Floor Statements

Thank you, Chairman Sessions, for yielding, and thank you for all of the hard work that you do in the Rules Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am a farmer. I love to farm. It's in my blood. I farmed before I came to Congress, and I'll farm when I leave.

So, as a fourth-generation farmer, today I rise to say we have an historic opportunity to legislate responsibly and reform prudently when it comes to farm policy and food stamp policy. We, together, can defeat business as usual in Washington, D.C. For the first time in 40 years of farm policy, the House has an opportunity to enact landmark reform in ag policy and to separate the farm bill. Because of policy dating back to the Carter administration, 80 percent of the last trillion-dollar farm bill went to food stamps. I don't believe that's right, and as a farmer, I can tell you it doesn't serve farmers well. Believe it or not, it doesn't serve the needs of those who need help in this country either.

A year ago, I began to call on Congress to separate the farm bill. Our goal has been to reform ag and food stamp policy so that they can really help the folks they were intended to help. Farm policy and food stamp policy should not be mixed. They should stand on their own merits. As Congress immorally sinks our country into debt by $17 trillion, taxpayers deserve an honest conversation in order to find solutions to help Americans who really need help.

Together, we can get this done and pass the first farm-only farm bill in 40 years. Today, we can pass a bill that sends a clear message that the days of deceptively named budget-busting bills are over. By splitting the bill, we can give taxpayers an honest look at how Washington spends our money. We've made progress by eliminating direct payments, but there is more work ahead, so splitting the farm bill is the next logical step on the path to real reform in farm policy and in helping those who genuinely need help.

I am proud to vote for this legislation, and I thank all of those who put such hard work into it. As a fourth-generation farmer, I am proud to vote for the first farm-only farm bill in 40 years.

Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. Speaker, as a fourth-generation farmer, I know firsthand how important the farm bill is for farmers. I believe that we need a farm bill, but I also believe we need a responsible farm bill.

Unfortunately, the bill passed out of the Rules Committee last night is a farm bill in name only, with 80 percent of the spending going toward food stamps. This isn't the solution American taxpayers deserve.

Washington's unholy alliance of farm policy and nutrition policy has spun out of control, and now we will consider a massive trillion-dollar spending package called a farm bill.

Mr. Speaker, we must have an up-or-down vote to split the farm bill into a true farm-only farm bill and a separate food stamp bill. The American people deserve an honest conversation about how Washington spends their money. We've made progress ending direct payments, but there's more work ahead.

Let's do our work in the full light of day by splitting this bill and having serious debate on both farm and welfare policy. Without that debate, I cannot in good conscience vote for a welfare bill passed on the backs of hardworking American farmers.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support for H.R. 1797, legislation that will protect the most vulnerable members of society.

The womb should be the safest place in the world for the most weakest among us.

Sadly, it is not.

The heart-wrenching case of Kermit Gosnell showed why. The Gosnell case exposed the abortion industry's lies and showed that abortion is anything but safe and it certainly isn't rare.

Kermit Gosnell murdered newborn babies. He jabbed scissors into the necks of newborn babies. He severed their spines. And he stuffed their bodies into freezers. Now that a Pennsylvania jury delivered their verdict, we here in the House, acting on behalf of the American people, must render our verdict on abortion's grizzly truth.

Kermit Gosnell's barbaric crimes shock the conscience of civilized people across this country. However, there is absolutely no moral distinction between ending a baby's life five seconds after birth or five weeks before.

Madam Speaker, despite all the euphemisms and bumper-sticker slogans we've heard from the other side of the aisle, the issue at hand is clear: abortion businesses like Planned Parenthood regularly perform abortions on unborn babies who, like Gosnell's victims, are capable of feeling pain.

Kermit Gosnell brought us face to face with abortion's ugly truth. The American people cannot turn their back on that truth now.

Gosnell, just like late-term abortionists across this country, sold lies to young women. Madam Speaker, my heart breaks for these women. These are young women who find themselves in a seemingly impossible situation. They're young women like my mother.

Madam Speaker, on a December night in 1975, my 17-year old mother discovered she was pregnant with her first child. That night, alone and terrified, she decided to find a way to make the 40 mile trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to ``take care of her situation.'' If she had, Madam Speaker, I wouldn't be standing here on the House floor today.

