Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous materials in the Record on this bill.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden), the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, you have heard the mention of bipartisan work and bipartisan support on these issues, and Chairman Walden is exactly right. Not only have Members worked in a bipartisan way, but also our staffs have to answer the questions: How do we help to get the resources to our local and our State officials? How do we help to remove barriers so we can end this epidemic in our country? Last year, 63,632 Americans lost their lives to drug abuse and drug overdose, and 1,600 of those were Tennesseans. We can all tell you these stories, and I tell you as a mom and as a friend, so many times when you talk to families and talk to people who have been so affected and so impacted by this, they talk about family members and coworkers and individuals that they are in contact with every single day and how we need to work on this issue with opioids, with fentanyl, with heroin, with cocaine, these illicit drugs that are flooding our streets, as well as the pills. Now, last October, during a hearing when Dr. Gottlieb was before us and we were conducting oversight with the FDA, one of the things that he mentioned was there were some changes that they needed to see in Federal law. The number one change they needed was permission to work some changes in Federal statute for how they would work in these international mail facilities. As we have said, there are hundreds of millions of packages. As Congressman Green said, they cannot get ahead of the work. So we have come together. The Stop Illicit Drug Importation Act is something that will be helpful to getting the job done and getting these drugs off the streets. Indeed, they will never get to the streets. They will never get to the streets because there will be the ability to stop them and dispose of these drugs before they ever get to the streets. Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, this is an amendment that I propose each and every year because I think this is something that is worthy of discussion. We are facing $21 trillion in debt in this Nation. We have annual deficits that continue to climb. We have to look at how you are going to grow your way and cut your way out of this Nation's debt. Now, we know that this appropriations bill is something that is at $44.75 billion. A lot of hard work by the members of the Appropriations Committee has gone into this. We appreciate that they have made an effort to keep the spending down, even some years they have been below the level that was actually enacted the previous year. This year that is not the case. They are a little bit above, but they are working diligently, and I am grateful for that. I think we need to work a little bit harder, and that is why I bring this, a penny out of a dollar, one penny, making that type rescission in what we are spending, making certain that we are engaging rank-and- file Federal employees after they receive their appropriated funds, saying: ``Let's go back to the drawing board. Let's take one penny out of every dollar we spend.'' We are doing it for our children and our grandchildren, facing the fact that our Nation has a climbing debt. Now, Admiral Mullen said July 6, 2010: ``The greatest threat to our Nation's security is our Nation's debt.'' This is an issue that deserves a better effort. We have given it good efforts. Let's give it a better effort and give it our best effort to get this spending under control. The reason, with these discretionary funds, we say let's do it with across-the-board cuts is because across-the-board spending reductions work. It has been proven by many of our States, where Democratic and Republican Governors have made across-the-board reductions in order to get budgets in balance. It is done by cities; it is done by counties; it is done by the private sector; it is done by families. It is time for us to engage the bureaucracy and say to them: ``Find one penny out of a dollar and help us preserve our freedom for future generations.'' Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for the amendment. The Tennessee Valley Authority is something that is important to us and to the nearly 10 million Tennessee Valley ratepayers that they serve each and every single day. As the gentleman said, something is not broken, so it does not need the Federal Government to come in and try to fix it. Mr. Chair, I stand with the gentleman supporting the PMA's, the TVA, and those that are utilizers of this service.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, when you talk about where you are looking for money, it is coming out of the hardworking taxpayers' pocket. And what they say is, ``Do something about the debt,'' because they are the ones who are footing the bill. Now, it is easy for us to say, yes, the mandatory spending eats up most of the budget. That is very true. The chairman is correct on that. But is that a reason to not do something about discretionary? Absolutely not. Should we continue to exercise the ability to find efficiencies, to try to do more with less? Absolutely, we should. Should we make government more effective, more efficient, and more responsive? Should we utilize new technologies? Absolutely, we should, because every penny that we appropriate in this Chamber comes from the taxpayers of this Nation, who are working hard. They know government never runs out of an appetite for their money. They know that government is always going to ask for more. They are looking at the $21 trillion in debt. Let's take these steps. Let's cut a penny out of a dollar and do it because we know this debt is going to land on the heads of our children and our grandchildren. