Jodey Arrington

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for his personal experience in agriculture, in a farming family, and a man who loves all that is good about rural America and knows that what is good about rural America is what is helping make this country great. I have got other colleagues that I want to invite to speak. We have got folks from Illinois, Michigan, and some colleagues from Texas. I am looking at a guy from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, another new friend, a dear friend, and a friend of agriculture. He is a guy who not only knows agriculture because he took a loan out right after graduating from Western Kentucky and started a farming operation--he claims it is successful today. I believe him--he was also the ag commissioner of Kentucky. He served in the Kentucky House, and now he is lending his expertise and his love for this country and all things about rural America to the First District of Kentucky. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for his passion and his resolve to be a voice for rural America and for agriculture. It has been great to serve alongside of him on the Agriculture Committee. I have got another dear, new friend and fellow freshman Member of Congress who is a great American. He hales from the great State of Louisiana, my wife's home State. He represents the Third District. I was about to say I have a couple more racehorses for rural America in the stable. He actually was raised on a horse ranch near Covington, Louisiana. He is a veteran and highly decorated law enforcement officer. He is a man of deep and abiding faith. I say that God probably hears all of our prayers, but when he speaks and prays with that thick Louisiana accent, I think he enjoys his prayers more. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Higgins) and prayerfully ask him to speak about rural America and why it is important to this country.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the great State of Louisiana for his comments and his heartfelt commitment to his district, to the farmers, and the ranchers like the ranch he grew up on. This is personal for Clay Higgins, and I know when he says he is going to be a champion for rural America, you can take that to the bank, and I want to thank him for his comments. I have other colleagues who are here and want to speak loudly and proudly for the folks from rural America who are counting on us. What we lack in numbers up here, we got to make up for in strength of leadership. I am looking at the bench right now, and I am believing that we can overcome those numbers with effectiveness and with the strength of leadership and courage that it takes to get something done in this town and in this institution. The next gentleman who I want to introduce to the American people who are watching with great anticipation is another freshman wonder from the great State of Georgia, whose district is home to a portion of western Georgia. He went off and got his dental degree and came back to where he grew up, West Point, Georgia, came back home to small town America, and I reckon he did for a lot of reasons, but probably at the top of the list was he wanted to raise his kids in small town America. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia's Third District (Mr. Ferguson), to talk about that and anything else, and there are lots of great things to talk about with respect to rural America.

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his comments, and what a strong leader he has been for our freshmen class, and what a great representation of his district in the great State of Georgia. And who knows better about the challenges of sustaining rural communities than a mayor who is fighting the fight at the local level. And so I am just so grateful that he spoke from his heart this evening about our friends and family and our neighbors back home in small town America. I have got another good friend and a guy who knows something about rural America. His district takes up almost the entire State of Nebraska. He has had Nebraska as his home and his family's home for six generations. He served at the local level and at the State level, but his greatest claim to fame is that he married a good friend of mine who served with me in the George W. Bush White House, Andrea. And I didn't know him before Andrea, but she has done a great job of cleaning him up, and I look forward to his comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the Representative from Nebraska's Third District (Mr. Smith).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am honored that the gentleman from Nebraska joined us to lift our voices high, as our flag of rural America flies high in this House. We think about those families, those middle and working class families, every day as we govern on behalf of the people we represent. Mr. Speaker, I have got another gentleman who I am learning a great deal from as I serve with him on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He is a very passionate man from the great State of Illinois' 12th District. He is a firefighter, the son and grandson of coal miners, and a proud daddy. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Bost).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from the great State of Texas. I appreciate his friendship, his mentorship, and that acid test that he taught me when I first stepped foot on the floor of the House of Representatives--your conscience, your constituents, the Bible, the Constitution. If you vote that way, you are going to do right by your children and grandchildren. Mr. Speaker, I thank Roger Williams, a great American. Mr. Speaker, I have another colleague here. He came here because he feels so passionate about rural America. I am so grateful that he is here. Mr. Speaker, I yield to my colleague from the great State of Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for those remarks. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 355.