Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, for the Record, there is only one party that fought hard to make sure our seniors had life-saving drugs, even though our colleagues across the aisle had 8 years of the White House and control of the Senate and never brought a bill to the floor to help our seniors with their medicines. And I'd point out that while many lobbyists in Washington support this bill, I've not heard from one hospital, not one nurse, not one physician, not one senior who supports this bill. 380,000, that's how many Texas elderly will likely lose their personal Medicare plan as a result of this bill. 107,000, that's how many seniors in the Houston-Beaumont-Huntsville region will see serious cuts in their Medicare Advantage plan, or be forced into other plans with less health care coverage as a result of $50 billion of unnecessary and drastic Medicare cuts. This is kid care versus Medicare. And only in the poisonous environment of Washington do politicians pit children against their grandparents. It is a cynical and a false choice that will leave many seniors stranded without the health care plan that fits their needs. I, like others, support covering more children for health insurance, but not at the expense of elderly. I sit on the committee charged with preserving Medicare, keeping seniors healthy; and these Medicare Advantage plans are the preferred plan for many of our Texas elderly. They're especially critical to our rural and low-income and minority seniors because they provide a comprehensive plan with medicines and emphasis on prevention. I also believe that before Congress expands CHIP to higher-income families, it should first help the children of low-income families which the program was designed to serve. Maybe we should subsidize the coverage for the bank president's kids, but shouldn't we first help the health care for the bank teller's kids? Texas, like many States, barely covers half of the children already eligible for this; and, as a Congress, our goal should be to cover the children of working poor first.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, if we want good jobs for our families, it is no longer enough to buy American; we have to sell American, sell our products and services throughout the world. The good news is that, since January, what we are selling overseas is growing faster than what America is buying from overseas. The way to sustain that positive trend is to keep finding new customers like Peru and Panama, Colombia and South Korea. If we are serious about creating better jobs, Congress should pass the U.S.-Korea free trade agreement this year. Korea is one of the top ten economies in the world. They are our seventh largest customer, and an even bigger customer for America's agricultural community. This agreement will give us access to nearly 50 million new customers and open the door to competing better in the entire Asian market, including against China. This agreement will lower border taxes and barriers to America's manufacturers, technology, insurance and financial services companies, our farmers and ranchers. This fall, Congress needs to spend less time settling old political scores and more time opening up markets for good old American products in Korea.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, this tax increase, however called, ripped from the headlines, ``Cayman Islands, tax cheats, tax dodgers, Caribbean.'' The only thing they didn't work in was Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan. The fact of the matter is I had planned to vote for this farm bill until this ``dark night'' tax increase. And here's the key. You hear them talk about 2002. The Treasury Department said ``close the loophole.'' There is a reason they're not talking about 2007, because since then, in the 5 years, this Congress closed those loopholes. The Treasury Department closed those loopholes. And that same Treasury Department they cite today says this is a tax increase that jeopardizes U.S. jobs, cuts investment to this country, violates tax treaties, and keeps companies from creating jobs in the United States. And it also punishes U.S. energy companies for exploring in our deep waters and for honoring their Federal contracts. This rule is a sham and deserves to be voted down.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, traveling to Iraq this past weekend to see firsthand how the surge is working, I really expected the worst. Instead, I am very encouraged. Communities all across Iraq are turning against al Qaeda and working with Iraqi and coalition forces to take back their cities. Half of Baghdad is no longer safe for insurgents. Al Qaeda is not down and out but clearly back on its heels, rejected by the very communities and religious leaders it claims to fight for. Now make no mistake, there are still serious challenges, including high-profile bombings, the need for Iraq's Government to resolve key issues now, and Iran's continued support for terrorism. But I am convinced the new strategy is working, and we have impressive leaders and impressive troops in place to see even more progress. Mr. Speaker, while Congress has the right to debate this war, it has the responsibility to help win it as well. That means letting this new strategy work through the end of the year, or the beginning of the next, if we are truly serious about a stable Iraq and a safer America.