Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker I rise today to honor the celebration of David Marvin Blumberg's 60th birthday. David was born on December 26, 1951 in Jacksonville, Florida. He is the fourth of five children born to Marvin Bernard and Mary Louise Blumberg. David obtained his Masters Degree of Public Administration in 1994 from the University of North Florida. He was honorably discharged from his service in the USAF in 1974 after having worked as an instrument mechanic on the Minute Man 1, 2, & 3 missiles at Vandenberg AFB, CA. David worked alongside his father at Marvin Blumberg and Sons from 1974-1982. He was certified as an FAA Air Traffic controller and worked in that capacity from 1982-2006. Presently he is serving as an Air Traffic Safety Risk Management Facilitator and Instructor nationwide. David is the proud father of Lauren, Will, Olivia, Nathan and Natalie. He has one grandchild, Walker Brooks Haas. David plays the drums in a band comprised of other Air Traffic Controllers who raise money for charities and to date they have raised over $650,000 for local and national charities. David will be moving to Fort Worth, Texas to supplement the Federal Aviation Administration's Safety Risk Management staff. His band Aire Traffic will be playing future benefit concerts to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and for the Joseph Sam's School for Special Needs Children in Fayetteville, GA. Please join me in wishing David Blumberg a very happy 60th birthday.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. No bill is perfect but this has much to admire in it. Moving the unemployed back into the workforce after a year makes sense--so does allowing States to drug test, stopping taxpayer fraud, helping small businesses invest in equipment, paying local doctors fairly for treating our seniors, telling the President ``he can't wait'' to approve the thousands of jobs created by the Keystone pipeline, and spending cuts and entitlement reforms so we don't add to the dangerous deficit. All of that is very good. Like many in Congress, I am very troubled about reducing Social Security revenue another year. The bill's authors have responsibly included reforms that fill this hole and then some; but over the long term, cutting Social Security contributions makes an already fragile program more fragile. So in support, I want my constituents to know that 2012 is it. I will not support another extension of the Social Security tax holiday. Instead, I will work to replace it with tax relief of an equal amount that doesn't impact Social Security or that doesn't make it harder to preserve this program for future generations.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, thank you for the time to talk about something near and dear to my heart, families. This week is National Adoption Week, and as adoptive parents of two wonderful boys, my wife, Cathy, and I know how blessed an adoptive family is. Will, our 13-year old, and Sean, who will tell you he's almost 10, are the light of our lives. They're the gifts that give our lives a purpose and a joy we never knew before. It's a privilege for me to serve the people of the Eighth District of Texas, but it is my highest privilege to be called Dad because two women in two difficult circumstances in two different States made the difficult but life-changing choice to give Cathy and I the greatest gift of all, a family. This weekend marks the 12th annual National Adoption Day, where judges will open their courts for very special cases, and tens of thousands of children become a part of these forever families. In my home State of Texas, there are nearly 30,000 children in foster care, and half of them could be adopted tomorrow. I hope that every American who has ever thought about sharing their blessings with a child thinks about these children who just want a seat at a Thanksgiving table they can call their own. I ask every American, do you have room for one more at your table? If just 1 in 500 of the Americans who were polled recently and said they'd be open to adopting a foster child did so, no foster child would only have dreams of a forever family; they would have that seat at the Thanksgiving Day table. Right now the average wait for a foster child to find a forever family is over 2\1/2\ years. To a child, that seems like forever. And thousands age out of the system every year, never having found a home. In the greatest Nation on God's green earth, we can do better by these kids, one by one, town by town. A loving, forever family and home not only makes a powerful difference in the lives of these children, I can promise you the joy and love you'll get back will change your family. Being an adoptive parent is a gift. Every day is a present. The love you share comes back to you because adoptions make families. It made mine. Maybe it can make yours as well.