Mo Brooks

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, Americans in our Armed Forces are being hammered with layoffs and reductions in force. Representative Gallego's amendment to the NDAA worsens their plight. Over the past 5 years, 92,000 Armed Forces positions were eliminated. This year, 28,000 military positions will be eliminated. Over the next 4 years, another 38,000 military positions will be cut. Between 2010 and 2019, the Armed Forces will eliminate a total of 158,000 uniformed personnel positions, thereby costing American citizens and lawful immigrants 158,000 military service opportunities. What is the result? Americans serving around the world today have been handed ``pink slips'' while they are risking their lives for America. That is outrageous. For emphasis, there is no military recruitment and retention deficit that justifies supplanting Americans and lawful immigrants with illegal aliens. In 2014, every branch of the military--the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines--met their recruiting and retention requirements, while turning away thousands of highly qualified Americans and lawful immigrants. Each year, there are a limited number of enlistment opportunities. Each time Gallego's amendment helps an illegal alien enlist, an American or lawful immigrant loses--loses--an enlistment opportunity. The ratio is 1 to 1, period. That is the math. This Congress should support and represent Americans by voting to stop military service opportunities from being taken from struggling American families in order to give them to illegal aliens. As such, I urge this House to support my amendment to strike the Gallego amendment from the National Defense Authorization Act. Mr. Chairman, thank you for considering my thoughts and request. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time for closing. How much time do I have?

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, the NDAA, as amended by Congressman Ruben Gallego, undermines America's border security and ratifies parts of Obama's illegal amnesty for illegal aliens. During the early morning, sleep-deprived portion of the Armed Services Committee NDAA hearing, the Gallego amendment, which encourages the Secretary of Defense to take military service opportunities from Americans and from lawful immigrants in order to give them to illegal aliens, passed on a close 33-30 vote. As Members ponder my amendment to strike the Gallego amendment, we should consider how much American families are struggling in an anemic job and wage market and how much the Gallego amendment makes job and income prospects for Americans even worse. From 2000 to 2014--and although the American economy gained 5.6 million jobs in the 16 to 65 age bracket--American-born citizens suffered a net loss of 127,000 jobs. These job losses, combined with population growth, mean that there were 17 million more jobless American-born citizens than there were 14 years earlier. Hispanic Americans, African Americans, Caucasian Americans--American men and women--all lost economic ground. While American-born citizens suffered economic hardship, job losses, and wage suppression, foreign-born persons gained 5.7 million jobs. In the context of this anemic economy, Gallego's amendment to take military service jobs from Americans and from lawful immigrants in order to give them to illegal aliens is outrageous and unconscionable. I encourage Members to represent the interests of Americans and lawful immigrants by voting to strike the Gallego amendment from the NDAA.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, it is with great privilege that I welcome Dr. Jimmy Jackson to the House of Representatives and thank him for serving as today's guest chaplain. Dr. Jackson is the senior pastor at Whitesburg Baptist Church in Huntsville, Alabama, where he has served since 1978. He and his wife, Bobbi, have been married for 54 years. They are parents of three children, seven grandchildren, and three great- grandchildren. Dr. Jackson has held numerous leadership roles within the Southern Baptist Convention and has served as past president of the Alabama Pastors Conference and past president of the Alabama Baptist Convention. I have personally known Dr. Jimmy Jackson for almost 35 years and appreciate him, admire him, and thank him for his long commitment to his congregation, to his community, to America, and to the lives of the tens of thousands he has touched during his lifetime of service to God.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from Georgia, Barry Loudermilk, for the leadership that he has shown in putting this event together where we on the House floor can try to help explain to the American people what is at stake here with the President's executive amnesty. Mr. Speaker, in that vein, I rise to speak in opposition to President Obama's illegal and unconstitutional executive amnesty for illegal aliens. Why? Because I was elected by Americans to represent Americans in Washington, D.C. While, clearly, protecting the United States Constitution is the number one reason to fight President Obama's illegal and unconstitutional conduct, a close second reason is the economic welfare of American families searching for jobs that will empower them to take care of their own families. In that vein, a report by the Center for Immigration Studies is very instructive. The Center for Immigration Studies did a report based on Federal Government data. It was collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Census Bureau. And this is what they found. From the first quarter of the year 2000 to the first quarter of the year 2014, a 14-year period, with respect to people in America who are ages 16 to 65--and I will repeat that--ages 16 to 65, which is far and away the largest block by age of working Americans, the American economy for that 16 to 65 age group created 5.6 million net new jobs. Some would say that is pretty good--5.6 million net new jobs. But do you know how many of those jobs went to American-born citizens? Do you know the answer to that question? Well, I would submit to you that every American citizen should--and they ought to be outraged by the answer. Of those 5.6 million net jobs created over a 14-year period in the United States of America for people ages 16 to 65, American-born citizens had a net loss of 127,000 jobs. And you wonder why the polling data shows that Americans still believe they are in a recession. The answer is American-born citizens are still in a recession. Well, who got those jobs? Well, according to the Center for Immigration Studies report, 5.7 million net job gains were by two groups: illegal aliens, plus lawful immigrants. So look at the priorities of our Federal Government over the last 14 years. Look at the priorities established by President Obama's executive amnesty. The priorities do not lie with American citizens. Rather, they lie with people of all kinds other than American citizens. We had 127,000 net job losses, but that doesn't really tell the whole picture. We also had population growth in