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, the Carol White Physical Education Program was named after a longstanding and dedicated public servant here on Capitol Hill. Carol White, a long-time Chief of Staff for Senator Ted Stevens, who aptly named this program because they have dedicated their lives to trying to make this country better inside our schools and out. This program provides the funding basically to help schools initiate and expand their physical education programs, which is just a great goal, and many of the grants have been used for playground equipment on schools. Physical education is important. I think we all know that. Our young people are becoming more and more static between video games and television shows and sometimes lack of outdoor recreation. We are seeing more obesity. It is important that PE be part of an integral curriculum of our schools. In fact, our States and local districts have targeted PE as an area that they want to reintroduce back to the curriculum for our children. The only reason I raise this program up is to have some type of thoughtful debate about who should fund PE programs and, more importantly, what should our Federal priorities be. I ask that because I know that today we are running a deficit. We have a major national debt. I know that every dollar that we spend above the deficit, and we will run a deficit again with the budget we are discussing today, but I know that every dollar that goes to our public debt is picked up by these same children we are trying to help where it will result in a tax increase for families. So it seems right and proper that we scrutinize every program regardless of how much we might admire the person it is named after. This program has been rated by the program assessment rating tool as the results not demonstrated at this point. I imagine that is why the President did not request funding for it. Like the chairman, who has identified apparently 200 or more programs for dismissal, we have to make tough choices. What we are seeking here is a simple question. In our rural schools and our smaller schools, they have the money to buy playground equipment or to build a swingset for kids. What they don't have is money to hire a special needs teacher. What they don't have is money to help kids read and write at grade level. What they don't have is money to help try to prevent the dropouts that are hitting our schools and a case where nearly half of our minorities in eighth grade or ninth and graduating to 12th grade. It just seems to me that from the Federal funding level, our local schools can afford a playground set. What we need to help them with is what they can't afford, which are teachers to help our special needs kids; equipment to help our kids with disabilities; teachers in science, in math, and technology subjects; food for kids who come to school hungry. Despite the merits and the goal which are so laudable for this program, it seems to me that we ought to set our highest priorities to help schools with what they cannot do today, which really is to help our kids read and write, to help our special needs students reach their potential, to try to stop this horrendous dropout rate in America. So I would propose that we, as the President suggested, not fund this program, reserve those resources. And, again, these are tough choices you always have to make through the process. It is not much fun either way. I am sure the chairman did not delight in cutting any of the programs that he had proposed. It is just a way that we try to get closer to a balanced budget and try to prioritize where we fund our schools and our kids and, again, try to make the greatest use of every tax dollar we have. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a good friend, devoted mother and grandmother, and outstanding advocate for service work in her community and throughout the country, Mrs. Sharon Wagner Braiteh. In 1995 she was one of the top five nominees for the Houston Mayors Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service. In 2000 she was recognized by the Legal Assistants Division of the State Bar of Texas with the Exceptional Pro Bono Award for her work with Child Advocates, the Texas Volunteer Lawyers Association, and as a speaker and educator in numerous HIV/AIDS events. In 2001 she was recognized by Catholic Charities as their volunteer of the year. She served six summers as a counselor for the Texas Children's Hospital/AIDS Foundation Houston CAMP H.U.G. She is a 2003 graduate of Project LEAP, and has served as a volunteer with the Texas Medical Center Hospice. She has also worked with the National Youth Leadership Forum on Medicine annually since 1998. In 2004 Sharon was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. As she had done before she immediately became involved in helping cancer patients throughout the country by becoming an integral part of the Angel Flight Organization that provides free air transportation for patients seeking treatment in major medical centers throughout the country. Despite her ongoing battle with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Sharon remains an integral part and member of her church, Palmer Memorial Episcopal, and as a member of the Community of Hope and Angel Flight continues to give aid and assistance to patients who come from out of town to the Texas Medical Center for treatment. The Rotary Club of Lake Conroe will plant a Texas native Live Oak Tree in Memory Park adjacent to the new Charles B Stewart Library in Montgomery in Sharon's honor to commemorate her efforts on behalf of all the causes she has championed and as a reminder to the citizens of Montgomery County, the entire Eighth District and all the world of her tireless and devoted efforts for those in need. Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring this outstanding woman and in applauding her work in expanding education and service to all who seek it and have benefited from it, and in inspiring many to love and serve, including her daughter who is nearing completion of her nursing degree at Lamar University.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill which would provide a short-term extension of current trade preferences to our Andean neighbors. I have always supported the Andean trade program designed to help create alternative jobs and economies to those in the drug trade and to offer hope to these nations. And it has worked. Millions of jobs have developed in the region in the flower industry, in agriculture, all that contribute to stabilization and economic growth, all of which are in America's interest. But preferences which are one-way trade into America aren't permanent. They aren't designed that way because they matter. The impact on American asparagus farmers, which has shrunk by a third as a result of these preferences is a good example. And that's why it's imperative that we work with our Andean neighbors to transition to two- way free trade agreements that balance and strengthen our relationships. Not only is two-way trade fair, but it benefits all parties by encouraging more permanent investment in nations where rule of law, property rights, democracy and higher labor environmental standards are insisted upon. This helps create even more jobs in the legitimate market, more so than the preferences do today. As an example, Peru's legislature today voted to amend our agreement that incorporates important labor and environmental provisions negotiated by Chairman Rangel, Ranking Member McCrery and others. Approving the pending free trade agreements with partners Peru and Colombia have significant security and foreign policy implications as well by strengthening our hand against President Chavez in Venezuela and his corrosive influence in the region. Mr. Speaker, I support the preference extension. We shouldn't disrupt current trade flows or hurt our friends in the region whose livelihoods depend upon this program, but we need to move forward in a timely manner with agreements with Peru and Colombia. I am hopeful that Ecuador and Bolivia understand that one-way preferences are temporary and require a good faith effort on their part to address outstanding trade and expropriation issues if they wish to continue.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the Jasper High School Bulldogs on their 3A Texas State Baseball Championship. Jasper, TX, is an enchanting town in southeast Texas and a proud part of the Eighth Congressional District. The Bulldogs stormed through the State Tournament outscoring their opponents 25-7, including a 14-4 victory in the final game to set a record for most runs in the 3A State Championship game. This was their first trip to the finals, after semi-final runs five previous times. Every member of the team contributed over their championship run and Ryan Ellis was named the most valuable player of the state tournament after he drove in four runs with three hits and pitched the final 2\1/ 3\ innings in relief of starter Aaron Stephenson. The Bulldogs played with a team mentality the entire season, and they should all be proud to call themselves champions. Members and staff of the Championship winning team include: Head Coach: Shawn Mixon; Assistant Coaches: Steve Smith, David Ford, Joey Brown; and Players: Malcolm Bronson, Ryan Ellis, Taylor Hart, Justin Parsons, Chantz Pryor, Blake Weller-Alexander, Jaylon Clotiaux, Robert Shellhammer, Aaron Stephenson, Cord Yates, Travis Reagan, John Bradley, Garrett Harrell, Fermin Gonzalez, Parker Phillips, Tyler Ernest, Ty Parker, Matthew Daniel, and Marx Marcantel. Madam Speaker, please join me in honoring the Jasper Bulldogs as they continue to be champions both on and off the field.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, my message today is to our State Department in Houston. We have a problem, a serious passport problem that reached a crisis stage. We have families who applied in February for their passports that have not received them yet. We have wives that can't meet their soldier husbands on leave from Iraq. We have families who aren't able to go to experimental surgery out of this country, families leaving for the last time before college together who are simply denied the opportunity to travel. Our passport offices are overwhelmed. Our people wait in line for hours, if not days, getting there at 4 o'clock in the morning. We appreciate the 20 additional staff the State Department sent. They are overwhelmed. We appreciate the 1-800 number. It is a middle man and causing more problems. We need more staff. We need more information call lines manned 24/7. We need more resources. It is wrong. As our constituents tell us, they feel like they are in a third-world country. We think they deserve better treatment than that; and this deserves immediate attention, immediate, absolute action by the State Department.