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, before it was cool to quote Ronald Reagan's national security philosophy of peace through strength, there was our first Commander in Chief, George Washington, who, in his first State of the Union address, said, ``. . . to be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.'' See, maintaining a strong national defense is not a new concept. While more war has been diverted, more peace has been kept, and more freedom has been defended by our Nation's armed services, today we risk not only our Nation's security, but the lives of those who serve if we fail to adequately fund our military. The policies and posture of the past 8 years under the previous administration have left our defense arsenal dilapidated, our position in the world diminished, our allies doubtful, and, unfortunately, our enemies even more determined. Our military men and women have faced years of cuts, almost a quarter of our entire military budget, with defense spending at historic lows, over $170 billion, since 2010. So as the world becomes increasingly dangerous and unstable, the government has forced our armed services to do more with less. One of the United States' greatest assets in our national security arsenal and one of the crown jewels of west Texas is Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, Texas. Dyess plays a key role in protecting our democracy against the rising global threats, and our airmen from Dyess have been deployed all over the world in countless military and humanitarian operations. Additionally, Dyess hosts the largest B-1 bomber base in the Nation; and the city of Abilene has won the Air Force's award for most supportive communities so many times, they actually changed the name of the award to the Abilene award. Now, that may sound like I am bragging, but in Texas, that is just telling the truth. But while we put the lives of these men and women on the line daily and ask them to defend our Nation, they are crippled by this discouraging reality. The Air Force is now the smallest and the oldest it has been in our Nation's history. Altogether, given the current demand, our Nation's Air Force is short 1,500 pilots, 4,000 mechanics. Before the House Armed Services Committee, General Stephen Wilson testified: ``Today we find ourselves less than 50 percent ready across our Air Force, and we have pockets that are even below that.'' In fact, just to get by, the Air Force has been utilizing bombers that were designed and constructed for World War II. This is a national security crisis, Mr. Speaker. This is a great American travesty. Why? Because I believe our former President, for political reasons, in my opinion, arbitrarily withdrew troops from critical battlefronts and dangerously drew down our overall military resources. Today, on behalf of Dyess Air Force Base and all the brave men and women who keep our great country safe, I urge my colleagues to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, which will rebuild our national security, repair our national defense, and restore America's leadership position in the world. The NDAA will provide our military with the resources they need to address our current threats. We have increased funding 10 percent over the previous administration. The NDAA will fund Dyess Air Force Base and other military installations at appropriate levels, increase the size of our armed services, enhance and modernize our defense arsenal, give our troops a pay raise. If anybody in the Federal Government has performed with excellence and with courage and distinction, it is our men and women in uniform, and they deserve a pay raise. This NDAA will also build on the reforms that we have enacted over the last 2 years to update, improve, and streamline services to our armed services. By passing the NDAA, we send a message to the world that America will continue to be the greatest force for good in the history of mankind; a message to our allies who promote liberty and democracy that you can count on us to defend you, we have got your back; a message to our brave military men and women that we are standing firmly behind you, we are going to put our money where our mouth is, we are going to protect you as you protect us; and a message to our enemies that America is no longer in the business of making idle threats. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to thank Chairman Thornberry for his hard work on this bill and for being a tireless advocate for our military. I am proud to call him a fellow west Texan, and I am even more proud to call him my friend. One must wonder, on the heels of our 241st birthday, how did this oldest continuous democracy persist for two centuries against all odds? Don't you wonder? Mr. Speaker, vote for NDAA, vote for our military. God bless America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, as a Representative of the great State of Texas, I want to first acknowledge and preface my remarks with the fact that most people that are entering these United States illegally are doing so because they want a better life for their families. That said, it doesn't make it right. As has been said, and I have said it before, we are a nation of immigrants for sure, all of us, but we are also a nation of laws. When the Federal Government abdicates its responsibility to secure our border and enforce our immigration laws, we not only fail in our sacred duty to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law, but we put American lives at risk. 121, that is the number of lives that have been lost from 2010 to 2014, lives that could have been saved if we had the political courage to enforce our immigration laws regarding criminal aliens. Here is something even more outrageous. Of the over 36,000 criminal aliens released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody over the course of a year, 1,000 of them were reconvicted of another crime. These avoidable, tragic deaths from violent crimes continue to happen across the country, and many of the criminal aliens who have committed them have found refuge in our Nation's sanctuary cities. These are lawless cities, let's be clear, cities whose actions undermine the