Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the hard work and dedication of Colenia Canfield who has spent the last four years hand crocheting lap robes for veterans at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC). The Michael E. DeBakey VA Center is one of the best veteran health centers in the nation. Last year alone they logged over 650,000 outpatient visits. Most of these dedicated veterans are from Houston and south-east Texas. As a member of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 305 of American Legion Post 305 in The Woodlands, TX. Ms. Canfield wanted to express her appreciation for the service these veterans have rendered to this country. She wanted them to know that she and thousands of the others in our community are grateful for their sacrifice that has kept our country free. A good friend suggested Colenia should use her talent to crochet as a way to bless area veterans. In October 2000, she started to crochet lap robes for the veterans receiving care at the DeBakey Medical Center. Colenia hasn't stopped crocheting since. Colenia Canfield completed her first robe on October 14, 2000 and has recently completed her 200th robe. Each robe consists of 81 squares that are eight inches by eight inches and takes 80 hours of hand crochet labor each to complete. She intends to make the lap robes as long as we have veterans. Colenia Canfield's dedication and love of this country and the brave veterans who have dedicated their lives to defending it should be an inspiration to us all. Mr. Speaker, please join me today in honoring Colenia Canfield. All of the residents of The Woodlands, Texas, and the 8th Congressional District are grateful for her dedication and service to our nation's veterans.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, listening to my colleague from Vermont, we have been neglected to be told that free trade is also responsible for obesity, male pattern baldness and the breakup of the Beatles. The fact of the matter is that America needs new customers for our farm products, for things we are manufacturing. The principle involved here is, the principle is that if America builds a better product, we ought to be able to sell it without discrimination throughout the world. If someone else builds a better product, a better mousetrap, we ought to be able to buy it for our families and for our business. America needs more customers like Australia. In Texas, this trade agreement means some 12,000 jobs for our State. It is good for our farmers. It is good for our manufacturers. On the day it goes into place, 99 percent of Australian penalties on products built in Texas and the U.S. will disappear. That is good for our workers. It is good for our farmers. It is great for our consumers. This is a trade agreement that is excellent for U.S. manufacturers and the workers who work for them.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Yes, the gentleman is correct.

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

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote, and pending that, I make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will continue to yield, in the States that have used that, yes, that is correct; but it has rarely happened. It has been the tool for Congress to come together on reviewing it. Yes, sir.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today with my colleague the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) to offer the elimination of obsolete agencies and Federal sunset amendment. President Reagan once said, The closest thing to immortality on this earth is a Federal program. President Carter said, ``Too many Federal programs have been allowed to continue indefinitely without examining whether they are accomplishing what they were meant to do. The country's needs and priorities change, and we must assure that government programs change with them.'' That is why he supported a Federal sunset law. Republicans and Democrats can agree together that our Federal Government is simply too wasteful. In a time of war and deficits, we need to make sure that every dollar counts. A Federal sunset law is a proven and thoughtful way to balance obsolete Federal programs, eliminate duplication and hold every Federal agency accountable to taxpayers. The sunset law creates a bipartisan, 12-member sunset commission, appointed half by the House and half by the Senate, half by Republicans and half by Democrats. It assigns an expiration date to every Federal agency and program. It requires them to justify their existence to taxpayers, not their value 50 years ago when they were created, but does it justify our precious tax dollars today. The problem is that once a program is created Congress clones it again and again. The average Federal program duplicates five others. At last count, there were 64 separate welfare programs, over 100 different job training programs, and over 300 economic development programs stretched over 13 separate agencies. With our deficit so large, and Congress constantly scratching for resources to meet America's true priorities, can we afford this wasteful spending? Best of all, under this Act, there are no sacred cows. Every agency is held equally accountable and must regularly prove to taxpayers that it deserves our precious tax dollars today. The days where Federal programs live to eternity whether they are needed or not will be over. For the first time, we tell Federal programs to put up or shut up, produce or leave, and then Congress can invest those precious tax dollars in programs and people that succeed and not one dime for those that do not. Successful programs thrive under sunset, and this program works. More than over half the States in America have sunset acts. In Texas, where I served in the legislature, they have thoughtfully eliminated some 44 programs and saved State taxpayers over a billion dollars. Results vary from State to State; but with a strong commitment, this can work well in the Federal Government as well. Savings alone are not the only benefit. It is amazing how responsive agencies become in the years prior to sunset. Treating taxpayers promptly, fairly, and with respect becomes a key to their survival, just like in business, and just the way government should always treat our taxpayers. Legislatively, sunsetting often causes agencies to hew much closer to legislative intent because they know they face a regular thorough examination in future years. The Federal sunset amendment has strong support across the political spectrum. My Democrat colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner), who is at an important national security briefing as we speak, is a strong champion for this. We have support from everyone from Common Cause to American Conservative Union. We have broad support across the Members of Congress in this House. And in a recent national survey, over 77 percent of American taxpayers believe this would be helpful for cutting wasteful spending and spending our precious tax dollars where they belong. This is a powerful tool. Let us set sunset on wasteful spending. We can do better. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner).

