Floor Statements

The Democrat health care bill that is being brought through the Congress this week is nothing more than a government takeover of health care, and the American people know it. I know the administration doesn't like us to use that phrase, but come on. When you mandate that every American purchase health insurance whether they want it or need it or not, you mandate that every business provide it, you create a massive government-run bureaucracy exchange that mandates what is in insurance plans, you wrap that all in about $1 trillion worth of spending, that is a government takeover of health care.

But what is really remarkable about this whole business is that not only have the American people rejected this plan, but Democrats are so desperate to pass it that they are willing to trample on the traditional rules of the House and the Senate and even trample on the Constitution of the United States to get it done. The Constitution provides that a bill becomes a law if it has passed the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Democrats actually don't have the votes to pass the Senate bill, so they have decided they are going to try and pass the bill without a vote.

Well, that would be news to the Founders of this country and a betrayal of the commitment of every Member of this Congress to the American people. I urge the Speaker, if you have the votes for the Senate bill, bring it to the floor. If you don't, let's scrap the bill and start over for the American people.

I thank the distinguished ranking member of the committee and the chairman of the committee for their words and efforts today.

I think the gentleman from Ohio knows that I respect his passion, but I rise in strong opposition to this resolution today. I believe that it should be opposed because H. Con. Res. 248, directing the President pursuant to the War Powers Resolution to remove United States Armed Forces from Afghanistan, is not supported by the law, is not supported by the facts, and it is not supportive of our troops, and it should be opposed.

Let me speak to each of those issues. First, with regard to facts. The War Powers Resolution requires the President to notify Congress within a specific time of committing forces. Its constitutionality has been questioned over the years. This is a matter of clear public record. The gentleman cites the Constitution frequently. There is great constitutional debate about the very foundation of that legislation. But specifically, and I believe the distinguished chairman has made this point several times during the debate, the powers that are being cited here only apply in moments where there has not been a declaration of war or a statutory authorization for use of force.

I was here on September 11th. I was here for debates, Madam Speaker, over the resolution authorizing the use of force in Afghanistan. Therefore, I believe this resolution is out of order. And while I don't raise a procedural motion on that basis, I think it's worth noting.

Secondly, I think this resolution is not supported by the facts. I just returned from a bipartisan delegation trip to Kabul and Kandahar. I met with General McChrystal. Stanley McChrystal is the commander of the ISAF forces. I met with our soldiers at Camp Eggers. I went out into Afghanistan. And I have strongly supported President Obama's decision to send reinforcements into Afghanistan.

The sense that we receive from our military leaders in Afghanistan, from Afghani military and political leaders, and, most importantly, from our soldiers on the ground is that we are leaning into the fight. We are providing our soldiers with the resources and the reinforcements they need to come home safe. So now is not the time for the Congress of the United States to be second-guessing our commanders in the field and second-guessing the Commander in Chief. And so I believe, based on what I've seen and heard within the last month and a half in Afghanistan, that we have the right strategy, we have the right tactics, and we ought to continue to proceed on the course that we are proceeding on.

We're talking about real lives. I can't help but reflect on the experience of having been just north of Kandahar, where we visited with the governor of the Arghandab River area. He spoke about the Taliban's being on the run. In Kandahar there's an old proverb that says, He who controls Kandahar controls Afghanistan. The Taliban was in effect born in Kandahar, and this spring there is, as is evidenced on the evening news, an effort by the Taliban to reclaim that historic city. But as I talked to the governor of the Arghandab River province, he simply said that the only thing the Taliban has anymore with the population is threats. They don't have popular appeal, or so he told me.

But the very idea that U.S. forces or forces in the NATO coalition would precipitously withdraw would leave a vacuum into which the Taliban would readily flow. And as has been discussed here eloquently by Congressman Duncan Hunter, who wore the uniform in harm's way, that vacuum would be filled not just by the Taliban but by their evil twin, al Qaeda, to, no doubt, nefarious effects.

