Charles Boustany

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Here we are. If we want to grow small business jobs, the best way to do it is to expand our exports and that will help us also expand our manufacturing capacity. Actually, the world is moving forward and we're sitting still here. If you look at the TransPacific Partnership, everybody's waiting on the United States to move forward with this agreement. It's a critically important agreement to work out with Chile, Peru, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, and Brunei. We're also looking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. This is where we need to be engaged with China and these Eastern countries, because we have huge, huge trade opportunities and job growth opportunities by expanding these agreements. So I think it's clear that this administration needs to come forward with a comprehensive trade policy to Congress and let's get to work on creating this liberalized trade order because that is the element of soft power that you were emphasizing earlier. And it is probably our most important instrument of power as we move on the global stage. With that, I will yield back.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I want to add as we look at this difficult economy and the significant unemployment we're seeing here in the United States, it's important to keep in mind that 97 percent of U.S. exports are from small and medium-size businesses.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I think it's important to recognize that jobs related to exports pay, on average, 13 to 18 percent more than non-exporting jobs. These are benefits for families in the United States. These are benefits that create jobs in the United States. I know I walked in a little late into this discussion and you were discussing the foreign policy implications of this, and specifically with Colombia, but I would submit that it's even broader than that because as President Obama and his administrative team travel around to the world's capitals to deal with very difficult foreign policy problems, whether it's in Central Asia or in the Middle East and so forth, even in Africa, in these capitals those leaders are going to want to talk about trade and expanding trade opportunities because it all comes down to economic opportunity in the long run. If we're not prepared with a trade agenda to move forward with the leaders in these respective areas, then our foreign policy is going to be a failure.

Mr. BOUSTANY. Those are the facts I have.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, as a heart surgeon, I saw patients firsthand in our current government-run programs, like Medicare, who lacked real access to a doctor, leaving them out of the system. Many of our Medicare patients and seniors out there know exactly what I am talking about. So I ask the Democratic leadership, how can you cut $500 billion, a half-trillion dollars, from Medicare, and not hurt access and quality for our seniors? I also ask our Democratic leadership, how can you create a government-run health care takeover that fails to control costs or improve quality? We can do better. I know we can do better. We can achieve commonsense solutions in a bipartisan way. But the current Democratic-led bills do not do that. They do not constitute meaningful reform. We need to work together to strengthen Medicare, to put it on a better and sounder financial footing, to ensure that it will be there for our seniors when they need health care. We need to lower costs for all seniors, and for all Americans, for that matter, by increasing competition in the health insurance marketplace, promoting wellness programs and limiting frivolous lawsuits. Let's put the doctor and patient back in control of health care.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Director of the Congressional Budget Office stated that seniors with current private Medicare plans could see their benefits cut or costs increase under one of the health care overhaul proposals currently being debated. Many seniors, including more than 140,000 in my home State of Louisiana, depend on these Medicare benefits for their health care. Far too often, patients in our current government-run programs lack real access to a doctor. Now, under congressional Democrats' plans, they would see their benefits cut or higher costs, according to CBO, the official scorekeeper for Congress. We can do better. We can achieve commonsense solutions in a bipartisan way. But the current bills in Congress focus on where we disagree. House Republicans have put forward a commonsense plan to revitalize the American health care system to lower costs for families and businesses and to improve quality. Our plan puts patients first and their doctors back in control of health care decisions. Our plan makes health care affordable and more accessible with patients able to see their doctor of choice. Let's work together to put the patient and doctor back in control of their health care destiny.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, last week the President and the congressional Democrats began yet another drive to enact their sweeping overhaul of American health care, H.R. 3200. Following the President's address to Congress, I urged the President to work with Republicans to lower the cost of health care for American families and small business. Commonsense solutions and common ground do exist. Let me be clear. We can lower the cost of health care. But a new government-run bureaucracy is not the answer. The President last week suggested reducing the growing number of frivolous lawsuits against doctors as one way to lower costs. Thus far, the congressional Democrats' plan still fails to mention medical liability reform. Right now, H.R. 3200 fails to meet the President's requirements, and it fails to meet the American people's requirements too. If the President and congressional Democrats are serious about working together, we need to start over. We need to start over and scrap H.R. 3200. Working together, we can achieve real results to lower the cost of health care and increase access to a doctor for millions of Americans.