Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this rule and the underlying bill.

Small businesses have struggled for years to obtain affordable health insurance for their employees. However, rather than embrace solutions that enjoy the unanimous support of the small business community, this bill takes a government-heavy approach that fails in its goal to make health insurance more affordable. What is more unfortunate is that the bulk of the funding for the health care bill is balanced on the backs of small business owners and entrepreneurs.

I offered an amendment to the Rules Committee to provide relief to these job creators by striking the mandate and tax on employers, but my fight fell on deaf ears.

The tax increases included in this bill are job killers, plain and simple. At a time when our Nation's unemployment rate exceeds 10 percent for the first time in 26 years, the first goal of this body should be improving the economy and creating jobs.

Real solutions exist to the problem of affordable health care. This bill is not that solution, and I would urge my colleagues to vote against the rule and this bill.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding an earmark I received as part of H.R. 2996, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010:

Congressman Sam Graves, (MO-6), Department of the Interior, EPA/STAG Account--$500,000 to the City of St. Joseph for Stormwater and Wastewater Infrastructure (1100 Frederick Avenue, St. Joseph, MO 64501)

The federal funding I obtained will be utilized by the City of St. Joseph, MO, to repair and update its aging stormwater and wastewater system. The community's sanitary and stormwater collection system is divided into two components: a large combined sewer system and a separated system. Specifically, the funds will support the development and implementation of a county-wide Stormwater Management Plan to make improvements to the system to comply with EPA requirements and operational needs resulting from new regulations, system conditions and community growth in the City of St. Joseph and Buchanan County, MO. This federal funding has the potential to create new jobs with the increased sanitary waste capacity, as well as have a positive impact on ratepayers thanks to more efficient operations with improved water quality.

Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today extremely disappointed with the Rule put before us.

Every day I hear the same message from my constituents--stop Washington's addiction to spending. Bailout after bailout, with no change in sight, the small business owners, farmers and hard working families in Missouri have grown weary and frustrated.

Instead of providing our taxpayers much needed relief, we are here today to ask for more of their money. H.R. 2454 is a thinly veiled attempt to address climate change, unsuccessfully I might add, while its actual goal is to direct more taxpayer dollars to the government coffers. The results are unacceptable:

an average tax increase of $3100 for families;

additional regulatory and administrative costs on small businesses;

higher energy expenses for all--especially those in rural areas;

and significant job loss.

When will enough be enough?

I offered two common sense amendments to H.R. 2454--rejected by the Rules Committee--which struck the cap and tax provisions in the underlying bill should the unemployment rate reach 8 percent or higher. I have financially strapped companies in my district, who instead of laying off their employees have chosen to keep them on payroll at reduced hours. These business owners and employees are making serious sacrifices. Should this cap and tax provision be implemented while these companies continue to struggle to survive this economic downturn, their strategic and innovative efforts will become null and void and their employees will join the already overextended unemployment line.

Today I strongly urge my colleagues to stand with me. It is irresponsible of Congress to use taxation as an answer to our challenges. Voting against this rule and the underlying legislation will demonstrate your willingness to work together towards real energy solutions for our future and our children's future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the energy tax recklessly being forced through the legislative process only to harm small business owners, farmers, and families in Missouri.

As a 6th generation farmer I can tell you that it is an extremely energy intensive practice. Sixty-five percent of a farmer's costs are dedicated to electricity, fuel, fertilizer, and chemicals; even a slight increase in costs would have a damaging effect on farmers.

When it comes to rising fuel prices, we farmers drive trucks because we have to haul stuff. I would challenge any of my colleagues to come to Missouri and try doing farm chores in a Prius.

Those claiming this bill benefits agriculture don't know a thing about the business. Agriculture producers are price takers on both ends of the equation. It is one of the few industries in the world that purchases its inputs at retail to sell its end product at wholesale.

Farmers have very little ability to pass their own costs onto their customers and even those costs that agriculture producers can pass on will mean only one thing: higher food prices for American families.

Rising food prices will be an indirect tax imposed on American families by this Cap and Tax bill and its effects won't just be confined to agriculture. Business everywhere will be confronted by a new dueling reality of seeing their own energy costs rise and the disposable income of their customers fall. All this can accomplish is to restrain future economic growth and lead to long-term joblessness.

That is if there are any jobs left. None of the regulations or increased costs in this bill will be shouldered by our trading partners and competitors. How can we expect our businesses to remain competitive and create jobs when we are imposing new taxes not only on those same businesses, but their customers as well?

Let's be honest with ourselves. This legislation is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to address climate change, while its actual goal is to direct more taxpayer dollars to the government coffers to fund a big government agenda, including the federal takeover of health care.

Today I strongly urge my colleagues to stand with me. It is irresponsible of Congress to use taxation as an answer to our nation's challenges. Voting against this bill will demonstrate your willingness to work together towards real energy solutions for our future and our children's future.