Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the courage and the bravery of those servicemen and -women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our most cherished principles.

This Memorial Day, we honor their lives in the name of freedom, and we owe them our deepest respect and gratitude. But even more, we owe them our allegiance to the principles for which they have given so much. We reflect upon these ideals, as we have on this day for the past 145 years.

Service to one's country is a value that has been deeply ingrained in American heritage and--especially in my home State of Georgia--you would be hard-pressed to find someone who did not either personally serve or has a family member or friend who has served.

My home district has recently lost 37 of these unforgettable heroes, and it is in their memory that I would like to give my deepest regards to the servicemembers who have laid down their

lives and the families whose loved ones have been laid to rest for our great Nation.

Mr. Chairman, it has been 1,706 days since the

Keystone XL application has been submitted to our State Department. Instead of moving towards energy independence and job creation by approving this pipeline, we've learned that this administration has been spending its time wiretapping journalists and targeting conservative groups for their political beliefs.

Within the past 10 days, the Obama administration has spent much more time defending its violations of the First Amendment than seeking to add 830,000 barrels of product per day. The White House seems to care more about their own jobs than the 20,000 direct jobs and 100,000 indirect jobs created by the Keystone XL pipeline. This behavior is simply unacceptable.

Mr. Chairman, it is time that this body take action to bolster our economy, move our Nation towards energy independence--areas where this President has failed miserably.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3.

Mr. Speaker, today, we are once again voting to totally repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare.

Now, the most senior members of the Energy and Commerce Committee from the Democratic side stand up here and say this is the 37th time that we have voted for total repeal. No, it's the third time. We are voting for total repeal for a third time because Republicans and Democrats and 65 percent--young and old--of the people across this country demand total repeal. They know that they don't want the government taking over one-sixth of our economy and Washington bureaucrats imposing a massive tax increase on middle class Americans and small business owners.

As the government becomes more involved in health care, doctors and patients become further removed--more involved, further removed--from their own health care decisions, and this will result in a more expensive and a more dysfunctional system. Patients should have more control of their medical decisions, and reform should be driven at the State level rather than rushing through legislation that we have to read to find out what's in it. Now, Mr. Speaker, small businesswomen and men have to read a stack of rules and regulations 7-feet high to find out that, truly, the devil is in the details.

As both a physician and a taxpayer, fully repealing ObamaCare is my top priority, and I am proud that we will soon take yet another step toward this critically important goal.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in honor Diaget Miller, a Sprayberry High School student from Kennesaw, Georgia, and founder of Diaget Design Studio. Diaget was recently recognized as one of the National Federation of Independent Business' (NFIB) 2013 Young Entrepreneur Award winners.

It is a great source of pride to see one of the young people in Georgia's 11th District being nationally recognized for such focused ambition and willingness to take risk. It is this kind of initiative that truly embodies the American dream.

Diaget founded her design studio at the young age of 14 after realizing her talent for digital art when helping her mother design brochures. Since then, her company has grown, attracting business state-wide.

The yearly NFIB Young Entrepreneur Award is selected by an independent committee comprised of educators and small business leaders who not only evaluate applicants based on the quality of their businesses, but on their academic records, leadership qualities, and overall character.

As one of this year's deserving winners, Diaget's prize will include a $1,000 scholarship from the National Federation of Independent Business Young Entrepreneur Foundation, which she will put toward her education and goal of someday becoming an anesthesiologist.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Georgia's 11th District, I congratulate Diaget Miller on her tremendous success as an entrepreneur and wish her luck in all of her endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Gunnery Sergeant Lyndon Ray Smith, who will retire after 34 years of service to our country.

While he currently serves as the first Naval Science Instructor in Kennesaw Mountain High School Navy Junior Reserve Officer Corps, he has worked in many different military capacities. After joining the Marines in 1974, Smith was first assigned to the 4th Marine Aircraft Wing in New Orleans. He served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm, and has been assigned to military installations across the country.

Throughout his service, Smith has been awarded a Marine Aircraft Wing Marine of the Year Award, two National Recruiter of the Year awards, and several meritorious promotions.

Since becoming the first Naval Science Instructor at Kennesaw Mountain High School, Gunnery Sergeant Smith has been an invaluable leader and role model for the young people in his community. Under his leadership, his unit has been recognized nationally as a distinguished unit 11 consecutive times, and went to the U.S. Navy National Drill Championships in 2005. More importantly, Smith has directly helped develop over 2000 young adults into responsible citizens who value patriotism, community, and service to our great nation.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 11th District of Georgia and my staff, my deepest thanks to Gunnery Sergeant Smith for devoting his life to upholding the Constitution of the United States and to the protection of its citizens. I wish him a happy--and well deserved--retirement.