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, this week congressional Democrats will continue to try to rush through a sweeping overhaul of American health care. And this follows the President's expensive stimulus plan currently mired in bureaucracy that has not prevented a national recession despite his pledge to save or create 3.5 million jobs. So, Mr. Speaker, I ask President Obama, where are those jobs? Now their plan for health care overhaul includes a government-run bureaucracy that would put red tape between patients and their doctors. Far too often patients in our current government-run programs lack real access to a doctor, leaving them no recourse other than to seek emergency room care. Now Democratic proposals suggest lumping millions more Americans into these government-run systems to somehow improve the quality of care. This defies common sense. Instead, health care will be delayed and rationed, leaving millions of Americans without access to a doctor or quality health care. Republicans have a plan to reduce health care costs for families and businesses and taxpayers and also maintain quality, and that's the best way for Americans to be more competitive and to spur job creation.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 616, congratulating the Louisiana State University baseball team for winning the 2009 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I baseball national championship. I want to thank my friend, Congressman Bill Cassidy, for sponsoring this resolution and for yielding time to me as well. I also want to thank the Education and Labor Committee for bringing it to the floor. On June 24, the LSU Tigers defeated the top-seeded University of Texas Longhorns 11-4 in the third and final game of the College World Series to achieve their sixth national championship in baseball. In only his third year as head coach, Paul Mainieri led the Tigers back into the national spotlight. The series was sealed by an amazing performance from Jared Mitchell, who was named Most Outstanding Player of the series and who was a first-round pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. Mitchell and fan favorite, pitcher Chad Jones, became the first two athletes to win both a College World Series and a BCS football national championship. Mr. Speaker, I am especially proud of two players from my district. First of all, there is my cousin Mikie Mahtook. Mikie lost his dad when he was about 6 years old. His dad was also a very well-known college athlete at LSU, and Mikie has turned out to be a great young man. He was SEC All-Freshman outfielder. He is from Lafayette, my hometown. I also want to congratulate Spencer Matthews from Lake Charles, also in my district. This season, Mikie Mahtook gave an excellent performance in the outfield in addition to batting .450 with 13 home runs, 45 RBIs, 25 stolen bases, and multiple clutch hits, most notably in game 1 of the championship series. Spencer recently represented the Thomasville Hi-Toms in the Coastal Plain League All-Star game, a wooden bat summer league for college players in Wilmington, North Carolina. He pitched a scoreless fifth inning in the game, allowing no hits and striking out two batters. Both student athletes are tremendous assets to the team and to southwest Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, we must not forget that, foremost, these student athletes perform just as hard in the classroom as they do on the baseball field. I am proud to announce that 11 members of this national championship team were placed on the 2009 Southeastern Conference Spring Academic Honor Roll. Each student athlete must have at least a 3.0 grade point average to be recognized. This championship is very special to the Louisiana State University system and to my great State of Louisiana. It is my honor to recognize Coach Paul Mainieri and the 2009 LSU Tigers baseball team for all of its accomplishments this season and for bringing home the College World Series title. I also want to commend the families of these players, coaches and support staff and the very loyal, very vocal LSU baseball fans who have come to recognize Omaha as a home away from home. I now ask my colleagues to support this resolution. Geaux (go) Tigers.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, American families and small business owners are struggling with high health care costs. They're also struggling with access to a doctor; getting to see a doctor and establishing a relationship with that doctor so that you can really lead a healthier life-style, building the kind of trust that's necessary so that the doctor knows the patient and knows what it's going to take to lead them along a healthier pathway and having the patient trust the doctor so that the advice that they're being given is something that they will adhere to. American families are struggling, small business owners are struggling, and we have to do something about this. Republicans believe we should reform health care, but we need to do it responsibly and in a very, very thoughtful way so as to not disrupt the system that we currently have. If you have health insurance that you like that leads to a relationship with a doctor, you can keep it. But we don't want to see a system completely devastated or disrupted. We want to build off of what works. I am a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and we worked on the bill in the House which outlines the President's plan; and that bill doesn't do near enough to provide good, accessible health care. Furthermore, it's