Floor Statements

I thank the chairman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, jobs for America's veterans has become a popular topic over the past few weeks. The VOW to Hire Heroes Act is a vital first step in meeting our responsibilities to that 1 percent of Americans mentioned by VA Committee Chairman Miller in his remarks.

For those who are in the middle of their civilian working life, gaining new skills is often problematic due to a lack of resources to fund education and training, while recently discharged veterans have the post 9/11 GI Bill's generous resources to acquire the skills now in demand. Therefore, I believe the most important provision in the VOW to Hire Heroes Act offers 99,000 unemployed veterans between the ages of 35 and 60 the resources to acquire those new skills.

To my colleagues, the veterans provisions in this bill are worthy of your support, and I urge you to join me in voting ``yes'' on the VOW to Hire Heroes Act.

The Amendment to H.R. 674, includes the VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011, which reflects a Compromise Agreement reached by the House and Senate Committees on Veterans' Affairs (the Committees) on the following bills reported during the 112th Congress: H.R. 2433, as amended, (House Bill); and S. 951, as reported (Senate Bill).

H.R. 2433, as amended, passed the House on October 12, 2011. S. 951 was reported favorably out of the Senate Committee on July 18, 2011.

The Committees have prepared the following explanation of certain provisions contained in the amendment to H.R. 674, as amended, to reflect a Compromise Agreement between the Committees. Differences between the provisions contained in the Compromise Agreement and the related provisions of the House Bill and the Senate Bill are noted in this document, except for clerical corrections, conforming changes made necessary by the Compromise Agreement, and minor drafting, technical, and clarifying changes.

Subtitle A--Retraining Veterans

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, rights do not come from the government. We are, in the words of the Declaration of Independence, ``endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights.''

Mr. Chairman, the right to self-defense goes deep and cannot be taken away. The right to self-defense is the cornerstone for the Second Amendment. It is also the foundation for concealed-carry laws across this country.

I am proud that my home State of Indiana has established a responsible process for obtaining a lifetime permit. Today, 49 States have some sort of right-to-carry law.

Mr. Chairman, this bill ensures that permit holders in Indiana like myself can exercise our right to self-defense when our families travel across our great country. If you follow the law, your permit from one State will be honored by another.

Thank you, Mr. Goodlatte, and thank you, Mr. Speaker, for the time that we can come to the floor and talk about this important issue.

I think it's an opportunity for us here in Washington to do something that changes the direction of our fiscal condition in Washington, D.C., and our Federal Government.

As we all know, the economy has been very difficult for families across this country in so many different ways. And people have realized and have made tough decisions within their own budget, whether it's a family budget, whether it's a business budget, and realize that the economy and the difficulties that we face today are forcing decisions to be made that are sometimes difficult, are not sometimes the choices that we'd like to make.

But as the Federal Government continues to spend and spend money that we don't have, money that we're borrowing--40 cents for every dollar that we spend is borrowed money--I believe that this is a time for us to let the people speak, let the American people speak on an issue that is a principle that is so foundational for our family budgets, our business budgets, what should be a very basic principle for our government in the way that we operate, and that is a balanced budget amendment.

This is a historic opportunity. It could also have historic consequences. I believe that if we do not rein in Federal Government spending and save the American Dream, we will, in effect, determine the future of our great country. It is just very simple, and I believe that as we take this time to talk about the balanced budget amendment, whatever version people support in this Chamber and across the Hall in the Senate, I believe that we have to have some basic principles, basic concepts that we can all agree on.

How can we not agree on saying that every year Congress passes a budget it's going to be balanced? It is just common sense.

I come from a State that has a balanced budget amendment, Indiana. And we have a balanced budget. And now I know the temptations that have come across the State legislature in Indiana to pass budgets that are out of balance.

But if we have that anchor here in Washington that says we have to pass a balanced budget, that we cannot continue to borrow and spend, that is what's going to keep Washington in check.