I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for yielding, my physician colleague and cochairman of the House GOP Doctors' Caucus, several of whom are here on the floor in the House on this Special Order hour to discuss the impending train wreck that Dr. Roe referenced.

Mr. Speaker, it is not just Dr. Roe's words, but it is almost a direct quote from the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Max Baucus. I don't know how many years Senator Baucus has served, but he has been chairing that committee for many years. And, of course, the Senate version of ObamaCare was essentially written by Senator Max Baucus and his senior staff of the Senate Finance Committee.

So of those 2,700 pages in that final bill that we saw President Obama sign as his legacy, ObamaCare, on March 25, 3 years ago, the Senator knew everything that was in that bill. And just last week, there was a hearing on the Senate side, the Senate Finance Committee asked the secretary who is in charge of the rulemaking. You know, after a piece of legislation is passed, Mr. Speaker, then come the rules.

Well, I don't know how high 2,700 pages stack, but the rules stacked 7 feet tall. In fact, Senator Barrasso was doing a Special Order recently or a press interview, and he is 6 feet tall and he's standing next to these rules and regulations that came through the Department of Health and Human Services, led by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, and they're 7 feet tall. I don't know whether it was 40,000 pages or 400,000 pages, but it was a big number.

What I'd like to point out to my colleagues before yielding back to my good friend from Tennessee so he can yield to some of the other doctors who are members of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, I want to point out, colleagues and Mr. Speaker, this poster. And I give credit for this poster to Representative Kevin Brady from Texas, a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee.

I was speaking with Congressman Brady a little earlier this morning, and I said, Kevin, I'm going to use your poster today because we're doing this Special Order because of this impending train wreck--the words of Senator Max Baucus, Democratic Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, not just Dr. Roe's words--and I said I was trying to count real quickly how many new bureaucracies, agencies--not number of people, mind you, but, literally, new agencies--of the Federal Government, talking about expanding the Federal Government and taking over one-sixth of our economy, which is health care. Pretty soon it'll be a fifth, and pretty soon it'll be a fourth as we continue to go broke.

But Kevin told me, Representative Brady told me, 159. I didn't have time to count them all. But in the center, of course, my colleagues, you can see the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and today that's Ms. Sebelius. Tomorrow it could be somebody else.

But, I mean, the whole point is it is a train wreck. And this law is going to be fully implemented, Mr. Speaker, on the first day of January 2014. Well, what is that? Here we are, May. That's 7 months away.

And all of these exchanges that you're hearing about, colleagues, that many of the States have said, ``We can't do this; we're not going to do it,'' they're not even close to being set up. And yet people, the general public who doesn't have health insurance, can't get it from their employer or can't afford it, whatever reason, they are supposed to be able, on October the 1st, October the 1st of this year, 2013, to begin signing up for health insurance through those exchanges. But this is why they can't.

This is a train wreck. I mean, these lines are not railroad tracks, but they could be. So I thought I would, colleagues, I would point that out to you. I think you all are aware of it.

The gentleman from Tennessee is generous with his time.

If the gentleman will yield back quickly.

My colleagues, the IRS is just right up here. That's 15,000 new IRS agents to make sure that the poor people have purchased health insurance or they're going to get taxed. Right?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Colonel Mark C. Gardener and to recognize his lifetime of service to our country.

On June 28, Col. Gardener will retire from the Georgia National Guard after thirty years of sacrifice and service to this great nation.

While he currently serves as the Georgia National Guard's State Inspector General, he has worked in many different capacities. In 1983, Col. Gardener's first assignment was with U.S. Army Missile Command, and he has since been assigned to infantry, maintenance, and forward support duties across the world. His career has taken him to Korea, Panama, Afghanistan, Iraq, and several military installations here in the United States.

For his distinguished leadership throughout his career, Col. Gardener has been awarded with decorations like the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with six Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Korea Defense Service Medal, the Army Reserve Service Medal, the Parachutist Badge, and the Air Assault Badge.

Col. Gardener has played an invaluable role in the U.S. Armed Forces for decades and he will surely be missed.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 11th District of Georgia, my deepest thanks to Col. Gardener for devoting his life the upholding the Constitution of the United States and to the protection of its citizens. I wish him a happy--and well-deserved--retirement.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize the U.S. Army Reserve on their 105th anniversary, and to thank the almost 201,000 reserve soldiers across the country--including 8,000 from my home state of Georgia--for their dedication and service to our great nation.