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the 34th Annual National Emergency Medical Services Week, designated this year May 20-26, 2007. It is truly a privilege to honor these brave men and women who provide essential lifesaving services to our communities throughout the Eighth Congressional District. EMS Week serves as a time to honor and celebrate our medical emergency personnel. These men and women respond to tragedies and situations we pray never come to us or our loved ones. They respond at a moment's notice to people caught in unimaginable circumstances and work tirelessly to provide emergency treatment and offer hope. As children we all learned the value of stop, drop, and roll. Today our children learn those lessons and more that help keep them safe. From paramedics and EMTs to police officers and fire fighters, each serves a crucial role in keeping our communities educated and prepared to prevent future emergencies. As we observe EMS Week this year let us not forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice while performing their duty. These great men and women who have dedicated themselves to protecting and saving the lives of our loved ones should not be forgotten. The safety of our friends and families depends on individuals like them who arrive to work every day prepared to respond, protect, and save lives. As we celebrate this week I salute every hardworking American for their role in ensuring the safety of our communities. I also encourage you as residents to become aware of health and safety issues and familiarize yourself with emergency procedures. Let's all chip in and do our part to ensure our neighborhoods and streets remain safe for all to enjoy.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I don't know anyone in this body who intentionally turns their back on any communities. I do know that my district is Texas, but with redistricting I never know what State I may end up in. But as of this moment, I know my communities well and I think, just as Mr. Jefferson, just as Gene and others know their communities and how much heartache they've gone through, I feel strongly that this body ought to try to help equally communities devastated by the exact same hurricane. Our policy ought to be no second-class citizens in recovery and hurricane relief. Treat them equally for the same hurricane.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. If the question is did I vote for a housing fund that would turn its back on my communities, well, no, I did not vote for that housing fund.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I appreciate the gentleman from Georgia giving me a few minutes. I don't know anyone who would support a housing fund that turns its back on your citizens who were devastated by the fourth largest hurricane in gulf coast history. I also don't understand a Congress that has citizens compete against each other who have both lost their homes, who aren't just living in trailers. My people, maybe we have 1,700 living in trailers, but we have another 10 percent who don't live in trailers who can't even come back to the communities that they used to live in, can't even come back. They're not living in trailers. They've moved away. They can't come back because there is no housing. Their only fault apparently is that they were on the wrong side of the State line for the exact same hurricane, and it seems to me I would prefer not to pick a 70 percent, a 20 percent, a 10 percent figure. I wish there were a better way to do it. But I do know this. We ought not pit families against each other for competing for dollars that they all need and provide one on one State line all the help they can get and another, we just turn their back. I know how much this has harmed Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. There's no question about the need there. What I'm saying, there is an equal need for each family in southeast Texas who are poor, who are predominantly Democratic counties, heavily African American communities, the ones who rely and need this housing. I just think this body ought to look at all of them equally to provide that help if we can do it. Perhaps this body will turn its back on these people. Well, I will tell you what, when it came to Hurricane Katrina, they didn't turn their back on the evacuees from New Orleans. One little town of 500 took in 500 evacuees on the very first night, doubled their whole population just to help. We had folks in Orange who stayed up for 72 hours straight helping people from New Orleans on buses who had lost everything and lost families. These are the same people we're turning our backs on tonight. I don't know what the allocation is, Mr. Chairman, a fair one is. I honestly don't. I do know that we ought to provide equal help and equal hope to these communities devastated by the exact same hurricane.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. It is a negligible change for our friends in Louisiana and Mississippi. It is a huge help for the people in southeast and east Texas who have no homes.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the arguments that my friend from Louisiana has made, but I think it is important to understand that you can't tell someone in one State, your home is destroyed, your roof has been torn off, a tree has gone through it; but you are in this State, so we will help you. The exact same hurricane and the exact same devastation, forget it, take a hike. You deserve no help from us. I don't think any citizen in America who has seen their home destroyed ought to have to compete against someone else in another State to get Federal help. I mean, aren't we supposed to be treating our citizens equally? And when you have a hurricane that's devastated both sides of the State line, why are we dividing that hurricane along the State line? Mother Nature can't do it, and Congress shouldn't either. We should help those people, regardless. One hurricane, same treatment, same devastation. I think we have a moral responsibility to help people who no longer can return to their homes, whether it is in New Orleans or whether it is in Orange, Texas. We have the exact same moral responsibility to help, and I cannot see how we, as a government, can justify different treatments, treating one group as second-class citizens when they've done nothing but suffer devastating damage and open their own homes and hearts and churches to help others. It is wrong. Let's not divide this hurricane along State lines. Let's help these folks.