Just a few months ago, my mom shared her story with me. After we cried together, I had to think ``what if there had been a `Gosnell' clinic four miles away instead of 40?''

Madam Speaker, I can't imagine how scared my mom must have been and how alone she felt. So many women find themselves in a similar situation and so many are told lies by the abortion industry.

Since 1973, more than 55 million inno ent babies have been killed because of Big Abortion's lies. Madam Speaker, my mother had the courage to reject these lies. Today, here in Congress, we have to ask ourselves if we do too.

Let's outlaw these Gosnell-style abortions. Let's stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves and end barbaric procedures that have no business here in the civilized world.

Mr. Speaker, schools across this country should be focused on educating our children; but, unfortunately, they're struggling because ObamaCare is forcing them to cut hours for part-time workers.

In Indiana, hundreds of part-time workers, including substitute teachers, cafeteria workers, bus drivers, and coaches, will face fewer hours and smaller paychecks. It's not just schools. Back home, many working families tell me more and more employers are making the tough decision to cut back hours, hold back projects, and take a pass on hiring.

This administration sold ObamaCare as a benefit to hardworking, middle class Americans; but it's hurting the very families it was designed to help.

Hoosiers don't need more regulations or mandates. We need real solutions that empower patients instead of crippling schools. Our students deserve the tools they need to succeed, and that isn't possible when Washington puts regulations ahead of achievement.

Teachers, mechanics, grocers, farmers and steel makers, all of them need an exemption from Washington's madness. Let's repeal ObamaCare, and let educators focus on what's really important--our kids.

I thank the gentleman from Arizona, and I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for their passion and also for their sharing with us today such an important issue that faces us as a country. It is a privilege and an honor to stand here with Mr. Smith and Mr. Franks. I thank you for your work, for all you have done for so long on an issue that is close to my heart and close to many people's hearts across the country as well. To see the picture here that Mr. Smith showed, if that doesn't touch a part of you, I don't know what will. So thank you for the information and for the heart that you show for these little ones that are blessed with life until it is ended in such a brutal way.

Mr. Speaker, the horrific case of Kermit Gosnell stripped away the abortion industry's euphemisms and showed that abortion isn't safe and that it isn't rare. Gosnell murdered newborn babies; he preyed on vulnerable women; and he stuffed bodies into freezers, trash bags and cat food tins. While a jury has handed down its verdict for Kermit Gosnell, we as the American people must render our verdict on abortion.

Americans must take a hard look at abortion's grim reality. Gosnell's clinic, the court case and the verdict for Kermit Gosnell brought us as Americans face-to-face with the brutality of abortion. We cannot turn our backs on it now. It is time for an open and honest discussion about abortion in this country. Kermit Gosnell's crimes shocked civilized people everywhere.

The inescapable truth is that there is no moral distinction between ending a child's life 5 seconds after birth or 5 weeks before. Sadly, across this country, abortion providers like Planned Parenthood routinely perform brutal late-term abortions on unborn children who are able to feel pain. The end result at a Planned Parenthood clinic is the same result that occurred at Kermit Gosnell's clinic--and that is death.

So I am proud to stand here today to cosponsor Mr. Franks' legislation to prohibit the gruesome abortions of unborn children, who can feel pain. I thank the gentleman from Arizona for his consistent and strong support of the measure and, to a larger extent, for his support for the unborn children as we've seen today as he spoke so eloquently from the floor.

Today, I am proud to join my colleagues Mr. Smith, Mr. Harris and others who have stood up for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am confident that we will expose big abortion's lies and restore a lasting respect for innocent life.

Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of 600 people in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who are earning smaller paychecks today because of ObamaCare. Just last week, the largest school district in Indiana, Fort Wayne Community Schools, announced it would cut the hours of 610 part- time cafeteria workers and teachers' aides. These are hardworking folks who play a vital role in the education of our children. Officials running schools across Indiana and the Nation are beginning to realize these unsustainable costs and are taking similar measures to comply with its mandate.

Mr. Speaker, we know now that President Obama's claim that ``under ObamaCare if you like your health care you can keep it'' was false. Now we know that ObamaCare is also hurting the very people it was meant to help.

