Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I want to begin by thanking the committee for the excellent job that they have done under Chairman Calvert's leadership with bringing this appropriations bill in under budget. It is $3 billion below the President's request. There is still $30.17 billion in proposed funding in this bill. I come before you today to offer an amendment that I regularly offer to these appropriations bills, which is a 1 percent across-the-board spending cut. Let's go in and let's take one more penny out of every dollar and use that to bolster the good work that our committee has done. You know, one of the things that I like about this bill is there is a 9 percent reduction in the EPA budget compared to last year. We all know we need to rein in the EPA. We are all for clean air, clean water, clean environment. We have different ways of getting there. The burdensome regulations that are out there negatively impact--they negatively impact our communities. But we know there is more work that we have to do on this $30 billion budget. My amendment would reduce the discretionary budget authority by $292 million and would reduce outlays by $193 million. Now, I know that this is not a popular amendment with a lot of those who feel like we have cut, cut, cut and we can't cut any more. I disagree with that. I think that you can look at the GAO reports and the inspector general reports and see there is plenty of room to cut. We just recently went into the last 4 years of inspector general reports. Guess what. We found $165 million of identified waste in the Department of the Interior. It is time to engage our rank-and-file employees in our Federal Government, to make them a team and a partner with us as we work on this issue of getting our budget right-sized. With that, Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, just a couple of comments. Underfunded? No. We are overspent in this town. We have $18 trillion worth of debt, and it is time to get a handle on that. Moral obligations? How about the moral obligation to our children and grandchildren? Admiral Mullen has said the greatest threat to our Nation's security is our Nation's debt. Let's put the focus on our priorities: keeping our sovereignty and keeping our Nation safe and secure. This is something we do for our children. It is something we can do for our national security. A penny on a dollar to get this spending under control. Our approach? Guess what. State and local government use this all the time. They can't go print money and run up debt. When I was in the State Senate in Tennessee, what did we do? We didn't go home until we balanced the budget because we had an obligation to get it done right the first time, before we walked out the door. And I do hope that we will put attention on our entitlements. But that is no excuse for not addressing what is in front of us today. To not address what is in front of us today is to kick the can down the road. I have a lot of constituents who aren't making and taking home as much as they were in 2005. They think we should reduce Federal spending even more, reduce the Federal workforce even more, because government is getting too expensive to afford. Let's engage Federal employees in this process. It has worked for the States. It will work for the Federal Government. Let's get our fiscal house in order. A good place to start is right here with this amendment that would save another $193 million in outlays and $292 million in discretionary budget authority. I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, one of the things I hear from my constituents so regularly is: What are you doing about our Nation's debt? What are you doing about this out-of- control budget? From time to time, at our committee, we would hold hearings on an inspector general report and actually look at some waste. This started our office thinking and some of us on the Budget Committee thinking about: How do you begin to quantify that and hold these agencies accountable? As one of my constituents said: You know, it seems that they are always after one of us, a small-business owner, but they never go ask a Federal bureaucrat or a Federal agency to pony up or to pay back money or to be held accountable. In our office, our interns this summer have worked with us on a project to actually begin to quantify this waste and to look at these inspector general reports. Mr. Speaker, this is what we found. Just taking the reports from the 70 agencies that have inspector generals and looking at a 4-year period of time, from 2011 to 2014, what we found is this: we could put our finger on $105.7 billion of waste, and that is $105.7 billion of waste, of taxpayer money that is being wasted. It has been identified by the inspector general's office. That works out to about $1.5 billion for each of these 70 agencies. Now, what was of concern to us was the fact that many of these agencies are doing nothing about it; and we found that, when you look at the reports that have been issued, which