Our Constitution is the bedrock of our experiment in self-government. It is a remarkable document. Libraries have been written on its importance and its legal application, but we cannot forget that the wisdom our Founding Fathers built in the Constitution is timeless and they're very simple truths.

People give the government its power is one of those. Government exists to protect our God-given rights. Men are not perfect, so neither is our government. So it must be limited, checked, and balanced.

Our great Nation rests on these principles. If we still believe in those principles, we must recognize another simple but profound truth: good government must live within its means.

So that's why I believe the balanced budget amendment to our Constitution is crucial at this time. When we face $15 trillion of debt, we're handing off and saddling our children and every person in this country $48,000 of debt per individual. Unemployment has held steady at historic high rates. Confidence is declining, and Washington, like a spoiled child, continues to talk about tax increases and stimulus programs that just do not work.

I believe we owe it to our generation, to future generations, to pass a balanced budget amendment to our Constitution that requires the Federal Government to live within its means just like every American family and just like businesses across this country that are going to move this economy forward.

I thank the gentleman from Virginia for his efforts with the balanced budget amendment, and I am proud to stand here today and support it; and I believe this is a great opportunity for Congress to stand with the American people. This is our opportunity, and we must not fail.

I thank the gentleman from Minnesota. It was a great day for us because of the things that we learned from those folks who testified at the hearing there in Indianapolis.

Those of us in Indiana, we love racing, we love agriculture, we love manufacturing. But we also have an industry there that we are very proud of and is one of the emerging businesses for the world. The orthopedic industry has $36 billion worldwide in revenue. And I am fortunate enough to represent Indiana's Third Congressional District, which includes the city of Warsaw and the areas surrounding Warsaw, which is the orthopedics capital of the world.

I can tell you, you hear a lot of the great stories about racing from Indiana. There are also great stories about companies that started in apartments or in a garage from folks in Indiana in this particular industry. It's an industry that I believe is so beneficial to people in a personal way. I can tell you myself that my grandmother had two of her hips replaced. And that is the industry that we are talking about; knees, joints, hips, other parts of our body that can be replaced to increase the quality of life that we enjoy.

My grandmother had her hips replaced, and I know what it did for her. This industry was really started about helping people and increasing the quality of life that people have. We had a young lady there, Sheila Fraser, who the gentleman from Minnesota mentioned. What a great story. What an amazing young lady. She is a senior from Mishawaka, Indiana, who had a knee replaced because of cancer in her bone. They can take this particular device and extend it. As she grows taller, as her body grows, they can adjust this particular device inside her leg as she continues to grow. It's amazing technology, and that's why it's so important for us to protect this industry, to do no harm to the industry because it's growing fast. At a time when America is facing high unemployment rates, this industry continues to grow. These are high-paying jobs.

I know it is a huge benefit to the part of Indiana that I represent. The jobs that are created, these are jobs that pay well and the type of jobs that we want to keep right here in America.

As we talked about this tax, it is going to be a burden on these businesses and on these jobs. I can tell you already after talking to the folks in northeast Indiana at these businesses that there are other countries like China. China has a growing population. You have other countries that are starting to advance in bioscience, and this is why it is so important for us to make sure that we don't affect this industry in a way that it will start looking to other countries like China or India, other places around the world. Europe, obviously, is already a mature market. China is an emerging market, and they want these particular devices built there. If we build them here, we can export them to countries like China, and they can be buying American- made products from companies and people who live in my community where they are building these particular devices.

As was mentioned, 204 Members of the House of Representatives are signed on to the repeal of this tax

which I believe is a great number, almost a majority. I would urge our leadership to bring this bill forward to the floor for a vote because we know if this tax stays in place, these companies are going to start looking elsewhere because this is a huge burden upon them.

