Diane Black

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Chairman, nearly 23 million Americans are still struggling to find work, and millions more low- and middle-income Americans are struggling with the reality of depressed wages, higher food and gas prices, and rising health care costs. It is clear that the President's tax-and-spend policies are putting the American Dream further and further out of reach of more and more Americans. It's hard to get ahead in America when you can barely get by--paying your rent, putting food on the table and getting to and from work. I believe the status quo is not working, and I believe that the American people deserve better than the chronically high unemployment, record levels of debt, unrealized dreams and a diminished future. That is why I stand here today to urge my colleagues to support the House Republicans' Path to Prosperity budget. The Path to Prosperity budget funds America's priorities. It protects important entitlement programs, it saves our social net, it repeals the President's budget- busting health care law, reforms our broken code and balances within a decade. President Obama and the congressional Democrats say that they want to get America back to work and support a ``balanced approach'' to our fiscal problems. But they also support record deficits and budgets that never ever balance. Instead of government living within its means, the Democrats' budgets raise taxes to fuel more spending, and in turn, millions of Americans remain out of work. The only place that these failed policies will lead is to higher unemployment, depressed wages and a crushing debt crisis. The majority of Americans are not satisfied with the current state of our economy, and they're not hopeful about the future. And who can blame them? I believe the American people deserve better than the status quo, and I believe the American people deserve leaders here in Washington who are honest with themselves and their constituents about the challenges facing our Nation and what it's going to take to get this Nation back on track.

Mrs. BLACK. I urge the House to pass the Path to Prosperity budget and for the President to work with the congressional Republicans to balance the budget so that we can start to create the conditions for economic growth, job creation and more opportunities for current and future generations of Americans.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. I yield to the gentleman.

Mrs. BLACK. I thank the chairman. I so appreciate your earnestness in working together in making sure that we do have upward mobility rather than dependence. Madam Chair, I want to again thank the chairman for being willing to work with me on what I think is a very important issue of making sure that we help people with upward mobility. With that, Madam Chair, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mrs. BLACK. I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Chairman, I rise today in support of reaffirming our commitment to upward mobility and greater opportunity for all Americans. My amendment would express the sentiment of the House that the funding for the United States Department of Agriculture, USDA, marketing and outreach program currently used to increase participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, SNAP, better known as ``food stamps,'' would instead be used to fund job training programs contained in the SKILLS Act. These precious taxpayer dollars should be used to facilitate upward mobility and employment, not dependence. The USDA created an aggressive outreach program that has grown under the Obama administration, particularly through the President's stimulus package. These expanded initiatives include the collaboration between the USDA and Mexican Government officials to promote participation in targeted communities, which teaches recruiters how to convince working class families into public assistance and dependence. The Obama administration has conducted over 30 meetings with the Mexican Government personnel since he took office. Since this program began in 2004, the United States taxpayer has funded this participation with the Mexican Government to promote the SNAP program by holding 29 health fairs and traveling to 19 cities. The USDA, in coordination with the Mexican Government, has conducted an aggressive campaign issuing guidance to State and local agencies with a record 91 meetings focusing on growing the outreach program to expand enrollment in SNAP. None of these new meetings were used to point them in the direction of jobs training programs or employment searches that would offer much greater opportunity than whatever the Federal Government would have to offer. I recently read through this 55-page document put out by the USDA, entitled, ``SNAP, Guidance on Non-Citizen Eligibility,'' that essentially explains every possible scenario for avenues of going about receiving SNAP assistance. These policies are in plain conflict with the financial health of the United States, and it fails to recognize that welfare reform is guided by the moral principle that good policy helps more people live better lives. USDA has also used these outreach dollars to hand out a Hunger Champions award in 2011 to certain workers, which translated to a 10 percent increase in food stamp recipients in just one year. Under the Obama administration, the number of food stamp recipients has jumped 46 percent, with one in six Americans living in poverty, and the administration still continues to undermine work requirements and effective job training. We need to reaffirm our belief that we are a Nation of opportunity and not dependence. The government should not be promoting food stamps. The government should be using hard-earned taxpayer dollars to help those who are out of work to acquire skills for jobs that they want and to achieve the American Dream that they have for them and their families. I would now like to enter into a colloquy with the gentleman that is the chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Mr. Lucas.