In 1908, Congress' creation of the Medical Reserve Corps became the official predecessor of today's Army Reserve.

In 1916, the program was transformed into the Organized Reserve Corps in order to provide a peacetime resource of trained soldiers for use in unexpected conflict. Since then, the Reserve has continued evolving in order to meet the needs of our citizens and respond to global threats.

Currently, the Army Reserve makes up almost 20 percent of the total U.S. Army, and is comprised of soldiers who are specially trained in areas such as engineering, mechanics, and medical expertise.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking the soldiers of the United States Army Reserve for their sacrifice and congratulating them as they celebrate 105 years of patriotic service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Chief Master Sergeant Peter W. Lincoln and to recognize his lifetime of service to our country.

On August 1, Chief Master Sgt. Lincoln will retire after 26 years of sacrifice and service to this great Nation.

While he currently serves as the National Superintendent for Officer Accessions at Air Force Reserve Recruiting in Georgia's Robins Air Force Base, he has worked in many different capacities. In 1987, Lincoln was first assigned to the 437th Avionics Maintenance Squadron in Charleston, South Carolina, and he has since been deployed to Iraq during Operation Desert Storm, amongst other contingencies across the globe. Since January of 1996, Lincoln has become a nationally recognized recruiter for his service in Ohio, Alabama, and Georgia.

In his role as a recruiter for 18 years, Chief Master Sgt. Lincoln has recruited 6500 new airmen, which include eight hundred physicians, and one thousand nurses. For his efforts, he has been decorated with a Top Recruiter of the Year Award, a Top National Physician Recruiter Award, two Century Club recognitions, and three Top National Health Professional Recruiter Awards.

Lincoln attributes much of his success to the support of his wife Kimberly, his children Robert, Lauren, Emily, Alonna, Matthew, and Stephanie; and his grandchildren Carley, Riley, Cheyenne, Preston, and Katie; his grandparents Maudie and Armond Paiser; his parents Nancy and Robert; and the rest of his family.

Chief Master Sgt. Lincoln has played an invaluable role in the U.S. Armed Forces for decades and he will surely be missed.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 11th District of Georgia, my deepest thanks to Chief Master Sgt. Lincoln for devoting his life to the upholding the Constitution of the United States and to the protection of its citizens. I wish him a happy--and well-deserved--retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize this day, April 18, as a day of honor for Journeymen Linemen. Accordingly, I have introduced H. Res. 25 to recognize April 18, 2013, as National Linemen Appreciation Day in order to honor these brave men and women for their contributions to protect public safety.

Linemen are often the first responders during a storm or other catastrophic event, which means these brave men .and women are often required to make the scene safe for other public safety heroes. Linemen work with thousands of volts of electricity high atop power lines every day of the year in order to protect the nation from dangerous electrical currents.

The profession of Lineman is steeped in tradition and family, both professionally and personally. Generations ago, Linemen climbed poles using hooks and blocks, but as technology has grown through the years, inventive Linemen have pioneered advancements with innovative materials, altering the direction of line work for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me today in honoring the extraordinary commitment and courage demonstrated everyday by the nation's Linemen.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the Georgia National Guard on being selected as the winner of the National Guard Special Category in the 2013 Army Communities of Excellence (ACOE) awards competition.

It is a source of pride to see Georgia's own National Guard recognized for excellence. These servicemen and women have gone above and beyond the call of duty to earn this prestigious award.

The yearly ACOE competition reviews leadership, strategic planning, customer focus, and performance criteria to rank installations on their overall Army readiness and quality management. The U.S. Army chief of staff chooses National Guard installations that best exemplify these qualities.

As this year's deserving winner, the Georgia National Guard's prize will include funding towards installation upgrades that will improve facilities, and boost morale of soldiers, retirees, and civilians serving there.

Mr. Speaker, this is a momentous occasion for the State of Georgia, and it is with sincere gratitude that I would like to extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to the Georgia National Guard for the sacrifice and hard work that ensures America's safety and won them this esteemed award.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise today to honor Detective Bob Pierce for his long and distinguished career in law enforcement.

On March 28th, Detective Pierce will celebrate his retirement from Cobb County Police Department after over 40-years of dutiful service to Georgians.

While he currently works for the Cobb County Police Department's Internal Affairs Division selecting new officers, he's served Georgia communities in many capacities. Since March of 1972, Pierce has worked in uniformed patrol, narcotics, intelligence, burglary, homicide, and corrections.