total 81 different reports, the reports for which a management decision was made during the reporting period was only 30 of those reports. Mr. Speaker, 30 times, management said that they are going to go in and they are going to take an action in response to the recommendations that the inspector general has found. Now, one of the things that we looked at was where these wasteful occurrences continue to happen and who are the repeat offenders when you look at these IG reports. Let me give you some examples, Mr. Speaker. Department of Defense, $38.2 billion that has been identified--this is one of the reasons that Republicans are pushing to audit the DOD and hold people accountable for the wasteful spending. Health and Human Services, $10.3 billion--we found that $2 billion went toward the ObamaCare Web site, which still is barely working. Department of Agriculture, $9.2 billion; Social Security Administration, $9.1 billion; Department of Energy, $7.7 billion--and by the way, Solyndra, a green energy firm, filed for bankruptcy in September 2011, after they got 536 million taxpayer dollars. The list goes on and on. What we are going to do--and I commend Chairman Price for pushing forward to hold some hearings with these inspector generals, with these departments, to drill down on the total number of reports and to hold them accountable for not taking an action and looking for ways that we, as Members of Congress, can charge back these agencies for the continued misuse--not occasional misuse, not one time misuse, but continued misuse of taxpayer dollars. When you look at the list of these agencies and what they have done, year after year, there are some of these agencies that end up in the top 10 offenders every year--2014, Department of Defense, HUD, Health and Human Services, Department of Energy, Social Security, Department of Agriculture, VA, Homeland Security, Department of Education, Department of State, and the Agency for International Development. You can look at 2013, continuing down the list, the top 10 again, Defense, HUD, Energy, Health and Human Services, Railroad Retirement Board, Homeland Security, Agriculture, Social Security Administration, Department of Education, and Department of State--repeated waste, fraud, and abuse of the taxpayer money. When I came to Congress in January 2003, our freshman class decided our project was going to be rooting out wasteful Washington spending. We continue to be committed to that, and I submit our findings to the body for their review and understanding. Inspector General Reports--Waste, Fraud, and Abuse 2011-2014 Total waste (70 agencies) = $105.7 billion Average waste of the 70 agencies = $1.5 billion Waste by year: Our findings 2011 = $20.1 billion 2012 = $19.5 billion 2013 = $40.9 billion 2014 = $25.2 billion Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity & Efficiency 2011 = $17.2 billion 2012 = $12.8 billion 2013 = $35.1 billion 2014 = n/a 11 agencies accumulated over $1 billion in waste over the 4 years: 1. Dept. of Defense--$38.2 billion 2. Dept. of Health & Human Services--$10.3 billion 3. Dept. of Agriculture--$9.2 billion 4. Social Security Administration--$9.1 billion 5. HUD--$ 7.7 billion 6. Dept. of Energy--$7.7 billion 7. Dept. of Homeland Security--$5.9 billion 8. VA--$3.9 billion 9. Dept. of Education--$3.2 billion 10. Railroad Retirement Board--$2.5 billion 11. Dept. of State--$1.1 billion Top 10 in 2014 Total Waste 1. Dept. of Defense--$10.4 billion 2. HUD--$2.9 billion 3. Dept. Health & Human Services--$2.7 billion 4. Dept. of Energy--$2.6 billion S. Social Security Administration--$2.5 billion 6. Dept. of Agriculture--$992.7 million 7. VA--$957.1 million 8. Dept. of Homeland Security--$345.5 million 9. Dept. of Education--$273.4 million 10. Dept. of State--$264.8 million 11. Agency for International Development--$202.9 million Top 10 in 2013 Total Waste 1. Dept. of Defense--$23.9 billion 2. HUD--$2.9 billion 3. Dept. of Energy--$2.6 billion 4. Dept. of Health and Human Services--$2.5 billion 5. Railroad Retirement Board--$2.2 billion 6. Dept. of Homeland Security--$1.6 billion 7. Dept. of Agriculture--$1.5 billion 8. Social Security Administration--$1.4 billion 9. Dept. of Education--$606.6 million 10. Dept. of State--$266.1 million Top 10 in 2012 Total Waste 1. Social Security Administration--$3.4 billion 2. Dept. of Defense--$3.0 billion 3. Dept. of Homeland Security--$2.3 billion 4. Dept. of Health & Human Services--$2.3 billion 5. Dept. of Agriculture--$2.0 billion 6. HUD--$1.4 billion 7. Dept. of Energy--$1.2 billion 8. Dept. of Education--$999.4 million 9. Securities and Exchange Commission--$557.1 million 10. Treasury Inspector General on Tax Administration-- $404.2 million Top 10 in 2011 Total Waste 1. Dept. of Agriculture--$4.7 billion 2. Dept. of Health & Human Services--$2.9 billion 3. VA--$2.8 billion 4. Social Security Administration--$1.8 billion 5. Dept. of Homeland Security--$1.6 billion 6. Dept. of Education--$1.3 billion 7. Dept. of Energy--$1.2 billion 8. Dept. of Defense--$979 million 9. Securities and Exchange Commission--$566.9 million 10. HUD--$395.9 million Other agencies total waste 2011-2014 (no particular order). . . EPA--$404.7 million FCC--$24.4 million Dept. of Labor--$147.1 million Dept. of Treasury--$38.9 million Dept. of Commerce--$467.1 million Dept. of Transportation--$478.4 million.