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I rise today to speak in support of Congressman Messer's bill, H.R. 668. This requirement would be a powerful reminder to the President and Congress on how the decisions regarding our government's spending impact the constituents that we serve. Despite the fact that on the President's watch we have had 4 straight years of deficits exceeding $1 trillion and we still have nearly 23 million Americans who are struggling to find work, the President continues to champion more and more deficit spending as a cure to what ails our struggling economy. But spending money we do not have is not an investment. It's a liability that limits the potential and the freedom of the American people and future generations. Every man, woman, and child in America currently owes $52,000 as their share of the national debt. It's time that the President and Congress level with the public about the burden of debt that's being placed on the American taxpayer each and every year.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Chair, yesterday, the President took to the White House briefing room to lecture, as he has done before, on the virtues of the so-called ``balanced approach'' to budgeting. However, while he failed to mention that his balanced approach would never lead to a balanced budget, his last 4 years have made that abundantly clear. It's long past time for the President to level with Congress and the American people about when his so-called ``balanced approach'' will actually balance the budget. Today, the House will take up the Require a PLAN Act, which will force the President to do just that. By requiring the President to explain when and how he would balance the budget, we can begin to have an honest and constructive discussion about what it is actually going to take to prevent a debt crisis. History and math tell us that our fiscal challenges can only be solved through responsible budgeting that cuts spending and reforms entitlements. The President's incessant demand for higher taxes is not a solution to our fiscal problems but, rather, a deceptive rhetoric that cannot withstand the scrutiny of basic math or honest budgeting. No amount of tax hikes will ever be able to steer us away from the looming debt crisis we face. Averting the most predictable crisis in U.S. history is not a question of how, but a question of if the President will have the courage and the foresight to work with the House Republicans to lead our country out of economic stagnation and away from a future limited by mountains of debt.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, in the year 2000, Congress created the U Visa program as a way to allow illegal immigrant crime victims a temporary--a temporary--legal status in order to assist law enforcement in the prosecution of their assailant, which has helped bring thousands of criminals to justice. However, over time, the U Visa has become a pathway to citizenship for essentially everyone who applies. The rampant abuse of this program is detrimental to law-abiding individuals who seek to immigrate to our country through the proper legal channels. We are a Nation of immigrants, and we are also a Nation built upon respect for the rule of law. Our heritage and our principles demand of us the courage to reform our broken immigration system so that those who follow the law and want to contribute to the betterment of our Nation will have the opportunity to do so. That is why I have introduced the U Visa Reform Act of 2013 to stop abuses in the U Visa program. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this commonsense piece of legislation.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. As a charter member of the Fix Congress Now Caucus and as an early supporter of the No Budget, No Pay, I am very excited that this legislation will be voted on in the House in just a little bit. We on the House Budget Committee work hard to pass a responsible budget each year, but the Democrat-controlled Senate refuses to do the same. In fact, it has been nearly 4 years since the Senate has passed a budget, and since that time, the government has racked up annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion a year and, in total, more than $5 trillion in 4 years. If we stay on this current path of record deficits, big government, and unfunded entitlement programs, Greece's present will be America's future. A massive debt crisis is surely not the future we want for our children or our grandchildren. Fiscal responsibility and accountability in the Halls of Congress cannot wait. Today, we will take an important step in the House, forcing the Senate to either do its job or to face the consequences. It's simple: no budget, no pay.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, as a charter member of the Fix Congress Now Caucus and as an early supporter of No Budget, No Pay, I am very excited that this legislation will be voted on in the House later today. We on the House Budget Committee work hard to pass a responsible budget each year, but the Democrat-controlled Senate refuses to do the same. In fact, it has been nearly 4 years since the Senate has passed a budget. Since that time, the Federal Government has racked up annual deficits exceeding $1 trillion; and, in total, more than $5 trillion has been added to our national debt in just 4 years. If we stay on our current path of record deficits, big government and unfunded entitlement programs, Greece's present will be America's future. A massive debt crisis is surely not the future we want for our children or our grandchildren. Fiscal responsibility and accountability in the Halls of Congress cannot wait. Today, we will take an important step in the House to force the Senate to either do its job or face the consequences. It's simple: no budget, no pay.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. As a nurse for over 40 years, I have spent my career protecting life. As a Congresswoman, I am proud to continue this critical fight for life. With former Congressman Mike Pence's blessing, I have reintroduced his legislation, the Title X Abortion Provider Prohibition Act. This bill will ensure that no Federal funds are given to Planned Parenthood or any other organization that abuses their privileges as health care providers and fails to protect life. It is long past time for Congress to respect the will of the American people and to stop taxpayer-funded abortions, a heinous abuse of the law and destruction of innocent life. I urge my colleagues to stand up for life and to support this important legislation.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 630, I was delayed in a meeting. