Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the life and sacrifice of Sergeant Garrick L. Eppinger, Jr. A resident of Appleton, Wisconsin, Sergeant Eppinger died while serving our country in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 395th Ordnance Company, 687th Combat Sustainment Support Brigade, 646th Regional Support Group, 310th Expeditionary Sustainment Command, U.S. Army Reserve, Wausau, Wisconsin. Garrick Eppinger, Jr. died protecting the freedoms we take for granted every day. His heroic sacrifice will not soon be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Eppinger embodied the best qualities of a true American soldier. He served this country with honor and exhibited profound bravery and selflessness during his three overseas deployments. Sergeant Eppinger was a loving son, a devoted father and now he will forever be known as an American hero. He is remembered by friends and family as a man with a courageous and strong spirit who earned the unwavering respect of his peers. Although the loss of Sergeant Eppinger left a void in the hearts of many, his dedication and exemplary service has made Northeast Wisconsin and his country proud.

It is my honor to commemorate him and I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Sergeant Garrick Eppinger, Jr. for the sacrifice he made for the United States of America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2560, the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act of 2011.

To put our Nation back on the path to prosperity, government needs to truly live within its means, and that means Congress must be required to pass budgets that spend the same amount of money that comes in.

Just last weekend, S&P announced they were reviewing America's AAA bond rating. They warned if Congress and the President could not reach an agreement to structurally reform our spending and debt problems, not just raising the debt ceiling, our country will face a risk of having its bond rating downgraded. This will not only result in higher borrowing rates for individuals and businesses, but also stifle new job creation and capital investment. We simply cannot allow this to happen.

A few days ago, President Obama said we have to eat our peas. Well, I couldn't agree more. Our bloated and obese Federal budget needs a healthy and balanced diet, one that trims the fat of overspending and grows the muscle of our Nation's economy. And that's exactly what H.R. 2560 does. It provides a balanced approach to our Nation's fiscal problems, and there is nothing more balanced than a balanced budget. There is nothing more American than permitting the States and, more importantly, the American people to have a voice in the direction this Nation will take. There is nothing more prudent than stepping forward and leading today so our children and grandchildren will have a better future tomorrow.

The future of our country is on the line; and if this body wants to ensure a brighter, more prosperous future for our children and grandchildren, we must fundamentally change Washington's spending habits.

It is time to cut up the Federal credit card and stop placing this government's out-of-control spending habits onto the backs of future generations. This bill does exactly that. I am proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the life and sacrifice of Staff Sergeant Matthew D. Hermanson of Appleton, Wisconsin, who died on April 28, 2011, in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Staff Sgt. Hermanson was assigned to A Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Polk, Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, Staff Sgt. Hermanson embodied the best qualities of a true American soldier. His service has made Northeast Wisconsin and his country proud. He was selfless, dedicated and brave. During his service, Matthew earned the respect of his peers and numerous medals and honors for valor including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He is remembered by his family and friends as a man of strong character, a dedicated husband and son who believed in family and community.

It is my honor to commemorate him and I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Staff Sergeant Matthew D. Hermanson for the sacrifice he has made for the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the life and sacrifice of Sergeant Paul J. Atim. A resident of Green Bay, Wisconsin, Sergeant Atim died while serving our country in the Helmland province of Afghanistan. Sergeant Atim died of wounds suffered April 16, in Nimroz province, Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. Paul Atim died protecting the freedoms we take for granted every day. His heroic sacrifice will not soon be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, Sergeant Atim embodied the best qualities of a true American soldier. He emigrated from Uganda to America in search of a better life. He attended university, and worked hard to provide a good life for his son. He is remembered by friends and family as a man with a courageous and strong spirit who earned the unwavering respect of his peers. Through his exemplary service, Sergeant Paul Atim has made Northeast Wisconsin and his country proud.

It is my honor to commemorate him and I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Sergeant Paul Atim for the sacrifice he made for the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to the Congressional Progressive Caucus substitute budget. One of the concerns I have as an American citizen and a small business owner for 30 years is this document right here. This is the Internal Revenue Code. It is 9,959 pages long. This plan that is offered up today will add hundreds if not thousands of pages of additional complexity.

Recently, we all heard about a large U.S. corporation that had billions of dollars in profits and paid zero taxes. Mr. Chairman, the reason they were able to do that is because their attorneys knew what was buried in this document. Do we really need to make it more complicated and more complex? I think not.

I also oppose this because they talk about the benefits to lower income Americans. Yet by removing the 2001 and 2000 tax credits and tax rates and returning them to their previous levels, you will increase on the poorest Americans from 10 percent to 15 percent, a full 50 percent increase in their tax rates. On top of it, small business

owners will see their tax rates go to 45 percent.

Think of the small business owner in northeast Wisconsin, who will also pay an 8 percent State income tax, will pay a 5 or 6 percent sales tax, will pay 50 cents a gallon gasoline tax, will pay property tax, will pay FICA tax, will pay Social Security tax. I'm beginning to wonder if all they will do in their life is pay taxes.

I urge my colleagues to reject this proposal.

Will the gentleman yield?

I would concur that it's not fair.

Mr. Chairman, as a member of the House Budget Committee and former small business owner, I rise today in strong support of the Budget Committee's 2012 budget resolution.

I would like to begin today with a quote from a famous American:

``At what point can we have a serious conversation about Medicare and its long-term liability, or a serious conversation about Social Security or serious conversation about budget and debt where we aren't simply trying to position ourselves politically? That's what I'm committed to doing.''

