Dave Camp

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 679, I call up the bill (H.R. 436) to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on medical devices, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Gerlach), a distinguished member of Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the Midland Daily News on its landmark 75th year in operation. First published on May 1, 1937, the Daily News set out to provide the people of Midland and the surrounding areas with the news and information they would need to thrive as a community. Seventy-five years later, the paper is still standing strong amidst a changing media landscape, having never once missed publication of a single print issue. News today looks nothing like it did when the Midland Daily News was first published. The paradigms of journalism have shifted and news is being disseminated at an increasingly rapid rate, but the Midland Daily News adapted to change and thrived as a newspaper. It has served as a vital source of information and an important forum for debates on the most pressing issues impacting the Midland area and our nation. On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District, I congratulate the Midland Daily News on this landmark occasion and commend the Daily News' publisher and staff for 75 years of quality journalism.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Today, the economy is down and we're out of money, so it is our responsibility to reevaluate these programs, to assess whether they're meeting their intended purposes and to determine if the American taxpayer can afford them. We must reduce the burden our debt is putting on our economy, on our families, on job creation in this country. This legislation does that. It encompasses commonsense, bipartisan policies; and I urge its passage. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. I now yield 1 minute to the chairman of the Human Resources Subcommittee, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Davis), to discuss the committee's final recommendation.

Mr. CAMP. I thank the chairman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, back in 2010, I served on the President's debt commission, otherwise known as the Simpson-Bowles Commission. During that Commission, we heard nonpartisan, expert testimony that debts as large as ours slow economic growth by about 1 percent. In America, that translates into 1 million fewer jobs. So, to start getting our debt under control and our economy back on track, we passed the Budget Control Act, but we all know that was a blunt and ineffective tool. As a result, Republicans have stepped forward with a smarter plan. Today, I want to highlight the more targeted, sensible reductions in spending the Ways and Means Committee has offered as part of the reconciliation process, each of which has enjoyed bipartisan support. Our first recommendation requires exchange subsidy overpayments in the Democrats' health care law to be repaid in full. This is simple and common sense. If you aren't entitled to the benefit, you don't get to keep it. This policy will reduce the deficit by $43.9 billion over the next 10 years. A Democrat-controlled House and a Democrat-controlled Senate first used a version of this offset in 2010 to pay for a temporary Medicare so-called ``doc fix.'' This Congress also endorsed this policy as part of the 1099 repeal legislation that became law early last year. As Secretary Sebelius has previously said, requiring the return of exchange subsidy overpayments ``makes it fairer for recipients and all taxpayers.'' Mr. Speaker, I now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) to discuss the committee's second recommendation. He is a true American hero, as well as the chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of letters: May 9, 2012. Hon. Lamar Smith, Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Smith: I am writing concerning H.R. 4967, the ``Temporary Bankruptcy Judgeships Extension Act of 2012,'' which is scheduled for Floor consideration today. As you know, the Committee on Ways and Means maintains jurisdiction over revenue measures generally. H.R. 4967, contains a provision that raises revenue by increasing the Chapter 11 filing fees for the operation and maintenance of the courts of the United States, which falls within the jurisdiction of the Committee on Ways and Means. In order to expedite this bill for Floor consideration, the Committee will forgo action on the bill. This is being done with the understanding that it does not in any way prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or its jurisdictional prerogatives on this or similar legislation in the future. I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming this understanding with respect to H.R. 4967, and would ask that a copy of our exchange of letters on this matter be included in the Congressional Record during Floor consideration. Sincerely, Dave Camp, Chairman.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. CAMP. Thank you. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois, a Member of the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Roskam.

Mr. CAMP. I yield such time as he may consume to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I seek time in opposition to the motion.

Mr. CAMP. No.

Mr. CAMP. I would just say to my friend that I'm not going to stand up and say that this is a procedural ploy. But I will stand up and say it is a political ploy. We should not be picking winners and losers. The fact is small businesses are hurting because of the failed policies of the Obama administration. It's time to stand up for small business and the people they employ. Let's get America back to work. I urge defeat of this motion to recommit and support for H.R. 9, the Small Business Tax Cut Act. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close. I believe the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Levin) has the right to close.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kinzinger).

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schilling).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from North Carolina (Mrs. Ellmers).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller.)

Mr. CAMP. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.