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, we have had a lot of debate tonight about the need for the affordable housing fund. This amendment relates to what I hope will be the fairness of the affordable housing fund. Right now in the first year the allocation for the affordable housing fund is restricted to Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, but only in Louisiana and Mississippi. This is Hurricane Rita, the fourth largest hurricane in the gulf coast history. It was actually larger than Hurricane Katrina. On the Texas side, the area that I represent, as you can see here, we had 70,000 homes damaged or destroyed. That is 70,000 homes damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Rita. Today, 18 months after that hurricane, what no one in America knows is that 10 percent of those who fled Hurricane Rita have yet to return to southeast Texas. Ten percent have not come home because they have no home in southeast Texas. What this amendment does is provides a fair treatment for Texas communities devastated by Hurricane Rita. It takes the principle, same hurricane, same devastation, we should have same treat. Under this amendment, Louisiana and Mississippi would still receive the bulk of the allocation at 70 percent and 20 percent, and Texas would be eligible for 10 percent. My preference would be to not take a dime from Louisiana and Mississippi. I understand how devastated those communities are. But I have seen the devastation in our southeast Texas communities. Our roofs are torn off and our homes are destroyed. Our people can't come back to their communities because there is no housing. And these counties are predominantly Democratic, poor, with heavy African American populations. Ironically, these were the same counties across the Louisiana line who were the very first to open their homes and shelters and churches to those fleeing Hurricane Katrina. Yet today, they can't rebuild their own homes, they can't return to their own communities because this is often called ``the forgotten hurricane.'' What I am hopeful is that the current allocation is an oversight. And the fact of the matter is that the national media moved over so quickly over Hurricane Rita that not many people understand just how badly the communities were devastated. I am hopeful that the majority will agree with me that we don't divide a hurricane along State lines and don't provide different treatment for the same hurricane for the same communities. Where we don't have homeowners in Orange whose homes have been destroyed with no help, but their cousin down the road in Lake Charles gets the help they deserve. That is not what this government is about. Mr. Chairman, I urge support for my amendment. We ought not have two classes of citizens in America: Those who have help from hurricanes and those who are left stranded. I think this Congress is better than that.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to bring the House of Representatives' attention to the many accomplishments of the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System. This year marks the system's 100th year of providing the most advanced healthcare to the people of Texas. Though the Memorial Hermann name has only been in use since 1997, the hospitals that form this great healthcare system have been a cornerstone of the Houston medical community for over a century. Their story began in 1907 when Rev. Dennis Pevoto led an effort to purchase an 18-bed sanitarium in downtown Houston, and converted it into what would eventually become known as the Memorial Hospital System. Under its new leadership, the hospital would treat all patients, regardless of religion, race or their ability to pay--a mission that has not changed in the hospital's 100 year history. Seven years later, prominent Houstonian George H. Hermann bequeathed nearly $2.6 million for the construction of a hospital dedicated to treating the poor and sick of Houston. By 1925 the Hermann Hospital was accepting patients and opening a school of nursing. Eventually, the two hospitals would merge to form what is now known as Memorial Hermann. Throughout its first 100 years, the hospitals that now form the Memorial Hermann system have been at the leading edge of medicine and technology. Their many firsts include being the first general hospital in Texas to receive penicillin (1943), performing the first cardiac catheterization in Texas (1946), being the first hospital in the nation to be air conditioned (1949), establishing the first general practice residency in Texas (1957), establishing the first hospital-based speech clinic in the South (1965), being the first community hospital in the nation to offer routine hearing tests for newborns (1969), and performing the first ever hand transplant (1992). These accomplishments and many more have brought the medical professionals of Memorial Hermann national and international recognition as one of the best in the business. In fact, Memorial was first voted a ``Top 100'' hospital in the nation beginning in 1996. Today, the Memorial Hermann Healthcare System encompasses 16 hospitals employing nearly 19,000 throughout Texas. Its state-of-the- art facilities treat patients and train the nation's next generation of physicians across the state, including in my hometown of The Woodlands. Madam Speaker, the lives this wonderful hospital has touched are countless. I congratulate them on reaching this magnificent milestone and wish them the best for their next 100 years.