a very expensive bill. The Congressional Budget Office has just started looking at this and it's seeing a very expensive bill that's going to add significantly to the deficit. As a physician who has practiced medicine for over 20 years, I look at this and I say, whoa, wait a minute, let's get this right. It's more important to get it right than to rush into something and do it very hastily and cause disruption in the health care system where we have some things that are working. One of the speakers earlier mentioned the fact that we've got in fact in effect the finest health care in the world. We've got the most highly trained doctors and nurses. We have people from all over the world coming here to train. We have those who live in other countries who come here to get their health care. But we have a cost problem, we have an insurance problem, and we need to fix that, and we need to make sure that insurance coverage is meaningful and really leads to access to a doctor for every American. Republicans have ideas on how to do this. It incorporates three basic principles: Information for you to make decisions for your family or for your small business, to make cost comparisons, to create transparency, information among physicians so that we don't duplicate tests and run up the costs. These are all important things. Information is very important throughout the system and we believe that we can incorporate this in a very cost-effective way. Secondly, choice. Americans want choices. They like to shop. Let's give Americans a wide range of choices to meet their family needs or their small business needs in health care. If we do that, that will create competition and that will start to drive the costs down of health insurance premiums which we're all struggling with. It will make it more affordable and we'll get more people on it. We can address the uninsured by targeting our response as one of the previous speakers said. Finally, we need to put families back in control of their health care destiny. There should be nothing between the doctor and the patient in this. That's the essence of good, high quality health care, and that's the only way we're going to control the cost ultimately, by fostering and strengthening that doctor-patient relationship and making it something that every American has. That's how we'll fix health care. Republicans have those ideas and many more and we'll be glad to share them as this debate goes further with the American public.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank my friend and colleague from Utah and my friend from Massachusetts for this courtesy. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 2972, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 115 West Edward Street in Erath, Louisiana, as the Conrad DeRouen, Jr. Post Office. I'd like to thank the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for bringing this bill to the floor. Today, it's really a distinct honor for me to celebrate the life of United States Marine Corps Reserve Second Lieutenant Conrad C. DeRouen, Jr., an extraordinary hero in World War II. A native of Erath, Louisiana, a small coastal town in my district, DeRouen graduated from Erath High School, then went on to Southwestern Louisiana Institute, and subsequently received a master's degree from Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee. He married Marguerite Domingues of Abbeville, Louisiana, and at the age of 21 he volunteered to serve in the United States Marine Corps. While fighting against the Japanese forces in Saipan, Mariana Islands, on July 3, 1944, Lieutenant DeRouen endured continuous exposure to enemy fire in order to guide tanks into areas of combat; and when the communications systems failed, DeRouen seated himself behind the turret in order to continue the resistance. In another assault on Japanese forces later on July 8, 1944, Lieutenant DeRouen, despite being wounded in the neck by shrapnel from an enemy grenade, refused to leave his post with the 1st Battalion to seek medical assistance and, instead, continued to fight at his station. DeRouen eventually collapsed due to pain and loss of blood and was carried off the field of battle by his comrades. He finally succumbed to his wounds on his ship and was buried at sea. Lieutenant DeRouen's actions were an inspiration to the marines he fought beside and were a contributing factor in the success of the campaign in the Mariana Islands. Because of his heroic death at the age of only 23 years of age, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery in a combat zone, the second highest decorated Medal of Honor. Today I join the town of Erath in honoring this fallen hero with the dedication of their post office to the name of Second Lieutenant Conrad C. DeRouen, Jr. for being the highest decorated veteran in its history, a real hero and someone we should all honor. As we honor Lieutenant DeRouen today, we also must recognize our present-day heroes in Iraq and Afghanistan, those who have fallen and those who continue to fight, and we thank them as well as their families and the families of all of our troops who put on a uniform. I now ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. These earmarks are contained in H.R. 3183: Calcasieu River, Mile 5.0-14.0, Cameron Parish Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, CAP 204 Purpose: An earmark prioritizing the Calcasieu River, Mile 5.0-14.0, Cameron Parish project within the Corps CAP 204 program. Funds will be used to complete the design and implementation phase for the beneficial use of dredged materials project along the Calcasieu River. The project provides for the placement of shoal material from the Calcasieu River, Mile 5 to Mile 14, into the Cameron Creole Prairie National Wildlife Refuge. Additional beneficiaries include the Lake Charles Harbor and Terminal District