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 613 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, last year, U.S. exports to Russia exceeded $11 billion. In my home State of Tennessee, companies such as International Paper, Cummins, and DuPont exported nearly $162 million in goods and services to Russia last year. We need to continue to build on our strong trade relations, and passing H.R. 6156, which will permanently normalize trade relations with Russia, will do just that. By joining the rest of the members of the World Trade Organization, we will put America on a level playing field with those already reaping the benefits from Russia's accession to the WTO last August. This will enable American companies to anywhere from double to triple their number of exports, which in turn will stimulate economic growth and job creation in America. I applaud the House for passing H.R. 6156, a commonsense jobs bill that won't cost taxpayers a dime, and I urge the Senate to follow our lead and pass this important legislation without delay.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, while the President returned from the campaign trail last week with a slightly more conciliatory tone, his insistence on a year-end tax hike on small businesses is unchanged, and frankly, that is completely unacceptable. It is unacceptable for more than 23 million Americans struggling for work right now. It's unacceptable for millions of middle class Americans struggling to support their families with rising gas prices and higher health insurance costs. And it's unacceptable because it will destroy jobs and hurt our economy. Yesterday, the President said that his reelection victory is a mandate to help the middle class. He can start with helping the middle class by stopping his job-killing tax hike on small businesses. The President continues to call for increased tax rates for the top two brackets, which hit more than 1 million small businesses and 53 percent of all small business income. That's a big problem, considering that small businesses create two out of every three jobs in America. According to the Ernst & Young report, the President's plan will result in the elimination of 700,000 jobs. The position of the congressional Republicans on extending current income tax rates for all Americans is far from extreme. It is actually the same exact position that President Obama espoused 2 years ago when he agreed to extend all Bush-era tax rates for 2 years on the basis that raising tax rates would hurt our weak economy. That logic still stands. In fact, our economy is even weaker today than it was in 2010. GDP growth is lower than in 2010, in large part due to the looming cost of the President's health care law and his administration's dramatic increase in regulations. With more than 23 million Americans struggling to find work, that is not the time to be raising taxes on anyone, period. We must also find common ground on the defense sequester to ensure that spending cuts are implemented, but in a way that does not weaken our military or threaten our national security. Both the tax and spending issues we face in lame duck are a microcosm of our Nation's massive fiscal and economic long-term challenges. Entitlement reform and comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform in the 113th Congress are key to addressing our Nation's greatest challenges. The policy outcome and the narrative that transpire from this lame duck session will set the stage for what is possible in 2013 and beyond. We have a critical opportunity right now to avert the fiscal cliff and lay the groundwork for bipartisanship with policies that reflect our economic and our fiscal realities.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. From a small town in middle Tennessee, 13 young men recently became the 2012 Little League World Series U.S. Champions. These All-Stars from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, played with sportsmanship and talent beyond their years. In the U.S. championship game, Goodlettsville racked up 21 runs to become the first Tennessee team in history to clinch a U.S. title. This achievement is a testimony to their dedication and perseverance--qualities that will serve them well throughout their life. They have made their hometown, their parents, their coaches, and their Congressman very proud. I am confident that this achievement is just the beginning of more great things to come from each of them. Congratulations, boys.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, 11 years ago today, our way of life, our freedom, and our fellow citizens came under attack in a series of ruthless and deliberate attacks. Today, we pause to remember and honor some 3,000 people--moms and dads, friends and neighbors--who lost their lives on that fateful day. We honor the first responders who chose to run into the burning World Trade towers, putting their own lives at risk to save others, and we honor the lives of the heroes who fought the terrorists on board Flight 97 and successfully prevented the plane from hitting the White House or the U.S. Capitol. None of us will ever forget that day. None of us will ever forget where we were the moment that we heard that a plane had hit the first World Trade tower, and none of us will ever forget seeing the second hit. America was shaken but not broken. In those dark hours ahead, Americans came together and responded with one voice. Today we remember and reflect upon a day that brought us all together as Americans, a day that was our generation's Pearl Harbor, a day that made all of us stop and ask ourselves what's important in our own lives. While many of our Nation's leaders do not agree on how best to run our country, we are all in agreement with pausing to honor and remember those who gave their lives in this senseless attack. Where there is freedom, there is strength. Terrorism will never triumph. September 11, 2001, reminded all of us of that, and this is a day that we will never forget.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 552 for final passage of H.R. 6169, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle do not have a plan. Their plan is to increase the taxes on this group of people. Second to that are those who continue to say to me--especially those who are looking at planning for their families for the future, of what they're going to leave for them--they're not going to be able to leave those things that they've worked so hard for because the estate taxes are going to go up. We cannot do this to the people in my district. I'm going to be here to fight for that.