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Gay Chionsini, a unique and caring friend that I personally had the pleasure of working with in the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce. Gay enjoyed a wonderful career with the Chamber and after nearly three decades of outstanding service decided to retire on April 30, 2007. Gay ended her career much the same way she started, as the face of the organization to all of its members and the community at-large. Like many others who have contributed to our community-based organizations and chambers all over Texas, Gay built strong relationships and a wealth of goodwill in and outside of the Beaumont business community. Gay's hard work, wisdom and dedication were critical in the day to day operation of the chamber and the achievement of its future goals. Gay has had a distinguished 28 year career working for the Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce and during that time served as the membership sales director, projects manager, office manager, executive secretary to the president, assistant to the director of public affairs, and secretary to the director of transportation. Gay and I had the pleasure of working together in the 1980's and I can tell you from first hand experience Gay was the consummate team player and I can not think of a better ambassador to the Beaumont community than Gay Chionsini. It is with deep respect and admiration that I commend Gay Chionsini for her 28 years of service to the Beaumont area, and wish her and her family the very best in retirement.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a dear friend and outstanding advocate for higher education, Mrs. Mary Matteson-Parrish. Mrs. Matteson-Parrish served on the North Harris Montgomery Community College District (NHMCCD) Board of Trustees from 1993 to 2005. During her tenure she served as Board Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Audit Committee Chair. While on the Board of Trustees, Mary co-chaired the citizen's committee which worked tirelessly to conduct a successful petition drive and election campaign that permitted the Conroe Independent School District to join NHMCCD in 1991 thus creating higher education opportunities for thousands of Montgomery County students and workers. In addition, Mrs. Matteson-Parrish's commitment to improving access and enhancing the educational opportunities for citizens led to the growth of the North Harris Montgomery College District from 6 to 11 independent school districts and the expansion of services and facilities from three campuses to five comprehensive colleges: North Harris College, Kingwood College, Tomball College, Montgomery College and Cy-Fair College. This week Montgomery College will name its art gallery the Mary Matteson-Parrish Art Gallery in testimony of the community's appreciation and respect for Mary's dedication to and leadership in providing high quality educational opportunities for the citizens of Montgomery County and the entire Eighth District of Texas. I join with these communities in honoring this outstanding leader and in applauding her work in expanding educational opportunities to all who seek to learn.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, our prayers are with the Virginia Tech families as well. Paying tax is bad enough, but the time it takes to figure them out, I think, is almost worse. You should not need an accountant to do your taxes or live in fear of making an honest mistake. For our children's sake, we need to sunset this Tax Code and replace it with something far simpler, like a flat tax or, my choice, a retail sales tax. Can you imagine never having to fill out a tax form again in your life? Can you imagine having the IRS completely and totally out of your life? Let's not forget we need to keep taxes low. Tax Freedom Day for Texas families is this Thursday. That is the first day since New Year's that Texas families will begin working for themselves, not for the government. My constituents are worried that the new Democrat budget allows President Bush's tax relief to expire, which would raise taxes $2,700 a year on our families. Washington needs to tighten its belt before it demands that our families tighten theirs.