Repeal of Obamacare Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, small businesses create 7 out of every 10 new jobs, and they are the driving force behind this great Nation's economy, and we need these jobs as we attempt to rebound from a stubborn recession.

As chairman of the Small Businesses Committee, I constantly hear from small business owners that the burden of government regulations and taxes is too high. The health care law is perhaps the worst offender. The last thing the Federal Government should do is discourage job creation. Yet this massive health care law, with all its costs, mandates, regulations, and paperwork, does exactly that. Facing the expense and confusion this law creates, it's natural that small businesses decide to wait and see instead of invest and grow. The worst impacts of this law are yet to come.

We should be freeing up our small businesses to plan, grow, and hire. Heavy-handed government causes bold entrepreneurs to become cautious. Businesses are reduced from thinking about growth to thinking about survival.

Brian Vaughn, a small business man in Douglas, Georgia, planned to open a new store and reinvest profits. Testifying to our committee, he said:

I fear that neither of these dreams nor my plans to achieve them will be possible. In fact, my worry is that everything I have worked for will be for naught and may be wiped out by this new health care law.

Fortunately, we have a solution: Repeal this burdensome law. Stop it in its tracks before small businesses like Brian's are permanently harmed. Then pass commonsense solutions. We want real reforms that put patients in charge of their health and bring down costs.

This law is historic, but for all the wrong reasons. It reaches too far into the personal decisions of Americans, and it puts a heavy burden on our economy and small businesses. It's an example of Big Government at its absolute worst.

We have a responsibility to repeal and replace this intrusive law before any more damage is done. So let's vote this Big Government intrusion out and give small businesses a real chance to do what they do best, and that is create jobs.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I would like to address the comments made by the gentlelady from Texas who claimed that 4 million small businesses are going to be able to take advantage of this tax credit and how much it was going to help.

We requested a GAO study and found that only 170 small businesses have even taken partial advantage of this credit. This bill is grossly ineffective, it does not work, and it hurts small businesses.

I would urge my colleagues to vote to repeal this piece of legislation and help get this economy finally rolling so we can pass some real reforms when it comes to health care.

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