I thank each Member who was at the hearing in Indianapolis. We saw some fantastic, amazing things that are being developed. And if we can keep government from hindering this type of technology, this type of growth, we're going to lead in new ways in manufacturing. We have the automobile industry and the steel industry. This is an emerging market that will continue to grow as people gain in wealth and they gain in access to these types of services in the health care industry.

I would just encourage all of my colleagues to sign on to this piece of legislation because we don't want to see this type of industry move outside of the United States. I appreciate Mr. Paulsen and his leadership.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 2302, as amended, contains provisions from three different bills. Section one retains the transparency concepts in the original version of the bill but responds partially to VA's concerns about the scope of covered conferences by increasing the reporting threshold to conferences costing $20,000 or more. The catalyst for this provision was a large VA conference held recently in Scottsdale, Arizona, that lasted 11 days and included $97,000 for consultant services out of a total cost of $221,500. At a time when every tax dollar is precious, it is our duty to ensure that VA conferences spend those dollars wisely. This would be an appropriate provision in any economic situation, not just in today's stagnant economy.

Section 2 includes the provisions of Chairman Miller's bill, H.R. 2388, that would streamline the committee's ability to get information from the VA. It has been our experience that VA incorrectly uses the Health Insurance Portability and Accessibility Act, or HIPAA, to deny or delay providing information needed to resolve our constituents' cases. This bill would make it clear that requests for information for the committee's constitutional oversight duties are deemed to be an authorized disclosure under the Privacy Act and HIPAA.

Section 3 includes provisions introduced by the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs, Mr. McNerney, that would require the Department of Labor to include veterans' employment information submitted by Federal contractors on the Department's Web site.

Madam Speaker, title 38, United States Code, section 4212 requires Federal contractors to implement an affirmative action plan to hire veterans and to report on the success of that program. It is unfortunate that the Department of Labor, under several administrations, has largely ignored data that shows the extent to which Federal contractors are complying with the law. While I am aware of renewed efforts by the Office of Federal Contractor Compliance to enforce the law, Mr. McNerney's provision will help focus their attention on this issue, and I thank him for this important provision.

Each of these provisions will increase the transparency of Federal programs and improve our ability to hold the Federal Government accountable for not just funding but also its actions in managing the programs under our jurisdiction. I am also happy to report that my amendment has been scored by CBO as having insignificant costs.

So I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2302, and I thank Ranking Member Braley for his support of the subcommittee's work.

I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding.

I also want to thank Ranking Member Mr. Filner and Mr. Braley for helping us move this important piece of legislation to improve the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or SCRA.

Earlier this year, allegations surfaced of mortgage-related violations of the SCRA by JPMorgan Chase Bank and other lending institutions. These allegations alleged that these institutions were unlawfully foreclosing on servicemembers' homes and charging interest rates above the 6 percent cap required by SCRA.

On February 9, 2011, the full committee held an oversight hearing to review these allegations and received testimony from Captain Jonathon Rowles, United States Marine Corps, and Mrs. Julia Rowles about the trouble that they had with JPMorgan Chase when they tried to assert their rights under SCRA. They commented that when they called the toll- free number provided by the bank, their employees were woefully inadequate in their knowledge of SCRA and there didn't seem to be anyone in charge to ensure that the bank was complying with the rules.

In response to this hearing and the committee's continued oversight of SCRA abuses, section 2 of this bill clarifies requirements for banks to comply with SCRA provisions related to foreclosures and maximum interest rates. The section requires all lending institutions affected by SCRA to employ and/or designate an SCRA compliance officer. This will make it clear that all banks and other lending institutions must take SCRA seriously and have at least one person responsible to ensure their institution's compliance. The section further requires banks that have annual assets of $10 billion to have a toll-free hotline for servicemembers to call and ask questions about their mortgage and SCRA. I want to thank Mr. Johnson of Ohio for originally proposing this provision in H.R. 2329.

Section 1 and section 3 of the bill expand foreclosure protections under SCRA for servicemembers and surviving spouses. The section prohibits foreclosure within 12 months of a servicemember coming off active duty or for a surviving spouse 12 months following the servicemember's death on active duty or as a result of a service- connected injury.