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Well, thank you. And I appreciate joining the two gentlemen from Georgia who continue to look out every day for the family's pocket books, rather than Washington's pocket books, which I fear is too deep. And the point I always try to make, I am in my 11th year in Congress, serve on the Ways and Means Committee, have worked on all of President Bush's tax relief. And I am convinced that Washington has all the money it needs. It just doesn't have all the money it wants. And there is a big difference between the two. And tonight, as you and I talk, millions of Americans are scrambling at the last minute to file their taxes, rummaging through cabinets and drawers and bank statements, anxious to try to comply with the complicated Tax Code. And they are willing to pay their fair share. But our code is so complex that they worry. Paying taxes is bad enough. But the time wasted in figuring them is almost worse. You shouldn't need an accountant to do your taxes, and you shouldn't live in fear of just making an honest mistake. For our sanity's sake, and I think for our children's sake, we really need to sunset this awful Tax Code and replace it with something far more simple, like a flat tax or my preference, a retail sales tax. And I love the retail sales tax because, can you imagine, can you imagine never having to fill out a tax return again in your lifetime? Never. Can you imagine the IRS being completely, totally out of your life forever? And as we talk about how complex this code is, let's not forget we need to keep our taxes low. Tax Freedom Day for Texas families is this Thursday. And that is the first day since New Year's that Texans will start working for themselves and not for the government. For the rest of the country, on average, you have still got two more weeks, April 30. In fact, most families in America will get to the fifth month of the year. Can you imagine? The fifth month of the year before they stop working for the government and start working for their dreams, for their families, for what they want to accomplish in life. And I think most of us would feel better if we felt that Washington wasn't wasting so much of our hard-earned money. My families are worried that the new Democrat budget allows President Bush's tax relief to expire, which would increase taxes on families in Texas $2,700 a year; $2,700 more for each, a typical Texas family. I talked over the April work period with Kirk and Sandy Noyes of the Woodlands; visited with Marty and Ty Drake in their home in Livingston; Buck and Ava Anderson of Cleveland in their living room; sat down in the kitchen with Ed and Connie Heiman of Magnolia; Elmer and Pauline Hensley of Lumberton; Pat and Ashley Canfield of Huntsville. We talked about what that $2,700 would mean to their families, and they talked about the medical bills for their young children because co-pays and deductibles add up so quickly. They talked about car insurance, how expensive that is. Marty Drake is a police officer. He said, You know, I will work overtime, all of my high school football games, use all that money just to pay that extra bill. One woman, who is it? Connie Heiman in Magnolia, she works at a doctor's office just so she can pay the health care. And she said, We don't have any extra money. And her husband runs the flooring store in Magnolia. He said, I can't work longer. I work 6\1/2\ days a week as it is. And my belief is that we are, despite what Washington thinks, we are an overtaxed Nation. And all you need to do is look at your own day to understand it. We wake up in the morning, get in the shower, we pay a water tax. We grab a cup of coffee, pay a sales tax. Drive down to work, pay a fuel tax. At work we pay, not just payroll tax but income tax as well. Get home at night, flip on the switch, walk in the door, turn on the lights, pay the electricity tax, pick up the phone, pay a telephone tax, turn on the TV, pay cable tax, kiss our wife goodnight, pay a marriage penalty tax and we do that every day of our life. And when we die, we pay a death tax. We are an overtaxed Nation. And in my belief, we need to continue, not just for our economy, but for our families, we need to continue President Bush's tax relief because our families can't take this extra hit. The marriage penalty will come back to life. That is wrong. In fact, Ways and Means, and I will finish with this, because we have other Members who need to visit as well. But we did the tax relief not for grins and giggles, but for two important reasons. One was fairness. The marriage penalty is unfair. The death tax is unfair. The State and local sales tax structure, it was unfair for other States to have an advantage. And another reason is to spur this economy. After 9/11, we took three big hits: 9/11, the recession and the wonderful Enrons and WorldComs of the world. Our economy took huge hits. We targeted tax relief, and we have had 40 straight months of job growth, created 7.5 million new jobs. We are going to risk that? We are going to risk this strong economy raising taxes on families and small businesses? It doesn't make sense. My belief is Washington needs to tighten its belt before we ask our families and small businesses to tighten theirs.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 1 minute to make the point that under President Clinton's watch we did have a strong economy. It turned out that much of it was false, based on the supposed paper accounts of Enron and WorldCom and others. Too many families woke up after the Clinton administration and realized that retirement fund they had counted on their whole life wasn't worth the paper it was written on. And I will make the point, too, that after the attacks of 9/11, after this recession, after this administration handled the fallout of this recession, that we bounced back with tax relief that created 7.6 million new jobs in America. We are going in the right direction. Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence), former head of the Republican Study Committee and one of our leaders on fiscal discipline. (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)