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I do thank the gentleman from Texas for his leadership and for, really, his commitment to working these issues through. As you have heard him say, dealing with Medicare Advantage issues are important, and it is important that we get them right. That is why I appreciate the fact that we come to the floor with these suspension bills to revisit these issues and say: Look, there are some things that just are not working as they were intended. As you have heard, there has been bipartisan agreement, that the stars rating program needs a revisit, and CMS even agrees that the rules are not working. As the gentleman from New York said, this has a specific effect on the frail, the low-income, those beneficiaries that are the most frail. It also affects the dual eligibles, those that are both Medicare and Medicaid eligible. It is appropriate that we look at this rating program, that we back up and pause and consider the negative impact that some of these arbitrary ratings have on these programs when it may be the only program that is available that will meet these needs. This is common sense. It is the right thing to do. I thank my colleagues that they are willing to say: CMS, it is not working; you have to come to the table with us. This delay, this pause, and a review of the system is appropriate. I thank everyone involved for their leadership, and I do express thanks to Mr. Buchanan and his team for the way they have worked with us and the Energy and Commerce Committee on the issue.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I am rising today in support of H.R. 160, the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015. What this will do is repeal the device tax. Now, the device tax, the medical device tax, was a misplaced and disastrous tax that was put in as an ObamaCare mandate. What it will do is tax the medical device industry and those who utilize those components. This is an industry that doesn't need to be taxed. It employs more than 400,000 workers nationwide and generates $25 billion in payroll. In my State of Tennessee, there are 10,000 individuals who work in this industry, and the Manhattan Institute estimates that unless we repeal this tax and get it off the books now, we will lose 1,000 of those jobs. That is a 10 percent reduction in a component, a part of the economy that generates good paying jobs, 40 percent higher than other manufacturing jobs. I ask my colleagues to join me. Let's repeal the medical device tax.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to discuss the IRS response letter that was sent to me and 51 of my colleagues asking for an investigation of the Clinton Foundation's tax-exempt status. Now, the IRS responded to us with a letter. It is dated May 21. What we received back, Mr. Speaker, from the IRS was simply a form letter. It was addressed, ``Dear Sir or Madam,'' not even my name. The director of the Exempt Organizations Examinations didn't even take the time to sign the letter. What we have is this: the IRS has so little respect for Members of Congress who are asking a question, who are seeking clarity on behalf of their constituents, that they respond to a congressional inquiry with a letter that is a form letter, not even signed. Well, you can imagine that we were a little bit surprised by this. I think it is important to talk about why we were asking for clarity on the Clinton Foundation and their tax-exempt status. We all have 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations that do great work in our communities. Many of these organizations had come to us--their Member of Congress--and said: What do you know about how the Clinton Foundation works? What about these foreign donations that are coming into the Clinton Foundation? We were continuing to look at this because when you go to charitynavigator.org, which many of our colleagues or our constituents would do, and you pull up, you enter in the search engine ``the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation,'' what comes up is this: We don't evaluate Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. Why not? We have determined that this charity's atypical business model cannot be accurately captured in our current rating methodology. How interesting is that; how very interesting. The American people are wanting to know how this charity keeps a not-for-profit status and how they conduct business. It is appropriate that we write the IRS and ask for clarity on this situation, doing it on behalf of our constituents who are seeking answers to questions. Now, I have to tell you, we know that there is no shortage of pens in the executive branch of this government. The President has said he has got a pen and a phone and he will work around Congress if he needs to. We understand that. We know they have pens over at the IRS. We know that they have just chosen to dismiss what we have asked for, which is clarity. We have a divided government; we have a system of checks and balances, and we do expect to have a response from the IRS that addresses the structure of this organization. Mr. Speaker, we are going to continue to follow this issue. We have found it quite amusing that this is how they would choose to address the inquiry and that this is the attitude that they are taking. Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division, May 21, 2015. Hon. Marsha Blackburn, House of Representatives. Dear Sir or Madam: Thank you for the information you submitted regarding The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation. The Internal Revenue Service has an ongoing examination program to ensure that exempt organizations comply with the applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. The information you submitted will be considered in this program. Internal Revenue Code section 6103 protects the privacy of tax returns and tax return information of all taxpayers. Therefore, we cannot disclose the status of any investigation. If, at a later date, you have additional information that you believe is relevant to this matter, please attach a copy of this letter to the information and send it to the address shown above. We appreciate your concern in bringing this matter to our attention. If you have additional questions, please call Customer Account Services. Sincerely, Margaret Von Lienen, Director, Exempt Organizations: Examinations.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, the Tennessee 7th Congressional District, home to Williamson County, was shaped in part by its long- time leader, and a dear friend of mine, Clint Callicott. Mr. Callicott's time on Earth will be remembered by his service to others. During his time on the Williamson county commission, as county Mayor and in the Tennessee General Assembly, Clint served the people of his community with distinction and passion. He leaves behind a legacy of love; love for his family, community, and the land. Mr. Callicott was considered the ``father'' of the Williamson County Agriculture Exposition Park, home to rodeos, trade shows, and the Williamson County Fair. In gratitude for his work in establishing the Park, the facility's arena is named in his honor. It is fitting that Clint Callicott spent his last hours on his family farm before joining our Savior in Heaven. I ask my colleagues to join with me in celebrating one of Williamson County's greatest men. My thoughts and prayers are with his beautiful wife Carolyn, sons Claude and Clayton, and his extended family.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I am certain it comes as no surprise to anyone in this body that, as we go through this appropriations season, I come back to the floor working to make another cut to get our spending levels down. The bill we have before us, the T-HUD approps, is a $55.3 billion bill. That is discretionary funding. Now, credit should go to the subcommittee chairmen and to those who have worked on this to get the spending levels down because this is $9.7 billion below the President's request. That is really quite remarkable. And my amendment, which is another 1 percent reduction--a penny out of a dollar--would save our taxpayers $598 million and would reduce the 2006 outlays by $369 million. Now, Mr. Chairman, when you look at budget authority and you look at the outlays, those are significant numbers. They are significant also, Mr. Chairman, when you look at the debt. We are $18.3 trillion in debt; and, quite frankly, I think that that is too much debt for us to ask our children and grandchildren to handle. I think it is imperative that we, as stewards of the taxpayers' money, put these issues on the table and say, ``Yes, there are great things we would like to do,'' ``Yes, there are projects that would be wonderful,'' but we have to be responsible to the taxpayers. This is not Federal money. It doesn't just grow on trees. What we have to realize is that it all comes from taxpayers. They are overtaxed. They feel the Federal Government is overspent, and they want to see the spending brought under control. I agree with them. That is why I bring this amendment forward. Mr. Chairman, I think, also, we have to look at the fact that our economic security, our fiscal security, and our national security are all closely linked. Because of that, Admiral Mullen said that the greatest threat to our Nation's security is our Nation's debt. We have to get serious about reducing this debt. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, let me tell you why this is the right approach. Our States, who can't go print money in order to balance their budget, utilize across-the-board cuts. Look at Tennessee, Massachusetts, Washington State, New Jersey, and Colorado. They all employ this. Here is why, if you want to engage State employees and Federal employees, and bring the agencies into the process, you say: Okay. We have set your budget levels, we have appropriated your money, now we are coming to you. You are a part of the team, and we need you to engage in how we best save taxpayer money. This is why it works in the States. When I was in the State senate in Tennessee, if we didn't balance the budget, we didn't go home. It is time for the Federal Government to dig deep and engage these employees. You can talk with rank-and-file Federal employees. I have done it many times. They say we know how we can save money, but they are not incentivized to do so. Let's challenge them. Let's engage them. Let's have them bring forward their best ideas. A penny on a dollar? Absolutely. We are doing this for the children. We are doing this for future generations. We are doing this for our Nation's fiscal health, and we are doing it to preserve our sovereignty to get these debt levels down. It is time for us to do that. It is responsible budgeting. It is time for everybody to be a part of the team, putting this Nation back on the road to fiscal health, to a balanced budget, and being respectful of the taxpayer and a good steward of the taxpayers' money. Mr. Chairman, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, first of all, I want to begin by thanking the committee and Chairman Culberson for their tremendous work that they have put into this bill, identifying ways to reduce spending and to be a good steward of the taxpayers' money. This funding bill is $51.4 billion, and I would like to point out that that is $661 million below the President's request. Good work on behalf of our team. Now, I am one of those that thinks more needs to be done, especially when we look at the discretionary spending. There is more we should do. My amendment calls for a 1 percent across-the-board spending reduction. That would reduce the budget authority by $540 million and outlays by $340 million in Fiscal Year 2016. I am fully aware of the opposition that exists to across-the-board cuts by many of the appropriators, and I have many times stood on this floor and heard how they think this is just a little bit of a cut too much. However, we are nearly $18.3 trillion in debt. Indeed, Admiral Mullen, on July 6, 2010, said the greatest threat to our Nation's security is our Nation's debt. Getting our spending under control is an important step for us to take. That is why we need to move forward and do what many of our States have done and institute across-the-board cuts to save one penny out of a dollar. Engage the rank-and-file Federal employees. Have them bring to the table their best ideas. Our children are depending on us to do this in order to maintain the fiscal sovereignty of our Nation. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chairman, I appreciate, as I said, the work that the committee has done, but I think it is imperative that we realize the burden that we are placing on future generations. Quite frankly, I think it is rather selfish of this body to force future generations--our children and grandchildren--to pay for the out- of-control spending of today. Have we done a good job? Yes. Could we do a superlative? Absolutely, we could. Cutting one penny out of a dollar is a wise step. I don't know of anybody that thinks we are underspent. I know a lot of people that think we are overspent and that we are overtaxed. What it is going to take in order to get our fiscal house in order and to secure this Nation for future generations is, yes, indeed, targeted cuts. It is going to take across-the-board cuts, and it is going to take everybody agreeing that we don't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem. That is a component of our budget and appropriations process that the American people are demanding that we get under control. It is not necessarily a debate about worthiness. There are lots of good programs and essential programs. What it is, is a debate about stewardship, making certain that we are focusing and that we are doing the extra work that is necessary to get the spending under control. As I said, this is $51.4 billion in discretionary funding that is in this appropriations bill. It is below the President's request. The committee is to be commended for that. Taking the step of a 1 percent cut, you are talking about $540 million in budget authority and $340 million reduction in outlays. It is a goal that we should set for ourselves. It is doable. It is attainable. We should take a playbook and a lesson from the States and the counties and the communities that we represent and make the effort to reduce the spending just a little bit more. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, on June 1, 1796, Tennessee became the 16th member of these United States. For some 200 years, Tennessee has been a part of the innovative vanguard that makes this country great, whether it be through culture, science, or even our fabulous barbecue. Last week, I had the opportunity to tour the latest energy innovation the State of Tennessee has to offer--the Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar Nuclear facility. With the construction of Watts Bar Unit 2 now approximately 98 percent complete, TVA will soon mark the 21st century's first new American nuclear unit to come online. And I am so pleased, Mr. Speaker, that today The Hill newspaper has an article about this very facility. The project is indeed to be celebrated. It is a model of safety and quality. The dedicated TVA employees at Watts Bar have put in a million hours of work without a lost-time accident. At the same time, they have maintained a quality acceptance rate above 97 percent. That also should be celebrated. Together with Watts Bar Unit 1, the complete facility will be able to power 1.3 million homes in the Tennessee Valley. Mr. Speaker, America must pursue an all-of-the-above energy policy that includes nuclear. Nuclear is a clean, responsible option and one that strengthens our Nation's energy security grid. Unfortunately, though, the EPA, the Obama administration, has proposed sweeping regulations that wage a war on coal while also dismissing the benefits and the power of nuclear energy. Under the EPA's Clean Power Plan, Tennessee is actually penalized for taking a leading role in providing the region and the country with a clean and reliable source of energy. When drafting the Clean Power Plan, the EPA counted the Watts Bar Unit 2 as being completed and operating at 90 percent efficiency. It is not online yet, it is not complete, and it is not yet helping to power homes and businesses. As a result, Tennessee's emission targets under this rule are more difficult to reach because the State is not able to count the emission reductions from this cleaner plant towards its required cuts. Rather than recognizing TVA's forward-looking work to construct Watts Bar 2, EPA unfairly, and significantly, increased the emission reduction rate for Tennessee. I was sent to Congress to ensure that the needs of my constituents are represented here in Washington. As the vice chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I will continue my efforts to stop the EPA from its overreach and to stop them from implementing this administration's special interest agenda, which has no regard for the economic impact or energy needs of the people of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, this is important, and I want to thank the TVA team for showing me the Watts Bar facility and for allowing me to have a remarkable visit, and I encourage them in their continued good work.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about the 21st Century Cures Act. This is legislation that we, at the Energy and Commerce Committee, are working on in a bipartisan basis, and we look forward to moving it to the House floor and seeing this passed and signed into law. Why are we doing it? Because we want to put the focus on cures, real cures that will enable people to live better lives. Let's take just one disease, Alzheimer's. There are 5 million Americans that currently have Alzheimer's. The cost to the Nation is $215 billion a year. When you look out several decades to 2050, the cost is estimated to be $1 trillion a year for one disease. Yes, we need to focus on finding cures. And there are other disorders and diseases that need that attention. Take autism, diabetes, ALS, cancer, the list moves on. It is time for us to encourage and support young scientists, to put the focus on our most challenging health conditions, and we want the regulatory agencies to be there to encourage this effort, and I encourage support for the 21st Century Cures Act.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I find it so interesting that this is called a ``meat-ax approach.'' Yes, I do come regularly to offer these amendments, because I care what happens with our Nation. I care about our future, and I want to make certain that we are on solid financial footing. We have a responsibility to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money. It is their money. To say this is mindless and easy, how interesting that is. Go tell all of the Governors from coast to coast--Democrat and Republican--who use across-the-board spending cuts to get budgets in balance. Tell that to mayors who use this same process. The reason it is done is it works. It helps the bureaucracy hold itself accountable, and that is absolutely what we ought to be doing at this point in time. As you can see, cutting is a very emotional issue. Cutting brings forward a lot of emotions. Talking about doing more with less, being resourceful, that is what we should do every single day. In order to be a good steward of the taxpayers' money, we should want to do more with less. We should do it in the name of freedom, for freedom's sake--for the sovereignty of this Nation. Ill-conceived and unrealistic? When is operating by a balanced budget and spending and living within