So I think this resolution is wrong on the law. I think it's wrong on the facts. But, lastly, let me just say that I believe it's also not supportive of our troops. In the many trips that I have made downrange to visit soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's impossible for me to meet with those soldiers without being profoundly inspired. And I will acknowledge the gentleman from Ohio has spoken in glowing terms about those in uniform. I do not suggest that he has done otherwise. But I believe with all my heart that a resolution of this nature in the midst of a moment when we are, in fact, providing our soldiers with the reinforcements and the resources to be successful in Afghanistan has the potential of having a demoralizing effect on the very men and women who, separated from their families and in harm's way, are doing freedom's work.

And so I believe this resolution, however intended, should be opposed. It's not supported in the law, it's not supported by the facts, and it's not supportive of our troops. I believe it should be rejected.

Madam Speaker, Federal spending is out of control, and the American people know it. Our Nation is facing a fiscal crisis of epic proportions. In the past 5 years, Federal spending has climbed from a historic average of 20 percent of the American economy to nearly 25 percent today, and it is rising.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the first 5 months of this fiscal year, the Federal Government ran a deficit of $655 billion, keeping the country on track for a record $1.6 trillion deficit this year.

After years of trying to rein in Federal spending under Republican and Democrat administrations, the American people want fiscal discipline and they want new ideas. That is why Congressmen Jeb Hensarling, John Campbell, and I introduced the Spending Limit Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Under our amendment, absent a declaration of war or a two-thirds vote in the Congress, Congress would be required to adhere to its historic percentage of the economy.

For the last 60 years, we have only taken 20 cents on the American dollar out of this economy. It is time we put that limit in the Constitution of the United States. If we fail to act, our children will be less free, less prosperous, and less secure. It is time for a spending limit amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

Madam Speaker, from the townhalls of August to the voting booths in Massachusetts, the American people have spoken. The American people want health care reform, but they don't want a government takeover of health care.

And despite the president's latest polished pitch, ObamaCare 2.0 is still a government takeover of \1/6\th of our economy--and the American people know it.

The latest version of ObamaCare is a government takeover because:

1. It will mandate private citizens purchase health care, whether they need it or want it.

2. It will cause millions of employers to cancel the health insurance they currently offer employees and force tens of millions of Americans into a government-run Exchange.

3. It will create a health care czar to impose price controls on private health insurance that will lead to shortages and force even more people into government-run care.

Mr. President, government mandates, government-run insurance and more government control is a government takeover of health care.

Mr. Speaker, from the town halls in August of last year to the voting booths of Massachusetts, the American people have spoken. The American people don't want a government takeover of health care. Despite the President's latest polished pitch, ObamaCare 2.0 is still a government takeover of one-sixth of the American economy, and the American people know it.

The latest version of ObamaCare is a government takeover because it will mandate private citizens' purchases of health care whether they need it or want it or not. It will cause millions of employers to cancel the health insurance they currently offer employees, and it will force tens of millions of Americans into government-run exchanges. It will create a health care czar to impose price controls on private health insurance, which will lead to shortages and which will force even more people into government-run insurance.

Mr. President, government mandates, government-run insurance and more government control is a government takeover of health care.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 66, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Well, tomorrow the White House will convene a so-called summit on health care reform. It's supposedly an effort to find bipartisan agreement and consensus on reform. And frankly, if the administration and Democrats in Congress were willing to scrap the bill and start over with a clean sheet of paper, I would be all for it.

The American people long for health care reform that will lower the cost of health care insurance without growing the size of government. But that is not what's happening here. Instead of scrapping the bill, the President's actually produced his own bigger, worse version of the bills that passed the House and Senate and then were summarily rejected by the American people: more spending, more taxes, more government, and coverage for abortion.

Instead of starting over, Democrats in Congress continue to threaten to abuse the very rules of this institution by passing some version of their health care reform bill by a simple majority in the Senate--known as reconciliation.

Tomorrow's summit is looking more and more like a taxpayer-funded media event designed to set up passage of ObamaCare 2.0. The American people deserve to know it.

