Paul Broun

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Could you yield just a half a second?

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Absolutely. In fact, it's going to kill our freedom also.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Over 5 million. Five and a half million, to be exact, jobs that health care taxes. And what it's going to do, is it's going to mean that a small business man or woman who is trying to just make a living, they are not going to be able to hire new employees because of ObamaCare. We have got to repeal and replace ObamaCare. And that's just the bottom line. Everything that this Congress has done since I have been here 3 years now, everything, and all of it has been under Nancy Pelosi's leadership, everything that this Congress has done in 3 years that I have been here is going to kill jobs, it's going to kill our economy, and it's going to be killing the future of our children and grandchildren. We have just got to stop this.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. That's right. They can't afford their mortgage payment now, or some are just barely paying those things. And then the energy tax on their electricity when they flip on the light switch, or when their heating unit comes on, up North particularly. I, thankfully, live in the South, so we are more concerned about air conditioning. A lot of old people in Georgia and Florida and all through the Southeast and through the Southwest are dependent upon air conditioning just to live. And if their electricity bills go sky high, as the energy tax is going to make it happen, if that ever passes, there are a lot of people that can't afford to run their air conditioning anymore. And people are actually going to have a hard time with hyperthermia is what we call it in medicine as a medical doctor, which means their body temperature is going to go up, they are going to get dehydration, and people are going to have a lot of problems. And it's going to make a greater impact on our health care system and people are going to die because of that. But it's going to kill jobs too. And it's going to be a job killer just like the ObamaCare that's been estimated by experts to kill over 5 million jobs in this country.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Well, thank you, Mr. Akin, for yielding. And you are exactly right. Not only does excessive taxation kill the ability to do all the research and development that you were just talking about, but small business can't even buy inventory. So they can't sell their goods to consumers. The consumers don't have the money to come and buy the goods and services. So it kills the economy. It's just very, very simple economics. The thing is we are going in the wrong direction. You talked about the energy tax that's been proposed, that Nancy Pelosi jammed through the House of Representatives here. It's what's called a regressive tax because it's going to hurt people on limited incomes and poor people the most. It's going to make their gasoline prices go up. In fact, I have heard many Democrats, many Democrats here on the floor of the House of Representatives say they would like to see gasoline at $10 a gallon. Now, somebody who is out working hard today trying to make a living, who is just making the house payment and paying their bills and just scraping to get by and trying to get by, if their gasoline price goes to $10 a gallon, they are going to be just really out of economic luck, so to speak.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Taxpayers.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Absolutely.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. I'm a doctor.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Well, thank you, Mr. Akin, for yielding. I'll tell you what. I hope the American people paid attention to your explanation because it has been Democrats all along who have fought any reform of Freddie and Fannie. Freddie and Fannie are right in the middle of the cause of the financial downturn that we've seen today. Just today, we voted on trying to name a committee of conferees from the House and the Senate to talk about financial services, and we tried to bring Freddie and Fannie into the fold, but Democrats across the board have rejected from 2003, all the way up to today, to solve the problem. When you have a fire going, you want to try and find out the source of that fire and put out the source. I'm a medical doctor. When you have a medical problem going on, you try to find the source of that problem. If you have a cancer, you want to not just deal with the symptoms of the cancer or even of the metastasis--the spread--of the cancer, but you want to go with the primary tumor and get it out. So Freddie and Fannie are the source of the problem, and Democrats across the board have resisted from 2003, all the way to today, the efforts the Republicans have made to try to cut out this cancer of Freddie and Fannie.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Akin, I am a pilot, and I want to say that you are exactly right about getting out of a death spiral. So we do push the yoke forward to stop the spin, to stop the stall, to get the airplane flying again. And that's exactly what needs to happen to our economy, by pushing the stick forward, by reducing taxes, particularly on small businesses. I introduced my JOBS Act. My JOBS Act is an acronym for ``jump start our business sector.'' It would cut the taxes for business for 2 years. It would suspend capital gains taxes and dividend taxes. It would cut the two lowest income tax brackets down to 10 percent and 5 percent. So if you think about it, that would leave dollars in the hands of business, leave dollars in the hands of consumers so that they would have the money to stimulate the economy. So it's something that would stimulate the economy and start creating jobs. And that is something that needs to happen. And it is by cutting taxes instead of raising taxes. What we see here is our leadership here in the House, the Democratic leadership, wants to raise taxes. Our President wants to raise taxes. One thing that I want to go back to is something that you talked about when the President said he was going to raise taxes on people who made $250,000 or more, that these are rich people. The vast majority of those folks are small business men and women who are filing their sub S corporations as personal income taxes. And those are really not their individual income, but that's how much money comes into their business. So they're not just wealthy people who are living lavish lives. They are men and women who are trying to make a living and create jobs and just take care of their families. So when we hear let's tax the rich, they need to pay more, actually what you're taxing people is out of jobs. You're killing the economy. You're taxing jobs. We need to lower taxes, and that's what you're fighting for.