Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of this amendment package which includes three amendments which I've offered to protect and honor America's brave men and women in uniform.

The first and the second amendments would both properly train and equip and staff the Marine Embassy Security Group and the Crisis Response Task Force. In the wake of Benghazi and the tragedy there, protecting our Nation's Embassy personnel and classified materials has never been more important.

The third amendment requires certain Federal buildings that are already required to fly the POW-MIA flags on Federal holidays to fly those flags every day. We owe it to the memory of those who serve, to honor their commitment and give them the funding and the support that they need.

I urge my colleagues to support this package, and I want to thank Mr. McKeon.

Mr. Speaker, during rollcall No. 195 on the Polis Amendment to H.R. 2217--Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2014, the vote was incorrectly recorded as ``yes.'' I intended to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of the upcoming one-year anniversary of the tragic Memorial Day explosion and fire at the Verso Paper Mill in Sartell, Minnesota. Jon Maus, a father of four from Albany, Minnesota was tragically killed during the accident. This mill has been a fixture in the community for nearly a century, and its destruction and ultimate closure were devastating for hundreds of employees and their families.

One year later, the community is still working to recover from this setback. While many of the former workers have found jobs elsewhere or have gone back to school, quite a few are still searching for full-time employment. Our heart breaks for their struggle. But remember that when times are tough, Minnesotans band together. It is because of the love, support and friendship within the Sartell community that I know that they will overcome this tragedy.

The Maus Family and all those affected by the explosion and fire remain in my prayers. My staff and I will continue to work with local leaders and community members to make sure that they receive the support they need to get back to work.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy that I have shadowing me today a girl named Desirae, and she is with me as a foster child. It was one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as a foster mother to 23 great kids. May is Foster Care Month. There are 400,000 children in the United States who need a foster parent. We need more foster parents.

She and I have been talking about the news of the day so far. We talked about the tragedy in Oklahoma and how our former colleague, now- Governor Mary Fallin, is working so beautifully, together with the staff in Oklahoma, to meet the needs of the tragedy that is occurring. We talked about gas prices being $4.30 a gallon and how building the Keystone pipeline will provide new jobs.

Foster children need love. They need stability. They need to be a part of the fabric of this Nation. Let's make them a priority in this country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplished students who earned the Certificate of Congressional Merit for their exemplary citizenship and academic excellence. Eleven students from Minnesota's Sixth District were nominated by their schools for this prestigious award and it is a great privilege to be able to share their accomplishments with this Congress.

These students have shown that they can set and achieve goals, work as a team member or a leader, contribute to a larger cause, all while making time for study and friendships. They have made significant contributions to their schools and communities and stand out to faculty and staff as students that would never ask for recognition for their efforts.

I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to honor these eleven students for their successful high school careers and to wish them all the best in their bright futures: Alyssa Haus, Becker High School; Brianna Vickerman, Big Lake High School; Isaac Darland, Dassel-Cokato High School; Trey Soukup, Delano High School; Eric Rapheal, Forest Lake High School; Diane Wertish, Immaculate Conception Academy; Hannah Zipoy, Kimball Area High School; Emily Kirby, Legacy Christian Academy; Michael Witschen, Monticello High School; McKenzie van der Hagen, Rocori High School; Isaac Eickhoff, St. Cloud Christian School.

It was best said by beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss, ``The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'' These students are the bright future we have to look forward to in Minnesota and in our Nation. We are looking forward to the successes they will have and the dreams they will follow and the places they will go.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all of my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to listen to the clear, distinct voice of the American people. They have spoken loudly. They have spoken clearly. They heard the words of then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi when she famously said we must pass ObamaCare before we can know what's in it. As my colleague, Steve Scalise, said, now we know what's in the bill, and now we know why ObamaCare is less popular today than even before it was passed for the first time. Because you see, Mr. Speaker, the more we learn about ObamaCare, the more unpopular it becomes.

Even a Democrat, Max Baucus, who helped write ObamaCare said:

I just tell you, I see a huge train wreck coming down.

Well, I ask you, Mr. Speaker, 7 months from now when ObamaCare comes fully online, when people's health care premiums will soar through the roof, in some cases increasing 417 percent, what then, Mr. Speaker?

We see this coming, just like the Titanic. We see the iceberg, only it's not just in a mist, shortly in front of our eyes. We have time to turn. That's why we're here. We're here to make the turn from a train wreck.

So why not repeal that bill today? Repeal it in the House, but repeal it in the U.S. Senate, and force the President of the United States to repudiate his signature piece of legislation under his watch, which his own party calls a train wreck. It's now. Now is the time to listen to the American people.