the 16 to 65 age bracket for American-born citizens during that 14-year period of time. So do you know how many more Americans are unemployed today-- jobless--in the 16 to 65 age bracket because of America's faulty, porous like a sieve immigration policies? Seventeen million. And you wonder why our youth are despondent, you wonder why they are depressed with the job circumstances they face, you wonder why American families cannot earn a living with the wages that are now being paid. It is because there are so many people in the White House, on K Street, and other places who are lobbying the United States Congress to dramatically increase the labor supply by bringing in illegal aliens and lawful immigrants to suppress wages and to take jobs from American families. That is wrong. Now, you have heard the argument often raised: Well, Americans won't do those jobs. Let me tell you about those jobs for a moment. We have got two categories: illegal aliens and lawful immigrants. Well, you can make the argument that illegal aliens are seeking the blue collar jobs and that perhaps Americans won't do them at the suppressed wages now being paid. With respect to lawful immigrants it is a different picture. Over those 14 years, in that 16 to 65 age bracket, American-born citizens lost jobs while lawful immigrants gained jobs in these fields: engineering, architecture, health care, sales, office staff. Those are good-paying jobs that when I was growing up American citizens used to be able to compete for and get but which are now being denied because of immigration policies. Those are sobering numbers, those are startling numbers. So sobering, so depressing, that I challenged my staff. I said, This report can't be right. So my congressional staff went to the raw data from the Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Department of Homeland Security, and they confirmed that the Center for Immigration Studies data was correct. Which brings us back to President Obama's executive amnesty that does so much damage to American citizens. The House has done its job. We have passed legislation to defund executive amnesty to prevent the President from doing what he has been doing. The problem, as has been the last 4 years that I have been in the United States Congress and hopefully won't be the case for the next 2 years, lies with the United States Senate. Media reports say that we are in an impasse, that the Democrats are standing with illegal aliens and shunning American families and filibustering. And the Republican leadership is professing: We don't have the firepower, we don't have the 60 votes, we are stymied, we can't end this filibuster. Well, Mr. Speaker, there is another option. Let's think back for a moment and let's look at Harry Reid when he was Senate majority leader and the power that he wielded. And what did he do? He said: I am not going to let the filibuster stop me from achieving my political goals. And he exercised the nuclear option. And then under Harry Reid you did not need 60 votes for appointments of Barack Obama-submitted appointees; rather, a mere majority would work. Well, if Harry Reid and the Democratic majority can do that, if they can stand up for their beliefs, however wrong those beliefs may be, then where is our Republican Senate leadership, and why aren't they doing the same thing? We have 54 Republican Senators. Mitch McConnell last time I checked is the Senate Republican majority leader. All of our Senators have said they object to executive amnesty. Why don't they do the same thing in respect to bills that we have to pass to prevent government shutdowns, bills dealing with spending matters, and say only 51 votes are needed; no longer can a minority with a filibuster shut down the United States Government? And so with that, Mr. Speaker, I would submit that it is time for the United States Senate to change their rules to reflect the will of the American people. And certainly if those rules can be changed for mere appointments by a President, they can also be changed to protect the United States Constitution and the separation of powers. Mr. Speaker, I can't speak for any Senators or, for that matter, any elected officials in Washington, D.C., but I can speak for me and I can speak for the people of the Tennessee Valley of the State of Alabama. I vote to put the jobs and wage interests of struggling American families over the interests of illegal aliens. I encourage all Senators of both parties to do the same. Respect the wishes of the American people, act on behalf of the American people, and if you do that America will continue to prosper and the rule of law in America will continue to prevail.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Alpha Delta Kappa International Honorary Organization for Women Educators on its sixty-seven years of dedicated service and proclaim October 2014 as Alpha Delta Kappa Month. Established in 1947, Alpha Delta Kappa's goals have been to establish high standards of education, give recognition to outstanding educators, build a fraternal fellowship among educators and to promote educational and charitable projects and activities enriching the lives of individuals everywhere. With a membership of over 33,000 educators representing all fifty U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and Australia, Alpha Delta Kappa is committed to educational excellence, personal and professional growth and for collectively channeling their energies toward the good of their schools, communities, the teaching profession and the world. Women in education constitute a great portion of the nation's working force and are constantly striving to serve their communities and nation in educational, cultural, and charitable programs leading to harmony, happiness, and peace among all people. Over the last few years, the members of Alpha Delta Kappa have given altruistically to the communities they serve by raising nearly $14.5 million and volunteering over 2 million service hours. Alpha Delta Kappa also biennially awards over a quarter of a million dollars through its 11 scholarship programs. I congratulate Alpha Delta Kappa International Honorary Organization for Women Educators on their many years of unparalleled success and wish them well and best wishes as they continue to educate our children.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association on its fifty years of dedicated service and proclaim September 2014 as Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association Month. Established in 1964, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association's most important goal is to stimulate the economic and cultural development of North Alabama through the tourism and travel industry. Representing the sixteen counties of North Alabama and an ever- expanding membership base, the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association is committed to expanding, and not duplicating, the objectives or efforts of local associations, organizations, and chambers of commerce that represent specific industry components. The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association is committed to sharing with the rest of Alabama, the South and the nation the great attractions, festivals, restaurants, and other entertainment options that North Alabama has to offer. From the W.C. Handy Music Festival in Florence and Riverfest in Decatur to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville and the Limestone Sheriff's Rodeo in Athens, there is something for everyone to enjoy. I congratulate the Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association on their fifty years of unparalleled success and wish them well and best wishes as they continue to promote the North Alabama region.