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, what an honor it is to stand here today and to celebrate the bipartisan work that has been done on this legislation and to bring it to this point. Indeed, this is something on which we can all agree: that the creative community, these wonderful creators, have that constitutional protection to what they create, the right to be compensated for their creation. And I am so appreciative that that has already been mentioned in this debate. Chairman Goodlatte said I come from music-loving Tennessee, and indeed I do. And we are so pleased that we are known as Music City and that, whether it is classical music or country or gospel, that you are going to hear music from every hill and every valley. And we treasure that creative community and protecting that product that they do create. Now, one of the things that has happened through time: With the change of delivery systems, it has become more difficult for these artists and these creators and the support network around them, the engineers, those who work on producing this product, to be appropriately compensated. This bill, as Doug Collins mentioned, has been in the works for years; and the CLASSICS Act, to take care of those who are now no longer able to tour and to make certain that they and their heirs are able to be compensated for that music that they have created. One thing to bear in mind: Songwriters and musicians are truly small- business people. They work for themselves. Their stock and trade is their idea. And they have the right to commercialize that idea and to be compensated. The Music Modernization Act and the different bills that it brings together to update this system, to protect those copyrights, and to make certain that the creators are compensated, has been a collaborative effort. Chairman Goodlatte and Congressman Collins have been to Nashville several times to meet with stakeholders and to hear their stories firsthand. We are grateful for that, we are grateful for the bipartisanship, and we are very grateful for the passage of this legislation.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the excellent work that he has done on the BRICK Act, and also Mr. Johnson, who brought this legislation forward and who has worked so closely with individuals, with companies in his district to address their concerns on this. Now, what brings us here today is the fact that, once before, the brick industry faced an EPA rule that went on the books, hadn't gone through judicial review. This happened in 2003. Over a period of 5 years, they began ramping up to make these changes. This is expensive because most of the brick manufacturers in our country are small businesses. They have two kilns, and they are working very, very hard to keep the jobs and keep people employed. When they look at having to change to this new equipment, the investment is going to be $3 million, $4 million, $5 million, depending on the size of their business. Now, previously, a rule went through the process of judicial review, and then it was withdrawn. What this legislation does is to say, look, let's finish this entire process before we move that expense to the industry, because when you put it to the industry and they are incurring this cost that could end up being an unnecessary cost, what happens? Brick costs more. Building materials cost more. Who ends up paying for that? Consumers, purchasers, individuals who are buying homes, individuals who are remodeling homes, individuals who are building commercial buildings. So what we are saying is let's exercise some wisdom. Let's exercise a little bit of experience that comes from having been here before, and let's delay until this entire process is finished. As we have talked about bricks, we are also addressing the wood heater industry, which is a primary source of heat for many of our homes, and just saying let's be mindful, let's be careful, let's put consumers and taxpayers in front of the bureaucrats who are looking to implement these rules and regulations.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for the recognition, and I thank him for his efforts on this. Mr. Speaker, it really is a pleasure to come here today to talk about the RAY BAUM'S Act. We have, for so long, talked about the need to push this through to completion, and Ray served as our staff director and really helped the committee and our subcommittee push this forward to the point that we could say: Yes, we have the FCC reauthorization done. As Mr. Pallone said, it has been 28 years since this agency has been reauthorized. It is certainly an honor to say we have done this in Ray's name, and we have done it in a bipartisan way. There are so many things that are included in this bill, and one of the provisions that is in here is Chairman Walden's FCC reform. Many times you will hear us talk about needing to bring sunlight to these agencies, bringing order, and the ability for constituents and citizens to know what is happening. We have that included in this bill. We also have provisions that our whip, Steve Scalise--the Consolidated Reporting Act--has included in this bill. We have provisions from Ms. Eshoo and from Representative Engel. These are all bipartisan provisions that you will see included in this legislation. Mr. Johnson has a provision that is included that will change the way the inspector general works in this agency so that he truly is an inspector general who is independent. So we have worked together in a bipartisan way to do our repack which deals with our broadcasters and our spectrum to handle MobileNOW, which has been a priority of the Senate. They could not get it finished. We have finished that process, and then also the FCC reauthorization. So I express my gratitude to the committee members, both Democrats and Republicans, and the staff members from both sides of the dais to say thank you for the work that is done to bring this bipartisan effort together to reauthorize this agency to deal with our spectrum repack and to address the MobileNOW concerns.