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 ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 644.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I am prepared to close if the gentlewoman from New Hampshire is prepared to do so as well. The value of a country's currency is a complex issue. It is determined by a number of factors: how much a country saves, how much it invests, the strength of its economy, its trade flows in and out. It is a complex issue. Where Republicans and Democrats and the White House find common ground is the desire that countries don't manipulate their currency in order to give themselves an unfair trade advantage. The difference is how best to go about it. And because it is a complex issue, there are some very good ideas on all parties' sides on how best to do that. This motion essentially says to forget those discussions and don't have Republicans and Democrats from the House and Senate work together through this complex issue and find a common solution. This motion simply says to forget all that. There is only one solution, and we insist upon it. End the discussion. I don't think that is the right way to go about it. I think, frankly, there are real serious concerns not just from Republicans, but from the White House on insisting on this one solution. I think our country is better served and those who want to stop currency manipulation are better served by bringing our best ideas together in this conference committee. That is what I am determined to do. That is what the American public wants us to do, an open, transparent, regular process that brings about the very best solution for America. That is why I urge a ``no'' vote on this motion to instruct. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in opposition to the motion to instruct conferees. There is no question currency manipulation is a real problem, and I and many other Republicans are committed to fighting it. The bill that we are going to conference on includes strong currency provisions, thanks to the hard work of Representative Miller and members of the Michigan delegation. In addition, earlier this year, we passed a trade promotion authority legislation that, for the very first time, raised fighting manipulation to a primary negotiating objective and provides the administration more tools to tackle the practice. However, if the United States begins unilaterally levying tariffs, our trading partners will no doubt do the same, leading to a very dangerous cycle. This would undermine the very purpose of trade agreements: to break down barriers and to open economic freedom. More importantly, this would hurt American competitiveness and hurt our jobs. I am also concerned that pursuing a unilateral approach could cause the United States to be a target for retaliation by countries like China, harming our businesses and their employees, and risk putting the United States in violation of international obligations and out of WTO compliance. And the administration agrees. Earlier this year, Secretary Lew sent a letter to Congress stating that the administration would oppose legislation that would use the countervailing duty process to address currency undervaluation because it would raise questions about consistency with our international obligations and that it would be counterproductive to our ongoing bilateral and multilateral engagement as well as to our efforts to promote greater accountability on currency policies in the context of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Mr. Speaker, the United States has a unique responsibility as a world reserve currency. This type of measure puts our standing at risk. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. People often ask: How do you end the gridlock in Washington? The answer is found in the Constitution. The House of Representatives passes its best idea on how to solve a problem, the Senate does the same, and then you go to a conference committee to try to find common ground and to try to find solutions that advance the principles of both parties to try to solve big problems. The motion we passed earlier tonight was to start that open and transparent process of going to a conference committee and having representatives of the House and Senate, Republicans and Democrats, come together to try to work out these issues. The underlying bill passed the House and the Senate earlier this summer. There have been a lot of, I think, very healthy discussions between both Chambers and both parties in how we find common ground. So this motion is to instruct those conferees; but in truth, what we are seeking is that open, transparent, I think, constitutional process where we listen to the ideas of, for example, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin), a member of the Ways and Means Committee whom I respect, where we listen to the ideas of Senate Republicans and Democrats and we, again, try to find common ground on a couple of things: one, how do we streamline the time and the cost and efficiency of America trading its goods as we work to sell America throughout the world, working through issues that were raised in trade promotion authority by both parties. These are legitimate, sincere issues. We have got an opportunity at conference to discuss them. Then, hopefully, we will find common ground and bring that solution back to the House and to the Senate for final approval. This is simply what we are trying to do. Again, this motion to instruct goes after an issue we all agree on: currency manipulation. The key is to do it the right way so that it doesn't boomerang on America but actually gets to this issue. We are going to have this discussion in the conference committee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule XXII, and by direction of the Committee on Ways and Means, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we need to go to conference and move the Customs bill forward. We will have a motion to instruct and a full hour of debate later this evening. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the motion. The previous question was ordered.