In 2012, the Cobb Chamber of Commerce awarded him the Distinguished Achievement Award in recognition of service and performance that have exceeded the call of duty. Detective Pierce has played an invaluable leadership role in the community and among his peers for decades. His service will be missed.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of Cobb County, my deepest thanks to Detective Pierce for devoting his life to upholding the law and to the protection of Georgia citizens. I wish him a happy--and well-deserved-- retirement from public service.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, my physician colleague and co-member of the House GOP Doctors Caucus, for giving me just a few minutes.

My colleague from Minnesota, the gentlewoman, Mrs. Bachmann, earlier talked about the health care law and the just few days that we had--I think it was maybe 3 days in the House and a matter of hours in the Senate--to read the bill. She is absolutely correct on that. But the thing that is even more egregious is in the rules and regulations of that process that's been ongoing over these past 3 years by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and what they have done in the interpretation of the law--probably five times as many pages as the 2,700, I think, in the original bill, and we're finding out new stuff every day, Mr. Speaker.

The gentlewoman talked about the fact that an employer could give full coverage and meet the requirements of ObamaCare and not get fined, but not offer any coverage for spouse and children. They're just kind of left flapping in the breeze with no care.

Another thing that just recently came to my attention in reading the rules and regulations is in regard to something called ``age banding,'' colleagues. This age banding rule that typically health insurance companies use--their actuaries, after all, study the risk of a policy to a policyholder--obviously older people in their late fifties, early sixties, with multiple system diseases in some instances, to be able to pay their bills and honor those claims, the premiums are going to have to be higher than they are for these young 28 and 27-year-old, 10-feet tall, bullet-proof healthy young men and women, for whom the premiums should be much lower.

But ObamaCare comes in and says, oh, no, they can't be more than three times higher, when traditionally every State it's been a 5:1 ratio. What it's going to mean is young people--the very ones that we wanted to have health care--the CBO just came out and said 7 million of them now have no health insurance at all because they're either unemployed, underemployed, don't live with mom and dad, are not poor enough for Medicaid, not old enough for Medicare, and what in the world are they going to do?

Because of this age banding rule, a young lady, 27 years old, making $33,500 a year, her health insurance premium goes up $800 a year. So these are some of the things that we're talking about.

I'll conclude my remarks by saying this: The people in the 11th District of Georgia--which I've proudly represented now for going on 11 years--they say to me, Phil, what are you going to do? We know January of 2014 is fast approaching. Should we just give up? Is it a done deal? And I say to them, and they say to me: Don't quit on us, doctor. Don't quit on us. We know that you know there are things that you can do as a Member of Congress, whether it's defund, take--not a paring knife, but a hacksaw to certain sections of this bill. And with every breath in you, we want you, as long as you are a Member of Congress, to keep fighting this monstrosity. That is my pledge to the people of my district, and the people of Georgia, and the people of this great country.

Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the substitute amendment offered by my colleague from Georgia, Mr. Woodall. I commend him on authoring this substitute amendment on behalf of the Republican Study Committee.

At a time when we have over $16.5 trillion in debt, this budget reduces spending by $6.5 trillion over ten years and reduces deficits by $5.9 trillion. Furthermore, the Woodall amendment completely repeals ObamaCare, and it rolls back the tax increases associated with the fiscal cliff. In doing so, this budget decreases taxes by $685 billion over the budget window.

Mr. Chair, unlike any other of the substitutes offered today, the RSC budget will achieve balance by 2017 without holding funding for our servicemen and women hostage. This budget also significantly reforms our entitlement programs so we can ensure their long term solvency for future generations.

Mr. Chair, I believe that this is a sensible budget that puts the proper priorities in line. I ask all of my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 115, a resolution to fund the House standing and select Committees for the 113th Congress. As a member of the House Administration Committee, I have first-hand knowledge of the work that went into this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting it.

As you know, with the implementation of the sequester on March 1st, across-the-board spending cuts took effect. In the wake of this, the House Administration Committee had a chance to hear from our colleagues--the Chairman and Ranking Member of each House Committee-- about how they would handle the impact of the sequester.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Committee acted in a deliberative and fair manner when determining Committee budgets for the 113th Congress. Each Committee serves an important function, and while all will have to continue to produce good work with less, I am confident that they will succeed.

In the 112th Congress, the House recognized that economic difficulties were forcing the nation to tighten its belt. Rather than continuing runaway spending, this body chose to demonstrate that we were serious about getting our fiscal house in order by enacting an 11.4 percent cut in Committee funding. Today's vote gives us an important chance to show that, while families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, the House plans to continue leading by example.

Mr. Speaker, I know that this resolution includes cuts that will force Committees to make tough decisions. However, when the government faces across the board cuts, this institution should not be exempt. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 115.