and the users of the Calcasieu River Ship Channel. Calcasieu Lock, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Investigations Purpose: An earmark of $1,000,000 to advance the authorized feasibility study for the Calcasieu Lock, LA project and to address economic and environmental studies. Traffic projections will provide the economic baseline expectations for future without project conditions. The benefit model will identify the inflection point for decision to shift shipping methods. The agricultural study will determine the benefits to agricultural areas from the improved drainage of the system. Once completed, these studies will form the basis for the justification of the project. The completion of feasibility will be necessary upon completion of the economic study. The Calcasieu Lock is a bottleneck on the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway system in Louisiana, causing delays in transportation and interstate commerce. LCA--Ecosystems Restoration, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, General Investigations Purpose: An earmark of $20,000,000 to advance the studies for the authorized Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Ecosystems Restoration, LA project. Funds will be used to begin BBBSR PED; conclude 1 feasibility study; and continue 10 studies. The Mississippi River Hydrology Study/ Delta Mgt feature will continue to be a priority and will include the hydrodynamics of the watershed of the Atchafalaya River. In accordance with the Water Resources Development Act, decision documents will be submitted to the ASA. Additional beneficiaries include residents of Louisiana. Bayou Teche & Vermilion River, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance Purpose: An earmark of $15,000 for the authorized Bayou Teche & Vermilion River, LA project. Funding will be used for surveys. Bayou Teche, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance Purpose: An earmark of $200,000 for the authorized Bayou Teche, LA project. Funding will be used for hydrographic surveys, real estate activities, P&S and environmental clearances. Calcasieu River and Pass, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance Purpose: An earmark of $17,968,000 for the authorized Calcasieu River and Pass, LA project. Funds are needed to keep international commerce moving without delays and light loadings. Funds will be used to operate, repair and maintain the Calcasieu River channel, dredge the bar channel, dredge mile 5 to 17 and Devil's Elbow, master plans, and maintenance of dredged material disposal facilities. Additional funds would be used to dredge the bar channel and Mile 17 to 29, foreshore rock dikes, construction and major rehabilitation of new disposal area per Dredged Material Management Program. Freshwater Bayou, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance Purpose: An earmark of $2,235,000 for the authorized Freshwater Bayou, LA project. The lock is crucial to support offshore oil industry to provide the necessary fuel, supplies and food to offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, and also to support commercial fishing. The funds will be used for operations and maintenance and to dredge two critical reaches to support the energy infrastructure along the Freshwater Bayou, LA. Mermentau River, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Maintenance Purpose: An earmark of $1,913,000 for the authorized Mermentau River, LA project. Funding will be used to dredge and continue ongoing repairs along the Mermentau River, including operations of Catfish Point and Schooner Bayou Control Structures, maintenance of the control structures, including water control data systems, real estate, and dredge Mermentau Bar Channel, and boathouse replacement at the Catfish Point Control Structure. Southwest Coastal Louisiana Hurricane Protection, LA Member requesting funds: Charles Boustany, Jr., MD (LA-07) Entity receiving funds: US Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Account: Army Corps of Engineers, Investigations Purpose: An earmark of $1,000,000 to advance the authorized Southwest Coastal Louisiana Hurricane Protection, LA project. The Corps is directed to expedite the study under the Water Resources Development Act of 2007. The funds will be used to continue the feasibility phase. Activities include plan formulation, hydrology and hydraulic analyses, economic inventory, environmental analyses.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, situated 2 miles east of Crowley, which celebrated its 100th year in operation on July 1. Since 1909, the Rice Research Station continues to provide invaluable information, innovative techniques and new varieties of rice to help Gulf Coast rice farmers feed the world. Originally a partnership between Acadia Parish, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, it was the first experimental rice research station in the country. Now operating under the LSU AgCenter, scientists and farmers work in tandem to contribute to improvements in rice growing. A significant part of the center's funding comes from the Louisiana Rice Research Board, which receives a voluntary payment from area rice sales to ensure the station's work continues. Rice farmers along the Gulf Coast face difficult conditions as weather and disease can devastate even the most promising crop. However, Louisiana's agricultural communities persevere and possess a richness of culture matched by none. The state's rice industry added $550 million to Louisiana's economy in 2008 alone. Rice farming will continue to be a way of life for thousands in Louisiana thanks to the work done at the Research Station. Again, congratulations to the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station at Crowley, Louisiana, for helping rice farmers throughout the Gulf Coast for 100 years and counting.''

