Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding life and public service record of DeKalb County Commissioner Mike Watson.

Mike dedicated his life to serving northeast Indiana in roles ranging from president of the Auburn Economic Development Commission, president of the DeKalb Central Foundation, and serving as an Auburn Common Councilman.

In December, before his passing, Mike received the distinguished County Commissioner of the Year award from the Indiana County Commissioners Association.

Mike was the architect of many projects that bettered our region such as having the Auburn Waterloo Trail become part of the Poka-Bache Connector trail between Angola and Bluffton, Indiana, and the creation of the Auburn Main Street which collaborates with the Auburn community to

be an economic driver through promoting and advancing the town's vibrant historic downtown that is welcoming for all folks.

Mike will be remembered as an incredibly hard worker, an intense advocate for his Auburn community, and an unapologetic family man. He always put his heart and soul into his work, and our community will miss him and his mentorship sorely.

Mr. Speaker, the greatest strength of our Nation's economy has been its ability to continue to innovate and compete both with ourselves and with our counterparts.

However, over the last 4 years, the American economy has been suffocated under the enormity of regulatory burdens implemented under the Biden administration. To be clear, the Biden administration cost the taxpayers $1.8 trillion through unilateral rulemaking and executive orders.

This brazen abuse of executive power stymied commerce and our free markets and directly affected our ability to innovate and remain competitive in the international economy.

The effects of this aggressive regulatory regime was clear: Gas prices rose to the highest levels in history, and inflation reached the highest levels in decades.

Due to this, nearly a third of Americans were forced to choose between paying their energy bills or for their groceries.

Mr. Speaker, America is and will continue to be a beacon for free enterprise, innovation, and competition. I applaud President Trump for his pledge to roll back 10 regulations for any 1 implemented, and I look forward to seeing America enter a golden era of prosperity.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this resolution because it delivers on the promise that we made to the American people by extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and fulfilling President Trump's agenda.

This is direly needed. For the past 4 years, the American people have lived through the longest sustained period of debt and deficit in our Nation's history. During that same time, Americans have also had to grapple with hyperinflation and record-high energy costs and grocery costs at the grocery store.

This budget will usher in a new golden era that the American people are yearning for and where free enterprise can flourish, energy production is unleashed, and our fiscal health is restored.

This budget does so by extending the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which delivered wage increases of 4.9 percent and the lowest poverty and unemployment rates in 50 years. This budget also achieves a deficit reduction of $1 billion over 10 years and achieves massive savings in our spending.

Washington doesn't have a revenue problem. Washington has a spending problem.

Mr. Chair, the American people sent us here to fulfill a mission, putting our Nation back on a trajectory toward success and prosperity. Passing this resolution is the first step in that process. This budget doesn't betray the middle class. It saves the middle class, and it empowers the middle class for a prosperous future.

Mr. Chairman, I support this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. This is the first time that I remember where we are actually being fiscally responsible.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud President Trump's decisive economic actions that have leveled the playing field between Hoosier businesses and the Chinese Communist Party.

The CCP has taken advantage of hardworking Hoosiers by engaging in currency manipulation, undermining our manufacturing sector, and buying American farmland in an attempt to control our agricultural future.

For too long the CCP has used the exchange rate of their currency as a dagger to be hidden under the cloak of what they describe as fair trade practices. They bought great American companies like Smithfield and masqueraded as a friendly neighborhood face, while silently gutting the already hemorrhaging mom-and-pop pork operations that are important to America's future and food supply.

To top it all off, they tried to deal a lethal blow to the third largest industry in my State by attempting to purchase Indiana steel mills. Enough is enough.

Trump has sent a clear message that America is finished with allowing the CCP to evade U.S. tariffs. Hoosiers don't want the CCP to control our farmland or our markets. It is time to change the unacceptable status quo that has taken hold and put America, not China, first.

Mr. Speaker, I rise as a proud Hoosier representing the 3rd district of Indiana. We have beautiful landscapes and many storied histories, but above all we have terrific people who make up our fantastic district.

Today, I'm proud to recognize one such Hoosier. Rita Price-Simpson has been on WRSW radio for 65 years. On that historic station, she has broadcast boys and girls basketball games and football games for 50 years. That is quite a milestone, and Rita is truly a remarkable woman.