Employees in school districts across the country deserve certainty and security, and they don't have it. Americans are being crushed by the cost of

the Affordable Care Act. We must repeal ObamaCare and start over for the sake of Americans and our Nation's children.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, life is hard. Across Indiana, moms and dads are working hard to make ends meet, and it's anything but easy. The national unemployment rate is 7.5 percent. More businesses are reducing employees' hours under the immense pressure and weight of ObamaCare's red tape. On top of all that, President Obama wants $1.2 trillion in new taxes on families and businesses.

There is no timecard at the dinner table. Parenting is a 24/7, 365- day job. Unfortunately, moms and dads in the private sector have to consider missing a day of work when flu season strikes, when teacher conferences roll around, or when life throws another curve ball.

The last thing Hoosiers in the real economy need is an outdated Federal law that makes things harder. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, too many families are forced to make a difficult trade- off: sit down with your son's teacher and you could see a thinner paycheck at the end of the week. Often, mom and dad will take turns after they've looked at the budget and the calendar. For single parents, it's another uphill battle.

But while families on Main Street have to make tough choices, government workers have the flexibility to work overtime to cover these situations. We need to make sure that Hoosiers in the everyday world have the same option.

Here in the House, we've introduced a simple, commonsense solution. Our bill gives Hoosiers and Americans a choice between cash wages and comp time for the overtime hours that they work. Government workers already get this option. So should everyday Americans. By fixing an outdated law today, we can give working parents more flexibility tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, Kermit Gosnell is a real-life Hannibal Lecter. Gosnell operated an abortion clinic that severed the necks of hundreds of babies and stuffed their bodies into freezers, plastic bags, and cat-food tins. Soon, a jury in Pennsylvania will decide his fate.

Mr. Speaker, the Gosnell case must give us a moment of reflection. Have 40 years of abortion on demand seared our national conscience and given us a false refuge behind euphemisms like ``choice''?

More than 3,000 unborn children die in abortion clinics every day in this country. While none of these deaths attract the headlines of the Gosnell case, each loss is a tragedy. Each of these defenseless babies is just as innocent as Gosnell's victims, just as human as you and I, and just as precious as our own children.

There is no moral distinction between killing a baby 5 minutes after birth or ending her life 5 minutes or even 5 days before delivery.

In the coming weeks, more questions will be asked: Who referred patients to Gosnell's house of horrors, and what can be learned from these atrocities?

Today, we all ought to re-examine our national conscience.

I did.

I thank the lady from Missouri for yielding. I brought my two sons, Payton and Preston, along today. So it's a father and son outing here. Payton asked if he could come along to hear us talk about the Second Amendment.

We, of course, we're farmers back in Indiana, and I grew up with BB guns. And Payton now has his little BB gun and a 410/22, and Preston has a little BB gun. So we enjoy the sport out on the farm.

I want to just thank you for bringing this issue to the floor today because it's such an important issue for our country, and obviously a lot of things have happened over the past several years that brings this issue to us appropriately. I believe that we do need to have a discussion not only about our Second Amendment rights, but about gun safety and how each of us as Americans who owns a gun is responsible.

Of course, my wife, Christy, and I are grieving, along with our family which is grieving for those who lost loved ones in Newtown and, of course, in Arizona, Colorado, Virginia and so many other places. We've had some cases in Fort Wayne of just irresponsibility, but also intended murder. But, of course, as we saw what happened in Boston, bad people can take any device and hurt people with those devices, and it is always sad to see.

But one of the things that I know from constituents back home is that they don't expect knee-jerk reactions from Washington when it comes to legislation. And now I would like to just quote a couple of quotes from our Founding Fathers that I think are so important and quotes about our Second Amendment rights.

George Washington said, ``A free people ought to be armed.''

Thomas Jefferson says that, ``The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.''

He also says, ``The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.''

I think that is why this motivates people to contact their Members of Congress, to let them know how they feel.

Madam Speaker, we are a democracy that is represented by people we send to Washington. As we saw the votes unfold in the Senate, I think that each one of those Members in the Senate was representing the people that they were elected by. Of course, the President was very critical of the Senate after they were not able to pass a bill that he had wanted. But when he is criticizing them, he is criticizing each one of those particular Members and also the people that sent them to the United States Senate. To watch each different vote take place, I think it tells us that Americans across the country are not about just knee- jerk reactions but about responsibility when it comes to gun ownership, and it also shows their passion about protecting the Second Amendment. Many of these Members in the Senate did not want to vote for tighter gun control laws because they were representing the people from their particular States.