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I know that this resolution is offered in good faith, but this is just a terrible idea for America. It offers something for nothing, like we often do here in Washington, D.C. We say, let's tax a few people behind the tree over there, the super wealthy, and then let's give everyone else in America something good. It almost sounds like a lot of things, too good to be true, and it is. Let us start with the tax increase. They will tell you it is for the super wealthy, but eight out of the 10 people that they propose to tax more are just small businesspeople. Eighty-three percent of those in this category are small businesspeople who do not file as big corporations but rather as individuals like you and me. And so we are not talking about taxing Bill Gates. We are talking about taxing Bill's dairy farm, Bill's print shop and Bill's grocery stores. Make no mistake, when we tax them more, we will send 130,000 Americans out of their jobs, out of work because we chose to tax these small businesses at a time we are just recovering our economy as a Nation. And then it promises spending increases on good things, no question about it. But here is the catch. The tax increase is for 2 years. The spending goes on forever. At the end of 10 years, not only have we cost 130,000 people their jobs, we have added $130 billion to the national debt. 130,000 jobs we lose, $130 billion we add to this debt. This is a terrible idea. I will finish with this. What we ought to be doing is cutting wasteful spending up here. In Washington, every program duplicates five others. We have got 340 economic development programs stretched across 13 different agencies. We waste your money just horribly. If we want to increase spending on certain areas, I am all for it as long as we cut out the horrible waste we have. The bottom line is Washington has all the money it needs, it just does not have all the money it wants, and it needs to learn the difference.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I first want to thank the chairman and ranking member for their leadership on this issue and say that I fully support their efforts to make our Nation more secure. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Green) has been a champion of the public safety institute. I fully support this effort. I hope the chairman will take this great idea into consideration.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure. My older brother is a computer salesman in Houston, Texas, and when he and his American colleagues try to sell their American products overseas, they find they have an anchor around their neck. It is the American Tax Code. It is so outdated that it really costs us American jobs and American workers. This bill changes that. It gives us a chance to compete overseas, and we help local manufacturers build and local farmers grow and local companies sell by lowering their tax rates so they can hire new workers, so they can buy new equipment, so they can compete wherever they choose to be sell. This provision also includes a sales tax deductibility to help families afford clothes and cars and tires, and all that adds up over the years. It allows taxpayers in each State to choose the highest of their State income or their State sales tax. It is a direct economic boost to families to help them afford it. It is very important to States like Texas, which will capture almost, I think, $1 billion for families through this, and it provides a measure of fairness. We are pushing for permanency. That will come. But this is a major victory for sales tax States.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, heaven is a little sunnier and little more optimistic with the arrival of one of the greatest American patriots and Presidents of the 20th Century, President Ronald Reagan. He inspired me, as he did many others. Across the country and around the world, millions are mourning the death and remembering the life of this man, patriot, and President. There is a sense of profound loss, and rightly so, in a the hearts of all Americans. This week we will all search for a way to pay our respects to a man who made it ``morning in America'' again. President Reagan's message of hope restored America's faith in what we could become. He loved this country, and he believed in the people that called it home. His optimism was infectious and at the end of his term as President--Americans had caught his vision and understood their place in the world. Reagan's stewardship ushered in an era of peace and economic prosperity. Reaganomics--reducing the size of government, allowing Americans to keep more of their own hard earned money instead of having it taxed away--brought about an economic revival in our nation. Reagan's leadership ended the Cold War, brought down the Berlin Wall, and charted a new course for both America's and the world's future. A future that was secure--made possible by ``peace through strength.'' We would do well to bear this wisdom in mind as we continue to defend America against the threats posed by adversaries. It is very difficult for one person or a single nation to pay tribute to a life as big, as bold, and as heroic as Ronald Reagan's. His own words are perhaps the best testament of his convictions. His actions are the most sincere depictions of the character that defined his life. His humility and grace endeared him to all American's hearts. In announcing to the world that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, Mr. Reagan wrote, ``Let me thank you, the American people, for giving me the great honor of allowing me to serve as your president. When the Lord calls me home, whenever that day may be, I will leave with the greatest love for this country of ours and eternal optimism for its future. I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.'' President Reagan's legacy will live on in the hearts and memories of all Americans. His integrity, dignity and wisdom are immortal and will challenge us each day to `act worthy of ourselves'--worthy of America. Thanks to Ronald Reagan--there are bright days ahead for America.