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank our ranking member. This bill is a unilateral blueprint for economic disarmament of the United States, let's be clear. Responsible energy production in the Gulf of Mexico is the backbone of American energy security and it creates good, high-paying jobs. This bill, their bill, dramatically increases taxes and will kill American jobs. Now, I have repeatedly questioned Secretary Geithner about the job loss that's going to be caused by new taxes on American energy producers. I have asked the administration to prove its claim of saving jobs, and they can't do it. And no one can define what a green job is and how these displaced workers will transition to one. Secretary Geithner says, ``The administration believes that oil and gas preferences distort markets by encouraging more investment in the oil and gas industry that would occur under a neutral system.'' Again, he goes on to say, ``To the extent the credit encourages overproduction of oil, it is detrimental to long-term energy security.'' Who in this country believes we have enough American-made energy? If we want to move towards cleaner energy and renewable energy, as this bill purports to do, it's clear we need a transition strategy that involves natural gas. It must be part of that. This administration must stop its attack on American business and American independent oil and gas producers if we are going to make this a reality. The American public deserves a comprehensive energy plan that creates jobs, spurs innovation, and unleashes American genius. That's how we will solve this problem.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Arthur Lee Henry, a true ``Citizen Hero'', as honored by the president of Victims and Citizens Against Crime. Law enforcement officers in St. Landry Parish nominated Arthur for an incident that occurred in August of 2008, when he successfully disarmed a gunman on the campus of T.H. Harris Technical College in Opelousas, Louisiana. Upon seeing a man produce a gun and fire shots, Arthur quickly reacted and saved the lives of several innocent bystanders. Arthur, a happily-married man with two children, proudly serves as a custodian at the technical college, where he has worked for twelve years. Coworkers describe him as ``a very professional individual'', ``a wonderful employee'', and ``an integral part of campus.'' Today, he will be attending a banquet to receive the award with the dean of the college, Allen Espree. Again, congratulations to Arthur Lee Henry, one of Louisiana's ``Citizen Heroes'' for taking pride in the campus he proudly serves.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Last week, congressional Democrats unveiled several sweeping overhauls of American health care. Each of their plans includes a government-run bureaucracy that would put red tape between patients and their doctors. I saw this firsthand as a doctor when patients with government-run Medicaid coverage often after heart surgery had difficulties finding doctors for follow-up care. A failure to get follow-up care after heart surgery is a great way to guarantee a poor quality result for patients and higher cost for taxpayers. Far too often, patients in our current government-run programs lack real access to a doctor, leaving them out of the system. Today, House Republicans put forward a commonsense plan to revitalize the American health care system and improve quality. Our plan puts patients and their doctors back in control of their health care destiny. Our plan makes health care more affordable and more accessible, with patients able to see a doctor of their choice. We all agree improving our system will make America more competitive and give families peace of mind. Let's work together to put the doctor and patient back in control.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Karen Fontenot, of Duson, Louisiana, who has dedicated her life to helping veterans throughout Southwest Louisiana. She answered her country's call during the Vietnam Conflict, serving as a nurse in the Philippines. It was while trying to help move and carry male patients twice her size that Karen first injured her back. It was an injury which left her permanently disabled, unable to walk without the assistance of a cane, and in constant pain. Karen's caring and tender nature was injured, perhaps more severely than her physical being. She suffered with every young man she saw torn apart by the horrors of war. Upon returning to her family and domestic life in Southwest Louisiana, Karen remained true to her fellow veterans. In an area which lacked Memorial Day and Veterans' Day ceremonies, Karen led a movement to establish those events. She was aided by some fellow veterans, but the brunt of the effort fell on her. For more than a decade, Karen has organized ceremonies to honor those she served alongside as well as those who came before and after her. When the Iraq War led to the deaths of several local, young men, Karen added a special tribute to the Gold Star Mothers. These families led by the mothers who have lost their child gather with dozens of other veterans and their families to pay tribute to those who have died and those who live. In addition to the beautiful ceremony, Karen invites all of those attending to a catered lunch at the local Armory. Each of the Gold Star Mothers receives special gifts, and those who have made special contributions are recognized and receive a tribute. Karen Fontenot broke her back to care for young men injured and killed in the Vietnam conflict and returned home with the intent that all men and women who have sacrificed for their country will be remembered. If it is up to her, none of their sacrifices will be forgotten or overlooked. Karen Fontenot is a patron saint of veterans. Madam Speaker, I ask that my colleagues join me in honoring Karen for her achievements and dedication to our nation's veterans.