basic American tenet that we are a nation of laws, not of men. Fortunately, we have the opportunity to stop this madness and do the job the American people expect their government to do, their first job, and that is to keep Americans safe. Passing the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act would impose significant penalties on States and cities that refuse to follow Federal immigration laws and cooperate with authorities. Additionally, it would allow the Secretary of Homeland Security to prohibit law-breaking immigrants in DHS custody from being transferred to sanctuary cities. The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act only addresses one part of the problem in this area, a problem that we all know will require further reform; but, nonetheless, this is a good, commonsense law, and it will move our country in the right direction towards safer, stronger communities. In addition to supporting the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, I have cosponsored the Davis-Oliver Act, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. In addition to holding these cities accountable for harboring criminal aliens, we need to ensure that our State and local law enforcement officials have the authority to actually do their job, and that is enforce all of our Nation's laws. Together, I believe the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act and the Davis- Oliver Act will have a major impact on stopping illegal immigration and deterring lawlessness at the hands of criminal aliens who have repeatedly proven that they will break our laws, harm our citizens, and disrespect this great Nation. Mr. Speaker, let's empower the President and local law enforcement agencies to do their job. Let's honor the Constitution and respect the rule of law. Mr. Speaker, let's simply put America first.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a friend and an American hero. Chief Special Warfare Operator William Chad Mulder was a Navy SEAL and a highly decorated combat veteran receiving, among other honors, three Bronze Stars with Valor. He was a brother; he was a husband; he was a father; and he was a friend. William Chad Mulder, or ``Bill,'' as his friends knew him, concluded his mission here on this Earth June 9, 2017. If anybody was ever born for battle, it was Bill Mulder. He seemed to come hardwired with a soldier's spirit. All who knew him felt safer on account of his service to our country. Bill was the ultimate warrior. Those of us who grew up with Bill in my hometown of Plainview, Texas, also knew him as the epitome of a Plainview Bulldog. He was tenderhearted, but he was tough. He was as caring as he was courageous, and he was as fun-loving as he was fearless. To his wife, Sydney: Thank you for loving Bill so well. To his children: His tender heart and his warrior spirit will live on through each of you. We are praying for all of you, and on behalf of Plainview High School, the class of 1989, and all of us who were fortunate enough to call Bill our friend, we are proud of you, Bill. You served with distinction and honor. Thank you for dedicating your life to keeping us safe. We will miss you, buddy.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, it is my highest privilege to serve with Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz on the VA Committee, and I am grateful for the honor to serve as chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity. I want to thank Chairman Roe for his leadership on an issue that I believe gets at the root cause of many of the problems, maybe most of the problems that plague the Department of Veterans Affairs: the lack of accountability. Where you don't have a culture of accountability in an organization, you have mediocrity; and mediocrity and excellence in service do not and cannot coexist. We are talking about serving our veterans, the men and women who are willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom and security. These folks gave their best to our country, and they deserve the very best from our country. Having almost half a million delinquent disability claims is not our very best; having veterans wait in line for months to see a physician, not our best; having hundreds of billions of dollars in improper payments is not our best; waiting 6 months to a year to terminate somebody for misconduct and poor performance is definitely not our best. People all over this country, hardworking Americans, get up every day; they work hard; they perform; they deliver results; and if they don't, they lose their job. If they are small-business owners, they go out of business. We ought to have no less expectation for our Federal Government and its employees, especially those who serve our veterans. The VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act gives the Secretary the tools he needs to hold his employees accountable for serving our veterans and to change the culture from one that accepts mediocrity to one that expects excellence. I applaud Chairman Roe and Ranking Member Walz for helping our country take a big step towards delivering on our promises to our veterans.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I love everything about west Texas. I love the beautiful sunsets and the starry nights. I love that our farmers and ranchers feed and clothe the American people. I love that we produce more fossil and renewable energy than any other region in the United States. People from all over the country rely on west Texas to make America great, but the greatest contribution from our region is our people. The people of west Texas have a distinct friendliness, a can-do spirit, a humble demeanor, a unique sense of humor; and on April 10, 2017, we lost one of our very own who embodied these attributes like no one else. Former head football coach at Texas Tech and favorite son of west Texas, Spike Dykes carved his legacy into the bedrock of our region and into the hearts of hundreds of student athletes and thousands of fans across this country. A small town kid from Ballinger, Texas, who achieved his wildest dreams of becoming a Division I head football coach, Coach Dykes went on to lead the Red Raiders to seven straight bowl seasons and was later inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. I had the honor of calling Spike Dykes ``Coach'' for a short time when I walked on the Texas Tech football team, and later I had the honor of calling him my friend. We are all saddened by his passing, and our prayers are with his children and my friends, Rick, BeBe, Sonny, and their families. Thank you, Coach, for your colorful wit and country wisdom. Thank you for leaving a legacy of love for people and all things west Texas. Thank you for teaching us that in life, like the game of football, it is not whether you win or lose; it is who you are; it is how you play the game. God doesn't make them any better than you, Coach. God bless.