Marsha Blackburn

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Southerland). (Mr. SOUTHERLAND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Campbell).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), the author of this amendment.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, how much time remains on each side?

Mrs. BLACKBURN. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Hampshire (Mr. Guinta).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield myself 15 seconds to respond to the gentleman's comments. I would take issue with saying any Member of this House is lazy or that this is a lazy process. Indeed, it is not. As I said, 26 States have used across-the-board cuts to get their fiscal house in order. This government has overspent. We have to get it under control. Let's complement what has been done by the appropriators and make these across-the-board cuts. I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan).

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, business leader Peter Drucker believes, ``whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.'' Mr. Speaker, I rise today to tell you of one successful businessman who lived Drucker's mantra. Born on a working farm in Williamson County, Alexander built an automotive empire in Middle Tennessee. Through humble beginnings to a sprinting end, R.C. Alexander spent his life developing a strong sense of business, family, and community. Starting with nine employees and single gas station in Murfreesboro, TN, R.C. Alexander grew Alexander Automotive into 22 locations throughout Franklin, Columbia, Murfreesboro, Dickson, and Cookeville. Built upon the tenants of hard work, dedication to community, and straightforward business models, Alexander Automotive maintained almost 1,000 employees at the time of R.C. Alexander's death. He led not only generations of his own family to excellence, but taught those in his influence of the straightforward business practices that brought him success. Through service to his community, fidelity to his mission, and dedication to his family, Alexander leaves a behind a lasting tribute to his ideals. I ask my colleagues to join with me in celebrating the legacy of Mr. R.C. Alexander.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, as the designee of the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan), I offer an amendment.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Chair, the American people spoke loud and clear in November, and they have continued to speak and hold us accountable. Their message is clear: They are overtaxed, this government is overspent, and they have had enough of Washington passing bills, regulations, rules and programs they can't afford and do not want. They have said stop the out-of-control spending. Washington does not have a revenue problem; Washington has a very serious spending problem. They are ready for us to change the way the system operates. They want the fiscal house in order, and there is a systematic way we can approach this. In the past couple of years, 26 different States have used this method--indeed, even Tennessee, my State, used it during a time of fiscal crisis. They have replaced billions of dollars in deficit spending and projections with spending cuts, and now it is time for the Federal government to follow the States. The Republican Study Committee amendment makes an 11-percent cut on our legislative branch spending and a 5\1/2\ percent cut in other non- Defense, non-Veteran, non-Homeland Security accounts. This amendment will save $22.2 billion for the balance of this fiscal year and from this year's deficit. I know not everyone is a fan of across-the-board cuts, but many of us are and so are our constituents. This is a concept that should be implemented at the Federal level. And indeed, it has been used before. President Roosevelt used it during World War II, and from 1942 to 1944 they cut 20 percent. President Truman, with the Korean War, they cut 28 percent in 1950. It is used. It works. It has a history of working. It is imperative that we get the spending cut. And across-the-board spending reductions are a very responsible way for us to do this. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Walsh).

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I think it is important that we look at what this process of net neutrality is. I rise in support of the resolution that we're bringing to block this funding at the FCC from being used to implement it. Bear in mind--and I think it's important that we realize this and remember it--after we adjourned from the last Congress and all headed home at Christmas, the FCC convened and the FCC decided that they were going to go where they had no authority to go. They were going to go in and implement net neutrality rules. Now, bear in mind that this body has stood in a bipartisan manner against the FCC taking this action. We have had over 300 Members stand and move forward with letters stating that they didn't think the FCC should move forward. This is an issue that should come back to Congress. But Christmas week they moved forward and the gentleman from Louisiana is exactly right in his comments. We heard from the FCC yesterday, and we heard about how they plan to move forward in this. Bear in mind, they have not done any analysis that would indicate that there has been a market failure. Indeed, by the actions taken in this body in 1996 in the Telecom Act, adopting a hands-off approach to the Internet and broadband, what we were able to do is see this country go from 8 million to over 200 million users; 95 percent of the country has access. Get this, according to the FCC, over 90 percent of those that have Internet access are satisfied with what they have. That has been done because we left it alone. Government created the environment. They made the spectrum available, companies came in, bid on that spectrum, secured that spectrum. They spend 60 billion private sector job-creating dollars every single year to build and maintain that spectrum. When we talk about the creative economy, when we talk about 21st- century jobs growth, much of it is based off of technologies that are going to be attached to, developed, or applied to broadband, the Internet, and Web sites. It is in support of this resolution that we should all stand. We should vote ``yes.'' We should rein in some of these Federal Government agencies. We should stop the FCC from enacting the fairness doctrine for the Internet.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. This has been a good debate this evening. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for the time you have allowed this body to stand and have this debate. There has been a lot said. A couple of things, I think, do need to be corrected. Mr. Chair, we are thinking about the American taxpayer, and we are thinking about our responsibility to the taxpayer. This is not a debate about a vendetta; this is not a debate about Planned Parenthood; this is not a debate about something that is extreme. What this is tonight is a debate about our stewardship and our responsibility to the American people. Our discussion tonight--and I thank Mr. Pence for his leadership on this--is how we fund this government in a responsible manner and how we get this government back on track. The taxpayers are weighing in. They're reminding us that we, the Members of the House, are the keepers of the purse of this great Nation, and that it is important that we have these discussions. They want us to do it respectfully; they want us to do it responsibly; and they want us to make wise decisions. Quite frankly, Mr. Chairman, to give $363 million in taxpayer funds to an organization that has not conducted itself in a manner that suggests it deserves those funds is not respectful of the taxpayer. I want to go back to what Mr. Pence said at the beginning of the debate, that this is a debate about who pays. No one is saying that Planned Parenthood has to stop operating or has to stop being an advocate for abortion. What we are saying is that the American taxpayer should not have to foot the bill, especially for an organization that is facing criminal charges, that has admitted wrongdoing, and that is accused of endangering the safety of Americans. The American taxpayers should not have to spend millions of taxpayer dollars on this. I encourage my colleagues to stand for appropriate stewardship of the taxpayer dollars and to support and vote ``yes'' on the Pence amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