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Thank you. We have 1 minute left I think, and I just want to say that helping poverty is a very simple formula. It's a good-paying job and the education to fill that job. That's another thing that we know as Republicans. We've got to create those good-paying jobs, and the way we do that is in the private sector by reducing taxes on small business men and women so that they can create new jobs. We will continue to fight for freedom. There's a wide gulf, just like you were saying, between the philosophies of the leadership of the Democrat Party here and our leadership on our side. It is socialism on their hand. On our hand, it's freedom, personal responsibility, and accountability, and we're fighting for freedom and continue to do so.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Well, there's a bull that's in that china shop that's not indicated in this cartoon, and that's the abject failure, non-stimulus bill, as I call it, which has been an abject failure. The non-stimulus bill has been an abject failure, and it's going to be a job-killer. Everything that this administration, that this leadership in Congress today is doing is killing jobs. And it's not doing anything except for creating a bigger government and creating temporary government employees. It's creating a lot of jobs here in Washington, D.C., but they don't help my State of Georgia. They don't help New York State or California or Texas. They are creating a bigger central government that's going to kill our freedom. And we've got to stop it.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Well, I thank you, Mr. Akin, for yielding. This has been described as Keynesian economics, which means bigger government spending and more borrowing. You've got a great quote there by Henry Morgenthau, who was FDR's Treasury Secretary. During part of the Great Depression, he made this great quote, which reads, in part, that we have just as much unemployment as when we started all of this massive government spending, and an enormous debt to boot. That's exactly what we're doing. Most American people know--not all, and it's unfortunate. Most American people know that socialism never has worked and never will work, but this is socialistic, this type of philosophy of bigger government, of central control from wherever the capital is. We saw it in the Soviet Union. It is what Stalin put up there in the Soviet Union. In fact, FDR sent his lieutenants to Russia. Back during that period of time when the Great Depression started, which was early on in the Roosevelt Presidency, he sent his lieutenants to look at what Stalin was doing because they thought this was the greatest thing in the world and that we needed to put in place that kind of policy here. That's exactly what is going on right now with our leadership. They may as well send their lieutenants back. They should go back and look at the history of what Stalin did, and they should understand from history that it doesn't work, because it will not and cannot.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. I wanted to put some perspective on 2008, too. That's when the President's chief economic adviser--I guess the Treasury Secretary--told him that the sky was falling and that we needed to pass the Toxic Asset Relief Program, or TARP, which many Republicans voted against. I didn't buy the Democratic Treasury Secretary under a Republican President because that's exactly what Hank Paulson is. He's a Wall Street insider, a Wall Street banker. Wall Street believes in big government. That's the reason they support the Democrats. They overwhelmingly support Democrats financially. That increase in 2008, under Bush, is principally because of the TARP bill that a lot of people didn't like. I did not vote for that. I've argued very much against it, and I have been a strong critic of the Bush administration's being big spenders, but they were pikers compared to the Pelosi Congress ever since she has been in charge. And even that is just miniscule compared to what has happened just over the last 16, 17 months.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. It really has.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. The northeast corner of the State of Georgia. Athens and Augusta are my two major cities.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Thank you. And I like this cartoon that you just put up, because this just shows what is going on here, not only with our debt, with health care reform. I call it ``tax-and-trade'' because it is about revenue. The President himself said it was about raising more revenue for the Federal Government. It's not about the environment at all. In fact, a lot of what the President has said, he has admitted it is not about the environment. It is about revenue and a bigger government, greater control, central planning from Washington, D.C., and then the war tax. They are adding tax after tax, and we are expecting the Chinese to buy our debt. In other words, we are spending our children and grandchildren's future, and the credit card is being held by the Chinese. And it is something that is totally unsustainable. And what it is going to do, long term, is our children and grandchildren are going to live at a lower standard than we live today because this is totally unsustainable, totally unsustainable.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Will the gentlelady yield?