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Abu Ghraib prison guards in Iraq betrayed their fellow soldiers and our Nation with their indefensible acts. But this past week in Washington watching some Members of the House and Senate exploit this behavior to degrade our entire military and just score political points, I believe they betray our troops as well. It is never wrong to seek the truth, and we will find it in Abu Ghraib. But let us not make a bad situation worse with ill-chosen words and broad accusations. I reject the claim that ``Saddam's torture chambers reopened under new management, U.S. management.'' I reject those who malign the character of our entire military. And I reject those around the world who clamor that the prison guards reform the values of America, our soldiers, or our President. They are wrong. The real truth is that over 130,000 American fighting men and women endanger their own lives in Iraq each day. They serve far from the comfort of their families for long periods of time. The rest of the world should be down on its knees every night thanking them for it. We are. I have a message for our troops: Ignore the blowhards in Washington. Do not listen to the national media. You are good and decent people fighting for our freedom and security. Your friends and families know this. America knows this. We are with you.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. It really is, and I think as more Americans examine the fair tax, the more they get excited about it because I am convinced, as you are, that our kids do not have to live under the same complex, burdensome income tax code we have. The fact that the IRS is so deeply involved in our lives and our businesses' lives, that does not have to happen. There is no one that says that has to be part of American life. In fact, our traditions and our principles are just the opposite. We ought to have the freedom to choose, and we should do it not based on what the Tax Code encourages us to do, as the gentleman pointed out, whether it is in the board room or in our living rooms, but what do we need and how are we going to choose to use our money. I will close with this. We have other Members here who are excited about this proposal as well, but I leave with the thought that we would push power out of Washington and give it back to the people, let them make their choices based on their decisions, and I know the gentleman and I believe the same thing. Given the choice between government and people, I have more faith in people to make the right decisions about their American dream than we do; and I think the fair tax gives them that power, gives them the economic boost and ensures that we have jobs and important programs like Social Security forever. So I applaud the gentleman's leadership on this issue.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me say, too, I serve on the Committee on Ways and Means and like the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) have seen firsthand just how horrible a Tax Code we have. I knew it was bad before going on the committee. I had no idea just how horrible and burdensome it is. It is just impossible to comply with. It takes so much energy out of our economy. It is so complex; there are so many loopholes. You have got a secretary of a corporation who could be paying more than the CEO, and that is just not right. It seems to me, too, that we tax all the good attributes of Americans, people who go to school to learn a skill, those who get married, those who start a family, go to work, start a business, invest for the future, save for retirement, build up a farm or a business to pass down to their kids. Those are the people we tax the most, regulate the most through our Tax Code. It seems to me people are smart, and when you tax them, punish them for doing the right thing, they start thinking about doing something else. The fair tax, which my colleague is the leader of, I think reverses all that; and instead of taxing investment and hard work and savings, it taxes consumption and does it one time, at its final place of consumption. It does not tax used items. It does not tax business, buying something else from a business to create a product. It taxes it one time, and while at first I think for a lot of Americans you say we are going to have a 23 cent sales tax, their first reaction is a big gasp. Then you start talking about can you imagine if you kept all of your paycheck, not some of it, all of your paycheck, because I have got 23 percent coming out of my paycheck already. A lot of people seem to have the same. Then can you imagine that when you go to the grocery store and buy a loaf of bread or you go to the auto dealership and buy a car or to a Realtor and buy a home, which we all cherish, can you imagine not paying the high prices in that product