Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close. Mr. Speaker, do you want to know how bad ObamaCare is? Twice as many Americans have exempted themselves, have paid a fine, or found another way out of ObamaCare for everyone who took it. I am a conservative, and I am proud of the conservative win in this bill. I am proud of the $1 trillion in tax relief on our small businesses, our patients, and our families. I am proud of the more than $1 trillion of spending cuts that Washington cannot afford nor sustain. I am proud of the first reforms in Medicaid since the program was created in giving States back control of that plan, including the option of a work requirement. I am proud to repeal ObamaCare mandates that have forced Americans into health care they can't afford and don't want. I am proud to defund Planned Parenthood once and for all. And I am proud of the $150 billion of deficit reduction. This is a clear choice, and we will stand where we stand today: the choice between President Trump and more freedom or ObamaCare and less freedom. I stand with President Trump. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I remind my friend from New York, nearly four out of five New Yorkers said no to ObamaCare because it failed them. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King), my dear friend.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my good friend from Illinois, half a million Illinoisans have said no to ObamaCare because it failed them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my good friend from New Jersey that 314,000 residents of New Jersey said ``no thank you'' to ObamaCare because it failed them. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bishop), a new member of the committee, who dove into this issue with great thoughtful and conscientious work.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I would remind my friend from Connecticut that 190,000 residents in Connecticut, two out of three eligible for ObamaCare, believed it failed them so badly they paid a tax or exempted themselves. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem), who has weighed in in such a key way on health care.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my friend from California, 1.5 million Californians forced into ObamaCare and given generous subsidies found a way to exempt themselves because ObamaCare failed. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), a small-businessman and a key member of our committee.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my dear friend from Oregon, 153,000 Oregonians eligible for ObamaCare with generous subsidies said thank you, but no thank you. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Rice), my good friend and a key member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my good and thoughtful friend that 290,000 Wisconsinites that chose not to get ObamaCare were willing to pay a tax to stay out of a failed healthcare system. I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski), a new member of our committee who is doing tremendous things in health care.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, last month, President Trump stood right here in this room and said to Congress: ObamaCare is collapsing. He called on us to take decisive action to protect all Americans. Today we have a choice to make: will we answer the President's call to action and pass this legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare? Or will we allow ObamaCare to remain fully in place and deny our constituents the relief they urgently need? I, for one, refuse to allow my constituents in Texas to suffer ObamaCare's impacts any longer. For the past 7 years, we have watched ObamaCare fail Americans on every single promise, and throughout this time, as the Obama administration turned a deaf ear to the American people, House Republicans were listening. We were listening to all those facing severe premium increases, people like Lauren in my district, in my hometown of The Woodlands. Lauren recently emailed me to say that her premiums this year have gone up by nearly 70 percent. Now they are $900 a month. We were listening to all those who can no longer see the doctor of their choice or access the care they need at an affordable price, people like Elizabeth from Conroe, Texas, another constituent of my mine. Her family pays about $800 a month in healthcare premiums, yet they can no longer see any of the doctors they know and trust. This includes the primary care doctor that Elizabeth and her husband have been seeing for over a decade. It includes her children's longtime pediatrician. All of these doctors are now out of reach, thanks to ObamaCare. That is the thing with this law. It has helped some, no doubt, but far more people have been hurt, people like Lauren and Elizabeth, who are paying significantly more for significantly less access to health care. It doesn't have to be this way. After 7 years of listening carefully to the American people, we have now arrived at this moment of decisive action. With the American Health Care Act, we have the best opportunity since ObamaCare's enactment to repeal this harmful law, clear the deck, and begin over with a step-by-step process to deliver a healthcare system based on what patients and families truly want and need, not what Washington thinks is best. This bill gets us off to an excellent start. First, it delivers swift relief to the American people by immediately repealing ObamaCare's most harmful provisions. The individual mandate--the tax penalty--is gone. The employer mandate tax penalty is gone. Nearly $900 billion in ObamaCare tax hikes that have driven up costs and reduced access to care for families, patients, and jobs, those tax hikes are gone. From here, the American Health Care Act takes significant action to replace ObamaCare with patient-focused solutions that expand choice, lower costs, and enhance competition. This is where we reclaim control of health care from Washington and put it back where it belongs--with patients, families, and States. We expand health savings accounts, making them more flexible and more user-friendly. We protect health coverage for the more than 150 million Americans who receive it through their job. We deliver the largest entitlement reform in decades, giving power to States to improve and streamline Medicaid so they can better serve the needs of local patients and families. For low- and middle-income Americans who don't receive coverage through work or a Federal program, we offer an advanceable, refundable tax credit that people can use immediately to help purchase coverage that is tailored to their needs. These tax credits provide a conservative, free-market alternative