So I believe that last week the American people spoke. It wasn't just the Senate. The American people, through their representatives, said that they don't want stricter gun legislation. We've already tried Senator Feinstein's so-called ``assault weapons'' ban in the nineties and it failed to reduce murder rates then, and it would, I believe, fail to reduce murder rates now. The American people understand that, and I believe that the United States Senate understands that, as well. They've seen this before.

So while we watched the Senate work through the gun legislation, there was one particular amendment that I thought was very intriguing, and that was the amendment that Senator Cornyn from Texas offered. That was an amendment that--I have a bill filed here in the House, H.R. 578. It's called the Respecting States' Rights and Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2013, which basically allows law abiding citizens that have a concealed weapon permit to carry across State lines to those States that do have concealed carry permits.

Senator Cornyn offered a very similar amendment to the underlying bill in the Senate. It almost passed. It was within three votes of passing, which I thought was very interesting that while the President was trying to enact stricter gun legislation, a bill that would actually let us as Americans travel across the country almost passed in the Senate. I think that sends a strong message to all of us as Americans that the Senate does understand and respect the importance of the Second Amendment but also is interested in letting those folks who are abiding by the law to also carry throughout the country.

The bill that I've authored understands that instead of pursuing ineffective gun controls, we really do need to strengthen the protections for law abiding citizens who exercise their right to self- defense every day.

One other comment is that my bill would simply make sure that law abiding gun owners who legally carry a concealed weapon in their home State may do so in other States. Illinois does not have a permit, so they would not be allowed to carry there, but just about every other State does.

I think Americans have seen over the past couple of weeks that both sides of the aisle see that sweeping gun control legislation is misguided and it is an attack on law-abiding gun owners, and it is designed to advance another agenda instead of really saving lives.

I believe what we really should be focused on is the people behind the weapon, the people that plant the bomb, the people that are taking these particular tools and hurting other people, whether it's with a ball bat or a crowbar or any other sort of device that people could pick up with their hands and hurt others. We really need to focus on the mental challenges that these people have. There has to be. There is information that we know about these particular people, and I believe that's who we need to focus on.

We as Americans need to make sure that we teach our children safety. If someone has decided to purchase a gun, they have a responsibility to understand how that particular weapon operates and the safety measures that go along with it, just like I learned in my hunter safety course when I was 12 years old, and also by my father, who threatened me many times if any more windows were shot out that I was going to be paying for them.

There are so many different exciting and joyful opportunities that families can do together as a family with firearms, but also there is a great responsibility that comes along with that.

Also, as the quotes that I read before from our Founding Fathers show, there is an even greater right behind that, a principle behind that, that we do have a responsibility not only to protect ourselves but to protect other citizens that we live with.

So thank you for bringing this issue to the floor, and thank you to all of those who have spoken, as well. I believe that as we continue these discussions that it should be thoughtful, that

it be careful, and we in Congress have a responsibility to let people know that we do understand that this issue is an important matter. But as we've seen in the votes from the Senate, people want to know gun safety is the most important issue that we're dealing with.

Absolutely. I think that as Payton, our oldest, we've given him a bow and arrow, and he has his straw bales out in the back of the barn. And I think that any time he goes out, we always talk to him about look what's beyond your target and make sure that you're not shooting in a direction towards a house or towards any other one that's behind there.

And it really does come down to awareness and responsibility and making sure that any time you're shooting, whether it's a bow and arrow, or whether it's a baseball, for that matter, throwing a baseball or shooting a firearm, that there is an awareness always around you.

I know we see a lot of the tragedies that happen in cities, whether it could be from a stray bullet, and that's where we need to continue to focus on those people, whether it's through our churches, whether it's through charitable organizations, through schools, education, and helping people understand the great responsibility that comes with firearms.

I feel fortunate to be raised on a farm where I could start at a very young age and was taught the lessons of responsibility with gun ownership. And then we're teaching the same with Payton and Preston.

There is that point of fun and the enjoyment of having firearms as you're out in the woods or wherever you're at. But it also goes deeper than that. And I think that's why the Second Amendment goes to the very heart of Americans and how we were founded. Obviously, the men who fought in the Revolutionary War needed to have the access to a gun to defend themselves against the Redcoats at the time, and so they obviously had to learn the same thing.

And it wasn't just to defend themselves from another army. It was also a tool used to provide food for themselves.