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the vice chairman, Mr. Lance, for the work that he has done on this issue and the ranking member, Mr. Doyle, for his work on this. As Mr. Doyle mentioned, many of these issues are complex, and they are things that we do approach on a bipartisan basis. The bill that we have before us on rural call completion is something that Mr. Young and Mr. Welch have put time and effort into. They fully understand that while so many of us who work here in an area where a call going through is something that you just take for granted that it is going to happen, that in many parts of our districts, like my district in Tennessee with rural counties, many times you will have those dropped calls or they are degraded calls, or you cannot get the call to go through at all. In times of emergency and in times of trauma for families, when they are trying desperately to get in touch with elderly parents or with home healthcare providers, to get that constant busy signal just adds to that stress of life and that concern for the wellbeing of those who are on the other end of that phone. Mr. Speaker, I commend Mr. Welch and Mr. Young for the job that they have done to push forward with this legislation. As was mentioned earlier, we have previously passed this in the House, and we are pleased that the Senate has moved forward, has taken this up; and we are seeking to finish this up and move it to the President's desk. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, and I encourage everyone to support this legislation.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank the vice chairman and the ranking member for their persistence on this measure. I also commend Mr. Gohmert, who has worked with Kari's dad and has seen this through. We are pleased to get this on its way to the President's desk. Indeed, we are going to continue to work on the enhanced 911 requirements because we do think that that is important. Technology allows more precise indications of exactly, precisely where phone calls are coming from. But solving this problem is one we need to do today. All of us who are moms and dads and have children and grandchildren, you train them to dial 911. I am certain that that is what Kari did with her daughter: If there is ever an emergency, dial 911. And the fact is that this required the preceding digit, an extra number, to be dialed in order to access that outside line that would have delivered that 911 call. So as we look at 50 years of 911 service and Kari's 36th birthday, which is coming up tomorrow, it is so appropriate that we take this action. So I thank Mr. Gohmert and the members of the committee who have continued the diligence on this.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, it is so interesting to listen to this debate. I just want to make three points. First, on the military funding, I represent Fort Campbell. When you walk on that post and talk to the men and women in uniform and talk to them about their readiness training, their redeployment training, do you know what they tell us? They say: Give us certainty in funding. That is exactly what we are doing, is providing that certainty that they need to defend us, to protect us. They deserve it and they deserve our best efforts. So I find it so curious that there would be opposition to funding our military. The second point is the community health centers. Many of my colleagues may come from urban areas. I have a rural district. Community health centers are vitally important to my constituents, to Tennesseans who want the access to care and seek the education to know how to take better care of themselves and their families. Let's give them this funding for the 2 years of certainty that is necessary. Third, legislation that I have authored and worked on is included in the Medicare therapy cap provisions. Have you ever talked to a senior, as I have, who had a stroke, who is seeking speech therapy or physical therapy from a hip replacement or a fall? There is an arbitrary cap that runs out and they can no longer seek that medical attention that is necessary for a full and complete recovery and the quality of life that they desire and that they deserve. This is something that our committee has worked on to provide for seniors.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. This is something that allows them to have that quality of life. Why would you vote against lifting these caps and giving seniors what they deserve? They have paid for Medicare through their working life. What they are seeking is to be able to have a full recovery. It is not only the appropriate thing to do, this is something that adds to the quality of life, just as keeping these community health centers funded enriches our communities. It enriches rural America. I close with reiterating the point that, out of fairness, out of respect, out of loyalty to those who put on the uniform to defend us, let us join together and vote to fund the military and to support their efforts to defend this Nation.