When a servicemember separates from the armed services, they need sufficient time to establish good economic footing to be successful. Some military families experience difficulties--often related to owning a home where the servicemember is stationed--in the transition from the military to the civilian world. By providing this expansion, we will be providing more time and options for the estimated 9,000 servicemembers who face foreclosure every year. These are important protections that help our servicemembers and their families who have already given so much in defense of our country and for our freedoms.

Once again, I thank the chairman of the VA Committee and the ranking member for moving this bill forward, and I urge all Members to support H.R. 1263, as amended.

Madam Speaker, the American people want to be in the business of job creation and growth. Unfortunately, Washington is in the business of regulating, spending, and taxing.

This administration has barreled down the road of massive deficits, historic debt, and ridiculous mandates. We all know where that road leads--right off a cliff.

Job creators know that our $14.6 trillion debt is a tax on the American taxpayer. They know that higher taxes mean fewer jobs. And they know that focusing on compliance rather than innovation is a failing business model.

But in the face of these difficult times, Americans are optimistic. Not even the worst unemployment since the Great Depression can kill the American spirit. Washington can give job creators confidence by living within its means and reining in the regulatory machine. The American drive to succeed will take care of the rest.

Job creators are ready for real growth, not another failed stimulus. Let's pass a balanced budget amendment to require Washington to use common sense, just like Americans do.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2646, the Veterans Health Care Facilities Capital Improvement Act of 2011. This bill authorizes appropriations for the Department of Veterans Affairs to begin major construction projects and enter into leases for VA facilities in 15 cities. These construction projects and leases will help many veterans around the country receive the best care they possibly can.

One of those leases has special significance for Hoosier veterans. Today, I'm very pleased that Fort Wayne, Indiana, will benefit from a lease that will support an important annex to the VA hospital that serves vets in northeast Indiana.

A 27,000 square-foot annex will provide a mental health clinic, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Clinic, and substance abuse clinic. This bill is the final step in moving the lease for this annex into fruition and extending health services for veterans in northeast Indiana. This annex will only add to the array of services already provided by the Fort Wayne VA Hospital. It's not the last chapter in our ongoing effort to ensure quality care for our vets, but it's an important one.

Nearly 30 percent of our men and women returning from Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom who use the VA Health System have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Seven percent of newly returning veterans enrolled in the VA Health System are addicted to alcohol and/ or other substances. It's only right to take care of those who have risked their lives for our Nation.

When I came to Washington, I knew it was critical to obtain a seat on the House Veterans Affairs Committee for this very reason. I have the honor of working for the Fort Wayne hospital and veterans health care in northeast Indiana. This bill is not only important to Hoosier veterans, but also for our veterans around the country. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 2646.

Madam Speaker, I'd like to thank the gentleman from New York for yielding on such an important subject that we're talking about today.

I would like to make a couple of points in reference to what the gentleman from Massachusetts just made regarding the Republican Party. And I would say that the Republican Party did make mistakes at the beginning of this decade. I would say the Democrat Party has made some mistakes in the last several years. I think there's plenty of blame to go around for both parties in Washington.

But there's a new crew in town. There's 87 new Republicans that were elected last November from all across this country who have joined those in our party who are saying stop the spending. Stop the madness. We're working against ourselves, folks.

Madam Speaker, I would say that we wouldn't have to continue having this discussion if we would stop spending, stop borrowing, and then we would focus on the economy. It's going to take both sides to come together to fix the problem within our economy.

We're going to have to control our spending. We're going to have to help those Americans who are out there and those who are actually establishing jobs, those who are creating jobs. It's not the U.S. Government that is going to create the jobs for those who are unemployed.