You see, Mr. Speaker, President Obama told us, he promised us that ObamaCare would fund insurance for people with preexisting conditions. As a compassionate people, we want to help people in this very difficult situation. But ObamaCare, the truth is that it is so poorly thought out that the funding for preexisting conditions has already run out. You heard me right, Mr. Speaker: less than 1 percent of the American people with preexisting conditions got the funding and now the door has been slammed in their face.

And so I ask you, Mr. Speaker, what now? What are the remaining 99 percent of the American people with preexisting conditions supposed to do now? Now they're told we've already run out of money, and the bill hasn't even fully come into effect, the centerpiece of compassion under this bill.

And now we've learned that the IRS, the Internal Revenue Service--and I used to be a Federal tax litigation attorney, and our client was the IRS. I was involved with this agency. Now we've learned that the IRS, which is tasked with enforcing this very unpopular bill of ObamaCare, the IRS admitted they targeted Americans. They targeted conservative groups. They targeted Christians. They targeted pro-Israel people. They targeted people who are pro-business who are against accumulating debt. And, yes, they targeted Tea Party groups based upon their political and religious beliefs.

And so this gargantuan government expansion known as ObamaCare will allow bureaucrats access to our most intimate, personal health care information. It will be a huge database that government is putting together and building right now.

Under ObamaCare, the average American will pay more, they'll get less, and now they have to worry that their government may punish them because of their beliefs.

This is America. We don't do that in this country.

We want real solutions. We want cures for Alzheimer's. We can have it. We want cures for Parkinson's disease. It's within our grasp. We want cures for juvenile diabetes.

Spend our money there. We deserve better. The American people deserve better solutions and real reform in health care. Now is the time. Listen to the American people, and let's give them what they deserve.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlelady from Tennessee who has been a champion for the repeal of ObamaCare for years and years.

Mr. Speaker, in light of the recent revelations that have just come out within this last week regarding the outrageous activities of the Internal Revenue Service pointed against the people of the United States, every American should be concerned about the negative consequences of this bill, ObamaCare.

The Supreme Court has ruled that ObamaCare is in fact a tax. Knowing that it's a tax, the logical conclusion is that the entity in the United States that will be tasked with enforcing tax policy is the IRS.

I'm a former Federal tax litigation attorney. I worked for the Treasury Department. We had only one client; it was the IRS. The IRS is the only entity that enforces tax policy in the United States, and ObamaCare is enforced by the IRS--probably the most feared Federal agency in the United States Government. It concerns me. It should concern every single American listening to our voices today that the IRS has admitted this week that they directly targeted Americans, including Christians, including those who support the State of Israel, including those who are for jobs and less debt, including conservatives, Tea Partiers. They were targeted; why? Because of what they believe--their religious beliefs, their political beliefs--and the IRS targeted them for punishment, or for reward, depending upon how their ideas lined up with the administration's ideas.

You see, this dysfunctional implementation of ObamaCare and the ongoing assault on nonnegotiable constitutional liberties is enough to convince every single one of us who are the people's representatives to seek full repeal of this law. It's our job, Mr. Speaker, to defend liberty. We're all sworn to protect and defend the Constitution, and that's why, today, we have to end this horrible piece of legislation and stand up for people.

I thank the gentleman from Texas.

This is a bill that is changing the course of American history, and it is why we need to repeal this bill today. I believe, Madam Speaker, that we will see this bill ultimately repealed.

Why? Because it is women who will be hurt under this bill; it is senior citizens who will be hurt under this bill; and it is little vulnerable children who will be hurt under this bill--as well as families, as well as employers. All of America is at the cusp of being negatively impacted.

Here is just one example: this bill was sold out of compassion. We wanted people with preexisting conditions to find care, but the reality is less than 1 percent of those with preexisting conditions were able to receive the assistance when the door was slammed shut.

Why? We ran out of money.

That's what ObamaCare has delivered--a lot of promises that can't be fulfilled. Before we go forward with this train wreck, let's make sure it ends so we can bring about cures, so we can bring about better developments in health care. That's what we want--health care for American citizens.

I thank Mr. Latham for offering this bill. It's high time that the FAA, Mr. Speaker, have the flexibility that they need to have on closures of any air traffic control towers.

It is my hope that St. Cloud, Minnesota, and Anoka-Blaine airports do remain open. They're vital and they're much needed. We're looking at approximately 189 airports.

But I want to speak to something else. We were listening to Representative Hoyer and Representative Pelosi be extremely passionate about the loss that we'll see for children through Head Start, for senior citizens on Meals on Wheels, for children who will be dealing with various other food nutrition programs. That breaks everyone's hearts.

But I want to remind the people of this country that it was former- Speaker Pelosi, Representative Hoyer, Senator Reid, and President Obama who signed the sequestration bill, and it was Press Secretary Jay Carney who admitted that the sequestration was President Obama's idea.