She has been inducted into the Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame, the Indiana Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the Kosciusko County Basketball Hall of Fame. She has also received the Indiana Torchbearers Award from the Indiana Commission For Women and The Sportscaster of The Year Award from the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association, along with that, she was named the Kosciusco County Woman of The Year.

For her tremendous accomplishments, in fact, WRSW named her studio at the station ``The Rita Price Studio.'' Going along with all those honors, if you look closely at the basketball court at Tippecanoe Valley High School, you will see it has been aptly named the ``Rita Price-Simpson Court.'' To this day, she continues working in sales and broadcasts 65 basketball games and 10 football games every year.

She is happily married with 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. She has been president of the Mentone Chamber Of Commerce, and she is an active member of the Mentone United Methodist Church.

But today she is recognized for the work she loves desperately, and obviously, Mr. Speaker, she loves and honors high school sports right here in her home state of Indiana.

I'm proud to make her name known throughout our Nation's capitol . . . and the fruited plain.

Mr. Speaker, we, the people, are tired of watching billions of our hard-earned tax dollars being sent overseas carelessly, and we are tired of the lack of transparency that surrounds those decisions. The American people voted for accountability, and they voted to keep the government in check.

The legacy media has painted Elon Musk as a tyrant and President Trump as a deceitful puppet master. Their attacks lean on the premise that Elon Musk was never elected by the American people.

My response to them is: How many people elected Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee for President? How many people elected those woke bureaucrats who fraudulently doled out billions to foreign lands, even terrorist organizations possibly? Every dollar they wasted was earned off the sweat of the brow of the American taxpayer.

Elon Musk, President Trump, and the Department of Government Efficiency have done more to save tax dollars for the American people in the past month than I have seen government do in decades. Instead of running them through the mud, they should be celebrated in the streets. The golden age of American fiscal responsibility is upon us, and I, for one, am excited to join the ride.

Mr. Speaker, I represent one of the heaviest manufacturing districts in the country. In fact, my family employs Hoosiers who build and fabricate products for our great American economy.

In 2017, President Trump laid out his plan to add rocket fuel to the American manufacturing sector. He enacted major tax cuts, eliminated regulatory red tape, and increased pressure on countries like China that have been eating our lunch for decades.

During Trump's first term, we saw businesses return home at a record

rate, supplying our country with a surplus of employment. You couldn't leave the house without seeing a ``help wanted'' sign.

Trump knows how to make businesses successful, and following his lead, we will make America successful again.

We need to support his efforts to deregulate. We need to use every tool available to level the playing field. We must create an appealing business environment so that our great manufacturing companies can feel confident to grow here rather than looking abroad.

It is time to take pride in our abilities, our people, and the words ``made in America.''

Mr. Speaker, it has been nearly a decade since I had the opportunity to address this body.

In the time I have been gone, Washington has seen a lot of changes. Donald Trump was elected two times. Over 200 congressional districts have seen new Members take hold. Staffers no longer use BlackBerrys.

As the old adage goes: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Washington's fiscal house is still out of order. Democrats are still out of touch with reality, just as we saw on our last vote 20 minutes ago on the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. Conservatism is still in short supply, but Americans recognize Washington is broken, which is why they gave our party an irrefutable mandate to fix it.

We must follow the lead of President Trump and Speaker Johnson in reducing government overreach and making this country great, healthy, and prosperous again.

The old way of business has doubled our national debt since I was last in these Halls and has gradually substituted million-dollar spending packages with billion-dollar ones.

The people have been clear: The Washington of old is out, and government for and by the people is in.

Mr. Speaker, workers and small businesses all across the country have suffered greatly in Obama's economy. Over 90 million people are not participating in our workforce, and wages have remained stagnant, creating a squeeze on the middle class.

Expanding the size of government by raising taxes and increasing regulations will not help America recover; instead, working Americans are counting on us to make it easier and not harder to find opportunities so that they can earn a steady paycheck and provide for their families.

I ask my colleagues to support America's Small Business Tax Relief Act, legislation that the House will vote on tomorrow, sponsored by Congressman Tiberi. I know, from traveling my district in Indiana, that small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and this bill will allow job creators to deduct expenses and investments for new equipment the year that they are purchased, making it easier for businesses to grow.

This legislation could help produce tens of thousands of jobs and add billions of dollars in economic output.