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. This administration doesn't understand the difference between our large multinational energy companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron that do most of their work overseas, and independently owned, American-owned energy companies working in the Gulf of Mexico who provide most of the oil and gas that this country utilizes. These are small companies operating in the Gulf of Mexico, predominantly, some in California and other areas around the country, but predominantly in the Gulf of Mexico. And this industry will be devastated by these tax proposals, and it's going to hurt our energy production, and it's going to make the price of oil and gas and gasoline and electricity go up significantly. It's absolutely the wrong policy at this time. We need a diversified energy policy, and we shouldn't punish those who are producing energy that Americans need desperately today.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank my friend from Ohio for yielding time to me. I want to go back for a moment, back to March, at a time when the Ways and Means Committee in the House convened to hear Secretary Geithner's testimony to us regarding President Obama's budget proposals and specifically regarding the issues related to cap-and-trade and some proposed tax increases on the oil and gas industry. In fact, in addition to cap-and-trade, the administration is proposing $31.5 billion in increased taxes on the U.S. domestics--the small, independent companies that produce oil and gas and that power our country. So, at the time, I had a very simple, a very straightforward question for Secretary Geithner, who was testifying. I said, Mr. Secretary, how many jobs will this kill, particularly on the gulf coast? The gulf coast is trying to recover from hurricanes, but yet, at the same time, it has done a magnificent job of getting the oil and gas industry back up in the Outer Continental Shelf and inland--our refineries--to provide energy for our country. So I asked him simply: How many jobs do you intend to kill with this budget? He could not answer the question. So I gave him a little time, and I followed up with a letter to Secretary Geithner. Two or three weeks elapsed. I received a letter today, and I have yet to receive an answer on how many jobs this administration intends to kill with its energy policy of cap-and-trade and of increased taxes on the domestic oil and gas industry. Now, I know for a fact that we have about 1.5 million people directly employed in the oil and gas industry and that there are about 6 million additional folks who have jobs related to this, whether in manufacturing or in support services. So, if we look back and if we look at a time when a previous administration, Mr. Carter's administration, raised a windfall profits tax on the oil and gas industry, it devastated our domestic industry. What happened? We became more dependent on foreign oil, and we saw price spikes in energy. So what's going to happen with this massive tax increase that is compounded by cap-and-trade? Well, my prediction is we're going to see massive job loss. I was down in Louisiana for 2 weeks back during the Easter recess. I toured and went along the coast, and I visited a lot of these small companies, companies that employ pipefitters and welders, people who work on the boats, folks who do the electrical work on these rigs, people who do the fabrication work. These are good-paying jobs, high- paying jobs with benefits. These are manufacturing jobs, the same kind of manufacturing jobs my friend from Illinois just spoke about. And our President says his goal is to save or create 3.5 million jobs before the end of 2010. I want to know a simple answer to the question I posed: How many jobs does this administration intend to kill with its energy tax proposals? It's a simple question. And I think the American people deserve an answer. And certainly the good, hardworking folks down in Louisiana and Texas and Alabama and Mississippi who supply a large amount of the energy that this country uses deserve a simple, straightforward answer from Mr. Geithner and this administration. Now, let me make one clear point here. I want to quote something first. Let me quote something from this letter that I received from Secretary Geithner. He says, ``To the extent the credit,'' he's referring to the tax credits that the oil and gas industries had since 1913, ``to the extent the credit encourages overproduction of oil, it is detrimental to long-term energy security.'' Overproduction of oil? Does any American believe that we have overproduction of oil? I would like to know what planet the Secretary is living on. What kind of information is he getting, for God's sake? Now, I think it's also important to recognize that if we're going to have a reasonable and sensible energy policy that the American public can believe in, an energy policy that diversifies our sources of energy and utilizes oil and gas and clean coal technology and nuclear power as well as green technology and alternative fuels, that's the kind of energy policy that we're promoting. That's the energy policy that the American people want to hear about. That's the energy policy that will unleash individual American genius to solve our problems. But if you're thinking about energy policy, our transition to that strategy involves natural gas as a diversified fuel as well as expanding nuclear power. But keep in mind that 30-35 percent of the natural gas that this country uses comes from rigs, oil and gas rigs that were drilled within the last 2 years. 