Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

If you're Peyton Manning, the football great for the Indianapolis Colts, and you come to the line of scrimmage, you have the right to do an audible call at the line of scrimmage. I mean, Peyton's a champion. Time and time and time again he's come out, he sees the play, he recognizes that the play has to change, he shouts out the play to the team, and they score and they're famous and they're successful.

Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, we don't have any Peyton Manning's on the other side of the aisle who are driving this process. In other words, there is nobody that has the breadth and the depth and the comprehensive understanding--there's, frankly, nobody in this Chamber that has that--to come in and say, You know what? New plan. We're going to do something completely different.

Last night, ironically, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee was on this very floor in that very seat and said, There are no excuses to vote against this bill. He said that once or twice or three times. I jotted it down. And I reminded him of that during the debate last night, and yet, ironically, within that very short period of time, it's my understanding that the chairman, himself, found that there was a reason to vote against the very bill that moments before he was arguing for.

And why is that? Because the Founders have a process in place that is a process of deliberation. The Founders understood that this process is one that is made better by robust participation.

Now, the majority has known about this 1099 requirement since November of last year, and what have they done? They have stifled the minority. They have said, No, no, no, no. We've got this all figured out. You Republicans, you just continue to press your nose up against the glass and look in and mouth suggestions, but we're really not interested in what you have to say. All right.

Then there's a revelation. The public gets to see this 1099 requirement, and they recognize this is a disaster. We had friends on the other side of the aisle minutes ago recounting about how bad this is going to be for farmers and small businesses. And you know what? They're right.

The 1099 requirement is absurd. The 1099 requirement, I would submit to you, is the result of line of scrimmage audible calls by the majority.

Now, it doesn't have to be this way. Mr. Camp laid out a very articulate process moments ago about how best to improve this. And this is an underperformance. The chairman said that we shouldn't be surprised by things that are in this bill. And, frankly, I'm not surprised by anything the majority does. I've seen the majority run roughshod over process in the name of a better product, and time and again, it has fallen short.

So here we are basically with an admission that ObamaCare is fundamentally flawed in this sense, a mandate on business. I promise you there will be efforts in the future to revisit other parts of ObamaCare--the individual mandate, the employer mandate, health savings account taxes, and on and on and on, all things that the American public has been speaking out--they're even calling right now, they're so upset about it.

Madam Speaker, the reason Republicans are opposed to this is process, but, fundamentally, bad process yields a bad product. This is a bad product. It creates a Hobson's choice. It says we're going to remove the 1099 requirement and, instead, we're going to jeopardize job producers in exchange. We should vote ``no.''

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, in his opening remarks, the chairman said that there was no excuse to vote ``no'' on this bill. Well, I want us to revisit that assertion because I think there might be. I think the excuse might be when the job creators themselves, Mr. Speaker, say that we need to be watchful and wary and oppose this.

When the job creators use words like, this will jeopardize the jobs of American manufacturing employees, we have an excuse to vote ``no.'' Or when they say this will stifle our fragile economy, we have an excuse to vote ``no'' or that these tax increases are Draconian, or it will hinder job creation or decrease the competitiveness of American businesses, or deter economic growth, or harm our worldwide American economic competitiveness, all excuses to vote ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, the chairman of the committee said that we had seen these ideas before and there is no reason to vote against them because we've seen them before. And that's true. We've seen them before. We've had hearing after hearing after hearing in the Ways and Means Committee on substantive sideshows, comparatively, that don't address the fundamental question of the difficulty of the American economy.

On Monday morning of this week, Mr. Speaker, I hosted a job fair in Addison, Illinois, and in 4 hours' period of time 2,000 of my constituents walked through those double doors looking for work. They are underserved by this Congress, they are underserved by a tax code that we are 7 months into that is completely ambiguous.

I have business leaders in my district, Mr. Speaker, who have said we're not going to put money into this economy, Congressman, because we don't know what the ground rules are. We don't know what the ground rules are that are in the tax code, we don't know what the ground rules are on all the health care rules that are going to be promulgated.

Mr. Speaker they say they don't know the ground rules on cap-and- trade, where the EPA is doing an end run around this Congress, and they certainly don't know the ground rules as it relates to a whole host of other issues that are pending before this Congress.

Uncertainty is as bad as bad news comes. And what we've got to do is make sure we're not throttling worldwide American companies. And this bill will have an adverse impact disproportionately on American companies, Mr. Speaker, American companies that are trying to compete in the worldwide marketplace.