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak strongly and unequivocally in support of Israel's right to self-defense, the same right to self-defense we would assert if America were attacked and Americans killed by rockets and other weaponry. Israel launched Operation Protective Edge in response to relentless and unprovoked rocket attacks launched from Gaza by Hamas, a brutally ruthless terrorist organization. In just the last 3 weeks, more than 2,500 rockets have rained down on Israel, and the targets of these rockets are not military but civilian. 2,500 rockets fired at any country is a lot. It is an act of war that triggers self-defense military responses. But 2,500 rockets fired at a country as small as Israel is even worse. To put the size of Israel in perspective, Israel is smaller than the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama that I represent. If anyone dared to fire even a single rocket at the people of the Fifth District of Alabama, much less if 2,500 rockets rained down on the Tennessee Valley, you can be darn sure that we would demand an overwhelming military response. In Israel, Hamas fires at communities, at schools, at daycare centers, all with the same goal: to invoke terror by injuring and killing as many innocent Israeli citizens as possible. Fully 80 percent of the Israeli population is living under the constant threat of missile attacks, having to run into the shelters constantly at a moment's notice, in the middle of the night, at all times of the day with mere seconds of warning. No country on Earth would tolerate such a situation. So that we are clear, Hamas consistently places and fires its rockets within heavily populated areas, including schools and hospitals. Hamas does this to use their own civilian population as human shields. This means that every time they fire a rocket, they are committing not one, but two, war crimes: targeting civilians in Israel while using human shields in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it very well in describing the juxtaposition of Hamas firing from civilian areas in the hope of drawing fire and the use by Israel of the Iron Dome missile defense system: ``We use missiles to protect our people. Hamas uses their civilians to protect their missiles.'' Mr. Speaker, I would be remiss if I did not emphasize how truly miraculous the Iron Dome missile and mortar defense system is. It is like hitting a bullet with a bullet. I thank the Tennessee Valley's incomparable defense workers who, working hand-in-hand with very bright Israeli engineers and scientists, made hitting a bullet with a bullet possible. Untold Israeli citizens' lives have been saved as a result of the Tennessee Valley's technological contributions to Israel and the Iron Dome defense system. Since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, Israel has discovered more than 30 offensive Hamas terrorist tunnels dug from Gaza under the border and into Israel. These tunnels have 60 different access points, and the entrances have been found in houses and mosques. The purpose of the tunnels is to allow armed Hamas terrorists to emerge in Israeli communities to murder and kidnap civilians-- defenseless mothers, fathers, and children, it makes no difference to Hamas. Hamas kidnaps, tortures, and murders, and seemingly enjoys it. Israel's only solution, the only path to peace in the face of those who kill in the name of religion, is Israel's disarming of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza. Israel is the only democracy in the tumultuous and dangerous Middle East. Israel is unquestionably America's most reliable ally in the Middle East. The people of Israel are engaged in a fight to protect their home, a fight for survival, and America must stand with Israel without hesitation.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, the June jobs report says America's unemployment rate dropped to 6.1 percent. While 1,115,000 new part-time jobs were created, a staggering, 827,000 full-time jobs were lost, and America's labor participation rate remained at 62.8 percent, the worst since President Carter. A recent Center for Immigration Studies report, based on data from the Census Bureau and Homeland Security and Labor Departments, offers a startling and sobering insight concerning people in the 16-65 age bracket, so startling that I instructed my staff to double-check the report's data, and it checked out as factually accurate. First, the report determined the American economy created 5.6 million new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket over the past 14 years. Second, ``the total number of working-age immigrants (legal and illegal) holding a job increased 5.7 million from 2000 to 2014, while declining 127,000 for American-born citizens.'' Over the past 14 years, although the American economy created 5.6 million net new jobs in the 16-65 age bracket, American-born citizens lost 127,000 jobs. All job gains, and more, went to immigrants. Third, even though the American economy created 5.6 million net new jobs over the past 14 years, population growth and job losses caused 17 million more American citizens to not be working in 2014 than in 2000. Fourth, and contrary to what amnesty proponents and their media allies would have you believe, ``Immigrants have made gains across the labor market, including lower-skilled jobs such as maintenance, construction, and food services; middle-skilled jobs like office support and health care support; and higher-skilled jobs, including management, computers, and health care practitioners.'' Immigrants swept the jobs field and had jobs gains in virtually every segment of the American economy. The argument that immigrants only do jobs Americans won't do is not supported by the facts. Immigrants gained jobs while Americans lost jobs in each of the following high paying industries: architecture and engineering; transportation and material moving; installation, maintenance, and repair; sales; construction and excavation; office and administrative support. Fifth, Americans of all major races lost ground. Black Americans lost, Hispanic Americans lost, White Americans lost. The percentage of working Black American-born citizens dropped 9.2 percentage points. The percentage of working Hispanic Americans dropped 7.7 percentage points, and the percentage of working White Americans dropped 6.1 percentage