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Alabama for her leadership on this issue. To my friends across the aisle, I want to say I would be hopeful that you all would take a few minutes and actually read this legislation. It is not a lengthy bill. It doesn't take that long to read. Quite precisely, it does a few simple things that need to be done, that need to be done to build on the 2002 law that this body chose to pass and put on the books. Now, the reason that we chose to do this is because of what we have learned since 2002. If you go in and look at the Kermit Gosnell trial and that house of horrors, and if you take the time to listen to some of this testimony, there was a healthcare worker who said, during the years of working in that facility, that there could have been as many as 100 babies who survived a botched abortion. And what happened? They lost their life. So this bill is about protecting women and babies. It is not about Roe v. Wade. It is all about protecting women and babies. It gives that mother who has that abortion, and it is botched, and that baby survives--it gives her that civil right of action that she ought to have. It does set that standard that you have got to have medical care provided to these precious, precious babies who survive that. You do that immediately. They deserve that standard of care. It says if a healthcare professional does not make the choice to provide that care, they are going to face those criminal penalties. So, yes, the bill is there to protect women and these babies. I just had a great conversation with a young lady who survived an abortion. She is an adult now. She stands for life. I encourage this body to support the bill and to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Act.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Second, the bill establishes criminal penalties that providers will face if they violate providing that care. Third, it establishes a civil right of action to enforce the law. Finally, the bill provides crucial protections that will prevent mothers of these babies from being subject to criminal prosecution and penalties. Mr. Speaker, these are the right steps to protect the most vulnerable among us. I encourage support for the bill.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you it is an honor to come to the floor and talk about one of these protected rights: life. When we talk about our founding documents and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, it is life that we are protecting. I find it unfortunate that we have some who would say this is a radical talking point. I would offer that the right to life is a fundamental right, not a talking point. Now, what brings us to this point in time? We all remember the stories of Kermit Gosnell, the abortionist, the house of horrors, and what happened there, where individuals--moms-- lost their lives, where one of the workers in that clinic estimated that there had been as many as 100 babies through the years that had survived an abortion and had been killed. What we are seeking to do is expand these protections. Today, what we are doing with H.R. 4712 is to build on that legislation from 2002. This body had passed that legislation to protect infants that were born alive and had survived abortions. This bill before us today is going to do four very important things. First, it requires appropriate care be given to any child who is born alive following a failed abortion. It requires any health providers present to administer the same life-preserving care that would be given to babies born under any other circumstances and to ensure that the child is transported immediately to a hospital.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am rising today to talk about an issue that women are talking about every single day, and as I am home and out and about in my district, I hear this repeatedly. They will come up to me and they will say: Marsha, I am becoming a security mom. I fear for the security of my children. I am concerned about what is happening on our streets and in our communities. Mr. Speaker, I will tell you, last week, after the verdict came down in the Kate Steinle trial, the fact that a criminal illegal alien was not found guilty, I received so many comments and calls from people saying something needs to be done about this because justice was not delivered for the life of Kate Steinle. That brings us to the issue of sanctuary cities and those policies, the very idea that some elected officials or some cities could choose to say: We will become a haven for those who are outside of Federal law--but not all Federal law, just this particular Federal law. That defies common sense. It defies reason because we are a nation of laws, a nation that abides by the rule of law, a nation of law and order--not of anarchy. Sanctuary city policies are making America less safe. On this, there should be no doubt. We have to think: What does this example set for our country? What does it say to people who abide by the law, who feel that their lives are endangered, that their security is endangered? What kind of message do sanctuary policies send to the thin blue line, people who stand to protect us every single day? I would suggest that sanctuary city policies are cracking the foundation of our democracy. It is why it is important that this body take action. I would suggest it is why it is important that we pass the CLEAR Act, legislation I have authored that would strip sanctuary cities of funding, that would require that criminal illegal aliens be deported from this country.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 608 and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 607.