to inefficient ObamaCare subsidies that exist today. They deliver support to low- and middle- income Americans. At the same time, they will encourage real competition and choice in the health insurance market. Finally, as a committed pro-life conservative, I am pleased to say this bill defunds Planned Parenthood while funding the community health centers for women's truly needed health care, and takes vital action to protect the right to life. No Federal funding can be used for elective abortions. The language is crystal clear. The American Health Care Act represents a critical first step in our multiphase effort to tear down ObamaCare and reinstate patient-focused solutions that help all Americans. But we know there is more work to do. ObamaCare was a massive government takeover of health care. To fully uproot the law, it is going to take a sustained, coordinated, and relentless effort from both Congress and the administration. Fortunately, we have incredible partners in President Trump and Secretary Price at the Department of Health and Human Services. They are already beginning work on the next phases of the process, stripping away ObamaCare's regulations so we can enact additional free-market solutions. These include consensus conservative proposals, such as allowing insurance to be sold across State lines. But to see success in the next phases, we have to take the first step today. We have to pass the American Health Care Act, deliver immediate relief to the American people, and provide a conservative path forward. In closing, I thank all the leaders in the House who worked hard to craft the bill before us today: Chairman Greg Walden, Chairman Diane Black, and so many others. I also want to offer my gratitude to everyone from the Congressional Budget Office, the Joint Committee on Taxation, and the House Office of Legislative Counsel who provided analysis and support as we developed this legislation. I would like to give a special thanks to Emily Murry, Stephanie Parks, and all of our hardworking staff on the Ways and Means Committee. At the end of the day, on this day, we will have our first true vote to repeal ObamaCare. History will record where we stand. This is a clear choice. We can stand with President Trump and more freedom for Americans to buy health care they choose, or stand with ObamaCare and more government that gets in the way. I proudly stand with President Trump and more freedom for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Tiberi), the chairman of the Health Subcommittee, who played an invaluable role in solutions to lower healthcare costs for Americans.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I first would remind my friend from Georgia that nearly 700,000 Georgians have chosen to either pay a fine or exempt themselves from ObamaCare because it has failed them so badly. And to my friend from Michigan, 420,000 Michiganders, more than half, chose to exempt themselves from ObamaCare rather than accept that failed health care. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota, (Mr. Paulsen), a key member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I remind my friend from Texas that 2 million Texans eligible, forced into ObamaCare and getting deep subsidies, have said: No thanks. ObamaCare has failed me. Two out of three Texans eligible. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed), a key member of our Committee on Ways and Means.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall no. 181, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 171 I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, a loving husband, father, and grandfather, Sam Houston, IV was a blessing to Texas, not just because of who his great-grandfather was, but because of his passion for Texas history. Born on September 25, 1931, in Claremore, Oklahoma to Sam Houston, III and Ruth Helen Nilson, Sam Houston, IV was the great grandson of General Sam Houston. He was one of Texas' founding fathers whose statue stands in the National Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol, and whose bust is displayed in the historic Ways and Means Conference Room in the Capitol as well. Sam Houston, IV shared his tries to Texas history with all who would listen. A frequent speaker at annual San Jacinto Day celebrations, Sam brought history to life. He enjoyed sharing his love of Texas history and his special connection to the founding of the Texas Republic with children, school groups, civic and other organizations. His great-grandfather, who once said about Texas that ``no country upon the globe can compare with it in natural advantages,'' would have been proud of his great grandson. A salesman with U.S. Steel for many years, Sam attended Schreiner Military Academy and Allen Academy in Texas. He also attended St. Michael's College in New Mexico before earning his BA in history at the University of Houston. Always a patriot, Sam served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and led an infantry platoon. After active service, he served an additional 16 years in the Army Reserves, retiring with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was appointed to the Bi-centennial Commission of the U.S. Constitution and served on the Sesquicentennial Commission of the Republic of Texas celebration. He served as President General of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and was Knight Commander of the Knights of San Jacinto. He is one of nine men in the over one-hundred year history of the Sons of the Republic of Texas to have been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award. He was commissioned as Commanding General of The Texas Army on April 20, 2010 by Governor Perry. On February 23, 2011, he was awarded the George Washington Award by the Paul Carrington Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, Houston, Texas. Sam would carry his weighty name with pride as he spoke to tens of thousands of schoolchildren about Texas history. He also appeared in the EMMY Award winning documentary, Sam Houston: American Statesman, Soldier, and Pioneer, that will live on for generations to come. For the past several decades, he called the Houston area his home. Sam and his wife, Virginia Rose, were blessed with three children, Vicky, Steven, and Kevin, three grandchildren, Sherry, Bridgett and Scott, and seven great-grandchildren, Jessica, Chelsea, Patrick, Mackenzie, Nicole, Sophia and Dylan. Sam is also survived by his brother, Temple. On March 10, 2017, Sam passed away at the age of 85 and will be sorely missed.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 158, I was unavoidably detained to cast my vote in time. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Yes.'' Personal Explanation