points. Sixth, America's immigration policies over the past 14 years have been both a war on women and a war on men. The percentage of working female American-born citizens dropped 5.5 percentage points, while male American-born citizens did even worse, dropping 9.1 percentage points. Mr. Speaker, I have two comments on the Center for Immigration Studies report. First, lawful immigrants have done well. Everyone would do well to learn from lawful immigrants' work and study habits. Second, President Obama must start vigorously enforcing America's immigration laws. A Pew Hispanic Center study determined that illegal aliens hold roughly 8 million jobs in America. That is 8 million job opportunities illegally taken from Americans, thereby suppressing wages, causing unemployment, and creating income inequality among far too many struggling American families. Mr. Speaker, I can't speak for anyone else but me, but as for me, Mo Brooks, the Congressman from Alabama's Fifth Congressional District, I will fight for the economic interests of American citizens as Washington works its way through the immigration debate.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, America's deficits have averaged a trillion dollars a year for 5 years. America's total debt has blown through the $17 trillion mark, and our Comptroller General warns America that our financial path is unsustainable. Last year, America's debt service cost roughly $250 billion--which is five Federal transportation or 14 NASA programs we can't afford because we have to pay debt service. If not fixed, what do these deficits and debt mean? On a micro level, America must learn from Detroit and Stockton, where bankruptcy courts battle over pension plan funding. On a macro level, we must learn from Greece and Spain, where unemployment is 26 and 28 percent worse than America at any time during the Great Depression. We must learn from Argentina and Venezuela, where inflation rates were 28 percent and 56 percent in one year, in 2012. Closer to home, we must learn from Puerto Rico, the home for 3.5 million Americans. In February, Puerto Rico's sovereign debt was downgraded to junk bond status, thereby damaging Puerto Rico's economy for years, if not decades, to come. This brings me to the taxpayer cost of today's massive flood of illegal alien children surging across America. According to Customs and Border Protection data, in fiscal year 2012, 24,000 illegal alien children surged across our border. That surge increased by 59 percent, to 39,000 illegal alien children in FY 2013. That surge increased by another 58,000 illegal alien children so far this fiscal year, with an estimated total of 90,000 crossing our borders for all of fiscal year 2014--a startling 132 percent increase. How should America fix this problem? First, the Obama administration must stop enticing illegal alien children to America with promises of amnesty and money. America cannot give free food, free clothing, free shelter, free health care, free transportation, free entertainment, and billions of dollars a year in fraudulent tax refunds to illegal aliens and then wonder why we have an illegal alien crisis. Second, illegal alien children from Central America and Mexico must be treated equally--prompt returns to parents and homes without costly and time-consuming deportation hearings. All contrary laws must be repealed or amended. Third, America must immediately fly illegal alien children home by the least expensive means possible. It costs as little as $258 at cheapflightnow.com to fly from Houston to Managua, Nicaragua. United Airlines flies from San Antonio to Guatemala City for as little as $363 and to San Salvador, El Salvador, for as little as $292. At roughly $300 a pop, it costs less than $20 million to fly 60,000 illegal alien children home. That is everyone so far this fiscal year. If America used C-5 military aircraft and counted flight time as pilot training time, the cost is even less. Given America's perilous financial condition, the illegal alien children surge issue must be considered in the context of America's debt threat that risks a debilitating American insolvency and bankruptcy. President Obama demands $3.7 billion to spend in just the next few months on a policy that does not solve the illegal alien children problem. Think about that. The President proposes spending $3.7 billion to not solve the problem. Yet spending $20 million wisely does solve the problem. Mr. Speaker, this is a no-brainer. It is financially irresponsible-- no, financial insanity--to spend $3.7 billion America does not have, must borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back when we can spend $20 million and get better results and better border security.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, in 2012, Obama evicted 649,000 illegal aliens. In 2008, Bush evicted 1.2 million illegal aliens, which was 80 percent better than Obama. In 1993, Clinton evicted 1.3 million illegal aliens, which was 98 percent better than Obama. Now, Obama demands $3.7 billion from American taxpayers to cover up the worst border security record in decades. Out-of-control debt risks an American insolvency and bankruptcy. Obama's border mistakes must be paid for by cutting foreign aid, not paying illegal aliens billions of dollars a year in fraudulent tax refunds; or by better government management, and not by borrowing more money. Lack of money did not create America's porous border problem. Incompetent border policy did. Presidents Bush and Clinton did better border security with far less money. President Obama should do the same.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, sometimes the gap between political hype and reality is so great it demands a rebuttal. The Obama administration's border security hype is a case in point. In February 2013, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano proclaimed, ``the border is secure.'' Rarely has the gap between hype and reality been so great. Similarly, my Democrat friends and their media allies repeatedly boast about Obama's border security prowess. For example, PBS recently ran a fluff piece boasting: In one term, the Obama administration has deported roughly 80 percent the number of immigrants the George W. Bush administration deported in two. PBS failed to mention that deportations are only half the border enforcement picture. The other half is ``catch and returns,'' whereby Border Patrol catches illegal aliens at the border and promptly escorts them back without the time-consuming and costly deportation process. So, how does the Obama administration stack up if the full picture is examined? According to Homeland Security data, in 2012, President Obama's catch and return record was way below average, with Border Patrol catching and immediately returning 230,000 illegal aliens. In contrast, in 2008, the Bush administration caught and immediately returned 811,000 illegal aliens, almost four times more than Obama in 2012. Similarly, in 1993, the Clinton administration caught and immediately returned 1.2 million illegal