the means the taxpayers have said they are going to have for this Federal Government ever considered ill- conceived? When would it be considered unrealistic? It is what we ought to be doing. Indeed, if every department did what the legislative branch did of cutting 14 percent, we would be getting close to budget. To say that we are suspending intellect and judgment, do you know that is almost frivolous and almost silly to say. We spend less and should be spending less and should try to continue to spend less and reform this government and hold it accountable to the taxpayer who is footing the bill because, yes, the Nation's future depends on it; our national security, yes, depends on it; and respect, it is respecting future generations and the taxpayer to be a wise steward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, first, I want to begin by thanking the subcommittee chairman for his hard work on this effort that is in front of us and for the committee's identifying ways to reduce what the Federal Government spends, especially in the leg branch. The fiscal year 2016 proposed funding level is $3.3 billion. That is $173 billion below the President's request. I think there is more work that we could do, and my 1 percent across-the-board spending reduction will save taxpayers an additional $29 million in budget authority and $25 million in outlays for fiscal year 2016. It is a targeted cut in discretionary spending that exempts the Capitol Police, the Sergeant at Arms, and security maintained by the Architect of the Capitol. Again, as I said, I want to recognize the work of Chairman Graves and his committee. They have done several very important things that, I think, we ought to highlight. First, this measure continues to freeze Member pay in place, where it has been since 2010. Second, it continues a 14 percent reduction in funding for the House of Representatives, which Republicans began in 2011. I appreciate that Chairman Rogers brought attention to that as general debate began. Third, the bill cuts funding for programs such as the Government Publishing Office, which we have just been discussing-- many programs that have outlived their usefulness. We can cut more, and a penny on a dollar is worth the effort. We are a country that has over $18 trillion in debt. Financial security has become an issue of national security. Admiral Mullen said the greatest threat to our Nation's security is our growing national debt. That is a reason for our getting our fiscal house in order and looking to future generations and saying, let's go in and cut one more penny out of a dollar. This effort that I bring before you would do just that--one more cent--and do it for future generations. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I am so pleased that my friend and colleague mentioned cost because I want to point out, again, what it would cost. These furnaces cost $350 more and require as much as $2,200 additional in installation cost. In addition to that, there are alterations that are needed to existing homes for venting purposes. Those cost estimates are $2,550 per home just for the venting that is necessary for these. This is one of those regulations, Mr. Chairman, that is too expensive to afford. The cost on this is astronomical. Even DOE itself says the cost to the American consumer is $12 billion to install these furnaces. Then you say that, maybe over the lifetime of this, you are going to save an amount. I think that this is one of those areas where you look at how much it is going to cost. This is why this amendment is so widely supported. I encourage support for the Blackburn amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chairman, I want to thank Mr. Dent and Mr. Rokita for their work on this issue. The Department of Energy is so determined to redesign the ceiling fan that they have released a 101-page rulemaking framework document which evaluates the potential energy savings of their new regulations. Well, what we have found is that, just like stretching their tentacles into lightbulbs and so many other areas of our home, what they are doing is pricing people out of the ceiling fan market. These new regulations would significantly impair the ability of ceiling fan manufacturers like Hunter Fans in Memphis, Tennessee, to produce reasonably priced, highly decorative fans. The regulations will not only place a higher price tag on the less- pleasing designs, but could increase homeowners' reliance on cooling systems that are less energy efficient. What we are seeing is, with ceiling fans, that many of our constituents save as much as 14 percent on their energy use to cool their home, and they can save homeowners as much as 40 percent of their air-conditioning bills by creating a breeze that makes the room feel a little bit cooler. New regulations will curb increased consumer trends in the marketplace, which currently include placing ceiling fans in laundry rooms, closets, and master bathrooms. I would encourage my colleagues to support this amendment.