Madam Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of a fallen American hero, Marine Sergeant Jeremy McQueary of Columbus, Indiana.

Sgt. McQueary served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he gave his life in service to a grateful nation on Thursday, February 18th while serving with the 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Sgt. McQueary enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in January 2002 after graduating from Columbus East High School. According to his mother, Jeremy always had an interest in becoming a Marine and continuing the proud tradition of service in his family by donning the uniform of our nation.

Though Sgt. McQueary did not speak often of his experiences overseas, his dedication and bravery were quite evident by his actions and decorations. In June of 2008, he survived a roadside bombing attack and volunteered to continue serving in Iraq. His awards include a Combat Action Ribbon and Purple Heart, among others.

Sgt. McQueary was a compassionate man who cared especially for children. A father himself, Sgt. McQueary expressed a desire to work with children in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our condolences go out to Jeremy's wife Rae and young son Hadley, as well as his mother and stepfather, Deborah and David Kleinschmidt, and sister Rebecca.

We will never be able to pay the debt of honor owed to Sergeant Jeremy McQueary and his family. Heroes like him are our nation's most cherished citizens without whom freedom and democracy would not be possible. His passing is a profound loss for his family, this community and this nation.

Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Republican Conference, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. Speaker, it's been 1 year since the Democrats passed their so-called stimulus bill, and 1 year later, one thing is clear: the stimulus bill has failed. This has even been tacitly acknowledged by the leadership of the Democratic Party here in Congress and at the White House.

We were told before the State of the Union address that the President and House Democrats were going to ``pivot to an emphasis on fiscal discipline and jobs.'' But as the American people are struggling, with unemployment about 10 percent and an estimated 14.8 million Americans looking for work, Americans are asking, Where is the pivot, and more importantly, Where are the jobs?

After a year of borrowing and spending and bailouts and takeovers, met this week by the latest version of a government takeover of health care, millions of Americans are asking, When will Washington get the message? When will Washington, D.C., from this well to the White House itself, start to put Americans back to work with the time-honored principles of fiscal discipline in Washington, D.C., and across-the- board fast-acting tax relief for working families, small businesses, and family farms?

Let's put the emphasis on jobs, Mr. Speaker.

It's time for a little bit of truth-telling about their side and about our side.

Truth-telling about our side is that back when we were in charge, we didn't do so well on controlling runaway Federal spending. My colleagues who know me well know that I many times found myself at cross purposes in fighting the President of my own party and some leadership in my own party in some of those big spending fights. But under the last administration, we doubled the national debt. I want to stipulate that.

But frankly, that's no excuse for what's happening today, Madam Speaker. Over the last 3 years, the Democratic majority has literally broken the ceiling on fiscal responsibility, and, as I just admitted, that ceiling was pretty high.

Since Democrats took control of Congress in January 2007, the national debt has increased by $3.96 trillion, a 42 percent increase in 3 years. To keep up with this spending binge, Congress has increased the debt limit five times over the last 3 years, three times since the current administration took office 1 year ago.

The statutory debt increase that comes before us today, $1.9 trillion, is the largest one-time debt increase in U.S. history. This is the fifth increase, as I mentioned, in the last 19 months. This one- time increase in the debt limit of $1.9 trillion is actually larger than the entire GDP of almost every country in the world. It's larger than the GDP of Canada, Russia, Spain or Brazil, and it's larger than the GDP of Australia and Poland combined.

The American people are looking at this extraordinary gusher of spending and debt, and they're asking the question, When will it stop? And the answer, as we look at the budget that the administration submitted earlier this week, is no time soon. I hasten to add the administration just this week announced plans for a budget, $3.8 trillion in scope with a $1.6 trillion deficit, $2 trillion in higher taxes.

And let me say with respect, the American people looking in ought not to be deceived by the promises of fiscal discipline known as PAYGO. The truth is the bill before us today is about 58 pages long, and 32 of those pages are all the programs that are exempted from the PAYGO requirements. Forty percent of Federal spending is exempted from the fiscal discipline fix that we are being told is encompassed in PAYGO. The truth is what ``PAYGO'' really means here in Washington is that you pay and they go on spending.