aliens, more than five times than Obama in 2012. Why are Obama's catch and return numbers so bad? A Border Patrol agent told me on Capitol Hill that Obama pushes catch and return illegal aliens into the much slower and far costlier deportation process to inflate Obama's deportation numbers to artificially make Obama's border security record look better. The best indicator of a President's border enforcement record is the whole picture: deportations plus catch and returns. In 2012, the Obama administration deported or caught and returned 649,000 illegal aliens. In contrast, in 2008, the Bush administration deported or caught and returned 1.2 million illegal aliens, 80 percent more than President Obama in 2012. Similarly, in 1993, the Clinton administration deported or caught and returned 1.3 million illegal aliens, 98 percent more than the Obama administration in 2012. According to Department of Homeland Security data, and contrary to what my Democrat friends and their media allies would have the public believe, Obama's border security enforcement record is the worst in more than two decades. But there is more. President Obama repeatedly promises amnesty to illegal aliens. As 1986's failed amnesty experiment proves, amnesty begets more illegal immigration. Mr. Speaker, amnesty promises must stop because they make things worse, not better. Further, this administration must stop paying foreigners to illegally cross our borders. This is a no-brainer. America cannot give free food, free clothing, free shelter, free health care, free transportation, and billions of dollars a year in fraudulent tax returns and refunds to illegal aliens and then wonder why we have an illegal alien crisis. These failings contribute to America's poorest borders and produce millions of illegal aliens competing for American jobs, thereby creating income inequality via wage suppression and lost job opportunities for American citizens. Mr. Speaker, to solve the immigration problem, America must vigorously enforce immigration laws, stop promising illegal aliens amnesty, and stop giving illegal aliens stuff paid for with tax dollars forcefully taken from struggling American families. If America will be smart and do these things, there will be no immigration crisis, there won't be illegal aliens competing with Americans for jobs, and American families can better participate in the American Dream.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I hope my remarks will help America better understand the damage that ObamaCare inflicts on patients, health care, the economy, and jobs. Today, I share a letter by Dr. Marlin Gill of Decatur, Alabama, that details Washington's damage to America's health care. On March 23, 2014, Dr. Gill wrote me: Dear Congressman Brooks, As a practicing family physician, I plead for help against what I can best characterize as Washington's war against doctors. The medical profession has never before remotely approached today's stress, work hours, wasted costs, decreased efficiency, and declining ability to focus on patient care. In our community alone, at least six doctors have left patient care for administrative positions, to start a concierge practice, or retire altogether. Doctors are smothered by destructive regulations that add costs, raise our overhead, and ``gum up the works,'' making patient treatment slower and less efficient, thus forcing doctors to focus on things other than patient care and reduce the number of patients we can help each day. I spend more time at work than I have at any time in my 27 years of practice, and more of that time is spent on administrative tasks and entering useless data into a computer rather than helping sick patients. Doctors have been forced by ill-informed bureaucrats to implement electronic medical records (EMR) that, in our four- doctor practice, costs well over $100,000-plus in continuing yearly operational costs, all of which does not help take care of one patient while driving up the cost of every patient's health care. Washington's electronic medical records requirement makes our medical practice much slower and less efficient, forcing our doctors to treat fewer patients per day than we did before the EMR mandate. To make matters worse, Washington forces doctors to demonstrate ``meaningful use'' of EMR or risk not being fully paid for the help we give. In addition to the electronic medical records burden, we face a mandate to use the ICD-10 coding system, a new set of reimbursement diagnostic codes. The current ICD-9 coding system uses roughly 13,000 codes. The new ICD-10 coding system uses a staggering 70,000 new and completely different codes, thus dramatically slowing doctors down due to the unnecessary complexity and sheer numbers of codes that must be learned. The cost of this new ICD-10 coding system for our small practice is roughly $80,000, again driving up health care costs without one iota of improvement in health care quality. Finally, doctors face nonpayment by patients with ObamaCare. These patients may or may not be paying their premiums, and we have no way of verifying this. No business can operate with that much uncertainty. On behalf of the medical profession, I ask that Washington stop the implementation of the ICD-10 coding system, repeal the Affordable Care Act, and replace it with a better law written with the input of real doctors who will actually treat patients covered by it. America has enjoyed the best health care the world has ever known. That health care is in jeopardy because physicians cannot survive Washington's ``war on doctors'' without relief. Eventually the problems for doctors will become problems for patients, and we are all patients at some point. Sincerely yours, Dr. Marlin Gill of Decatur, Alabama. Madam Speaker, America should heed the warnings of Dr. Marlin Gill of Decatur, Alabama. Failure to do so risks unnecessary patient deaths while destroying the best health care system the world has ever known.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, today I recognize and applaud the achievements of Command Sergeant Major John L. Murray of the U.S. Army Contracting Command (ACC). Headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, ACC includes more than 6,100 military and civilian employees across the globe that provide support to our war fighters by acquiring equipment, supplies, and services vital to our Soldiers' mission and daily needs. Command Sergeant Major Murray will soon retire after more than 35 years of distinguished service to America's Army. He has served with distinction at virtually every level in the Army--from team chief to command sergeant major, the Army's highest enlisted grade. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated the highest level of professionalism, initiative and selfless service in the execution of programs supporting the total force of quality Soldiers and Department of the Army civilians. A native of Mobile, Alabama, Command Sergeant Major Murray began his Army career in 1979 as a radio operator, completing initial entry and advanced individual training at Fort Gordon, Georgia. Before joining Army Contracting Command Headquarters at Redstone Arsenal in December 2011, Command Sergeant Major Murray was the Command Sergeant Major for the Expeditionary Contracting Command at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. He previously served as Commandant of the Regimental Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Gordon, Georgia. A former drill sergeant, Command Sergeant Major Murray has served with distinction in a number of critical assignments while deployed to over 20 countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Germany, Korea, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He spent more than five years in Southwest Asia in support of Operations Southern Watch, Desert Storm, Desert Watch, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom with the Joint Communication Support Element MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, the 10th Mountain Division, the 11th Signal Brigade and the 160th Signal Brigade. While his career accomplishments are many and significant, I wish to highlight Command Sergeant Major Murray's contributions to the establishment of the Army Contracting Command on March 13, 2008. He was one of several key Army leaders who worked tirelessly to create a new major subordinate command from the ground up in record time. His wisdom, insight and vision were essential elements in building the foundation of a global enterprise that awarded and managed more than 190,000 contractual actions valued at more than $60.9 billion in fiscal year 2013. Command Sergeant Major Murray also played an important role in the relocation of ACC Headquarters from Fort Belvoir, Virginia, to Redstone Arsenal in 2011. This move followed the transfer of ACC's parent command, Army Materiel Command (AMC) Headquarters, to Redstone Arsenal from Fort Belvoir, as directed by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission's decision in 2005. While AMC had several years to plan for and transition to its new Alabama home, ACC completed its relocation in less than 18 months. This tremendous accomplishment was a direct result of Command Sergeant Major Murray's inspired leadership, foresight and team-building skills. I also wish to acknowledge and thank Command Sergeant Major Murray's wife, Ingrid, for supporting her husband and Army families. She served as the Family Readiness Group leader for the 11th Signal Brigade and Signal Corps Regimental Non Commissioned Officer Academy. She has also served as a senior spouse advisor and mentor for other Family Readiness Groups and the Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Even the youngest member of the Murray family, John, Jr., was recognized by the Army Surgeon General for encouraging Army family members to ``Ask for Help'' when contemplating suicide. The distinctive accomplishments of Command Sergeant Major Murray represent a long and distinguished career in the service of his country and reflect great credit upon himself, Army Contracting Command and the United States Army. We wish Command Sergeant Major Murray, Ingrid and John Jr., all the best in the years ahead.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, in 1945, at the end of World War II, America's Federal debt to gross domestic product ratio was 120 percent. Washington responded with leadership. In 1946, the Federal budget was slashed a massive 40 percent. In 1947, the Federal budget was slashed by another 38 percent. The result? America rose to the challenge, and America prospered. By 1980, even though per-capita inflation adjusted Federal spending had tripled, Federal debt had shrunk to 30 percent of GDP. Since 1980, America's per-capita Federal spending has exploded to five times more than 1948 levels. The result? America faces a skyrocketing $17 trillion debt burden. America's Comptroller General warns that America's financial path is unsustainable. Instead of confronting our debt dependence, Washington kicks the can down the road and immorally sells our children into the equivalent of indentured servitude and poverty, while driving America's Federal debt to dangerous levels. To preserve the liberty and prosperity our ancestors sacrificed to give us, we must free Americans to again earn their prosperity and significantly cut Federal non-defense spending to restore financial responsibility and provide the stable monetary environment needed for economic growth. If the Federal Government will be financially responsible and stop killing job creation, America's economy will soar because we have, within our grasp, a massive new technology and energy boom. Mark Mills, adjunct fellow, Manhattan Institute states: By 2020 or so, the United States is expected to surpass Saudi Arabia in oil output and Russia in gas, according to the International Energy Association's best estimate. Dan Yergin, one of the world's leading energy experts, estimates that the United States turnaround in energy has generated 1.7 million new jobs . . . and that number should almost double by 2020. The RAND Corporation adds: The pace of technological change--whether through advances in information technology, biotechnology, or such emerging fields as nanotechnology--will most certainly accelerate in the next 10 to 15 years, with synergies across technologies and disciplines generating advances in research and development, production processes, and the nature of products and services. Amazing economic possibilities abound if the Federal Government will simply allow Americans to seize them. Unfortunately, too many paternalistic Washington politicians distrust the American people to earn a better life for themselves or to take care of each other without government coercion or intervention. Financially irresponsible Washington politicians insist on spending money we do not have, risking a debilitating American insolvency and bankruptcy, debasing our currency, punishing success, rewarding destructive behavior, and strangling job creation in bureaucratic red tape. The Federal Government, by attempting to supply and command all things, saps America's spirit of energy and devours the financial capital needed for innovation, productivity growth, and jobs. America must stop kicking the can down the road to a day when the debt challenge is even more daunting. The time to act is now, while America has sufficient economic strength to succeed. We cannot wait until America is bankrupt and defenseless, our currency is valueless, and we are overwhelmed by closed businesses, lost jobs, and poverty. Congress must use the debt limit, the budget, appropriation bills, and every other means available to free America from the growing burden of crushing debt and a dictatorial Federal bureaucracy. America ended Democrat President Jimmy Carter's economic malaise with one election in 1980, giving us the wildly successful economic policies of Republican President Ronald Regan in 25 years of unparalleled prosperity. America's choice is between economic depression brought about by socialist, heavy-handed, bureaucratic Big Brother economic policies and prosperity brought about by policies centered on free enterprise, individual liberty, and faith in the American people--the same economic policies and freedoms that made America the greatest Nation in world history. America, please choose wisely. Your future and America's depends on it.