarification: the motto behind you, Mr. Speaker, is not what was put forth by the whip from the other side. It says, ``In God we trust.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Chris Cooper, associate professor and head of the Department of Political Science and Public Affairs at Western Carolina University (WCU), for receiving the University of North Carolina Board of Governors Award for Excellence in Teaching.

A faculty member at WCU since 2002, Dr. Cooper regularly wins rave reviews from his students and praise from his faculty colleagues for his engaging and dynamic teaching style.

In addition to his innovative teaching techniques in the classroom, Dr. Cooper is known for playing an instrumental role in implementing a new master's-level capstone experience at WCU where students demonstrate their competence in public affairs by working directly with community partners.

An active researcher, Dr. Cooper has written numerous articles, including editorial columns for newspapers across the state, and made many television and radio appearances due to his expertise on political issues.

Dr. Cooper won the WCU Distinguished Scholar Award in 2011 and the WCU Chancellor's Award for Engaged Teaching in 2007.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire 11th District of North Carolina, I congratulate Dr. Cooper on being named one of the best teachers in the University of North Carolina system and thank him for his commitment to the students of Western Carolina University.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Sheriff Kevin Frye on being elected president of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association.

His new role as president follows years of service to the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association, as Sheriff Frye has served as both the second vice president and first vice president for this esteemed body.

Sheriff Frye is an outstanding leader, father, and public servant. He has dedicated himself to serving the people of Avery County, and now he will serve our great state of North Carolina with distinction.

The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association is the statewide organization of our state's 100 sheriffs. Through this association, the sheriffs work to strengthen the professional law enforcement services their offices provide to the people of North Carolina.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the entire 11th District of North Carolina, I congratulate Sherriff Frye on his new position as president of the North Carolina Sheriffs' Association and thank him for his years of service to the people of Avery County.