We're very fortunate in so many ways that we don't have the responsibility of using a gun on a daily basis like people used to. With that, people don't use a firearm as often, and they do have a responsibility to make sure that they're trained when they do purchase one, and recognizing those that are around them when they're using them.

But again, it goes to the heart of us as Americans and defending our freedom. And if it has to absolutely come to that, to defeat tyranny. That is what Thomas Jefferson mentioned about the Second Amendment.

Mr. Speaker, after decades of Washington irresponsibility, Americans are facing nearly $17 trillion of debt and struggling through a deficit-driven unemployment crisis.

Unfortunately, this administration isn't offering solutions. Yesterday, President Obama introduced a budget that never ever balances and will only make these problems worse. Two months after he missed the law's deadline, President Obama introduced a reheated version of the same failed tax, borrow, and spend policies that created this mess to begin with. President Obama's budget raises taxes by $1.1 trillion, adds another $8.2 trillion to the national debt, and doesn't come close to addressing the long-term stability of our Nation's safety net programs. Under the President's plan, taxpayers can expect consequences of endless deficits and future downgrades.

House Republicans are offering a real solution. We've put forward a reasonable plan that actually balances the budget in 10 years, not because we are interested in spreadsheets and timetables, but because Americans shouldn't have to wait any longer for success and prosperity.

Let's balance the budget and put our trust in hardworking Americans.

I thank the gentleman from New Jersey for yielding, and I appreciate his efforts to bring this particular matter to the attention of the American people.

I also want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Harris), who just spoke so eloquently and factually and knowledgeably about this particular issue as a doctor.

My heart is torn, as I stand here on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives as we're discussing a matter that's happened right here in our own country. I tell the gentleman from New Jersey that I was just meeting with a doctor in my office within the last couple of hours who worked in one of the neonatal clinics in northeastern Indiana. The work and the technology, the ability and the effort that doctors in a neonatal facility go through to save the life of a baby that is wanted is amazing and is heart-touching. And to then come to this particular matter and to hear the details of this tragic location in Philadelphia that was performing abortions like this is just heart-wrenching.

Mr. Speaker, I would just share with this body that certain places are permanent reminders that evil men will do evil things, whether it's in Auschwitz's ovens, Cambodia's killing fields, and now a run-down brick building on the corner of 38th and Lancaster in west Philadelphia.

In that building--crawling with animals, reeking with urine, and filled with blood-stained furniture--Kermit Gosnell was running a slaughterhouse. On a regular basis, he used a pair of scissors to sever the spinal cords of helpless babies who were born alive during illegal, late-term abortions.

The loss of these lives should scar the conscience of civilized people everywhere. This is not a discussion about abstract concepts like choice. We are talking about brutal deaths of newborn children.

Mr. Speaker, Kermit Gosnell is a predator who must be publicly exposed and openly denounced. That's why I come to the floor, to bring attention to this case, that the American people are informed of it, aware of it, and realizing the acts that are happening within our own country.

I have no doubt that in this life or the next he will be held accountable for his crimes. However, right here and right now we ought to take a serious look at our culture's careless disregard of this story in particular, and innocent life in general.

How is it that in our age of constant news not a single major news outlet has devoted serious attention to the atrocities that weren't committed halfway around the world but in west Philadelphia, Pennsylvania?

Has our national conscience been irreversibly seared by the deaths of more than 1.2 million unborn children every year in this country. I believe this is something that the media should be talking about. They talk about so many other issues that affect our country, and rightly so. But I believe this is one of those that should be discussed and reported on by the media.

I've only seen a brief report on this within the last week. Mr. Speaker, I am confident that one day the era of abortion on demand will close and we will restore a lasting respect for life. However, until that day comes, each of us must take up the cause of those who cannot speak for themselves.

I thank Congressman Smith for his unwavering commitment and his leadership and his efforts to protect life, and especially to bring this particular matter to the attention of the American people, so that we as a country will stand up and do the right thing for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support today of the balanced budget put forward by my friend and chairman, Paul Ryan, and the reasonable and practical approach that this Budget Committee has taken while they budget hardworking taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Chairman, this budget debate goes deeper than spreadsheets and focuses on the longevity of the American Dream.