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

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I think our colleagues across the aisle are showing their displeasure. They think that it requires passing a law to create jobs and they want to tax and spend so that they can use the term ``invest.'' But I think the American people have really wised up to what is going on. They know that every time a law is passed, rules and regulations start to pile on. They also know that if money is coming to D.C., then they can't use that money there in their communities to create jobs. Because the way it really works is this: Government does not create jobs. Government creates the environment in which the private sector can create jobs. Last week, as we were home, I visited, I worked with my Chambers of Commerce and with job creators to tell us, what is getting in the way. We heard a lot about regulation and the overreach of regulation. From bankers, we heard about auditors and regulators and the FDIC. From builders, we heard about OSHA and the EPA. From small business manufacturers, we heard about the EPA and carbon emissions. From retailers, we heard about the FTC. From our implement device manufacturers and biotech community, we heard about the FDA overreach. From our high tech innovators and our health informatics, we heard about the overreach of the FCC. Regulation is stifling job growth. It is time for us to cut back on this $1.75 trillion a year hit that the business community, the job creators, are taking; rein this regulation in; and, yes, my friends, let's repeal some of these laws and rules and regulations, get them off the books and free up the private sector so they do what they do best-- create the jobs that the American people want to see.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, in reference to the comments that were just made about women in the health care law, I would just remind the body one of our primary concerns with this legislation was the way in which women would be adversely impacted when you look at the comparative results board and the fact that they were going to change the ratings that were coming from the task forces, and it would be more difficult for women under the age of 50 and over the age of 75 to get mammograms. And I use that as an example. We need this bill off the books.

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the repeal of this measure. The health care law this body passed last year means well, but we all know that it will never deliver on the promises that my colleagues have made. Let me tell you why this is not a rant and why we are serious. Earlier, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Roe) spoke to the body on this. ObamaCare makes the same fundamental mistakes that TennCare in Tennessee made. Do we not learn from our mistakes? ObamaCare and TennCare bet that the near-term cost incurred by Washington's health care mandates will be made up by long-term savings. That's 10 years of revenue for 6 years of expenses. Tennessee lost that bet, and it nearly bankrupted the State. Unless we repeal ObamaCare, America will go down the same road. We know hundreds of mandates, thousands of mandates, and hundreds of bureaucracies don't add up to a savings. By repealing and replacing, we can keep the promises we made last year, better care at lower cost; but we can do it in a way that will deliver through competition, not mandates.

Mrs. BLACKBURN

Mrs. BLACKBURN. Madam Speaker, I, like our colleagues, am rising in sorrow today to address the events that occurred in Arizona this past weekend. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of those victims, with their families, and with our colleague, Gabby Giffords. She was doing what we all do--hearing the concerns of her constituents. And I think we all know and recognize that we in this Chamber are more visible and more accountable than ever before. On Saturday, a madman, a monster, attempted to assassinate our beloved colleague. She was shot in the line of duty, the duty of listening to, so that she could more effectively represent those constituents. It was a duty that she and many of us do love and do treasure that interaction with our constituents. Today, more so than ever, as Members of Congress are called to that duty, we realize that it goes with us wherever we go. Every trip to the grocery store, to church, to a soccer game, can turn into a town hall meeting. That accessibility to those who count on us to make the right decision is something that we cannot give up. Even though this past weekend's events have devastated us, we must not compound the tragedy by being deterred from those duties. The shooting occurred on Saturday, and on Sunday I kept a previously scheduled district appointment at Fort Campbell. That Army post is home to the 101st Airborne when they are not deployed, as they currently are in Afghanistan. These public servants know what the senseless loss of an honored friend, colleague, even a hero feels like. They also know better than anyone else that service is often most valuable when it is performed in the face of fear, uncertainty, or hostility. So many of my constituents have asked what will this mean for how we, as Members, carry out our jobs. I think we will all be more careful when we undertake our duties. We know we are responsible not only for our own safety; we are responsible for the safety of our staff, our constituents who bring issues to us. And in this, I hope our service does credit to the men and women in uniform.