Mr. Chairman, that was President Barack Obama just last year. As we debate this budget, I would urge my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to heed the words of our President. Let's stop the demagoguery and the political jockeying and actually work toward a solution together. Our children--my grandchildren--deserve no less.

Even most Democrats agree that our current spending is on an unsustainable trajectory. So wouldn't you agree that finger-pointing and making false claims to scare seniors while offering no solutions of your own is counterproductive?

This budget has real solutions and real ideas. We cut spending by $6.2 trillion and shrink the size of government to historically normal--historically normal--levels. We start to get our deficits under control and put our budget on a path to prosperity.

As a small business owner, I know what high taxes mean to job creators in this country. That's why our budget calls for a flatter, fairer tax--now wait for it--that closes loopholes and increases the incentives of corporations to keep jobs right here in America.

I know what small businesses look for when they look to spend and invest. They look for certainty. And this budget, more than anything else, puts our country back on a certain path of sustainability. Job creators and business owners will stand up and cheer when they see real ideas like this put forth.

There are many more ideas of merit in this budget, and we all want a vigorous debate. But I hope it will be a debate on policy differences, not political maneuvering.

Mr. Speaker, we are now drawing close to a government shutdown.

I have been sitting over here, listening to my colleagues from both sides speak this morning. I want everyone to know; I want the American people to know, and I want the folks in northeast Wisconsin to know that this is not about riders or extreme partisan ideology. It is about spending.

I will tell you that I am surprised at some of the language. A moment ago, one of my colleagues said we wanted to take a chain saw to spending. A few days ago, the President said we wanted to use an ax to cut spending. I will tell you that it's more like a butter knife. We spent in March of this year alone $189 billion in deficit. Our CR would have cut $8 billion. So instead of $189 billion, we would have spent $181 billion in deficit. That is not a chain saw. That is not an ax. Some Americans have been calling me from home, saying it's not even serious.

It is time that this Congress takes our fiscal situation seriously for the protection of our country, for the protection of our programs, for the protection of our seniors. It is time for this Congress to act and to act now. Yesterday, we offered up a plan to fund our troops at the request of Secretary Gates, and we've been turned down once again.

I call on my colleagues not to wait another day, another hour, another minute. Let's fund this government, and let's move on to the big task at hand--the next budget--so that we can do what the last Congress failed to do, which is to provide certainty to the American people and certainty to job creators so they will know what is coming ahead tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the residents of the Town of Plum Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin, as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of their town's founding. Plum Lake comprises the communities of Sayner and Star Lake, which have long been vacation destinations for Wisconsin residents because of their friendly people, magnificent lakes and forests, and abundant fish and game. Folks looking to escape the daily grind can retire to this beautiful area year-round to hunt, fish, ski, and hike along lovely nature trails. Visitors are often surprised to discover that the Town's slogan, ``Birthplace of the snowmobile,'' reflects its invention there by Carl Eliason in 1924.

The Town of Plum Lake was officially formed by an ordinance passed by the Vilas County Board on January 5, 1911. The ordinance went into effect on April 1, 1911, creating the new town from territory detached from the Town of Arbor Vitae. The first town meeting was held in Sayner on April 14, 1911.

In the 19th century, Plum Lake was the center of a vibrant lumber industry, which eventually gave way to tourism. Two years before the founding of the Town, in the summer of 1909, Herb Warner and others began construction on the Plum Lake Golf Club, which opened in 1912 and is today one of Wisconsin's oldest golf courses. Plum Lake also boasts one of Wisconsin's oldest summer camps, Camp Highlands, which began when Harry O. Gilette, a University of Chicago Laboratory School Headmaster, brought ten boys to a remote point on Plum Lake for a summer in the wilderness in 1904.

Today, Plum Lake maintains both its majestic landscape and its place as a prime vacation destination. I am very proud to represent this community and I congratulate the Town of Plum Lake on this historic milestone. I join with all Wisconsinites in expressing pride in the treasures of our state.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remember and honor the life and sacrifice of Corporal Justin Ross. A native of Howard, Wisconsin, Cpl. Ross died while serving our country in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Cpl. Ross was assigned to the 428th Engineer Company, 863rd Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, Wausau, Wisconsin. Our hearts go out to the Ross family and our prayers will be with them all during this difficult time. Cpl. Ross deserves nothing less than the eternal gratitude of our nation. He's a hero, and his sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, Cpl. Ross embodied the best qualities of a true American soldier. He was selfless, dedicated and brave. He is remembered by friends and family as a man with a strong, quiet spirit who put the safety of his fellow troops before his own and a man who earned the unwavering respect of his peers. Through his exemplary service, Cpl. Justin Ross has made Northeast Wisconsin and his country proud.

It is my honor to commemorate him and I urge my colleagues to join me today in honoring the life of Cpl. Justin Ross for the sacrifice he has made for the United States.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1281, the Restoring Economic Certainty Act of 2011. This bill places a 24-month moratorium on the majority of new regulations promulgated by agencies, giving small businesses the certainty required to create jobs. The goal of this bill is to provide confidence to small businesses, which create the overwhelming majority of jobs in America. I am calling on Congress to enact a regulatory cooling off period. Let's give America's small businesses a chance to catch their breath from the over 23,000 rules and tens of thousands of pages of regulations that have been enacted since 2004.

As a business owner myself, I have seen firsthand the harmful impact that government regulations and uncertainty can have on job creation. Job creators have to know that they won't be punished by unelected Federal bureaucrats with additional rules, regulations, and redtape. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of H.R. 1281 today. Let's send job creators a clear signal that we are not going to allow government to be an impediment to business growth.