There are plenty of excuses to vote ``no.'' There are plenty of excuses to turn to certainty and not create an albatross on companies that we need to make sure thrive, and are dynamic, and create jobs in our economy. We should vote against this bill.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in recognition of the long and noble service of Illinois State Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander William M. Wolff. Commander Wolff began his loyal service to our country as a tank driver in the U.S. Army in Vietnam with the First Squadron, Fourth Armored Calvary/First Infantry Division.

Commander Wolff was awarded several medals including the Purple Heart. He became a Charter Member of the Bloomingdale, Illinois VFW Post 7539 in 1991, and would earn the status of All-American Post Commander and All-State Post Commander.

To this day, Commander Wolff is extremely active in the community. He currently serves as the Chairperson for the Bloomingdale Septemberfest Commission, and he is a member of the Illinois Fire Chiefs Association, the West Suburban Fire Fighters Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, and the Lions Club.

Madam Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in honoring his extraordinary commitment to our nation, and recognizing his celebration that will take place on August 14th.

I thank the gentleman.

You know, if you were going to sit around and come up with a movie script of absurdity, you couldn't come up with a script that was this real. In other words, taxpayers out subsidizing first class passenger travel on railcars throughout the United States? If you trotted that out to Hollywood and said, ``Oh, we've got one for you,'' the Hollywood types would throw it away and laugh at you and say there's no way, that's completely unrealistic, except in this Congress.

Congressman Thornberry from Texas has figured out by carefully reading an Inspector General report of the Department of Transportation that there is a way to save $1 billion over 10 years. Now, think about that. You know something very interesting. You don't hear anybody coming to the floor, Madam Speaker, to defend this practice of subsidizing first class rail treatment. The reason is nobody can do it with a straight face. Nobody can say, Oh, no, no, no. We need to subsidize movies on Amtrak. We need to subsidize prepaid meals. We need to subsidize honest-to-goodness the bed turndown service in the sleeper car.

How absurd is that?

So oftentimes in political life we're asked what would you cut. What would you cut? How would you balance this budget? Well, I tell you what. You've got a whole host of Republicans that say let's vote ``no'' on this previous question and let's take up this effort, this time, this afternoon to cut $1 billion.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of the Republic of Cyprus. Thirty-six years ago today, Turkish troops entered the country in violation of international law, and have since maintained, and even increased their occupation of the Northern portion of Cyprus. Besides turning over Greek Cypriot property to new Turkish immigrants it is widely reported that there are currently roughly one Turkish soldier for every two Turkish Cypriots that they are claiming to defend.

Over the past 36 years, the occupation of Cyprus has grown to the point where Turkish troops can be found in almost 37 percent of the country's territory. This increase in occupation has occurred despite the fact that countless resolutions have been adopted by the U.N. Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly discouraging Turkey's continued occupation. These resolutions, which call for the return of refugees and the withdrawal of Turkish troops, have been blatantly ignored.

Turkey's invasion and continued occupation of Cyprus represents a violation of human rights and creates an unnecessary ongoing situation of tension and uncertainty throughout the island. It has resulted in ethnic segregation and a noticeable division between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Most notably, the Turkish occupation has provoked the forcible expulsion of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots from their homes, leaving nearly one-third of the country in an ambiguous state of homelessness waiting to see if an agreement will ever be reached and their land will ever be returned.

Just weeks ago we celebrated America's Independence Day. We celebrated our freedom and thriving representative democracy. Please join me in taking a moment today to remember and recognize the country of Cyprus as they continue to push for a restored democracy and a safe resolution to Turkish occupation.

Mr. Speaker, on display in Jerusalem at the Yad Vashem museum, the Holocaust museum, amidst all the pain and suffering and murder and turmoil, are German schoolbooks from the 1930s that display an attitude that was getting pumped into young Germans through their educational system. And as fearful and as loathsome as that is, there is the same thing that's happening in Iran today.

The Iranian educational system has excerpts that suggest that martyrdom is praiseworthy, and it urges children to welcome it. It is laced with anti-Semitism, anti-Israeli sentiment, and anti-Western sentiment.

I'm introducing a resolution today that condemns that, calls upon us to focus on it, and urges the administration to consider that as it interacts with Iran, particularly on these sanctions. I urge my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the incorporation of Addison, Illinois, in the heart of my Congressional District.

In 1883, the Village of Addison was settled by Hezekiah Dunklee and Mason Smith. In 1884, Addison was incorporated, and Henry Buchholz became its first Mayor. The election had a modest turnout, with only 28 votes being cast.

In the years since its humble founding, Addison has become a center of culture and commerce, serving as a home to businesses, professionals, churches and organizations that have made this a vibrant and thriving community. Over the years, Addison has developed a well- deserved reputation as an enjoyable place to live, work and raise a family.