I believe that we have a great opportunity right now to again say, let's stop this sort of spending binge in Washington, D.C. We're passing on debt to our kids and our grandkids. This is an opportunity for us to come together, both parties, and say, let's forget about the sins of the past. Let's pay those bills. But let's not continue to spend the way that we're spending today.

From a debt of $79 million when the Revolutionary War ended, the United States has racked up a debt of nearly $14.6 trillion. It would take nearly everything that Americans produced in all of last year to pay off the existing national debt.

Right now I see two competing visions in Washington and across this country, Madam Speaker. The first vision is the ``business as usual'' vision. And we see a lot of that right here in Washington. It says we need to blindly increase our debt; and if people complain, call it investment instead of debt.

In May, President Obama called for a no-cuts-attached increase to the debt ceiling. He didn't give up his call for a blank check until his request had failed here in this House by an overwhelming and bipartisan vote of 97-318.

The second vision that I hear a lot about back in Indiana is the same vision and the same work that families do every year. You figure out how to live within your means. You have real cuts, not budgetary gimmicks. You don't fool yourself when you're sitting around the kitchen table trying to figure out the mess that you find yourself in. It's based on the truth.

Families sit down at the kitchen table and have the heart-to-heart talks about the situation that they're in. Two conclusions that they usually come to are, we have to cut spending, and we're going to have to figure out how to bring more dollars in. It accepts the challenge, Americans accept the challenge, knowing that these things are not easy.

We know that the ``business as usual'' vision, it's broken, and it will inevitably lead us to ruin and more ruin. This vote is a vote against that vision.

I come to the floor to support the second vision, the vision that Americans across this country support, a vision that is shared by the men and women of northeast Indiana. It is a vision of prudence, honest conversations, and optimism.

When we get pulled into these discussions because of the continual discussion about more spending, we cannot focus on the important part of getting people back to work and growing our economy. Government doesn't create jobs. Governors don't create jobs. Americans create jobs. I believe in the American people, and that hope is still a part of our vocabulary.

I believe that we're also changing the discussion here in Washington. Career politicians have had their day in Washington, and it's time to talk about cuts. And since we've talked about cuts, the sky has not fallen. Optimism is a part of what the American fabric is built upon. I believe that this Joint Deficit Committee needs to find common ground for actual cuts and that the Senate will pick up the job growth bill that we passed right here on the floor of the House of Representatives this Congress.

We all knew that this debt ceiling debate was never going to be our final battle in a struggle for balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility. It gives us the chance to continue to talk about it. And if we want to continue to raise the debt, if we want to continue to increase spending, we'll continue to talk about why we need to restrain Washington politicians.

I'm going to continue the dialogue. I believe it's crucial. It's an important part of saving this country's economic future for my kids, for our children and for our grandchildren across this country.

Government has, for too long, continued this business as usual and the status quo vision that I talked about earlier. Americans are going to have to pay back all of this debt. This may not be a tax increase, but inevitably and indirectly it is.

So, Madam Speaker, I come to the floor in support of this resolution because I believe that we need to all agree, Republicans and Democrats, that we're going to limit spending, we're going to stop borrowing.

We can pay our bills back. But at the same time we're going to focus on job creation, getting people back to work, as the gentleman from Louisiana mentioned, the energy jobs that were talked about. That was one of the things the President didn't discuss in his address the other night is he didn't talk about energy.

We are the leaders in the world on production. I come from a district of a lot of manufacturing; and I believe that if we would focus on energy, cut spending, we need to reform government. That's what's going to get people back to work. The economy's going to grow. We will still be number one in the world.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to thank every vocal constituent and American for pushing us up to this point today when we will consider a tax-free and sensible budget control plan in exchange for raising our Nation's debt ceiling.

Is it perfect? Far from it. Will I vote for it today? Yes. The alternatives are too scary to comprehend.

No matter how many times you try to put them down or call them names, the Tea Party movement and many others that share their views have had a monumental impact on the debt ceiling debate. Know this: If left to its own devices, Washington would have completed just another perfunctory raising of the debt ceiling, or worse, more taxes and more spending.