35 percent. Now, I have to tell you that the rig count in the United States since September is down by over 50 percent and dropping because of these tax proposals. It's dropping, and that means we're going to have a shortage down the line of natural gas and oil, and we're going to become more dependent on oil from foreign sources, and we are going to become more dependent on liquefied natural gas being imported into this country. All the while, we're kind of like--we're the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. We have a lot of natural gas reserves, but we're not utilizing them. And this energy policy that the President is proposing, these tax increases will devastate our industry, and we will become more dependent. So, again, I asked President Obama and Secretary Geithner how many jobs do you intend to kill with this policy? And I think the American people, again, deserve a straight answer. Again, we're talking about good high-paying jobs across the board, manufacturing jobs, jobs that allow folks to buy homes, jobs that allow them to send their kids to college. Finally, let me just say that I believe it is wrong for this administration to deliberately pick winners and losers. It's the height of arrogance. What we ought to be doing with an energy policy is unleashing American genius to solve these problems, the same kind of genius that have solved many problems before in this country. One last thing I would like to mention is that back during the heyday of World War II when this country was in a fight against Nazi Germany and the Japanese and the concerns about energy were there and there was a fight for oil reserves and so forth, there was also a fight to see who was going to get nuclear power first. And it was because this country had a well-developed manufacturing and refining system with all of the chemical engineers, the petroleum engineers, that they were able to bring forth enough of the technical capability to win the race for atomic energy. And this is the same energy industry that this administration is currently trashing with this tax policy. So, again, I want to know a simple answer to a simple question: How many jobs does the Obama administration intend to kill with cap and trade and with these targeted tax increases on the oil and gas industry? With that, I will yield back to my friend.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I thank the gentleman. I would just add that really a productive way to reduce emissions would be to work out a cooperative agreement with China--which also has large amounts of emissions into the atmosphere--and let's use the technology that we have today to work with the Chinese to reduce emissions. But instead, with these tax proposals, they intend to destroy this industry. And I will tell you from my experience in Louisiana in the 1980s, once these jobs are gone, folks leave. They go off and do other things. That expertise is gone. You can't develop it overnight. And this is at a time when our energy needs are critical. So I have to say when the President talks about saving or creating 3.5 million jobs, this policy is not the way to do it. It will kill jobs, and it will kill many jobs.

Mr. BOUSTANY. If the gentleman would yield, You know, U.S. companies in the oil and gas industry do the safest and most environmentally friendly work of any of the companies around the world. We've got Louisiana and Texas expertise disbursed all over the globe as a result of what happened back in the 1980s with the windfall profits tax. I run into workers all the time who are coming back to Louisiana to visit family. And they have been away, and they wish they could work in the Gulf of Mexico around this country doing work in this country to produce energy for our country. Yet, they were pushed out. We lost those jobs. And as the energy industry has started to come back, now we're seeing the specter of these increased taxes, which will be devastating. And, in fact, I have a friend of mine--he and I finished college together--he's a petroleum engineer, and he's lived his entire professional life overseas because he went out into the work world at the time that this tax took place and devastated the domestic energy. With that, I yield back to my friend.

Mr. BOUSTANY. I would be happy to yield.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Mr. Speaker, over the weekend, I was privileged to give the weekly Republican address. And as a doctor, I've seen firsthand the difficult challenges that face health reform, and at first glance, the task really seems daunting. However, working together we can achieve real results for the American people. We can lower out-of-pocket costs for families and reduce the Federal deficit, which is ballooning out of control. We can increase the quality of care by increasing the choices and information patients have in order to work with their doctor, the doctor they choose to decide the best care possible. Let's begin by ensuring families can keep their current coverage, as the President has promised to do. Then we can work to lower the cost of health care by giving patients flexibility and choice rather than one-size-fits-all, government-run health care. Working together, we can achieve real results and make health care more affordable and accessible. We all agree, improving our system will make America more competitive and give families peace of mind. Let's work together to put the doctor and patient back in control.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. The American people want both sides of the aisle working together to help lower the cost of health care. However, according to a story in today's New York Times, even all but a few Democrats, in addition to Republicans, are being left out of the talks. Some Washington Democrats are more concerned with implementing a government-run, bureaucratic health care system than achieving real solutions. Working together, we can lower the cost of health care in America while increasing access to a doctor and high-quality care. Both sides have good answers, which we should consider. However, a silver bullet does not exist to solve all the problems. Compromise and common sense could produce results--such as lower costs, better access to a doctor, and coverage for all. And that's what we should be working toward. Health care is a complex issue that affects individuals and businesses, young and old--everyone. And that's why it's more important than ever to work together to come up with good policies that will help the American people. They want us to work together to achieve real solutions--and that's what we should be working to, Madam Speaker.

Mr. BOUSTANY

Mr. BOUSTANY. Will the gentleman yield?