Tomorrow, let's stand for common sense and pass a bill that will help kick-start our economy and make it easier for small businesses and workers to succeed.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and the legacy of Dr. Dane A. Miller, who passed away yesterday.

Dane was born in 1946 and, along with his wife, Mary Louise, was nothing short of the classic American success story. There is also no shortage of professional accomplishments to fully describe this industry titan.

As the founder of Biomet, now a medical device company in Warsaw, Indiana, he started the company--in true Indiana form--in a converted barn. During his time as president and CEO, he managed to grow Biomet into a company of over $2 billion in annual sales and 4,000 employees.

Dane was a brilliant man. He was a Ph.D. and a biomedical engineer known for numerous innovations in the medical device industry. Perhaps the only two things he didn't know how to do was to give up on a problem or to retire. He was tireless in his efforts. The only thing larger than his ability was his heart.

His time and energy were fully dedicated to his wife, family, and the greater community of Warsaw and his hometown of Winona Lake.

My heart goes out to his family and the innumerable people whose lives he touched. For me and so many others, Dane Miller will be a shining example of hard work, charity to one's fellow man, and doing this all while maintaining a humble spirit. He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his friends and family. Dane has affected so many lives in wonderful ways and will long be missed.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for his tireless work on this, such an important issue for our day and age.

Mr. Speaker, on this 42nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we must remember the innocent lives who were never given a chance to live the American Dream. Since 1973, tens of millions of innocent unborn children have been denied an opportunity to grow and to be successful.

In America, we are always espousing the belief that anything is possible,

that anyone can achieve their dreams if they set their minds to it, and yet it is here in this country where we deny those dreams to so many.

Mr. Speaker, I was born in 1976, and I am so thankful that my mother, at the age of 17, chose life and gave me the gift of life, because my Federal Government at the time 3 years earlier said it was okay for her to end it if she so chose.

Most of us have very strong feelings about the value of life. We must continue to seek opportunities to promote a culture of life that protects the innocent.

Tomorrow, tens of thousands of people from all across the country will descend on The National Mall to champion the belief that every life is a gift, and Congress will have an opportunity to act and show that we are listening through the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that I urge my colleagues to support.

We may meet some obstacles, but the pro-life movement will not be shaken. We will continue to fight to protect the unborn. We will continue to fight and provide a voice for those who do not have one. We will continue to fight because we believe that America should be a place where everyone is protected by law and welcomed to life. This is our goal, and I pray that together we will achieve it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Terrorism Risk Program Reauthorization Act of 2015.

Mr. Speaker, as we have all recently seen, terrorism and violence continues to be a threat not only to our friends on the other side of the globe, but also to our homeland. The rise of ISIS has demonstrated that the American people and our interests are constant targets.

Because these dangers continue to grow, it is our job to make sure we are taking the necessary steps to protect ourselves. The terror attacks on September 11, 2001, not only brought a devastating loss of innocent human life, they also wreaked havoc on our economy, costing insurers tens of billions of dollars, taking years to recover.

We have to take the necessary steps to protect and prevent any physical harm to America and make sure we are doing what we can to protect our economic interests. That is what today's legislation is all about.

When first passed in 2002, TRIA provided much-needed stability to ease any economic pain of another attack. Today's reauthorization will continue to provide a necessary backstop and the financial security that will allow major commercial and real estate projects so vital to the economy to move forward.

Reauthorizing this legislation is an opportunity for both parties to stand together in a bipartisan fashion and strengthen our national security.

I would like to thank Chairman Hensarling, Representative Neugebauer, and the rest of the members of the Financial Services Committee for their hard work on this issue. It has taken time to get to this point, but I believe this is a good way for us to start this Congress, working together to pass a bill that is in the best interest of our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014.

Mr. Speaker, American workers and businesses are most successful when they are able to keep, spend, and invest more of their hard-earned money. Our economy, which has already remained too weak for too long, simply cannot afford a series of irresponsible tax hikes that will target individuals, small businesses, and job creators all across the country. So this legislation will help protect those taxpayers--our taxpayers--and their pocketbooks and provide them some level of clarity as they plan for the new year.

Right now, working families and businesses are simply trying to make ends meet. I know from speaking with families and workers back home in Indiana that the last thing that they can afford is higher taxes when they need to be providing for their kids' education, savings, or growing their business.

