Diane Black

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, in response to the gentleman from New York, when he says we do not have a plan, I reference him to all of the plans that are here on the desk. He says we don't have a plan, but then he references all of the things that will happen under the Republican plan. He can't have it both ways. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack), who is a member of both the Budget Committee and the Appropriations Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to note that it is ObamaCare that has, sadly, hurt these rural hospitals, healthcare providers, and people living in those rural areas. As a matter of fact, since January of 2010, there have been at least 80 rural hospitals that have had to close. The damage has already been done. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington), a freshmen on the Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker), who is a new member of our Budget Committee.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Gaetz), who is a freshman on our Budget Committee.

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

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I do want to note, once again, for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, if they say we have no plans, I want to reference them several plans that have been filed, and I will leave those here on the desk so they can pick those up at their convenience. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe).

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Marshall).

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Mitchell), who is one of our freshman Members.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Garrett), who is one of our freshman Members.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, it is now my honor to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rodney Davis), one of the leaders of our conference.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, it is my distinct honor to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), who was the chair of our Budget Committee, our Ways and Means Committee, and now he is the Speaker of the House.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I want to read the names of some of the groups that have written to us in support of S. Con. Res. 3. There are more than 35 names on here, but I am going to read off some that we would recognize very quickly: The American Center for Law and Justice, Association of Mature American Citizens, Citizens Against Government Waste, Concerned Women for America, Health Benefits Group, Independent Women's Voice, Medical Device Manufacturers Association, National Association of Manufacturers, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, National Taxpayers Union, Society for Human Resource Management, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. I just want to extract one paragraph out of the U.S. Chamber's letter that they have written: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports S. Con. Res. 3, the concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for 2016, an initial step toward making critical improvements to the American healthcare system.'' I think that you can see that not only do our constituents support a change, but also these companies around the country. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, what I would like to do now is to read some of the broken promises that have occurred through the Affordable Care Act. Here is one that I think we will all recognize: ``That means that no matter how we reform health care, we will keep this promise to the American people: If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.'' Those are remarks by the President at the annual conference of the American Medical Association back on June 15, 2009. Here is another one: ``I will sign a universal health care bill into law by the end of my first term as president that will cover every American and cut the cost of a typical family's premium by up to $2,500 a year.'' This was in a speech on June 23, 2007. Here is another: ``You should know that once we have fully implemented, you're going to be able to buy insurance through a pool so that you can get the same good rates as a group that if you're an employee at a big company you can get right now--which means your premiums will go down.'' Which we know has absolutely not happened. These were remarks that were made by the President at a campaign event on July 16, 2012. Here is another one, remarks made by the President after a meeting with the Senate Democrats on December 15, 2009: ``Whatever ideas exist in terms of bending the cost curve and starting to reduce costs for families, businesses, and government, those elements are in this bill.'' As we know today, those elements have not come to fruition. Another: ``So this law means more choice, more competition, lower costs for millions of Americans.'' These were remarks by the President on the Affordable Care Act and the government shutdown on October 1, 2013. Another: ``In my mind the Affordable Care Act has been a huge success, but it's got real problems.'' This came from Jonathan Chait, ``Five Days That Shaped a Presidency,'' on October 2, 2016. The last one that I will read to you: ``I'm willing to look at other ideas to bring down costs. . . .'' These were remarks by the President in the State of the Union Address on January 25, 2011. In 2013, PolitiFact rated this the number one lie of the year. At publication, PolitiFact found that there were at least 37 instances when President Obama made this vow to the American people. I can say that, as we look at these statements that were made, these are not statements that have come true. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I have no other speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time to conclude the debate of the budget resolution after the Joint Economic Committee has finished its debate.