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, it is with great privilege that I welcome Pastor Jason Parks to the House of Representatives and thank him for serving as today's guest chaplain. Jason is the lead pastor of Refuge Church in Huntsville, Alabama. He received an undergraduate degree in communications arts from the University of North Alabama, an MBA from Liberty University, and a master of divinity from Rockbridge Seminary. Pastor Jason currently serves on the ALS Association Patient Care Committee, Calhoun Community College EMS Advisory Board, and as faculty at Huntsville Bible College. He is also a former Crestwood Medical Center associate chaplain and is credentialed as a board-certified pastoral counselor. Pastor Jason resides in Hazel Green, Alabama, with his wife and three children. I appreciate the work he has done for our community and his passion for serving the people of north Alabama.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask a simple question: Are we willing to accept America's economy as a new normal? Is America to accept a growth rate of only 2.4 percent every year? Are we to accept 3.8 million of our fellow Americans being stuck without jobs for 27 weeks or more? I say that is simply unacceptable. Americans deserve better. House Republicans have a plan to grow our economy and get more Americans back to work. We want to increase opportunity and help Americans keep more of the money they earn. Step number one is getting Washington out of the way. If Washington will end its job-killing policies, everyday Americans will do what they have always done--strive and work to success and prosperity.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, in September of 2013, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sought to marginalize and denigrate Americans who believe in America's foundational principles by calling them anarchists and fanatics. Their offense? They exercised their First Amendment freedom of speech rights by speaking out against and opposing ObamaCare and socialized medicine. In February 2014, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sought to marginalize and denigrate Charles Koch and Dave Koch by calling them ``as un-American as anyone that I can imagine.'' Their offense? They exercised their freedom of speech rights by exposing how badly ObamaCare hurts millions of Americans. Also in February 2014, Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid brazenly proclaimed that all those pesky Americans who dare exercise their freedom of speech rights by complaining about ObamaCare are all telling lies. Mr. Reid said: There's plenty of horror stories being told. All of them are untrue, but they're being told all over America. Mr. Reid's calling Americans liars puts me in a quandary because north Alabama citizens often complain to me about ObamaCare. Who should I believe, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid or north Alabama citizens? This week, Justin Carter of C&C Fabrication, a 47-year-old family- owned business in Laceys Spring, Alabama, told me: C&C Fabrication was formed by two brothers, Ray and C.M. Carter, in 1967 and is today a small, family-owned and family-operated business. Through hard work and strong leadership, C&C has grown to over 100,000 square feet, with 51 skilled workers. Even as the ObamaCare corporate mandate has been delayed, its imminent implementation forces C&C to make very serious, very real decisions regarding its future. C&C's health care premiums increased by over 10 percent in October 2013. C&C has been notified that an additional 15 percent increase is coming in October 2014. These increases will cost C&C almost $70,000 per year in increased health care premiums alone, and these increases do not even fully capture the impact of the corporate mandates. In order to fully comply with ObamaCare, C&C must restructure its benefits package for all employees, as well as each worker's hourly pay rate. These increased costs could rise as high as $160,000 per year. Failure to comply with ObamaCare will result in over $120,000 per year in fines for C&C; however, noncompliance could actually be the most prudent, most financially sound method of survival for C&C but at a cost to its employees in the form of benefit reductions, many of whom have been employed by C&C for decades. This would force C&C employees to the exchanges to buy plans with worse coverage and with higher deductibles than is currently provided to them by C&C. The sad reality is that because of ObamaCare and uncertain economic times, C&C will likely have only one feasible choice for the survival of the company, and that is to ensure that its corporate size stays below the limit of 50 employees. While this will exempt C&C Fabrication from ObamaCare and help it survive, it will also sacrifice the jobs of valued employees and cap the earning potential of the company, ensuring that this small business will not grow or create jobs. C&C has been fortunate to serve the community into its third generation and has taken pride in the work it performs. Many hardworking individuals have given service to C&C, and, in turn, C&C has done its very best to provide them with a living. However, ObamaCare mandates have the potential to derail C&C's future and greatly threaten its survival. So who is telling the truth about how badly ObamaCare is damaging America? Justin Carter, a north Alabama citizen and job creator, or Democrat Senator Harry Reid, who is desperate to keep his job even to the point of denigrating American citizens who dare to exercise their freedom of speech rights? Well, I know Justin Carter and the Carter family, and I know Harry Reid. Quite frankly, I believe Justin Carter of north Alabama is telling the truth about ObamaCare hurting Americans. And, Mr. Speaker, it is not a close call.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed H.R. 2548, the Electrify Africa Act of 2014. Another day in Washington, another boondoggle on the backs of American taxpayers. I am flabbergasted that in the same week our Secretary of Defense warns of severe defense cuts caused by America's deteriorating financial condition, cuts that risk national security, Congress seeks to force American taxpayers to help build electrical power plants and transmission lines in Africa. Financial prudence dictates that we reduce our deficits by not spending the money at all. If we must spend it and must choose between Africa or America, Mr. Speaker, I choose spending it in America. America spends more than $40 billion a year on foreign aid with money we do not have, borrow to get, and cannot afford to pay back. Mr. Speaker, if financial irresponsibility and economic insanity have a home, rest assured they live in Washington, D.C.