Today, we are considering a Republican budget that actually balances in 10 years, calls for pro-growth, pro-job tax reform, and strengthens Medicare for our seniors and future generations, while in the Senate, Harry Reid and Patty Murray are considering a budget that never balances. It increases taxes by $1 trillion and let's Medicare and Social Security race towards bankruptcy. And it turns Medicare into a program that rations benefits to seniors.

Make no mistake, Washington is approaching $17 trillion of debt and more than 12 million Americans are unable to find work. The decisions we make will either sink us deeper into debt or put us on a path that encourages job creation and restores the belief that, if we work hard and make tough choices, our kids will inherit a stronger country.

Mr. Chairman, the choice is clear. If Hoosier families balance their budgets, Washington doesn't have an excuse. It's time the President and the Senate offer real solutions for hardworking Hoosier families.

I commend Chairman Ryan and the House Budget Committee for their hard work, and I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

It's hard for President Obama to find a solution when he doesn't understand the problem.

This week, he told ABC News that he doesn't believe that our country faces a debt crisis. Yesterday, Senate Democrats outlined a budget that never balances but that sinks us further and further into debt year after year.

The American people understand that nearly $17 trillion of debt is no way to run a country. Hoosiers know that every penny Washington borrows today will be taken from taxpayer pockets tomorrow. Folks back home know this, and so do House Republicans. That's why I am proud to support the budget my friend and colleague Chairman Ryan introduced this week.

Mr. Speaker, this budget actually balances in 10 years--something our Democrat colleagues' budget in the Senate never does. It never balances. Our budget encourages economic growth and promotes opportunity for all Americans. By simplifying the Tax Code, scaling back government overreach and strengthening the promises made to seniors, our budget puts this country on a responsible, balanced path.

I commend Chairman Ryan and the House Budget Committee for their work.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I appreciate his hard work on this.

Mr. Speaker, Hoosiers understand that welfare checks are not a substitute for paychecks. Last year, President Obama's administration really undermined commonsense and time-tested reforms by trying to weaken work requirements that were created in the 1996 bipartisan welfare reform law. These work requirements helped lift Americans out of poverty and into the workforce. In just 5 years, welfare dependency was nearly cut in half, more single mothers found jobs, and child poverty fell drastically. Unfortunately, President Obama's decision to reverse course will drive up government spending without doing anything to lower unemployment.

Growing up on a farm in northern Indiana, I learned at a very young age that a good neighbor is someone who will roll up their sleeves to help someone pick themselves back up, that neighbors look out for neighbors, friends look out for friends, and family looks out for family. And that's exactly the commonsense approach that Chairman Camp's bill takes.

This legislation extends assistance to fight poverty by restoring the work requirements that made welfare reform a success in the 1990s. I appreciate and applaud Chairman Camp for introducing this legislation to help American families without creating a permanent subsidy. Americans want to work, but we need to make sure that they have the skills and they're capable and willing to perform the jobs that are provided to them in their communities.

Thank you to my friend from Indiana. This is, I believe, the fifth speaker from Indiana. Maybe we're getting something right in Indiana--I don't know what it is--but thank you for sharing this bill.

We do have a balanced budget in Indiana. We have made sure that we have taken care of the children in education, we've made sure that our law enforcement is taken care of, but we've also made those difficult choices early on that Washington could really learn from in budgeting.

So I appreciate Congressman Messer for bringing this particular bill. It's a good government bill.

And I know the other side of the aisle is talking about the sequester. I find it ironic that the Washington Times today has a headline that says 400 more jobs are created, in spite of the sequester. So I don't believe that the sky is falling here.

This legislation requires the President to do some simple math and include with his budget, should he choose to submit one, an estimate of the cost of the deficit per taxpayer. Taxpayers just simply deserve to know how much they owe for Washington's out-of-control spending. After all, every dime that the Federal Government borrows is saddled on this generation and the next generation and generations to follow.

Right now, the cost of Washington's $16 trillion of national debt totals more than $147,000 per taxpayer. In fact, approximately every minute, Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government borrows another $4 million per minute, leaving this generation empty promises and massive debt.

This is no way to run a government. If the President refuses to break the cycle of bailouts, borrowing, and tax hikes, taxpayers deserve to know the true cost of the President's irresponsible decisions. The American taxpayers deserve transparency, and that's exactly what this bill does.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud my colleague from Indiana, and I thank him for bringing this bill to the floor. I urge the support of all of my colleagues here in the House of Representatives.