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, in the preamble of the Constitution, our Founding Fathers explained a more perfect Union required the Federal Government to do a few things, and to do them well. At the top of the list is the Federal Government's responsibility to provide for the common defense and secure our freedom. There is no freedom without security. These concepts, these pillars upon which this great Nation was founded, must be proactively protected every day by men and women across this Nation. A select few of those men and women wake up every morning to patrol and protect our sovereign Nation's border in the face of drug smuggling, human trafficking, and violent criminal activity. They work to safeguard our Nation, enforce the rule of law, and promote free trade and commerce through our ports of entry. Yet the previous administration's policy left our Border Patrol and Customs operations hamstrung and significantly understaffed. As someone who represents a border State, I have seen and experienced those vulnerabilities firsthand. To say that our Border Patrol and Customs operations are woefully understaffed is woefully understated. We are almost 3,000 officers and agents short of the minimum that is mandated by Congress. One reason for this understaffing is the unreasonable and protracted hiring processes. In 2015, it took more than 460 days, on average, and 11 separate steps to hire a new officer or agent. This is absolutely absurd, even by government standards, and it must be fixed. That is why today I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 2213. This legislation provides a more commonsense and expeditious process for hiring border personnel. We also need enough Customs officers to foster efficient trade for a robust economy. A recent study found that every batch of 33 CBP officers hired could lead to an increase in GDP of $60 million and an employment gain of over 1,000 jobs. For too long, the Federal Government has abdicated its chief responsibility of securing our borders and protecting our citizens. We must put the safety and security of the American people first and give our Border Patrol and the CBP the staff they need to do their job. Mr. Speaker, therefore, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2213, and I applaud Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Vela, and Representative McSally for their leadership on this critical issue.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, if history has taught us anything over the years, it is that freedom is not free. It comes at a great price. It is easy to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy, but this Military Appreciation Month I pray that we all reflect upon the sacrifices the men and women of our Armed Forces have made for our liberty and our security. Specifically, I am reminded today of the 5,100 dedicated men and women serving at Dyess Air Force Base, home of the 7th Bomb Wing and the 317th Airlift Group, and the 40,000 veterans in my district in west Texas. It is with them in mind, Madam Speaker, that I would like to express my gratitude for those who have served, my sorrow for those who did not make it back home, and my condolences to those who have lost someone dear in service to our great country. Let us never forget them. Let us always remind our children and grandchildren of the sacrifices of those who gave up their today so that we can have our tomorrow. God bless our men and women in uniform. And God bless these United States of America.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Norm Archibald, Mayor of the City of Abilene, Texas, ``The Key City.'' Norm is a native Texan from San Benito. He and his wife Nancy have lived in Abilene for more than forty years. When he is not representing Abilene as Mayor, Norm serves as Vice President of the Hendrick Health System in Abilene where he is responsible for the development of the Health System through the Hendrick Medical Center Foundation. He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from Texas A&M University, a master's degree from Abilene Christian University, and a doctorate degree from Texas Tech University. Norm is the father of two beautiful children, Bryan and Betsy, and grandfather to four grandchildren, Hunter, Hudson, Margaret, and Archer. During his childhood years, Norm achieved the rank of Eagle Scout, the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouts of America. Even with his demanding professional career, Norm has always carved out time to serve his community, especially through his work with the Abilene/Taylor County Health Board, the United Way, the YMCA, the Boy Scouts of America Board, Junior Achievement, the Military Affairs Committee of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, and the Abilene Metropolitan Planning Organization. More recently, Norm has been serving our country through his membership on the EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee. Norm became Mayor of Abilene in 2004 after four years of serving on the Abilene City Council. He was re-elected in 2005, in 2008, in 2011, and again in 2014. Now, after seventeen years on the Abilene City Council and thirteen years as Mayor, Norm has chosen to step down to make way for new leadership. He has been a strong, effective, and passionate advocate for the values and interests that are important to Abilene and the Big Country. Mayor Archibald devoted his tenure to improving quality of life, long-term water resources, Dyess Air Force Base, and local government. Mr. Speaker, the people of Abilene and the people of our nation have been fortunate to have a man like Norm dedicate so much of his time, talents, and energy to building a better and stronger city. I ask that my colleagues in the United States House of Representatives join me in congratulating Norm as he completes his successful tenure as Mayor of Abilene and in thanking Norm and his wife, Nancy, for all their years of outstanding public service and exceptional contributions to the city of Abilene and the Big Country.