The fact is what we see here is a failure of leadership. President Obama, as a United States Senator, said in March of 2006 when he came out against raising the debt limit in a vote, The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's recklessness. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.

So said then-Senator Barack Obama in March 2006.

Let me suggest he was right then, and his words are equally true today.

The American people long for us to put our fiscal house in order. They long for us to embrace true fiscal discipline and reform. They long for this administration and this Congress to lead us away from the brink of fiscal disaster. This PAYGO, this debt ceiling vote is no solution, and I urge its opposition.

Mr. Speaker, when I look at the President's budget for fiscal year 2011, I think about what Albert Einstein said one time. He said that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the very definition of insanity. Well, after years of runaway Federal spending under both political parties, and after promises by this administration of fiscal discipline and reform, the President's budget more than doubles the debt. It drives spending to a record $3.8 trillion. It pushes the deficit to a record $1.6 trillion, and raises taxes by more than $2 trillion by 2020, during the worst recession in 25 years.

Despite future spending freezes promised and commissions, it doesn't change the fact that, by any measure, this budget is insane. The American people know we can't borrow and spend and bail our way back to prosperity. They know that deficits and debt threaten our prosperity and our posterity. House Republicans have a better plan, a plan built on hard choices, fiscal responsibility, and entitlement reform. On behalf of our families, on behalf of our economy, we say, let's reject this irresponsible and unsustainable budget, and let's come together around the principles of fiscal responsibility and reform, and let's put our house in order.

Mr. Speaker, the Auschwitz concentration camp serves as a tragic reminder of the millions of innocent men, women and children who lost their lives in the Holocaust. Yet it also is a standing testament to all those who risked their own lives to defeat the Nazi regime.

I would like to thank the Ranking Member, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, for bringing this resolution to the floor, and I am proud to cosponsor H. Res. 1044, a resolution commemorating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

On January 27, 1945, Allied Forces liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp where victims were systematically murdered in gas chambers, starved, tortured and subjected to forced labor and cruel medical experiments. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, over one million people lost their lives at Auschwitz.

Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, and its buildings have come to symbolize the sheer inhumanity of the Holocaust. As we mark the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, let us recommit ourselves to combating bigotry, racism, intolerance and anti-Semitism.

As the co-chair of the Congressional Anti-Semitism Caucus, I stand in support of the resolution. With its passage, we remember the truth of the Holocaust and say with one resounding voice, ``Never again!''

Madam Speaker, as it is written in the Good Book, ``Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'' And I can think of no better example of Christ's compassion and generosity than Cornelius and Mary Dollison of Muncie, Indiana. Recently the recipient of the Muncie Star Press ``Person of the Year Award,'' this extraordinary couple has dedicated their time, their finances, and, most importantly, their hearts to serving their community, and I rise today to honor their legacy of service.

Cornelius and Mary have a deeply-rooted history within the Muncie community. Cornelius was born and raised there, and Mary has lived there since she was a young teen. Though they knew each other in high school, Cornelius and his sweetheart were not united in love until a few years after they had graduated. Now married for nearly 50 years, Cornelius and Mary have formed a special team that has left an indelible mark on the Muncie community.

In their own special ways, Cornelius and Mary have used their individual talents and passions to work together for the betterment of those most in need in their community. Cornelius is the strong and silent type, an expert electrician and builder, and the rock of support for his dear wife. Mary is the more outspoken of the two, always using every ounce of energy to be on the forefront and making a difference in the community. Together, the Dollisons have formed an unstoppable force that serves the residents of their community to this very day.

Over the last few decades, Mary and Cornelius have consistently made sacrifices, and today we can see the many fruits of their labor. More than twenty years ago, Mary saw a need for a mentoring program for children in the Muncie community, and thus, from the Dollison's living room, Motivate Our Minds (MOMs) was born. What originally began as a summer program for a handful of students has now blossomed to a fully operational after-school tutoring organization that serves nearly 700 minority students every year. While Mary coordinated the programs, Cornelius went to work restoring a facility to accommodate the growing number of students served by MOMs. Never ones to sit on the sidelines, the Dollisons took it upon themselves to do whatever it took to make MOMs the successful program that it is today.