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

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, after all the debate that we have had today, these facts remain: ObamaCare is failing; health coverage is becoming less affordable; health care is becoming less accessible; and the American people want and deserve something better than this broken status quo. While my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are doing their best to defend this law and make excuses for the harm it is causing, Republicans promised the American people we will not ignore those in our country who are suffering under the current healthcare system. Today, we have an opportunity to begin to bring relief to the American people. Today's vote will kick-start the reconciliation process through which we can and must repeal ObamaCare and pave the way to a patient-centered healthcare system, and I include in the Record letters supporting passage of S. Con. Res. 3. Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, Washington, DC, January 13, 2017. To the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce supports S. Con. Res. 3, the concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for fiscal year 2017, as an initial step toward making critical improvements to the American health care system. Congress must repeal the ``Cadillac'' tax, the health insurance tax, the medical device tax, the employer responsibility penalties, and other harmful taxes of the Affordable Care Act that have increased health care costs for millions of Americans. As committees begin consideration of reconciliation legislation, the Chamber will continue to advocate strongly for those and other issues. Furthermore, this proposal provides for modifications to enacted FY 2017 discretionary spending levels to bring them into alignment with the Appropriations Committee's existing allocation as part of the deeming resolution required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015. These levels are consistent with the statutory limits established by the Budget Control Act and amended by the Bipartisan Budget Act. This legislation would also make changes to mandatory spending to reflect $2 billion in mandatory savings--the same amount established in the reconciliation instructions. The FY 2017 Appropriations bills include many Chamber policy priorities. The Chamber strongly supports completing work on those bills and hopes that passage of this budget resolution will provide the framework for their quick consideration, including beginning the important work on fiscal year 2018 bills. Sincerely, Jack Howard.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution so that we can pursue those solutions that will expand access to care, increase the quality and affordability of that care, and give the American people, not Washington, the power to choose what best fits their individual needs. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, the Democratic substitute would guarantee that the American people continue to be harmed by ObamaCare. It would ensure that insurance markets continue to collapse and that premiums and deductibles continue to rise and that patients have less access to healthcare choices. At a time when we are trying to provide relief to the American people and protect them from a failed and broken status quo, this amendment ignores those who are suffering under the law. It ignores the 20 million Americans who have either paid the ObamaCare penalty or sought an exemption from it because the cost of complying with the law is either too costly or not worth their trouble. This amendment tells those families who have seen their premiums go up dramatically--many, who are paying more and getting less--that there is no relief in sight for you. What is more, the substitute does not include any reconciliation instructions, and it lacks the savings we achieve through our instructions. The bottom line is this: ObamaCare is collapsing. It is failing. The American people need relief. And in order to get them that relief, we need to reject this amendment and get to work on patient-centered solutions for our Nation's healthcare challenges. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee do now rise.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. I thank the gentleman for yielding, my good friend, who is also very involved in protecting life and families, and I appreciate his work in this area as well. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor my friend and colleague, Congressman Joe Pitts, on his upcoming retirement from the House of Representatives. As a former teacher, Congressman Pitts spent years investing in the next generation of leaders, and as an Air Force captain, with three tours of duty in Vietnam, he was on the front lines of protecting the freedoms that we talk about in this Chamber every day. His service in Congress, now spanning nearly 20 years, will be marked by a quiet strength and a steady leadership that always sought solutions over attention, and that ran towards answers instead of running to the cameras. Congressman Pitts was never the loudest person in the room, but oftentimes he may very well have been the wisest. As the founder of the Values Action Team, Congressman Pitts created a platform to build stronger relationships between value-oriented Members of Congress and grassroots organizations that shared those same principles. Through his appointment as the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, Congressman Pitts worked to advance real- world healthcare solutions that empowered patients, not bureaucrats. I will always be most grateful to Congressman Pitts for his fearless, unflinching defense of our Nation's unborn. From his own legislation, like Protect Life Act, to his invaluable leadership in the fight to pass the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, to his work on the Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives, Congressman Pitts has been a champion for the voiceless and vulnerable at every turn. I thank Congressman Pitts for his service, for his friendship, for his guidance. I wish him and his wife, Ginny, and his beautiful family all the best in the next chapter of their lives.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Speaker, one of the striking discoveries we have made in this investigation has been the sheer number of laws implicated by the troubling actions of abortion providers, tissue procurement businesses, and researchers. One such law is the HIPAA privacy rule. The panel's investigation uncovered a series of business contracts between StemExpress, which is a tissue procurement business that is not covered by HIPAA, and several abortion clinics that are. StemExpress paid fees to the abortion clinics for fetal tissue and maternal blood and then resold the fetal tissue and the blood to researchers. Here is a quick HIPAA privacy tutorial: The HIPAA privacy rule protects all individually identifiable health information, known as protected health information, or PHI, that is held or transmitted by a covered entity. This information identifies an individual or can reasonably be believed to be useful in identifying an individual, such as a name or an address, and includes demographic data related to her physical or mental health, condition, treatment, and payments. The panel's investigation indicates that StemExpress and four abortion clinics, including three Planned Parenthood locations, committed systemic violations of a HIPAA privacy rule over a course of about 5 years. The abortion clinics provided patients' private, protected health information to StemExpress to help them obtain human fetal tissue for resale. How did they do this? Well, the abortion clinics permitted the employees of StemExpress to enter their clinics to obtain human fetal tissue from the aborted infants, obtain protected health information about their patients, interact with the patients, and, yes, even seek and obtain patient consent for the tissue donation. StemExpress did not have a medically valid reason to see, and the abortion clinics did not have a reason to disclose, the patients' private information. Instead, the abortion clinics intentionally shared patients' most intimate private information with StemExpress to financially benefit StemExpress and the clinics. The panel has made a referral of each of these entities to the Department of Health and Human Services and has requested a swift and full investigation by the HHS Office for Civil Rights. But more importantly, we have discovered a deeply concerning violation of a law that protects the most cherished privacy rights.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, Tennesseans have experienced the worst of Mother Nature this week--from the tornadoes in my own district to the historic wildfires that ravaged the Gatlinburg community. These fires forced a mass evacuation, destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, and tragically caused three known fatalities so far. Today I rise to call for prayer for our neighbors in the beautiful Smoky Mountains region of our State, to remember those precious lives lost, and to recognize our heroic first responders who have worked diligently to contain the damage. As the work continues, we pray that healing rain would fall, literally, across eastern Tennessee this week, that businesses would be able to quickly reopen, and that visitors would once again flock to this treasured region of our State to experience all that Gatlinburg has to offer.