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 674, repealing the requirement that all levels of government withhold 3 percent of payments owed to their contractors throughout the United States. If not repealed, small businesses operating on the slimmest of margins would see their operating budgets once again taking a hit from the Federal Government. It is important to remember that our neighbors and friends work at these businesses. Their jobs depend on these businesses having the necessary cash flow to pay their wages so they can raise their families and pay their bills. And we, as a country, are depending on these same businesses to create new jobs which will help our unemployed friends and neighbors, and move our economy forward. I am also supportive of simplifying the process for employers to hire our unemployed and disabled veterans through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit program. The one-year extension and simplification will help bring more certainty to the hiring process for our job creators looking to hire veterans who have more than proven their worth to anyone looking for productive employees. A vote in support of H.R. 674 is a vote to remove impediments to American job creation and expand opportunities for our veterans. I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I tell you what, maybe we can continue this conversation off the floor. I know you feel strongly.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. For those who are making $20,000 a year, it goes even less far. Reclaiming my time, we've had great discussions about this, but, again, Medicaid should be for those who are very poor. This loophole is being closed, and thankfully the President agrees with us. The Senate Democrats and Republicans join with us to close this loophole. That has to tell you that this is a loophole that Republicans and Democrats, the White House all agree needs to be closed. Again, I thank Congresswoman Black for her leadership on this commonsense issue, and I urge support.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Actually, I was making the point that the very poor need our resources.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Oh, no.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Not at this time. And I appreciate the gentleman from New York's effort on this. This is not about taxing millionaires and billionaires. In fact, let me yield for just a moment.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I want to thank Congresswoman Black for her leadership on this very commonsense issue, so commonsense at a time where it seems like Democrats and Republicans and the President in Washington rarely agree on anything, we all agree on this, on closing this loophole in the President's health care plan that really should have never been there in the first place. We got good news last week when the President rescinded another big flaw in the President's health care plan, when he gave up on the CLASS Act. It was a plan for nursing home care and later care for elderly that was financed in a way that even Senate Democrats labeled it a Ponzi scheme. Thankfully, that's been repealed. Today we're here to repeal another loophole in a really nonsensical part in the President's health care plan for couples who make more than the national average in income, $64,000 per year. Today, under the law, they can qualify for Medicaid. That's a program for the very poor in America. That's a program we don't have enough money for as it is. And at a time when 25 million people are either out of work or can't find a full-time job, shouldn't our hard-earned tax dollars go to those who can't afford anything rather than those who are blessed with $5,000 or more a month to make ends meet; at a time, again, it seems to me, that a couple making four times the Federal poverty level shouldn't be able to draw down the dollars that you and I pay to help those who are truly needy in America, who, by the way, are growing by the day? I will say my good friend from New York is very passionate about this issue, and I appreciate his passion, but this isn't about young kids paying off college student loans. This is not about couples struggling to make ends meet. This is about making sure couples making as much as $64,000 a year don't use the money that we reserve for our poorest in America.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in having survived Hurricanes Rita and Ike, my district and the people of southeast Texas know and understand hurricanes and the devastation they can bring to our communities. This past September, we dealt with a very different type of disaster in the form of major wildfires in the Counties of Jasper, Tyler, Trinity, Walker, and in my home county of Montgomery. Luckily for us, we were also granted our September miracle on Labor Day weekend as fire crews from across Texas--and, in fact, from the entire country--came to Magnolia to battle a three-county blaze that threatened to consume well over 10,000 homes and businesses in Magnolia, as well as thousands more in neighboring Grimes and Waller Counties. In fact, if you look at this map, you can see the structures lost in Montgomery County were a fraction of the percentage of those saved by the brave fire crews. The fire was in this area outlined here, but you can see from the red, the yellow, the green, and the blue going out all the thousands of homes and small businesses which were saved because of the actions of our local firefighters. I had the privilege to go up twice to those fire areas to see for myself how the fire lines came right up to these homes--within 5 feet of their front doors. Somehow our firefighters saved them, and then they did it to the homes next to them and to the homes