from all the taxes built up, from the cars, everyone who manufactures and builds the homes and constructs the lights and does the electrical items in there, and we pay the price of their taxes? At a home, people who lay the foundation, who frame the house up, the plumbers, electricians, every part of their bill adds on the taxes they have to pay; and ultimately, my wife and I have to pay that. Can you imagine not having to pay those extra prices? Then can you imagine that the person next to you in the grocery store pays the same amount that you do? There is no loophole. There is no exemption. There is no special treatment for people. All Americans pay the same amount. I know, too, that, one, we are going to see prices go down, and people often say, well, I am not sure businesses would lower the price. Well, they do not have a choice. In America, consumers are king. All you need to do is go on the Internet and search for anything you want from a car to a toaster. My wife wanted a reciprocating saw, of all things, for Mother's Day, probably one of the strangest Mother's Day gifts I have given. We could search down to the penny throughout the country. There is intense competition and businesses are going to have to lower their prices to meet our consumer demand. We are going to see a boost in the economy; and as the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins) said, for the first time we are going to take this tax off of American products being sold overseas, and it is going to be placed on products coming into America. So for the first time, other countries are going to pay a share of the taxation here in America. We are going to create jobs, and we are going to capture that underground economy. Then the final point is on Social Security and Medicare. This is probably, besides reforming Social Security to transition to traditional retirement accounts, which we have to do for our young people. I think the only way we can fund Social Security for our seniors is to go off the payroll tax, which is declining, fewer and fewer workers for more and more seniors. We are reaching a crisis point, and put it on something stable and growing like sales tax, which as the gentleman said will triple the amount of Americans paying into preserving Social Security.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Georgia's leadership with this issue. I have to be honest, I have been real excited about this chance to talk about the fair tax because I think it really is the future of America. Let me just preface my remarks with the events of today. I was commuting from Texas to Washington. As I got off the plane, I learned today about American Nick Berg's murder by his al Qaeda captives. It took a great deal of air out of my balloon today just because of the barbarism of it all, and I think it is important for America to understand, for terrorists, for our enemies, this is not retaliation. It is routine. We have seen it in the beheading of Daniel Pearl and the mutilation of American workers. Yet again today, America is not to forget who we are fighting and how serious they are to defeat us. We have to unite in this test of wills against international terrorism because if we do not prevail, if we back off, if we lose our backbone, I do not believe any nation, any country, any community will be safe again; and I hope Nick Berg's family and friends understand how heavy a heart we all have tonight. And in our discussion of how to improve America, it is one of the reasons why Nick went over to Iraq in the first place.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the week of April 19 as National Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases Awareness Week. Primary immune deficiency diseases are genetic disorders in which part of the body's immune system is missing or does not function properly. The World Health Organization recognizes more than 150 primary immune diseases which affect as many as 50,000 people in the United States. Fortunately, 70 percent of PIDD patients are able to maintain their health through regular infusions of a plasma product known as intravenuous immunoglobulin. IGIV helps bolster the immune system and provides critical protection against infection and disease. I am familiar with primary immune deficiencies because one of my constituents, Carol Ann Demaret, is the mother of a child born with severe combined immunodeficiency. Her son David struggled with this terrible disease his entire life before passing away at the age of 12. Because the disease left David without a functioning immune system he became known as the ``bubble boy'' due to his confinement in an insulating bubble that protected him from infection. Since David's death, Carol Ann has become a tireless advocate for the primary immune deficiency community. She has testified before Congress in support of increased federal funding for biomedical research focused on these devastating diseases. Carol Ann is also a longstanding member of the Board of Trustees of the Immune Deficiency Foundation, which is the nation's leading organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for PIDD patients. Recently, the Foundation entered into an historic research partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. The establishment of the ``US Immunodeficiency Network'' represents the most significant advancement in primary immune deficiency research in our nation's history. I was pleased to work with the Carol Ann, the Foundation, and my colleagues in the House to make this research consortium a reality. Despite the recent progress in PIDD research, the average length of time between the onset of symptoms in a patient and a definitive diagnosis of PIDD is 9.2 years. In the interim, those afflicted may suffer repeated and serious infections and possibly irreversible damage to internal organs. That is why it is critical that we raise awareness about these illnesses within the general public and the health care community. Mr. Speaker, I commend the Immune Deficiency Foundation for its leadership in this area and I am proud to join them in recognizing the week of April 19 as National Primary Immune Deficiency Diseases Awareness Week. I encourage my colleagues to work with us to help improve the quality of life for PIDD patients and their families.