On the occasion of this 125th anniversary, we join together to celebrate Addison's legacy of growth and prosperity, and to look ahead to the opportunities the future holds for our local community and our Nation. Today both marks 125 years of working together to build a brighter future, and reminds us that our work continues.

Madam Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me on this special occasion in offering well wishes and happiness to Addison Village President Larry Hartwig, the Village Board of Trustees and all the citizens of Addison.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

History is incredibly instructive and helpful for us at a time like this. August 13, 1961, Nikita Khrushchev gave an order and that was to move forward and put up the Berlin Wall. At first, it was just barbed wire that morning. And then over a period of time, as we know, it moved from barbed wire to concrete and ultimately to the wall and really the edifice that was the symbol of an impressive regime. I think we are wise to be measured and sobered by those instructions of history.

This legislation is a step toward dealing with the incrementalist vision that Ahmadinejad and the mullahs in Iran have. Now, it has been said that there are some weaknesses in the bill and the weaknesses are putting a lot of trust, frankly, in an administration that has sort of underperformed in this area. But my hope is and my expectation is that the administration will use this tool, recognize the serious threat, and recognize the type of tool that they're able to use to go after this regime. This is an important piece of legislation, and I am pleased to support it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 55th anniversary of Des Plaines Office Equipment, a leading distributor of document generation equipment in the Chicagoland area.

Under the leadership of its President, Chip Miceli, this company has excelled within the field of print management. It currently operates in three Illinois locations, with its headquarters in Elk Grove Village, a thriving town within my District.

Since 1955, Des Plaines Office Equipment has been committed to guaranteeing fast response times when assisting businesses. They have displayed superior technical service and are constantly exploring new technology. They are also active in a variety of civic organizations, such as the Chicago and Des Plaines Chambers of Commerce.

Madam Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, please join me in recognizing this important landmark in our community as we celebrate the admirable legacy that Des Plaines Office Equipment continues to build for itself. I wish the people at Des Plaines Office Equipment much success for its next 55 years of service.

I thank Mr. Camp for yielding.

Chairman Levin said a minute ago that it's hard to find anything that the minority likes. I'll tell you a few things, Mr. Speaker, that we would like. We would have liked a stimulus that worked. We would have liked a stimulus where unemployment actually peaked at 8 percent as long as our children and grandchildren were being foisted with a $1 trillion obligation. We would have liked it if last month's unemployment numbers weren't goosed up by simply census employees joining the ranks. We would have liked it, Mr. Speaker, if during the health care debate a thoughtful approach had been put forward that wasn't going to cost employers like Caterpillar in my home State $100 million in the first year or John Deere $150 million in the first year. We would have like those things, Mr. Speaker.

I think what the majority is laying out is kind of a happy life of low expectations. That's not a bad way to go through life, but I think that we can do so much more than this. And to Mr. Camp's point, there are some things that are here that are decent and that are marginally okay and slightly better, but is that how dim the lights are in this Chamber that that's our expectation, that something is just sort of okay? I mean, this is an increase in government spending, after all, so I think we can do so much better. Why is it, Mr. Speaker, that we are halfway through the tax year and the research and development tax credit isn't resolved by this majority in this Congress? Why is it that the death tax is a complete ambiguity?

So in answer to the chairman, I have a lot of respect for him and for his work and his sincerity, but I think I want to echo Mr. Camp's observation, that this is so narrowly crafted and so de minimus and being proclaimed by the same folks that promised us great things in the stimulus that I think we can do better.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, you know, I came here to the floor a couple of minutes ago, and I thought, ``Surely, I am not going to hear and see the tired, old, symbolic show pony of George W. Bush and his administration being trotted out in this Chamber once again,'' but I wasn't disappointed.

It just amazes me, Mr. Speaker, at the lack of creativity and forward-thinking and problem-solving that we see animated on the other side of the aisle, that all they can do is look in this rear-view mirror and wring their hands and moan and grown and say, ``Well, it's George W. Bush's fault.'' I think the American public is just tired of that. I think the American public isn't persuaded by it.

I offered an amendment very straightforwardly last night--it was offered by Mr. Sessions of Texas in the Rules Committee--that would have said a very simple thing. It would have said, if you are running Fannie and Freddie, if you are an employee of Fannie and Freddie, new rules. And the new rule is you are not going to make any more than we pay the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Not particularly controversial, not particularly groundbreaking, but it makes a lot of sense. I mean, if the majority has now found this robust desire to truncate compensation, why in the world wouldn't we focus in on this area that we tend to agree with?

And, frankly, the argument that these entities are no longer losing money, I think, is not persuading the citizens of the Sixth District.

I see the chairman wants to be recognized, and I would be happy to yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts. I only have 3 minutes.

You made that argument earlier, and I am going to reclaim my time. I have gone to the Mr. Frank School of Floor Management and learned well.