next to those. It is impossible for me and for anyone who could see that not to be in awe of these heroes. Their skill and dedication saved the town of Magnolia, and I can't wait to join them this Saturday in Unity Park to honor their success and their hard work. Chief Gary Vincent led the Magnolia Volunteer Firefighters and exemplified their motto: a community of unity. Gary united over 100 different firefighting agencies by his side. The chief also had help from our dedicated sheriff, Tommy Gage, and his deputies; our constables; our police departments; our terrific fire marshal, Jimmy Williams, who you need to meet; our school districts; and the Texas Forest Service--just to name a few of the people and agencies that stepped up like you can't believe. California sent from the Federal Government the Interagency Incident Management Team, and I think they had their eyes open. They got to see what happens when a community rallies together as volunteers. It was a sight to behold. Everyday Texans and everyday citizens in the Montgomery/Magnolia County area joined with our charity agencies from the United Way, to the Red Cross, to our local food banks, to our churches, to our YMCAs, to chambers of commerce in order to provide a response to the firefighters across this Nation, a response that we will be talking about for years to come. We saw the best of our communities and the massive volunteer effort to feed, clothe, and take care of our bravest. At the Magnolia West High School staging area, I got a tour. If a firefighter were thirsty, three volunteers would rush over with a bottle of water, and there were likely two more behind them, carrying a hot meal, just in case that firefighter might be hungry. In speaking about the firefighters who came from across the country, all they could talk about was how well they were treated by the community of Magnolia. They came in looking for water and a FEMA bar, and what they got was home-cooked meals, fresh clothes and necessities. If they asked for it, a volunteer found it and brought it right over. When these volunteers ran low, they simply sent out a message on Facebook to the community; and within 3 hours, that staging area in the ag barn was filled to the brim again. It was amazing. The outpouring of love and support was truly a sight to behold. It's no wonder, back home we consider this God's country. Today, it's an honor for me to be here on the House floor to honor our heroes. Without all of you, thousands of families wouldn't have homes to go to tonight or businesses in which to work. The proof is right here on this map. This Saturday afternoon, Unity Park in Magnolia, our community, will come together to honor the men and women who beat back the fire, held the line and saved our community. We'll also honor them by heeding their warnings if the fire danger remains extraordinarily high. We must remain vigilant in our prevention efforts. That's another way we can honor our bravest, who spent the month of September away from their families, saving homes and businesses in our community. God bless our firefighters. God bless our volunteers and all who supported them, and God bless our community.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the brave men and women who answered the call when wildfires roared. Having survived Hurricanes Rita and Ike, my district and the people of Southeast Texas know and understand the devastation Hurricanes bring. This September we dealt with a very different kind of disaster in the form of massive wildfires. Luckily for us, our September miracle was granted Labor Day weekend as fire crews from across Texas and in fact the entire country came to Magnolia to battle a three county blaze that threatened to consume well over ten-thousand homes and businesses in Magnolia as well as thousands more in neighboring Grimes and Waller Counties. Having been out on the line with them to see for myself how the fire lines came right up to families' back porches--yet they saved home after home--it is impossible for me not to be in awe of these heroes. Their skill and dedication saved the town of Magnolia and I can't wait to join them this Saturday in Unity Park to honor their success and hard work. Magnolia Volunteer Fire Chief Gary Vincent united over a hundred different fire fighting agencies by his side and with the help of our dedicated Sheriff Tommy Gage, his deputies, our constables, our police departments, our Fire Marshall Jimmy Williams, school districts, the Texas Forest Service and many others stepped up. California's Interagency Incident Management Team not only took our thanks back to the Golden State, they take back the model for how communities and first responders unite with charities from the United Way, Red Cross, local food banks, churches, YMCAs and Chambers of Commerce to provide a response that firefighters across this nation will be talking about for years to come. If a firefighter was thirsty, three volunteers would rush over with water and there were likely two more behind carrying hot meals just in case that firefighter might be hungry as well. All the firefighters who came in from across the country could talk about was how well they were treated in Texas, God's country. Today, it's an honor for me to be here on the House floor to honor my heroes who made it possible for thousands of families to have homes to go home to. This Saturday, our community will honor those who held the line by celebrating their service and by heeding their warnings that the fire danger remains extraordinarily high as the drought drags on.