This same can-do attitude was also demonstrated at the end of 2008, when the City of Muncie was poised to strip funding for the Buley Community Center out of its budget. For over 30 years, the Buley Center had been a safe haven for some of the city's most underprivileged children. One by one, Cornelius and Mary began receiving phone calls from members of the community, begging them to intervene to save the Buley Center from certain

closure. With their servants' hearts, the Dollisons did just that, acting immediately. They began talking to individuals, administrators, government officials, and any other contacts they had to raise funds so the Buley Center could continue to serve the community. While Cornelius again used his God-given skills to fix up the dilapidated center, Mary used her decades of experience as an elementary school teacher to restructure the educational curriculum. Thanks to the Dollisons, more than $100,000 was raised to pay maintenance costs on the Buley Center, and a little more than one month after the city cut funding, the Buley Center reopened its doors. Not only does the Buley Center provide afterschool programs, but it also hosts computer programs and history classes for adults. The Muncie community will reap the benefits of services offered by the Buley Community Center for years to come.

Their years of service to the community make the Dollisons deserving recipients of the Star Press ``Person of the Year'' award. Without the compassion and dedication of Cornelius and Mary Dollison, there is little doubt that the Muncie community would be vastly different, and far worse off. Countless children and families have been the blessed recipients of the Dollison's love and service, and I am proud to recognize the impact on the community made by their decades of selfless service.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the memory of a fellow Hoosier whose long and distinguished career in the United States Air Force spanned four decades.

Retired Lieutenant General James F. Record, who was born and raised in central Indiana, passed away on December 22, 2009 with his loving family beside him.

The son of Edwin and Enid Record, General Record, like many Hoosier boys of his generation, grew up on the family farm. In between his chores, young Jim would watch with wonder as military aircraft flew in and out of what was then Bunker Hill Air Force Base. He dreamed to one day fly those fighter jets in the Air Force.

Upon graduating high school, he enrolled at Purdue University in West Lafayette. As a member of the Reserve Officer Training Corps Program and Purdue University Drill Team, not only did he hone skills that taught him discipline and teamwork, but he served as a leader and mentor to his younger classmates.

General Record's Air Force Career began when he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1961. He completed flight training a year later and served as an instructor pilot for nearly six years. While serving multiple tours in Vietnam, he distinguished himself and flew more than six hundred combat missions.

Following his service in Southeast Asia, he went on to command three fighter wings, the 833rd Air Division, and served as the first deputy commander of Joint Task Force Middle East, which operated in the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea.

General Record also served in the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command, United Nations Command, and U.S. Combined Forces Command. This Michigantown native also found himself again serving in the Far East from 1990 through 1992 as the commander of Joint Task Force Southwest Asia.

Rated as a command pilot with more than 6,000 hours flying time behind some of our nation's most legendary fighter aircraft, General Record was decorated with twenty seven Air Medals, the Vietnam Service Medal with six service stars, three Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters, the Defense Superior Service Medal, and the Defense Distinguished Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster.

While family, friends, and colleagues will forever remember and respect General Record's military career, those closest to him will remember a caring father, husband, son or friend. Even while battling the illness that ultimately took his life, he often checked up on those he cared about to make sure they were doing okay.

Memorial services were held for General Record at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona, where he commanded the 12th Air Force, as well as Michigantown Christian Church, where he was an active member as a young man.

As we mourn Lieutenant General James F. Record's passing, let us keep his mother Enid, loving wife Peggy, sons James, John, and Joe, as well as his brother Ray and sisters Arlene and Barbara in our thoughts and prayers.

Though the pain of his loss is tremendous, I am sure his family takes tremendous pride in knowing that General Record will join ranks with all those who rest in the hallowed grounds of Arlington National Cemetery.