Providing for Consideration of the Senate Amendment to H.J. Res. 59, Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014, and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3210, Pay Our Military Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. SESSIONS. House Resolution 366 provides for consideration of the Senate amendment to H.J. Res. 59, the Continuing Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2014, and a closed rule for consideration of H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act of 2013.
Mr. Speaker, at midnight on Monday, just 2 days from now, the Federal Government will shut down if Congress does not act to provide the necessary appropriations. The legislation before us today will ensure that a shutdown does not happen; and, if adopted, the House amendments would make important steps to ensure that ObamaCare, the Affordable Care Act that President Obama and every Democrat voted for, does not have the opportunity to hurt American jobs and drag down our economy.
The first of these three amendments would repeal the medical device tax included in ObamaCare. This medical device tax is also known as what might be the tax that will harm not only the creation of investment but also the products of medical devices, including pacemakers and other medical products that keep America's health care a leading edge. The medical device industry provides our Nation with innovative health care services as well as much-needed jobs for many, many hardworking Americans. ObamaCare's onerous medical device tax--what we also call the pacemaker tax--is already causing job loss in this industry and negatively impacting innovation of new and other lifesaving devices.
I would like to insert into the Record a letter from a gentleman from Dallas, Texas, Mr. Walt Humann, CEO of OstoeMed, who came to my office over a year ago in June of 2012. He spoke with me about how innovative medical devices clearly help not only Americans, but doctors perform very difficult and leading-edge surgeries. And I will tell you that Mr. Humann spoke very clearly about how this onerous tax would literally tax the production, not the sale, but the production of medical devices to an industry that needs more and more innovation. That clearly explains the damaging effects that this has on American businesses. His letter, Mr. Speaker, clearly outlines how it harms not only his company, but the industry as a whole.
The second amendment would delay all aspects of ObamaCare for 1 year. This proposal is an important step to prevent the costly job-killing regulations contained in President Obama's health care plan from becoming an unfortunate reality. The President has already delayed several pieces of the law; and just as he begins to see how ill-conceived and unworkable his plan is, it's time for us to stop it dead in its tracks. So much for the hundreds of waivers that he has issued; so much for him delaying for his friends in business; so much for him delaying the pieces that he wants to, knowing that the harm will be on individuals all across America. It makes sense to delay the entire law for a year in an effort to protect American families from paying higher health care premiums and having fewer options.
This is important, and the Republican Party is on the floor of the House of Representatives today on behalf of taxpayers and what we believe is about 60 percent of Americans who are opposed to this bill starting to work October 1. So that's why we are here.
Finally, this rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3210, the Pay Our Military Act. This important piece of legislation is designed to ensure that our Nation's men and women in the military continue to receive their paychecks in the event that the Senate does not adopt a responsible CR and forces our government into a shutdown.
Our Nation's military puts their lives on the line, and they have throughout the history of our country. They remain engaged in combat operations as we go to sleep tonight. They are protecting this great Nation, and the services that the men and women of the military provide to the United States of America should be aided and helped, and we should make sure that we do not stop the pay to the men and women of the United States military. In the event of a government shutdown, this body should take the necessary measures to ensure that our servicemen and -women continue to be compensated for their services.
So, Mr. Speaker, we have finished a Rules Committee meeting upstairs. We spoke about this, the impacts, at the committee hearing that allowed Mrs. Lowey, on behalf of the minority, and Mr. Hal Rogers, our Appropriations Committee chairman, to talk about the important part of what we're trying to do today.
So I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule and ``yes'' on the underlying legislation.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I am intrigued by the notion today that Republicans were meeting secretively. In fact, we have had several meetings over the past few days, and probably two or three today, and the nature of that is to make sure that our Members, some 233 Republican Members across this country, that Republican leadership like myself is hearing from them, that we are moving together and talking about the terrible and disastrous effects of ObamaCare and how we're going to work together.
Some of the common things that have been talked about in those meetings, as if we need to remind ourselves--but I will again--in that ObamaCare bill, $716 billion was cut and taken away from senior health care to go directly to ObamaCare. But we've also seen the real effects of ObamaCare, as we know that since ObamaCare has been passed, there have been 7 part-time jobs created for every one new full-time job.
Mr. Speaker, we're here on the floor of the House of Representatives because our country is in trouble. This is a continually difficult time for Americans back home not just to find work, but to keep work.
We find that large companies, these large corporations that are talked about from time to time on this floor, especially by our friends, are moving people off the health care that they're on because it makes sense to do it, but also because of the expense.
We saw just in the last few weeks large companies like UPS and Walgreens move their employees and make very, very difficult decisions. Just like Delta Air Lines had to make a decision. They announced that ObamaCare alone would cost Delta Air Lines over $100 million next year alone.