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I rise in support of H.R. 2042, the APEC Business Travel Card, and I appreciate working with my counterpart, Congressman Larsen, on this legislation. This bill provides security-vetted American business and government travelers the same time-saving benefits as their counterparts in other Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation countries. The bill is supported by leaders in both parties, including the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, Representative Peter King. I appreciate his leadership, as this provision was included in the authorizing bill recently reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security. The card was originally created to increase the economic engagement in a region that continues to grow and grow, and to expedite secure business travel for those who make frequent business trips to these economies. But today, the United States is only one of three economies within APEC that hasn't yet provided these travel cards to their frequent business travelers. This bill would allow Customs and Border Protection to issue the travel card to our citizens after conducting background checks, confirming frequent travel to the APEC region, and collecting fees to cover the full costs. The two big benefits beyond increased security is the equal treatment for Americans. Our counterparts, frequent business and government travelers, who do business within these countries in the region already enjoy these benefits. This provides it to United States citizens. Basically, it then makes sure we stay competitive in that region, which is a region that is growing economically and represents more than half of the world's economy. They buy almost 58 percent of what America sells, so they are, as Congresswoman Sanchez says, major new customers for our farmers and ranchers, for our technology companies, for our manufacturing companies, and for our service workers as well. I fully support this bill. It is important that our business travelers in America get out there to sell American products throughout this important region. It has strong business support, and I urge Member support as well.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I stand today to say that Our Lord has a new angel. Edrie Maurice Talley Parrish went to be with Our Lord on October 4, 2011. A beloved mother, grandmother, and great- grandmother, Edrie will be missed tremendously by all who were fortunate enough to have met this amazing woman. Edrie was born to Robert and Mai Belle Talley on July 20, 1921, on the family's farm in Collin County, Texas, near the town of Frisco. When she was just 3 years old, she lost her father to pneumonia but continued to honor him through many great achievements in her long, rich life. Edrie graduated from Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Texas, and soon after moved with her mother to Denton where she began attending North Texas State Teachers College, now known as University of North Texas. While in Denton, she met and married Herbert C. Parrish. Not long after their August 12, 1941, nuptials, the young couple packed their bags and moved across country to Columbus, Ohio, so Herbert could earn his Doctorate in mathematics. While in Columbus, Edrie finished her Bachelor of Arts in Institutional Management at Ohio State University. Shortly after the completion of both of their studies, Edrie and Herbert moved back to Denton in 1949 where Herbert accepted a job as a professor in the department of mathematics at North Texas State College and Edrie threw her boundless energy into raising a family of three. She led a very active role in all of her children's activities, including being a Cub Scout leader and working with the Girl Scouts, and 4-H Club. She was well loved at Grace Temple Baptist Church in Denton where she was an active member of the congregation for half a century. Her contributions to her church family include volunteering in the community and mission of her church, teaching Sunday school, committee service, visiting the sick and homebound, and helping out in numerous community service projects. Edrie was preceded in death by her husband Herbert C. Parrish; and her sister Cloe Rita Talley Peck. She is survived by her three children: Byron Parrish of Brookline, Massachusetts; Norman Parrish of The Woodlands, Texas; and Roberta Parrish Starbird of Austin, Texas; seven grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor and the proud parent of two young boys--adopted young boys--whose family exists only because two women in two difficult situations in two different States chose life and gave us a family, I am proud to rise in strong support of the rule to allow the House to consider the Protect Life Act, led by my friend and colleague, Congressman Joe Pitts. Over a year ago, President Obama's health care plan was signed into law--despite a strenuous outcry by the American people--without significant and substantial prohibitions on federal funding for abortion. This funding of abortion through insurance