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, you know, when nearly 23 million Americans are struggling to find full-time employment, President Obama and his Democrat allies seem to think that now is the time to raise taxes on small businesses. And the President may be satisfied with an 8 percent or more unemployment rate for 41 straight months, but I'm not and, more importantly, the American people are not. The American people don't need to settle for a country with fewer and fewer opportunities and a diminished future. So the House today will vote to stop the tax hike for all taxpayers, and tomorrow we will vote to move forward with a comprehensive tax reform. This is a critical step in providing the certainty that our small businesses desperately need to grow and create jobs. Now, the Democrats' proposal to raise taxes on nearly 1 million small businesses will cost more than 700,000 jobs, and they have not even offered a plan on tax reform. This is more of the same failed leadership that has given us the weakest economic recovery since the Great Depression. Democrats think that we are just one more tax increase away from prosperity. But when has a nation ever taxed its way to prosperity? Prosperity is built by the American people, not the government. American entrepreneurs and small business owners are the lifeblood of our American Dream, and they're the backbone of our economy. It is clear that we must stop this tax hike and reform our broken Tax Code to revive our struggling economy and keep the American Dream alive.

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, as I have been back in the district talking to my constituents and visiting many of the businesses and the job creators in the district, I have continued to hear from them that if we place one more tax increase on them, they're just not sure that they can survive. Now these are good people that I go to the grocery store with, that I go to church with. I know how hard they're working, and I know how hard their families are working in order to keep businesses going within our community. And when we know that two out of every three jobs are created by a small businessman or -woman, we impact those very folks who are creating the jobs for so many people in the district. I hear this over and over again. And they look at me and say, Diane, please go back to Congress and please relay this to the Members of Congress, that we need to make sure that we have the certainty and that we don't impact them and their businesses so that they have to close down and, once again, increase the amount of unemployment.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Madam Speaker, it has been 41 months of unemployment above 8 percent, and the President is calling for higher taxes on small businesses. That is the devastating reality currently facing 13 million unemployed Americans. America's in the midst of a jobs crisis unlike anything this country has seen since the Great Depression. And the President's most recent answer to this crisis? A tax hike on small businesses to feed Democrats' insatiable appetite for more wasteful, ever-expanding government spending. This past week, the President followed up his recent call for higher taxes by scolding entrepreneurs. And I quote: ``If you've got a business, you didn't build it. Somebody else built that.'' His disdain for American enterprise truly underscores that he not only doesn't know what it takes to start and run a business, but he is clueless about how jobs are created. If the President gets his way, instead of small businesses creating more paychecks for more workers, they will be paying more taxes to the Federal Government. I wonder if the President has considered the fact that small businesses create two out of every three new jobs in America? And that means, for the majority of the nearly 13 million unemployed Americans, their best hope of being able to provide for their family hinges on small businesses' ability to hire more people. The administration's onslaught of new regulations and ObamaCare's costly taxes and mandates have already placed a huge burden on our Nation's small businesses. The President now wants to add insult to injury and siphon away 201 billion more dollars from the American job creators. Now, a new study released yesterday from Ernst & Young confirms what many Americans already know: the President's latest tax hike plan would destroy 700,000 jobs and further weaken our struggling economy. The House is scheduled to vote in a couple of weeks on legislation to extend all of the current Federal income tax rates while, at the same time, laying the groundwork for making our Tax Code simpler and fairer by lowering rates and closing loopholes. Pro-growth tax reform is needed to help create the climate for job creation and to ensure more jobs stay right here in the United States. The most recent unemployment report shows that the number of people leaving the job market to go into Social Security disability outnumbers the number of people who are going back to work. Let me repeat that. The most recent unemployment report shows that the number of people leaving the job market to go on Social Security disability outnumbers the number of people who are going back to work. So, regardless of one's political ideology, it's truly unconscionable for the President or any Member of Congress to be calling for tax hikes on Americans when millions are out of work and the economy is still treading water. But, to make matters worse, this week many Democrat leaders in the Senate have said that they are willing to allow these taxes to increase for all Americans if they aren't able to get their way and raise taxes on 1.2 million small businesses. Now, every day the President and the Senate Democrats continue with this political posturing and class warfare nonsense while the economy suffers and small businesses suffer, and ultimately, the American people suffer. The question is, will the President and the Senate Democrats who run Washington work with the House Republicans to stop this huge, job- killing tax increase from hitting small businesses and every American who pays an income tax? Or will they continue to insist on higher taxes to pay for wasteful government spending and bailouts for political allies?