Mr. Speaker, here was the opportunity for the majority to say, ``We are going to focus in on this. We are not going to put up with any more nonsense of spending $145 billion.'' And the price tag, let's be honest, is up to $400 billion and rising.

We know what we need to do here, Mr. Speaker. We know when to do it. And I urge us to be like-minded in stopping this approach that the majority has and a complete failure to deal with Fannie and Freddie in a responsible way, in my view, and not support the motion.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this bill comes in at a svelte $54 billion of a budget bust, and I found it ironic that the chairman of the committee and the former chairman of the committee have talked about this in the context of job creation. Even Mr. Van Hollen from Maryland said it was going to be supported by entrepreneurs.

But let's look carefully and quickly at what the job creators are saying about this bill.

The United States Chamber of Commerce says it will hinder job creation.

The Business Roundtable says it takes us two steps backwards in terms of job creating.

The National Association of Manufacturing says it will threaten job creation, U.S. competitiveness, and overall economic growth.

IBM says these tax increases will completely overwhelm any positive economic impact of the R&D tax credit.

And the technology leaders of our nation, that is, the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, says that these offsets are going to be done at the expense of U.S. job creation.

Look, this is a cascading disappointment. This is a majority that has become absolutely blind to the realities of the stimulus. With all due respect to one of the chairmen of the committee who spoke a couple of minutes ago, having a straight face and arguing that the stimulus has been a success is not persuasive in my district. My district was promised unemployment was going to peak at 8 percent if we spent the $1 trillion. Employment in Illinois is now at 11\1/2\ percent. The delta therefore is a difference of 199,000 jobs for the State of Illinois.

This needs to go back to the drawing board. This bill needs to be defeated and pulled out of the record. Let's get about the business of serious job creation, and not just fall headlong into an orthodoxy that is a complete failure.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I found the gentleman from New Jersey's logic dizzying. It took 43 American Presidents, from George Washington to George W. Bush, for us to accumulate $5 trillion in debt. This Congress and this administration unambiguously are tripling that number in a decade. I also found it sobering and kind of surprising that the gentleman from Colorado a couple of minutes ago--and I wrote it down immediately-- said, Once we're back on our feet, then we can talk about it, or words to that effect. Once we're back on our feet, then we can talk about cutting spending? It is this bloated budget that is the restraining influence on prosperity in this country. It is the hidebound orthodoxy on the other side that says we can borrow and spend our way into prosperity--and that is an economic fool's errand. It is the sinkhole of self-absorption of this Congress and this generation that says we want to spend, spend, spend, and pass the bill on to another generation. We need to defeat this previous question so we can get serious about these cuts.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a dedicated public servant from my Congressional District, Commander Karen Miller. After spending 25 years in the Addison Police Department, she is retiring at the end of April.

Commander Miller started her career in the Dispatch Department and was then assigned to the Patrol Division for 8 years. In 1993 she was named the full time D.A.R.E. /Crime Prevention Officer for the Department. For those 8 years Karen taught more than one thousand 5th grade students the importance of living a drug-free life.

Additionally, Commander Miller developed many programs within the Addison Police Department designed to better educate the public about crime prevention. The programs created under her leadership include the Citizens Police Academy, Senior Citizen Police Academy, Citizens on Patrol, Volunteers In Policing Service, Seniors And Law-Enforcement Together, and Community Emergency Response Team.

Madam Speaker and Distinguished Colleagues, Karen Miller is a remarkable public servant who has dedicated her life to serving the people of Addison. Please join me in recognizing her extraordinary service and wishing her happiness in the well deserved respite of her retirement.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, not long ago, I was briefed by an official on Iran's provocative action, and he gave a challenge in that briefing.

He said, Print out on your computer a red line. Print a big, thick, red bar on a white sheet of paper, and look at it from a distance. You'll think it's a solid red line, but if you'll look at it up close, what you will see is that it is actually a series of tiny, little pink lines all pushed together, but they're individual little lines. He said, What Iran has figured out is a way to break through one tiny, little line at a time, just one at a time, one at a time, one at a time.

That is why we are here today, because we in the West, we in the United States, are on to what the Iranian leadership is doing. They are being incredibly provocative. There is no legitimate nuclear ambition for Iran. This is a regime that has said that Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East, has no right to exist. They've said one provocative thing after another.

History is filled, Mr. Speaker, with examples of weakness and ambiguity in foreign affairs. What is the result? Largely, the result is calamity.

Now we have a chance to be united, to all come together to say we are not going to stand for this. We have come up with a remedy, and it is time for the conferees to move forward and to create this very tough and solid sanction against the petroleum products going into Iran. I urge the conferees to move quickly.