plans, community health centers, and other programs created by the new health care law could have been avoided. But such language was intentionally left out. There have been restrictions on abortions and subsidies for over 30 years, beginning with the Hyde amendment in 1976, and I'm proud that today we are acting in that spirit. Regardless of whether you are pro-choice or, like me, strongly pro- life, Americans have always agreed we will not use federal tax dollars to subsidize or incentivize abortion. And you don't have to take my word for it. In poll after poll, more than 60 percent of Americans oppose using Federal funding for abortions. More recently, two-thirds of Americans said we shouldn't subsidize health insurance that includes abortions. The President's health care plan fails to provide real conscience protection for health care providers who decline to participate in abortions by mandating that they not be discriminated against because of their religious faiths. The bottom line is that this bill we take up today strikes an important balance. It makes sure your Federal tax dollars are not used to subsidize abortions in the President's plan, and we make sure that people and institutions are able to care for their patients and are not forced to violate their moral principles. I strongly urge my colleagues to respect America's conscientious objections to abortion by voting for the rule and by voting for the Protect Life Act.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield the gentleman an additional 15 seconds.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. We have two more and then closing. At this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Frelinghuysen), the chairman of the Energy and Water Subcommittee for Appropriations. (Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I would like to inquire as to how many speakers we have remaining, if I may.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield myself 10 seconds. I would point out in manufacturing we actually run a trade surplus with our trading partners, including NAFTA, selling much more products there. It's our trade deficit with our nontrade agreement partners that we have troubles with. Panama is a surplus for America. I now yield 2 minutes to a key member of the Ways and Means Committee, who has helped lead the freshman class in opening new markets and finding new customers, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Reed).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I thank the chairman for yielding time. I first want to thank Chairman Camp and Speaker Boehner for insisting that the White House submit the Panama trade agreement along with those of Colombia and Korea to ensure that we open all three markets equally to American farmers, manufacturers, service, and technology companies. But for your work, we would not be here today. This agreement is long overdue. As families know, the world has changed. It's not simply enough to buy American; we have to sell American all throughout the world. Panama is a dynamic new market for America with almost 9 percent a year in economic growth--far stronger than our own. Panama is important to our manufacturers in America, it's important to our farmers, it's especially important to our service companies because so much of Panama's economy matches up beautifully with America's economy. With the expansion of the Panama Canal, you're going to see increased cargo at our ports, increased jobs along our coasts, and lower prices in products in America as well. Critics will say, Panama is too small an economy. Why do we bother? In this dismal economy in America, every sale, every job counts. From Europe to Canada, to Thailand, to Singapore, and many more, our competitors negotiate sales agreements with Panama because they know those customers matter. Critics say, Panama is a tax haven. Why are we doing this agreement? But those simply aren't the facts. They also often say that labor rights aren't what they ought to be. Panama has passed more than a dozen labor laws that dramatically commit to raising the standard of labor protections in that country. They have passed tax information agreements with America and with other countries around the world, so much so that they are now considered in standing on tax transparency equal to the United States. This is a valued ally in a strong and growing part of the world that, frankly, has waited far too long. It is embarrassing that it has taken 4 years to bring this agreement to the floor. But today it is here. Today, we will signal we are going to open those markets, that we are going to strengthen our ties, and that we are going to pass this sales agreement with Panama.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield 2 minutes to the chairman of the Agriculture Committee and a champion of new markets, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to a freshman lawmaker who represents a region of Texas where international trade means jobs, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Canseco).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, to close, I am proud to yield the balance of my time to a champion for job creation in America, the majority leader of the House, Mr. Cantor.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Yes, I am.