These are destructive and devastating consequences of ObamaCare. The Republican Party is on the floor because this law is going to start very quickly: October 1 and January 1. People begin signing up October 1.
Of course, what we've seen is the President very clearly over the last few years has given waivers to the people that he chose to give waivers to. He turned around and let business off the hook. But he keeps the law on individuals. He keeps this onerous law on individuals--and it's causing chaos and panic.
It's causing chaos for people like my family and others who have children that they have to take care of that are sometimes disabled. And we are seeing problems because now we're not sure in this mix who will be the doctor. Will that be a doctor we've gone to in the past? Will that be a doctor that one time we may see and another time we may not see?
There is uncertainty. And this uncertainty has been driven to what I believe has become reality. And the reality is, if you look, there is a CBS and New York Times poll showing that a majority of Americans disapprove of ObamaCare. And when a majority of Americans say this to CBS News and The New York Times, I think even our colleagues, the Democrats, should listen.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, for every opportunity that Republicans have to talk about how bad this bill is, there is an equal opportunity for our colleagues to talk about how great it is. But the facts of the case are the American people don't see it yet. The reason why we don't see it is because this President and this administration have given out over 1,200 waivers to people, saying, It's okay for you to not have to come under this law; what you do is okay. But it's not okay for the American people, individuals of this Nation, the men and women who get up and go to work every day.
And let's note, too, that we have a section of this bill that's about paying the military in case we do shut down. I would think that our colleagues on the other side of this building would want to make sure that we pay members of our military. They're important to this country. This body is going to do it.
Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Woodall), a distinguished young gentleman of the Rules Committee.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, you know, I would have to beg to differ with the gentlewoman. That's not what this bill is about. Evidently, the gentlewoman has not had time to read the bill. We are not debating shutting down the House. We are debating what is called a continuing resolution, Mr. Speaker. So I would encourage her to please go, and we will help her at the Rules Committee and make sure she understands what the bill is about.
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Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I will remind my friends that we hear stories after stories about companies dropping their employees from their employee-sponsored health care plans because of the costs and the way the health care bill is written.
I think it is very interesting how--I have great sympathy for individuals who are having problems. They are in the district that I represent from Dallas also--the vast majority of people who are going to be just like them, huge amounts of people, are now being impacted by ObamaCare.
It goes back to an argument that we made years and years ago moving forward: don't impact the people that have health care and insurance; help the people that don't have that. This is a case that is happening all across this country.
The problem is the President played a Robin Hood plan. He went after everybody that has got insurance, he went after everybody that had a job, he went after employers. Rather than us taking care of those that did not--and let's say there were going to be 23 million people that were going to be covered, and I believe that that was the number years ago--23 million people times about $5,000 a contribution so that they could get an insurance plan would be far less destructive on our economy than going after 230 million people and destroying their health care plans.
This comes back to a simple ideology, Mr. Speaker. They want a government-run health care system. That is what they are after--a government-run health care system, just like they want in other areas of the free economy. That's why they've done so many outward things with not only student loans to the banking industry, health care industry, the energy industry; they have an attack and an assault on employers and the American people.
I have great respect for these individuals that we're talking about. I share their concern and I guarantee you I and my office will help these people and have been helping these people, and we care about them.
But that's not what we fixed. We did a Robin Hood plan to take from everybody else and put everybody in trouble then, including the economy, including jobs, and we are now a part-time American economy.
By the way they wrote the bill, it is not only expensive but it kills jobs. It is just as effective as what their EPA war on coal is. It is an attack and assault on the free enterprise system and free people.
To say that the Republican Party doesn't care about these individuals is simply not true. We would offer a plan, a different way to look at it, and take the 230 million Americans that had something and worry about the others. That is what we have been trying to do all 17 years I've been in Congress.
The biggest divide in this country is on taxes, and it's on health care. Republicans want normal, regular people to be able to have health care. That is what we believe in. That's the difference and the real story behind tonight.
I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. SESSIONS. I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to just go through the things that we've talked about that are the attributes of why we are here tonight.
The cost to taxpayers: $716 billion was cut from senior care, Medicare, to fund ObamaCare. That harms our seniors.
Just one example of the cost to employers: Delta Air Lines announced that ObamaCare will cost its company $100 million in increased health care costs over the next year.
Americans are losing their current health care coverage. We read about it, and we know that UPS, Walgreens, and many other employers are losing their health care coverage that they have today.
Fewer hours and fewer full-time jobs. Since ObamaCare was passed, there have been seven part-time jobs for every one full-time job that was added.
Mr. Speaker, this is not a way to move our country forward. The Republican Party is prepared. We believe and can substantiate that a ``yes'' vote is for making sure that we keep this government open--something that the American people want and need. That's why the Republican Party--233 strong--is here tonight. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the rule and ``yes'' on the underlying legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
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