There are numerous Republicans that voted against the sequestration because we knew all of these calamities were in the future. So it reminds me of the Shakespeare line: Thou doth protest too much.

Didn't you know this was going to happen? We knew it. That's why we voted against this bill. And it seems like the higher the level of passion, it equals the conscience that we are seeing of those who voted the wrong way on this bill for the first time.

Mr. Speaker, it's difficult for me to even speak about

this subject today. I'm a woman who's been privileged to give birth to 5 children, and I've also taken 23 children into my home as foster children. It's very hard for me to imagine, Mr. Speaker, that a doctor in this country, a doctor who took an oath to do no harm, would, in fact, kill a woman at his abortion clinic and he would sever the heads of four babies that were born alive--and potentially others--and commit one gruesome act after another.

Shamelessly, the mainstream media has all but gone silent and failed to cover this horrific violence against women.

No one, Democrat or Republican, believes in violence against women. We abhor it. But there's nothing that even comes close to what's happened in this abortion clinic in Pennsylvania. The officials in Pennsylvania and the State Department of Health, unfortunately--it appears, willfully--ignored this heinous crime. It also appears that this has been ignored now across our Nation.

Well, we won't ignore it. And I thank God for the men who stood up here today to stand for women and against violence against women. I lend my voice and my support to that effort as well.

Mr. Speaker, on April 18, 2013 I was not able to vote on rollcall votes 113, 114, 115, 116 and 117. At the time, I was performing my duties as a designee of the U.S. House of Representatives attending the funeral of Baroness Margaret Thatcher in London. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 113, 114, 115 and 117. I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote 116.

personal explanation

Mr. Speaker, for centuries America has been blessed by God. Americans today and in previous generations looked to God for guidance on both private and national designated days of prayer and fasting.

At this time of national mourning, as we search for comfort in the aftermath of this loss of innocent life, we would be wise to consider afresh II Chronicles 7:14: ``If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.''

I join together with other Americans who have called for September 11, 2013 to be set aside as a day for personal prayer, reflection and fasting, for ourselves and for our Nation.

As we humble ourselves and pray and seek God's grace, we can take assurance from the Holy Scripture that God has promised to hear from heaven and will heal our land.

Mr. Chair, on April 17, 2013, I was not able to vote on rollcall votes 110, 111 and 112. At the time, I was performing my duties as a designee of the U.S. House of Representatives attending the funeral of Baroness Margaret Thatcher in London. Had I been present for the vote, I would have voted ``aye'' on all three votes.-

Mr. Speaker, today I was unable to cast my vote for H.R. 1163, H.R. 756 and H.R. 967 due to my duties as part of a delegation of Members of the U.S. House of Representatives attending the funeral services of Baroness Margaret Thatcher in London. Had I been present to cast my vote, I would have voted ``yes'' on all three bills.

Mr. Speaker, three years ago, the Air Force TU 154 plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and 94 other top Polish officials crashed near Smolensk, Russia. The delegation had been on their way to Katyn to commemorate the deaths of 4400 Polish Army officers who were ruthlessly executed by the Soviets in 1943.

In the 1970s, Kaczynski, a staunch anti-communist, made a name for himself as an underground oppositionist, and, in 1980, when the Solidarity workers' union was founded, he assisted in the Gdansk Shipyard strike and later served as the group's legal adviser. In 1981, after the imposition of the martial law, he was put in prison.

In free Poland, Kaczynski served many roles--Senator, Mayor of Warsaw, Attorney General, Minister of Justice, and, in 2001, he was elected President.

President Kaczynski was always supportive of strong Poland-U.S. relations, and was skeptical of close relations with the German/French dominated European Union. Kaczynski rightly feared that reliance on Russian energy supplies would inhibit sober evaluation of Russian policies at home and abroad.

Americans appreciate our country's alliance with this great nation in the ongoing fight for freedom across the world. Today, three years after the tragic crash, we stand in solidarity with the people of Poland and mourn the loss of their President and countrymen.

Mr. Speaker, if there is one thing the people of Minnesota understand, it's hockey.

That's why I'm so excited to be able to be here today to congratulate the St. Cloud State University men's hockey team. They're making history. Never before in their history have they advanced to the Frozen Four. I'm here to congratulate them for the first time in the program's history. It has taken talent; it has taken teamwork; it has taken dedication; and the men on this team have shown it all.

I know I speak for all of the people back home in St. Cloud when I say we are extremely proud of these young men and what they've already accomplished. The Cinderella story is going to take place tomorrow evening. It has captivated the community. We can't wait to cheer them on when they take on Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four.

So congratulations. Good luck. Go Huskies.