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Well, I'm sorry. I apologize, Mr. Akin. I just wanted to address those things that you were talking about, Mr. Akin--the Great Depression, the government spending and that the unemployment didn't go up. As to what Mrs. Lummis just so very capably showed us, government jobs are going up. During the Depression, though, as you just said, there was a lot of spending on infrastructure during that period of time. It did not take care of the unemployment. If you look at the unemployment rate during the Great Depression, it stayed relatively flat. It went up and down some, but it stayed up a bit, and then it fell way off in spite of all the big government spending and all the spending on infrastructure. Back then, though, under the Roosevelt administration, they created the WPA and the CCC camps and things like that. They put people to work, who were on government welfare, building all that infrastructure. Now we're paying people not to work.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Will the gentleman yield before you take the chart away?

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Col. Edward J. Kertis for a distinguished career and the outstanding help that he has been to me, my staff, and the people in my district. Col. Kertis assumed command of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on June 29, 2007. Since his appointment, he has been responsible for a $4 billion military design and construction program; water resources planning, design and construction; hazardous, toxic and radiological waste cleanup; and real estate activities. Residents of my district are especially grateful for his help with water resources management during an historic drought. As the rains finally began to return, Col. Kertis took the unprecedented step of stopping flow from Thurmond and Hartwell Dams, allowing the lakes to fill while water was flowing into the Savannah River from flooding creeks and streams. This common-sense decision provided economic relief to those communities who rely so heavily on the preservation of the beautiful lakes and parks of the upper Savannah River. But he has served his country in other ways as well. Prior to his assignment to the Savannah District, Col. Kertis commanded the Walla Walla District, USACE, in Washington State from 2002-2004. He has also served as a platoon leader, staff officer, and battalion executive officer in the 27th Engineer Battalion; company commander in the 41st Engineer Battalion; and engineer company commander in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment--Delta. He was also the inaugural commander of the Northern District, Gulf Region Division, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he managed construction projects in support of Coalition forces and the Iraqi government. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Col. Kertis for his service to the nation and the dedication he has given his duties, and in wishing him all the best as he assumes his new assignment as Pacific Ocean Division Commander.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Col. Edward J. Kertis for a distinguished career and the outstanding help that he has been to me, my staff, and the people in my district. Col. Kertis assumed command of the Savannah District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on June 29, 2007. Since his appointment, he has been responsible for a $4 billion military design and construction program; water resources planning, design and construction; hazardous, toxic and radiological waste cleanup; and real estate activities. Residents of my district are especially grateful for his help with water resources management during an historic drought. As the rains finally began to return, Col. Kertis took the unprecedented step of stopping flow from Thurmond and Hartwell Dams, allowing the lakes to fill while water was flowing into the Savannah River from flooding creeks and streams. This common-sense decision provided economic relief to those communities who rely so heavily on the preservation of the beautiful lakes and parks of the upper Savannah River. But he has served his country in other ways as well. Prior to his assignment to the Savannah District, Col. Kertis commanded the Walla Walla District, USACE, in Washington State from 2002-2004. He has also served as a platoon leader, staff officer, and battalion executive officer in the 27th Engineer Battalion; company commander in the 41st Engineer Battalion; and engineer company commander in the 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment--Delta. He was also the inaugural commander of the Northern District, Gulf Region Division, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he managed construction projects in support of Coalition forces and the Iraqi government. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Col. Kertis for his service to the nation and the dedication he has given his duties, and in wishing him a long and wonderful retirement.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my amendment that is included in this en bloc amendment. It includes my language, which encourages the President of the United States to order that the U.S. flag be flown at the American outpost in Haiti. It is to be flown at this outpost as we continue to assist in our earthquake relief. I would like to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for their hard work on this bill and for including my amendment in this en bloc package. As the United States extends a helping hand to our neighbor nation of Haiti, I am disheartened that the President has decided that our service men and women should not work in their outpost under the American flag and that he has ordered that the American flag cease to fly over that outpost. The American flag is a symbol that our men and women in uniform are promoting the American spirit of rebuilding hope, prosperity, and opportunity. As a marine and naval medical officer, I understand that it is critical for morale that our military should work under the American flag, especially when our presence in a foreign country is under peaceful conditions. As a sign of respect and support for the selfless efforts of the service men and women, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. Chairman, I request that my full statement be entered into the Record. Mr. Chair, I would like to thank Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for their hard work on this critical bill, which is the life- blood for those defending our freedoms at home and abroad. And thank you gentlemen, for allowing me to offer this amendment before the House. I rise today in support of my amendment which encourages the President to order the flag of the United States to be flown over all military and civilian outposts in Haiti during earthquake relief efforts. As Memorial Day approaches, Americans will be honoring those brave souls who, as Abraham Lincoln said in the Gettysburg Address, ``gave the last full measure of devotion'' to our nation, by flying the American Flag at their homes and places of business. However, there is one place where the flag will not be waving, and that is in the Republic of Haiti, on American outposts where our servicemen and women are leading humanitarian efforts to aid those adversely effected by the magnitude 7 earthquake that devastated the island nation. The President has decided that the stars and stripes would be viewed with disdain in Haiti. That our servicemen and women providing basic essentials would be viewed as an occupying force if they did it under our flag. So he has ordered the Department of Defense not to fly our flag in Haiti, for fear of being viewed unfavorably by the rest of the world. I strongly disagree with the President, and I believe he could not be more wrong about how the world views the United States and our flag. I submit that every member of this body will agree with me when I say that when tasked with a mission of mercy, there are no better ambassadors for the United States than our men and women in uniform. In Berlin after World War II, and most recently in places like The Philippines, Bolivia, Djibouti, and Colombia, it has been our service- members who have delivered hope to those who have none. In all these places our Flag has flown proudly over these merchants of mercy. The situation is no different in Haiti, our servicemen and women are still giving hope to an impoverished people, they should be allowed to do this under the symbol that embodies all that we hold dear. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment that honors our military and their efforts in Haiti, and encourages the President to allow them to serve under our proud flag.

Mr. BROUN of Georgia

Mr. BROUN of Georgia. But what you are just saying is great information, so that the American people can understand and hopefully our Democratic colleagues will understand, the cost curve goes up, higher than if we did nothing. In fact, this new estimate does not include any cost for the 52 new programs, 52 new programs that are in the bill that the CBO could not even measure and give us a figure for the cost because each program was authorized for such sums, blank check, such sums, funding level. So our leadership, Ms. Pelosi and company, have given us 52 new programs that are funded at such sums that they need and is not even scored or accounted in this new estimate of $150 million that the CBO missed because they couldn't even score that.