In this legislation, Mr. Speaker, I am especially pleased to support the provisions that would extend the increased section 179 deduction levels, as well as the extension of bonus depreciation. Countless farms, small businesses, and manufacturers in the Hoosier State and across the country use these important tools to make business-building capital investments. A failure to act on those tax extensions would only slow an economic recovery that desperately needs to pick up the pace.

Today, we have an opportunity to stand together as Republicans and Democrats and pass legislation that will prevent economic harm to millions of families and businesses across the United States. While this may not be the intention that we would all like to have, I do believe that this is the best that we can do for right now to prevent any sort of further damage to the economy.

I would like to, in closing, thank Chairman Camp and the members of the Ways and Means Committee for their hard work on this issue, and I would urge my colleagues to support their efforts.

I would also like to take a brief moment to thank Chairman Camp for his

many years of service as a tireless advocate for the constituents back in Michigan. I have the opportunity to travel with him to Detroit from time to time and appreciate his thoughtfulness and his leadership and his desire to do what is best for America. He is an honorable colleague, and I have been honored to have had the chance to serve with him. I wish him the very best in his retirement and know that he will continue to stay busy one way or another.

Thank you again, Mr. Chairman, for your work on this. I know that you definitely set the table for further tax reform, which is desperately needed here in our country, and know that it would be good for our economy. Thank you for what you have done. This has given folks back home some clarity and certainty for this year.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Disclosure Modernization and Simplification Act of 2014.

For far too long, our economy has remained weak, and small businesses and wage earners have suffered greatly. Part of the reason they have suffered is from too many regulations and from an increase in red tape from Federal Government agencies, which has hindered growth and kept businesses from expanding. They also present big challenges for startup companies that are looking to gain solid footing in this shaky economy.

If we are going to move this country in the right direction, we need to make it easier and not harder for Americans to do business. The least we can do in Washington is to make sure Federal regulators do not force business managers to report the same information over and over. That is what this act is all about.

This legislation, along with others we will consider today, will help remove the Federal Government from the backs of small business owners and make it easier for all Americans to succeed.

It will revise regulations to include startup companies, to eliminate redundant and duplicative provisions, and to discourage the disclosure of immaterial information, among other simplifications. Now is the time to remove these roadblocks on the pathway to success.

The American people are looking for us to ease some of these painful economic burdens, and today, we have an opportunity to support legislation that will have a positive impact on our economy, that which limits the challenges on small business owners and job creators.

Let's work together in this Chamber and pass this series of bills in a bipartisan fashion. Let's show our constituents that we are serious about recharging our economic engine by pursuing commonsense regulatory reforms.

I would like to thank Chairman Hensarling, Representative Garrett, Representative Hurt, and the rest of the members of the Financial Services Committee, who worked hard on this issue. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this legislation.

I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for his work on this particular issue that is really important to the Third District in Indiana.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of the Promoting New Manufacturing Act.

For too long, the Obama economy has remained weak, and the American worker has suffered the consequences. Too many people are struggling to find work and to provide for their families. They want to know when things are finally going to pick up.

We in Congress have a responsibility to help create an economic environment that allows individuals to succeed and businesses to grow, and we can achieve that kind of success by cutting back on job-killing regulations, by removing bureaucratic red tape, and by increasing transparency. That is what this bill today is all about.

As a Representative from Indiana, I understand that a strong manufacturing industry is absolutely critical to our national and local economies. The Third Congressional District, the place that I call home, is one of the top manufacturing districts in the entire country. This bill will not only bring new opportunities to Hoosier families but to families all across America.

Strengthening our manufacturing industry should not be a partisan issue, and, today, we have an opportunity to stand together and support legislation that will help create jobs and move our economy in the right direction.

I would like to thank Whip Scalise, Chairman Upton, and the members of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for their hard work on this issue, and I would urge my colleagues to support this particular legislation.

Mr. Chairman, finally, I would say that some of the top issues that I hear from folks as I travel across the district back home in northeast Indiana are those of regulations and the effect of Washington, D.C., bureaucracy and red tape. The impact that it is having on jobs in Indiana and across the country is hurting, and they need relief.

Again, I would definitely urge my colleagues to support this particular legislation. Let's start taking the boot off of the American economy, and let's let it and its families succeed.