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama

Mr. BROOKS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, last week the Tennessee Valley of north Alabama enjoyed a great economic victory when Remington Outdoor Company announced 2,000 new jobs and a new firearms manufacturing plant in the valley. Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo declared that hardworking Americans who believe in the Second Amendment's right to bear arms ``have no place in the State of New York because that's not who New Yorkers are.'' No question, Alabama and the Tennessee Valley owe a debt of gratitude to New York and its Governor Cuomo for helping to inspire Remington to expand in Alabama, but to be fair, New York's hostility to the Second Amendment is only one factor supporting Remington's Alabama expansion. The most important factor is that Alabama is simply a better place to do business. New York's income tax rates are roughly 60 percent higher than Alabama's, which means Alabama's hardworking citizens keep more of the money they earn. New York's per capita property tax rates are roughly four times higher than those in Alabama, which means Huntsville metro citizens are twice as likely to own a home as New Yorkers. New York's business tax burden is the 50th worst in America, while Alabama's is a respectable 21st. New York residents are 25 percent more likely to live in poverty than Huntsville metro citizens. Out of 50 States, Alabama's long-term solvency is 5th best in America, and its overall fiscal condition is 10th best. New York's financial condition is near the bottom, ranking 45th in each category. Alabama's financial future is bright. New York increasingly risks being unable to pay for basic services. New York workers average commuting 78 minutes a day to and from work versus 36 minutes a day for Huntsville metro citizens. Tennessee Valley citizens have more time to spend with their families and the enjoyment of life. In Alabama, the cost of living is 11 percent below the national average. In New York, the cost of living is 25 percent above the national average. A paycheck in Alabama buys 40 percent more than the same paycheck in New York. Alabama's right-to-work law means that Alabamians cannot be forced to join a union against their will. Whether it be our right-to-work law or the Second Amendment right to bear arms, Alabama's motto says it all: ``We dare defend our rights.'' Beating out New York was only half the battle for Remington's plant. Alabama faced stiff competition from 24 other States; yet, in the judgment of Remington, the Tennessee Valley was the best place to live, work, and grow their business. Why? The Tennessee Valley is highly educated. For example, Huntsville metro has the highest per capita concentration of engineers in America. Huntsville and Madison County are ranked number seven in America by CNN Money as ``a great place to live and find a job,'' number four in America by the Progressive Policy Institute on the list of America's high-tech hot spots, in the top 10 in America by USA Today as a great place to be inspired by innovation, number three in America by business facilities for aerospace and defense manufacturing, and in the top 10 in America by Family Circle magazine for being a great place to raise a family. The Tennessee Valley is blessed with a clean environment and four major lakes with world-renowned fishing and water sports, lakes that stretch the entire length of the Tennessee Valley. Unlike New York and other blue States, in Alabama, envy, greed, and class warfare are not political weapons that justify attacking, taxing, and destroying success. To the contrary, in Alabama, we applaud those who, through hard work, find prosperity and the American Dream. In Alabama, we are blessed with a great Governor in Robert Bentley. We are blessed with political leaders in Jackson, Marshall, Madison, Limestone, Morgan, Lawrence, Colbert, and Lauderdale Counties who support free enterprise and are cooperative and willing to help each other achieve success, attributes that were critical to Remington's concluding that the Tennessee Valley was the best place in America for Remington to grow and prosper. Thanks to Remington, Americans will soon be able to exercise their Second Amendment rights by buying and owning firearms made in the great State of Alabama. Thank you, Remington. As for all you other businesses in blue States who are tired of being attacked and regulated and taxed into submission and financial loss, come on down. There is a reason why Remington chose Alabama and a reason why we are called ``Alabama, the Beautiful.'' Try Alabama. I promise you will like it and wonder why you didn't come sooner.