Call them hobbits. Call them what you like. I call the Tea Party and others who wish to fight to get this country on a proper fiscal trajectory true patriots.

The reality here on Earth, Mr. Speaker, is that America is a great Nation, and we wish to remain that way.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the 14.1 million Americans who are unable to find jobs.

This administration's reckless spending policies, massive bailouts, and excessive regulations have driven the unemployment rate to an astounding 9.2 percent. Democrats have shown again and again that they care more about the bureaucrats that prevent jobs than the businesses that create them. Every year, unelected bureaucrats issue more than 3,000 final rules. That's close to 10 rules a day. Make no mistake, federally imposed rules consume precious time and resources. Businesses are less likely to invest and hire new employees. This is a recipe for failure.

Americans have always been a forward-thinking and innovative people. We're constantly looking ahead to the next breakthrough. Unfortunately, businesses now look over their shoulders instead of aiming for the horizon. The American Dream is still alive, Mr. Speaker; just ask the men and women who are pounding the pavement, polishing their resumes, and looking for paychecks. Americans are ready. We need to make Washington tear down the roadblocks.

Madam Speaker, in August 2009, President Obama visited my district in Elkhart, Indiana. A brave constituent of mine expressed his disappointment with taxes and asked the President to explain how raising taxes on anyone during a deep recession is going to help with the economy. President Obama responded: ``I guess what I would say to Scott is his economics are right; you don't raise taxes in a recession.''

Responding to a follow-up question by MSNBC's Chuck Todd, he stated: ``So he is absolutely right. The last thing you want to do is to raise taxes in the middle of a recession because that would just suck up-- take more demand out of the economy and put business in a further hole.''

Now the President is demanding that any debt ceiling compromise include higher taxes. That would discourage economic growth and, in his own words, take more money out of the economy.

Washington has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. The GOP plan, the Path to Prosperity, addresses our spending problems, puts our Nation on a strong footing and begins the journey towards balanced budgets and economic recovery. As part of our Cut, Cap, and Balance Act, House Republicans have demanded that a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution be sent to the States for ratification, to require a balanced budget in Washington just like Americans do every day.

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

I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank Chairman Dreier and the entire Rules Committee for ruling this amendment in order and for allowing it to be heard today.

This amendment asks the Government Printing Office to take an additional 4.3 percent cut that, if passed, would bring the total reduction of the GPO for fiscal year 2012 to 20 percent. The additional 4.3 percent cut would mean a total reduction of nearly $5 million. This may not seem like a lot here in Washington, but the American people demand government to make the same sacrifices at our offices and here in Washington as the families and small business owners make at their homes and places of work. It is our duty to manage our own House in a fiscally prudent manner. Let me lay out some numbers that may put this amendment's small reduction to the GPO in proper perspective.

The GPO spends over $28 million a year on the Congressional Record program alone. Over $8 million of that amount goes to the printing, binding and distribution of our Congressional

Record. This includes payment for 4,551 copies of the Congressional Record despite the documents having been available digitally since 1994.

I don't know about you, Mr. Chairman, but spending $28 million to see and print what is said in Congress seems to be a raw deal. It really seems like a subsidy for a magazine that no one really wants to read. I have a couple of examples I'd like to share just to show the printing that goes on within the printing office.

Many of these documents show up in our offices and go straight into the recycling cans. One in particular that I found interesting is this document from the CBO, ``Reducing the Deficit: Spending and Revenue Options,'' which has been printed en masse and is sitting around many of the offices on Capitol Hill. I think that this is a very appropriate measure we can take. When a small business is struggling, it must do without certain luxuries or conveniences. A business may cut marketing and printing costs in turn. A doctor's office might stop its magazine subscriptions it places in its waiting room. They expect us to do the same.