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in Texas, fall means football, and this fall marks a special football milestone for Sam Houston State University. Our Bearkats are celebrating 100 seasons of hard fought contests on the college football gridiron. What happens at Elliot T. Bowers Stadium today has its roots in a cotton patch in the outfield of Joseph Pritchett Field in Huntsville, Texas. On October 6, 1912 the team from Sam Houston Teachers College faced off against a ``pugnacious'', as one observer remarked, Rice Institute to begin the inaugural season of Sam Houston football. Since then, football has been a continuous sport at Sam Houston, except for the war years--1918, during World War I, and 1943, 1944 and 1945, during World War II. The inaugural season saw Sam Houston end with an even 2-2 record. That first team was comprised of just 19 students with the average player weighing in at just 135 pounds. Their leather helmets cost $3 each and fully-padded pants of heavy canvas were $12. Today, the Bearkat squad has 100 players with an average weight of over 200 pounds. And it cost about $800 to outfit each player for game day. This year's ``Century Season'' brings with it a legacy of big rivalries and even bigger accomplishments. In October, Sam Houston State returned home victorious over Stephen F. Austin State University in the 90th edition of the Battle of the Piney Woods. This timeless rivalry between the Bearkats and the Lumberjacks began in 1923 and is one of the three oldest continuous rivalries in Texas college football. Sam Houston has competed and won championships in four different leagues: the Texas Intercollegiate Athletic Association, Lone Star Conference, Gulf Star Conference and Southland Conference. The team played its first bowl game, the Shrimp Bowl, in 1952. In 1964, our Bearkats were National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Co-National Champions. Sam Houston State boasts six Southland Conference Championships, the most recent just last year. Bearkat teams have made eight Football Championship Subdivision Playoff appearances, including trips to the National Championship Game in 2012 and 2013 and the National Semi-Finals in 2004 and 2014. And, our Bearkats are also close to another major milestone--their 1000th game. With such an exciting first century, we can't wait to see what the next hundred years will bring. Eat `Em Up, Kats!

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I hurriedly returned to the House chamber from a meeting. I voted ``yes'' on rollcall 573. I intended to vote ``no.''

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), a Member of Congress who is a healthcare provider herself, a nurse, and a key leader of the Health Care Subcommittee.

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

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta), the former mayor of Manchester, New Hampshire, who understands how badly this bill has hurt his family and community.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), who knows the failures of the Affordable Care Act in his State.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), one of our strongest voices for patients and local businesses.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise). He is the majority whip of the U.S. House and a strong leader against the Affordable Care Act and for defunding Planned Parenthood.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), a physician and one of the distinguished leaders on health care, to close on behalf of the American people.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen), one of our key healthcare leaders on the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this legislation, led by Budget Chairman Dr. Tom Price, dismantles the twin pillars of the controversial and unpopular Affordable Care Act, repeals Democrat tax increases that force American jobs overseas, and punishes American workers who have good healthcare insurance. It empties a multibillion-dollar slush fund and ends taxpayer funding of the gruesome practices at Planned Parenthood and its affiliates. As a result, this bill lowers taxes, lowers spending, and lowers the deficit. It grows the economy, encourages work, and increases incentives to invest; and it also invests in community healthcare centers to ensure access to true, high-quality health care, especially for women. By repealing the two critical Federal mandates that force American families to buy government-approved health care they don't need and that force local businesses to offer health care their workers can't afford, this bill dismantles the foundation of the President's healthcare law. It frees millions of Americans from an unpopular law that harms patients, harms families, and harms businesses, local doctors, and community health providers. Unlike the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which the House approved 9 months ago and still lingers in the Senate, this measure uses the traditional budget process to allow the Senate to pass the bill with a simple majority and send it to the President's desk. The opportunity to put this bill on the President's desk is because Congress is doing its job. We passed a budget that balanced; that put our entitlement programs on a strong, sustainable path; and that afforded three House committees, including the Committee on Ways and Means, on which I serve, the opportunity to craft legislation to reduce the deficit and advance important policy goals. This process, called budget reconciliation, is a critical tool. It is not a silver bullet. It is not a cure-all, but it is a gridlock-busting practice I hope we can continue. In accordance with the budget, the provisions crafted by the Committee on Ways and Means targets the foundational pieces of the President's healthcare law, including repealing tax hikes totaling over $100 billion that slow our economy. Mr. Speaker, the President may very well veto this bill, locking millions of Americans into a healthcare law they don't want and giving taxpayer dollars to controversial and unethical practices at Planned Parenthood; but if he does, he will have to explain to the American people his support of all this, including tax increases and mandates in the name of a law that has increased healthcare costs, raided Medicare, and forced millions onto an already broken Medicaid system. Mr. Speaker, I want to hear those answers from the President, and the American public wants to hear those answers. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank again these champions, Mr. Smith and Mr. Blumenauer, for coming together on a very important program that makes so much sense. This is our mom or our dad, our loved one who wants to get care, but doesn't want to be in that nursing home. It is good for them, it is great for the family, and it is good for the taxpayers. It just makes common sense. Having this strong, bipartisan support for this bill I think is every reason for it to pass through this House, to be signed by the President, and be expanded all across America. So, Mr. Speaker, I stand in strong support for the PACE Innovation Act and urge its passage. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am really proud to yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), a real champion for the elderly and the fragile who has really been a leader for so many years on this key issue.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on S. 1362 currently under consideration.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 1362) to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to clarify waiver authority regarding programs of all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE programs).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support for S. 1362, the PACE Innovation Act of 2015. The companion bill in the House, H.R. 3243, was introduced by my longtime colleague and a real champion for the elderly and the frail, Chris Smith of New Jersey. This legislation is a commonsense, bipartisan approach to increasing flexibility in our healthcare system. PACE, or the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is an integrated care program that provides hands-on, long-term care and support to beneficiaries who need an institutional level of care but continue to live at home. Many of these beneficiaries are dual eligible, or eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid. Hardworking Americans who care for these beneficiaries and want to keep their loved ones at home have relied on this program for well over a decade, as the program has now expanded to 32 States. There are two programs currently operating back in Texas, and I am looking forward to monitoring the program's continued success back home. However, currently, the PACE model is limited to seniors who meet a specific list of criteria, Federal and State, for needing a nursing home level of care. The PACE Innovation Act would allow Medicare to test the PACE benefit on other vulnerable populations. With the popularity and success of the PACE program, it is clear that, to live up to its full potential nationally, other populations should be targeted to benefit from comprehensive PACE models. These beneficiaries are some of our Nation's most vulnerable, who, along with their families, have chosen not to enter into full-time nursing home care at a facility. Studies have shown that people receiving care from PACE organizations have better outcomes and less hospitalizations and, more importantly, have more time to spend with their families in their own homes--and that is key. The PACE Innovation Act is revenue-neutral and widely supported. I would like to thank fellow Ways and Means Committee members Charles Boustany, Mike Kelly, Lynn Jenkins, Earl Blumenauer, Bill Pascrell, Bill McDermott, and Richard Neal for their strong support of this effort and encourage that the whole House vote to pass S. 1362 under suspension of the rules and send it to the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I stand to recognize Lone Star College-Montgomery for 20 years of turning today's students into tomorrow's leaders. From opening day in 1995, this Montgomery County college has been changing lives and enriching our community on its beautiful 210 acre campus amid the tall Texas pines. LSC-Montgomery has come a long way from 1991 when Conroe Independent School District voters approved joining the Lone Star College System. Enrollment for the inaugural fall 1995 semester was approximately 3,200 students. Today, the college is educating four times that number and growing. The rich history of this college starts before it even opened the doors of opportunity to students throughout Montgomery County. It began with the vision of community leaders like George Mitchell, Dan Hauser, Jon Weisner, Mary Matteson and a host of others who stood as champions, working to gain community support and ultimately the passage of the bond referendum to build the college. As the Chamber of the Commerce President I had the privilege of working with local leaders to establish the Community College in Montgomery County and as a State Legislator secured $6 million to fund the startup of the campus. The commitment of higher education leaders such as former North Harris Community College Chancellor John Pickelman and Montgomery College founding President Dr. Bill Law saw the college through its construction at its current location--a crossroads of east and west, of north and south. Montgomery College presidents would continue to build upon the early legacy of the school. Dr. Tom Butler oversaw the addition of a new 72,000 square foot library and classroom building. New programs were added along with expansion of the school's nursing program including a registered nurse program. In 2008, Montgomery College became Lone Star College-Montgomery. The name had changed but the dedication to students continues. Dr. Austin Lane's leadership saw the campus through continued rapid growth and its most significant expansion including three new campus buildings and construction of the Conroe Center. Today, under Dr. Rebecca Riley's leadership, the college offers over 13,000 students the opportunity to pursue 40 different career programs as well as academic transfer classes in a variety of disciplines. On the Lone Star College-Montgomery campus, students can pursue bachelors, masters and specialized degrees that give them a start on a bright future. The past has been exciting, but the future is even more so. The construction of a new Student Services building and a state-of- the-art lab building, expansion of the workforce programs space at LSC- Conroe Center, and a new satellite center in the rapid-growth area of Magnolia point toward a bright future for LSC-Montgomery. And I look forward to LSC-Montgomery adding to its multiple honors including being named a ``Showcase College'' by the Consortium for Community College Development, a ``Best Practice'' college by the MetLife Foundation, a ``Hometown Hero'' by The Woodlands Development Company and the prestigious ``Drum Major Award'' sponsored by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration. And finally, being named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement. These achievements and more will be celebrated Saturday, October 3, 2015 as a new campus space is dedicated in Maverick Square.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 528, had I been present, I would have voted no.