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Thank you, my colleague from New York. I want to thank you for managing this Special Order tonight because we cannot talk about this issue enough. We have got to continue to make sure that the American people are aware of this devastating bill called ObamaCare, or the Patient Affordability Act. Now, having been a nurse for over 40 years and working in the health care system, we have the best health care in the world. I have done medical mission trips in other parts of the world, and I can tell you they don't come anywhere near providing the kind of quality service that we have here in this country. As a matter of fact, we will see people from other countries come to the United States to get that care because they know across this world that we provide the best health care in the world. But I'm not going to disagree that the system is broken and does need some repair. We do need to have more accessibility. We do need to lower the cost, and we need to make sure that, while doing that, we maintain and increase quality. However, what has happened in the bill that was passed some 3 years ago now by our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, there wasn't transparency, there wasn't input by those who were providing care and that are a part of the system, and we didn't see patient-centered care. There are other solutions. This is not the only solution. And as my colleague from New York shows this chart, this very complicated chart, when Nancy Pelosi said that we have to pass this bill to know what's in it, she was correct, because as we look at these 139 different agencies that still are going to have to be created and rules and regulations that need to be promulgated, we have no clue of what's going to be happening with this health care system now for the next 5 to 8 years. We do have some solutions, good solutions that are patient-centered, that are market-driven solutions, such as HSAs, which really have not been given a chance. But HSAs are a very, very good way, especially for the young. Many of the young people that are currently not insured are not insured because they can't see a reason for paying for the very expensive insurance that's out there and available for them. Things such as removing the barriers from purchasing your health care across State lines, these are some good, market-driven ideas that will bring the cost of health care down and give patients more opportunity for them to make decisions about what's best for them in their health care. Also, tort reform. We know tort reform has worked in those States where it has been successfully implemented. Tort reform needs to be done across the entire country. These are real solutions that allow the patient to be in the driver seat to make those decisions about what's best for them. But, instead, what do we have? We have a law that's devastating our economy, and it is wrong medicine for our health care system. Three-quarters of our small businesses--and I know that as I visit these small businesses across my district, they're the bedrock of the U.S. economy--say the law is preventing them from hiring people. And all of this, and health care costs continue to soar, so it hasn't done anything to bring the cost down. What we're seeing is the cost escalating. And to make matters worse, ObamaCare will result in millions of Americans being dropped from their employers' health insurance plans and pushed on the government-run health insurance. And all of this, all of this results in more deficit spending and more tax hikes for the middle class folks. The President has said as recently as this week that he does not want to raise taxes on the middle class. He also says he wants Congress to focus on job creation and the economy. But, Mr. President, the House has voted yet again to do just that. By repealing ObamaCare, we can prevent this crippling tax on the middle class, and this will also lift the cloud of uncertainty and other job- killing taxes that are wreaking havoc on our economy and our health care system. It's been 41 straight months of unemployment above 8 percent, and it doesn't look like things are going to change very soon. If the President is committed to helping the middle class like he says, then he will join us in doing away with this law that is increasing the tax burden and the cost of health care for all Americans. Americans deserve better. Thank you again, my colleague from New York, for managing this time to allow us to be able to talk to the American people and help them understand there are real solutions out there.

Mrs. BLACK

Mrs. BLACK. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor as a fellow Rotarian to congratulate Bob J. Phillips on his service as the 2011-2012 President of the Lebanon Rotary Club in Lebanon, Tennessee. True to the Rotary theme ``service above self,'' Mr. Phillips worked tirelessly with his club to improve his community. Prior to serving as President, Mr. Phillips served the Lebanon Rotary Club as a Member of the Board of Directors and project manager for the initial installation of the first two water purification systems in Honduras. He additionally served as Bulletin Editor prior to becoming President and is a Paul Harris Fellow. Mr. Phillips retired from Lockheed Martin in 2000 with over 22 years of service. In his last assignment with Lockheed Martin, he served as Assistant General Manager, Information Services Division, and managed all communication and information technologies in support of the Nevada Test site for the U.S. Department of Energy from 1995 to 2000. He and his wife, Barbara, relocated to Lebanon after his retirement. They have two children and five grandchildren. He is a member of the Maple Hill Church of Christ where he has served on the evangelism program.