In May of this year, the Public Printer of the United States, who testified before the House Appropriations Legislative Branch Subcommittee, cited nearly 100,000 square feet of wasted government space. He also asked that GPO be taken out of the security business. I would have never guessed that the Government Printing Office spends $13 million a year on security.

My overall point is that there are creative solutions in order to make this small additional reduction to bring the reduction of the GPO to 20 percent. I applaud the recent internal efforts of Representative Lungren of California and Representative Gingrey of Georgia asking Members to opt out of such waste. However, I don't believe that that goes far enough in reducing the spending in this agency.

Mr. Chairman, let me finish by saying that a further 4.3 percent reduction in an office that prints unnecessary publications is not too much to ask. Let's take action. Let's do without as many words, and show Americans we can keep and make cuts of our own here in Congress.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute.

I do appreciate the points about the responsibilities of the GPO and that they are required by law to print certain documents, but let me give you several examples. And again, let's remind ourselves that all of these--this is actually an environmentally friendly bill. This is an amendment that would actually reduce the cost and the amount of paper that we print many of these words on.

These are all available to any American on the Internet, and especially to each one of us as individuals of Congress, Members of Congress, and to our staff. But we have the Congressional Record, the Congressional Directory, the Senate and the House Journals, memorial addresses of Members, nominations, U.S. Code and Supplements, laws and treaties, envelopes provided to Members of Congress for the mailing of documents, House and Senate business and committee calendars, bills, resolutions and amendments, committee reports and prints, committee hearings. All of these are obviously very important documents, but I believe in the day and age that we live in, all of these can be done electronically and digitally and would actually save dollars for the American taxpayer.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield myself 1 minute, the remaining balance of my time, Mr. Chairman.

I understand the gentleman's point about CBO spending their dollars on this publication, but we see these publications around Capitol Hill everywhere. You go to any congressional office and you will see documents and publications that people never use.

Again, let's advance ourselves into the day and age that we live in and using these documents in electronic format.

But also my understanding is that the 16 percent reduction is returning ourselves to the 2009 levels, if my understanding is correct. I believe that we need to reduce ourselves even further than that.

Again, this is a very simple amendment. I think the American people would agree with this and that we are saving every dollar and looking at every opportunity to save tax dollars.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.

Washington is broke, Mr. Speaker, and the American people know it, and they know how to get out of the mess that we're in.

I would like to reference back to August of 2009. The President visited my district in northern Indiana. He was visiting the city of Elkhart, Indiana. And during that press conference, he unleashed some very interesting statements. And a brave constituent of mine, Scott Ferguson, expressed his disappointment with taxes and asked the President to ``explain how raising the taxes on anyone during a deep recession is going to help with the economy.'' President Obama responded, ``Normally you don't raise taxes in a recession, which is why we haven't and why, instead, cut taxes.'' So I guess what I would say to Scott is, his economics are right. And, Mr. President, I would agree with that.

Today we're hearing from the Democrats that we're paying for the Bush tax cuts. Well, I was elected last November but was here for 2 months when we voted to extend those Bush tax cuts which now I would refer to them as the Obama-Bush tax cuts. So I think it's important that we remember who we should be really pointing the finger at, that we should be pointing it at Washington. There's plenty of blame to go around.

I believe we are in a situation right now where we have a broken business. It is time for new leadership to come in and evaluate the situation. And what Republicans are proposing today is that we're going to give ourselves some breathing room with a debt ceiling increase. But more importantly, we are going to show the banker that we are not going to continue to borrow and spend, but we are going to change our spending habits and the way that we operate.

If we want to kick the can down the road and say we're not concerned about changing the way that we've operated, that's what the Democrat proposal is, just raise the debt ceiling without any reforms to our current budget process.

So I believe that this new leadership that we are seeing right here in this House is saying we've got to stop kicking the can down the road. Reform spending. Reform Washington.

Madam Chair, on rollcall No. 594, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Amendment Offered by Mrs. Blackburn