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, community banks are an integral part of Main Street America, making up over 50 percent of banks and rural communities like the ones I represent. They are indeed the hub of economic activity for west Texas. They employ nearly 20,000 folks in my district and provide vital services to families, small businesses, and ag producers. Why in the world do we want to hamstring them with onerous and unnecessary regulations that make it harder for them to serve their communities? That is exactly what I believe we have done with Dodd-Frank. Each day that goes by, another community bank goes out of business. As many of my colleagues have pointed out, Dodd-Frank didn't end too big to fail, but it did create too small to succeed. Dodd-Frank didn't protect consumers. It created new layers of bureaucracy, paperwork, confusion, and limited services for consumers. Mr. Speaker, it is time that Congress act on this opportunity to pass the CHOICE Act before it is too late for our community banks and for our rural communities to choose between relationship banking and transactional banking.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yea'' on rollcall No. 237.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare's disastrous effects over the last several years have wreaked havoc on our small businesses, broken the backs of middle and working class families, and have had a disproportionately negative impact on rural America. Those are the folks who I represent in west Texas. While the current bill before us is far from perfect--and let's be honest, there is no such thing as perfect legislation--it reverses course and takes us in the right direction. It repeals the mandates and restores freedom to individuals and markets. It repeals about $1 trillion of taxes. It reduces deficit spending by over $100 billion, making it the largest entitlement reform since the 1960s. It rolls back regulations, gives maximum flexibility to States, and begins to defederalize health care. For 7 years now, Republicans have promised the American people that if we were given control of the Presidency and the House and the Senate, then we would repeal and replace ObamaCare. And now that we are given the opportunity to govern and to keep our promises and to deliver results for the American people, we can't let perfect be the enemy of good. The debate is now closing. We have two choices. We either pass a good but imperfect bill, or we leave ObamaCare in place. That is an unacceptable alternative. As leaders, we have a moral obligation to do something, to not stand idly by while the people suffer under a system that is failing them. If we are going to restore the greatness of America and transfer power back to the people, we need more than policy solutions, even perfect policy solutions. We need the political will and the courage to lead. This is a rescue mission, Mr. Speaker, and it isn't without risk; but I have faith in the President and his team. I have faith in our States and the free markets, and, above all, Mr. Speaker, I have faith in the American people.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for his leadership on this very important issue. I have made the statement often when I ran for this office that I ran to change not only the course for this country, but the culture of Washington. It is my strong belief that we cannot change the course in any meaningful way without changing the culture. So I want to, again, thank my colleague, Mike Gallagher, for his leadership in rallying the freshman class, both Republicans and Democrats, on an issue that I think, because of this unique time in the history of our country, a time that I think calls for bold action, he is seizing the opportunity and heeding that call on behalf of our freshman class. And so I am deeply grateful for his courageous leadership. Our country, the greatest experiment in liberty and democracy, was conceived by men of great principle; men who were committed to leading, to governing; and, yes--and I know this isn't popular--to compromising; making difficult decisions and putting the Nation's interest above their own personal interest. They were also men who never envisioned a lifelong career in politics. In 1819, only 1 percent of Representatives had served over 16 years. Now, 20 percent of Representatives have served over 16 years. The current scenario where Members of Congress serve for 15, 20, even 30 years, is inconsistent with the Founders' view of citizen statesmen. We need an environment that encourages politicians to do what is right not by their party or some special interest, and certainly not to secure their long-term career goals, but to do what is right for their fellow countrymen. Period. I think passing legislation to implement term limits across the board is a good step in the right direction. I am grateful to be a part of this body and a part of this freshman class. It is such a unique time in our Nation's history. We need to go big; we need to go bold; or we need to go home. So thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and my distinguished colleague.