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and pay tribute to the life and memory of Sergeant First Class Gary Collins, a brave soldier, a devoted husband, and loving father who sacrificed his life in the defense of freedom on November 8, 2003, in Fallujah, Iraq. Sergeant First Class Collins was respected and loved by all who knew him, especially the friends and neighbors that watched him go from an outstanding leader and student athlete at Magnolia High School to decorated career Army veteran of unit A Co 1-16th Infantry (Mechanized), of the 1 Brigade Combat Team at Ft. Riley, KS. Born, May 18, 1971, in Beaumont, TX, Gary Collins entered the Army shortly after graduating from Magnolia High School in 1990. Two short years later, he married his high school sweetheart, Kassie Kennedy. Together they have two beautiful daughters, Taylor age 9 and Landry age 7. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends during this time. True to the Army motto, ``This we'll defend,'' Sergeant Collins defended the soil of the United States and protected the liberty of her citizens in Bosnia from 1999-2000, in Korea from 2001-2002, and ultimately with his life in Iraq late last year. Sergeant Collins career is marked by numerous commendations among them, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and a Meritorious Service Medal. Through the course of his career he was awarded five Army Commendation Medals, seven Army Achievement Medals, three Good Conduct medals, and two National Defense Service Medals, the list continues totaling thirty-six commendations, ribbons, and medals. Mr. Speaker, please join me today in honoring the life and service of Sergeant First Class Gary Collins, an American hero. All of the residents of Montgomery County, TX, and the eighth Congressional Distract are grateful for his service and dedication to this Nation.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1997, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and want to thank my colleague from Pennsylvania for introducing it. Sadly, in America today an individual who commits a Federal crime of violence against a pregnant woman receives no additional punishment for killing or injuring the woman's unborn child while committing the crime. America's mothers and their unborn children deserve better. When the crime involves two victims, the law must protect and provide justice for both. The legislation we are considering today, H.R. 1997 would make it a separate Federal crime to hurt or kill an unborn child during the commission of a Federal crime against a pregnant woman. Over half of the States in our country currently recognize both the mother and the unborn child as victims of violent crimes. In fact, just last week the Commonwealth of Kentucky enacted a fetal homicide law in response to public attention to a recent tragedy in that State where 18-year-old Ashley Lyons and her unborn son, Landon, were killed. As both a strong supporter of victim's rights and a pro-life advocator, I recognize that the voices of members of families who have lost loved ones--born and unborn--in crimes of violence, are an important part of the debate over this important bill. Carol Lyons, Ashley's mother, says, Nobody can tell me that there were not two victims--I placed Landon in his mother's arms, wrapped in a baby blanket that I had sewn for him, just before I kissed my daughter goodbye for the last time and closed the casket. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed this bill in 1999 and again in 2001. In both cases, it was never brought up for a vote in the Senate. However, this year we finally have an opportunity to finally enact this legislation into law. Recent violent crimes involving the murder of young pregnant women and their unborn children have captured national attention and brought to light the judicial plight family members of victims face when they seek justice. I also strongly oppose the substitute amendment being offered by Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren. Her amendment fails to recognize the unborn child as a victim of a crime, even in circumstances when the perpetrator acts with specific intent to kill the unborn child. A vote in favor of the Lofgren substitute is a vote to codify the doctrine that an attack on a pregnant woman has only a single victim, even when the mother survives and the baby dies.