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for his work that has just been so consistent on how we meet the needs of our health centers, the Children's Health Insurance Program, and also on the repeal for IPAB. When we talk about IPAB, it is so important that we mention our colleague and my fellow Tennesseean, Dr. Phil Roe, who is a Member of this Chamber. I applaud him for his consistent work on keeping that in front of us. I think it is fair to say, as Chairman Burgess has said, that we have worked diligently on the CHIP issue. I know that the gentleman from New Jersey is not pleased with how that is going to be paid and how we address the payments. But I have to say, our goal, Madam Speaker, is to make certain that the States have the funding that is necessary for them to meet the needs of children who are needing these health services. This is something that we have been diligent in our work to meet those needs and to work with our States and to see how best to do this so that needs are being met right there where those children have them and that the States have the resources they need. When it comes to the Independent Payment Advisory Board, we ought not have to be discussing this today because this is something that should never have been passed in the first place. It is something that was completely unnecessary. We are looking at going in and changing this, and for good reason. There is a bipartisan agreement that you have to get down the costs that are in Medicare, and I know that is not going to be an easy task.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I think one of the things that we know, when you are looking at IPAB, you don't want to give those decisions of how you are going to adjust healthcare for Medicare enrollees to 15 unelected, appointed bureaucrats that really have no responsibility to anyone in this process. This is our responsibility. It is appropriate that Congress recoup that responsibility, that we make these decisions. I support the legislation that is in front of us.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, today we honor Jimmy Terry, Sr., beloved pastor, devoted family man, tireless community leader, and passionate proclaimer of the love of Jesus. Raised by his beloved ``Aunt Lucy'' in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Pastor Terry served in the United States Navy on the USS Saratoga and in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio before he was called to minister to Clarksville-Montgomery County, first as pastor of Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church, then as founder of Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church and Christian School. Although renowned statewide for his vast civic involvement in the NAACP, Legend Bank, Chamber of Commerce, United Way, hospitals, colleges and associations, it was his gift of uniting people through powerful prayer, joyous celebration, and the simplicity of the words ``I love you'' that made him such a Tennessee treasure. His servant leadership, continual encouragement, and fierce defense of the Christian faith inspired thousands. His mission to return Christ to the central meanings of Christmas and Easter became The Jesus Sign Ministry, extending from Clarksville-Montgomery County to all 95 Tennessee counties to communities nationwide. His life's work was his life. On June 21, 2017 Pastor Terry left Clarksville on the evening train to Glory. His influence is far-reaching, his legacy is profound, and his impact in our community is immeasurable. We rejoice in simply knowing him.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I think we should talk about pain on the floor today because, when you talk to physicians and OB/GYNs, they will tell you that, if they are doing work, if they are doing an amniocentesis, then that baby feels pain, that baby responds, that child in the womb. So I would encourage my colleagues, talk to Dr. Roe, talk to some of the OB/GYNs who serve in this Chamber, because they fully understand, as we understand, that the gift of life is not something that comes through the law. That is a natural gift. That is a gift of God. And that child who is receiving that life, who is held in the womb, if they are poked or prodded or there is an uncomfortable situation, they experience pain. That is why this legislation is referred to as the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. I encourage support of this legislation.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, today we honor retired Army Lieutenant Colonel Harold T. Riggins, III, decorated combat soldier, community trailblazer, and passionate advocate for veterans transitioning from military to civilian life. During 27 years of active military duty--first as an enlisted Sergeant, then as an officer--LTC (R) Riggins deployed with the 101st Airborne Division for two tours in Iraq, earning distinction as a proven combat leader. For his outstanding service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, coveted Ranger Tab, and multiple medals and badges. While working post-retirement as program director for the Soldier for Life-Transition Assistance Program (SFL-TAP), he personally walked 38,000 Fort Campbell soldiers, hand-in-hand, through one of the toughest processes they experience at the end of their careers. Working with multiple city, county and state governments, and thousands of companies in a one-stop facility, he delivered a ``smooth takeoff'' for each of the 400 soldiers transitioning monthly from the Army, helping them successfully move into the National Guard and Reserves, higher education, civilian or self-employment worldwide, while learning to plan financially and utilize federal and state benefits. His servant attitude, superior management, and infinite compassion make him an inspirational model for military personnel nearing end of service. Leadership is not as it appears, but as it performs. We now celebrate LTC (R) Riggins, who for seven dynamic years ensured the 1 percent of Americans who sacrificed to serve our nation thrive in the communities they love.