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life and legacy of Louise Hopkins Underwood, a west Texas icon who passed away Tuesday, March 7, at the age of 97. Mrs. Underwood was known as a charismatic woman with a sharp sense of humor. A woman loved by all, she was gracious, she was generous, and she was inspirational. Mrs. Underwood was the mother of six and a pioneer in her quest to promote a passion for the arts and a stronger sense of community on the south plains. Our region, which has a rich history better known for farming and ranching, is now also known for the arts, thanks to Mrs. Underwood. Ecclesiastes 7:1 says: A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth. Thank you, Mrs. Underwood. Thank you for your fragrant life and for leaving a legacy of a brighter, more colorful west Texas. God bless the Underwood family.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, the facts are indisputable: President Obama's attempt to plan our healthcare economy from Washington, D.C., has failed. I have spent nearly 2 years criss-crossing 29 counties in west Texas, and I can report from the many stories from my constituents that no single law or policy has been more reviled, more destructive, or more intrusive than ObamaCare. It is absolutely crushing our small businesses and Main Street Americans everywhere. The American Health Care Act repeals ObamaCare and is a step in the right direction to freeing the American people from the scourge of government-controlled health care. For the first time since the passage of ObamaCare, according to the Congressional Budget Office's report recently, the American Health Care Act will lower premiums over time by 10 percent, a far cry from the skyrocketing premiums we have seen over the last several years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act. The report goes on to say that the American Health Care Act will reduce the deficit by $337 billion and make the biggest entitlement reform in generations, saving taxpayers well over $800 billion. This bill strikes at the heart of ObamaCare by repealing its mandates, eliminating its taxes, and gutting its regulations. Make no mistake, this legislation is not perfect. I will continue to fight for more conservative and more fiscally responsible policy outcomes like work requirements for able-bodied adults. But when the dust settles and the debate is over, we cannot allow perfect policy aspirations to be the enemy of good, conservative results. The alternative, Mr. Speaker, is simply unacceptable. My constituents sent me to Washington to tackle the tough issues and solve the big problems. Well, we have got one, and it is called ObamaCare. I committed a long time ago that if I ever had the chance, I would repeal ObamaCare, and I plan on keeping my promise, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud and so excited and so honored to be able to serve in the United States House of Representatives and to serve on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. I did not serve in the military, but now I have the amazing blessing of serving those who did serve to protect our freedom to keep us safe. I am filing my first piece of legislation today, and it is the Veterans, Employees and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2017. In my first hearing as chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, I heard with great concern, and even outrage, that some employees at the VA spend 100 percent of their time on union activity. Even physicians and nurses and folks who are hired to provide health care to our veterans, 100 percent of their time on union activity. The law says their activity and time on union activities should be reasonable and in the best interest of the public. I don't believe in west Texas, or any area around the country, that it is reasonable and in the best interest of the public to spend 100 percent of your time on union activity and not fulfilling the mission. And, in this case, it is protecting and serving and caring for our vets.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Speaker, we have a new era that has dawned on American politics. Our citizens are demanding that we don't conduct our business as usual. These are times that call for bold leadership and bold action. Over the last couple of years, my observation is that we don't need new solutions. We have reforms for immigration, reforms for regulations, reforms for our Tax Code. What we need is courage: courage to act, courage to keep our promises, as our President said last night, and finish what we started. ObamaCare is a disaster, to repeat what the President said. The facts are undisputable. This isn't a situation where we have a leaky roof in need of repair. We are on faulty foundation, and it is shifting under our feet. If we don't act swiftly and decisively, the house will collapse. Leadership is about courage. Leadership is about keeping our promises. We all owe it to the American people to act accordingly.

Mr. ARRINGTON

Mr. ARRINGTON. Madam Chair, the cumulative cost of regulations in our country is now at the tune of $2 trillion, and it costs us $60 billion just to enforce those regulations every year. With all due respect, that is not window dressing. When you take a look at those numbers, it is clear to see that the bureaucratic state of our Federal Government is threatening our job creators and killing our economy. Today, we have an opportunity to reverse course on the stifling regulations flowing from Washington by passing H.R. 998, the SCRUB Act, as amended here by my colleague, Congresswoman Martha McSally. The SCRUB Act will establish a commission to review existing Federal regulations and identify for Congress which of those place unnecessary costs on our economy. The amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally) will take the SCRUB Act a step further by requiring this commission to consider for removal all regulations dating back to 1996 that did not comply with the law that states that there must be an accompanying report to Congress. According to the GAO, that is almost 30 percent of final rules. All of this is done in a manner consistent with my colleague's standalone bill, the Require CRA Compliance Act, that I was also proud to join her in sponsoring.