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, because in America when both spouses pay into Social Security, the formula, the way it works, is that if their husband passes away, which normally happens first, she keeps all of her Social Security. Then she keeps all of his minus hers. That is the formula. For those in government pensions, like teachers, it is almost the exact same formula. They keep their retirement plus their husband's minus only \2/3\. So I appreciate this is an issue dear to the gentleman from Texas's (Mr. Lampson) heart, but under the formula today, that teacher, that government worker already keeps more of their spouse's Social Security than the rest of America. And if we keep the loophole open, they gain nearly twice as much as the family that worked exactly the same hours, paid exactly the same money in, and whose husband died exactly at the same time. We are creating those two classes of families in America, and that is what we are trying to stop.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise on behalf of the 99 percent of the seniors in America who do not have a special loophole. I rise on behalf of the 99 percent of the widows in America who do not have a special loophole. What we are discussing today is a situation where a very select few in America, sort of a second class, a higher class of citizens in America, get to keep a lot of Social Security, where their next-door neighbor who has paid into Social Security all their life get to keep much less. What we are talking about here is a special loophole. The way it works today is that most of us pay into Social Security. My wife pays into Social Security. The husband pays into Social Security. But there are some who work for local governments or who are teachers like in Texas where they do not contribute to Social Security at work. They have a substitute, in this case a teacher retirement system. That is where their payroll taxes go. And very few of them have found a loophole in the law from 25 years ago that allows them to escape the formula that everyone else in America is applied to and receive much more in benefits than we will ever dream of receiving. Here is the way the loophole works. In Texas, a teacher works their whole life, but they do not contribute to Social Security. Under this loophole, if they will take their last day and go to another school district and pay that school district to work for them, think about it, they pay $500 so they can work one day at minimum wage for a school district. And, in return for working that one day at minimum wage, contributing about $3 into Social Security, they receive on average $93,000 of Social Security retirement that no one else in America gets, literally no one else in America gets, the teacher in New York does not get, the nurse in Iowa does not get. The cleaning lady in our offices up here does not get this. Let us compare how it works in real life so we can all see how it affects us and just what this loophole means. Take a look at the average Social Security recipient in America. The husband is getting about $1,000 a month for Social Security; the wife's monthly retirement is $700. For most of us, almost everyone who pays into Social Security, when that husband dies and the widow has her benefits, for 99 percent of America her benefits are going to be $1,000 a month, using this example, which, by the way, is exactly the average for Americans. For those who are in government pensions, the ones who do not pay into Social Security, they receive more. Those widows receive $1,233 more. They keep more of Social Security, having not paid into it, than those who have paid their whole life into it. That is the way the formula works. But under the loophole we are closing today, it is even more outrageous. If we leave this loophole open, the teacher who only worked one day in Social Security will receive $1,700 in monthly benefits, far greater than the widow who worked her whole life in Social Security. Amazingly, the loophole permits a spouse who only contributed to Social Security for one day to receive so much more than the widow who worked her whole life in Social Security, her whole life, and who receives a pittance of what this loophole provides for \1/100\ of 1 percent of all Americans. We cannot have two classes of families in America, those who have loopholes for Social Security and those who do not. This loophole is unfair to working families. It drains hundreds of millions of dollars from the Social Security Trust Fund, which is why senior groups say close this loophole now. And it deserves to be closed. Let me make a final point here. Under this loophole in Texas today, we have great teachers. We have wonderful teachers. My sister-in-law is one. We are here because of our teachers. But teachers are inherently fair, I think, like the rest of Americans; and if we look at loophole today, this college professor who worked one day in Social Security receives a ton of the money, but the cleaning lady in our offices receives a small fraction of it. If we leave the loophole open, the school superintendent who makes $200,000 a year keeps a ton of Social Security. The checkout lady at the grocery store who has worked her whole life and still working now, she gets a pittance of it. The teacher in Texas gets a ton of money. The teacher in Iowa and Ohio and New York and California gets a pittance. Those who want to keep this loophole open want to create two classes in America. It is inherently unfair to do that. It is right to close this loophole. It is wrong to have two classes of families in America. It is time to make Social Security fair.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. The husband.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Yes.