Dave Camp

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, a true American hero, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson). (Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CAMP. I yield to the gentleman from California for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. ROHRABACHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. Republicans have listened to the American people. It is clear from the Speaker's health care bill the Democrats have not. The Speaker crafted this bill behind closed doors and added 1,000 pages that have never been before a committee or had any input from the American people. Just yesterday we confirmed that Americans could face 5 years in jail if they don't comply with the bill's demands to buy approved health insurance, and who knows what else we will discover over time. Simply put, the health care of the American people is too important and too complex to risk on this gigantic gamble. This bill will do lasting damage to our economy and force millions of Americans to give up their current health care coverage. With the national unemployment rate spiking to 10.2 percent, it should be unthinkable to pass this bill which contains more than $730 billion in taxes that will destroy millions more American jobs. The Democrats' bill cuts Medicare by one-half trillion dollars, slashing health care benefits for seniors, a direct violation of the President's pledge that Americans could keep what they have if they like it. The Democrats' bill, when paired with an unpaid-for SGR fix, increases the deficit, a violation of the President's pledge that health care reform would not add one dime to the debt. The Democrats' bill drives up the cost of health care and increases Federal spending on health care by $600 billion, a violation of the President's pledge that health care reform would bend down the cost curve. So you can't keep what you like if you like it. The bill spends over $1 trillion while raising taxes, cutting Medicare and increasing the deficit, and it drives up the cost of health care. The Democrat majority has not listened to the American people. Vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, the Democrat bill we may be voting on later this week is not the prescription for what's ailing this country. The CBO, the Congressional Budget Office, confirmed the Democrats' bill spends well over $1 trillion, far more than even the President asked for. Nearly half of the people who get coverage in the bill will get it through Medicaid. This isn't health care reform. It's welfare expansion. It's the expansion of a program that is already financially unsustainable and that is crushing State budgets. The Democrats' bill includes more than $700 billion in tax increases, many of which will be paid by middle class families, including penalties on people who don't buy insurance, penalties on employers who can't afford to cover their workers, and new taxes on Federal spending accounts, health savings accounts, insurance premiums, and medical devices. The bill also includes about $500 billion in Medicare cuts that will reduce seniors' access to doctors and to hospitals, and it will force millions out of their Medicare Advantage plans. House Republicans support taking the first steps towards comprehensive reform that is focused on driving down costs for health care for all Americans.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and commend Mr. Merlin Dumbrille, a revered and prolific voice of the community. Merlin will retire today, October 30, 2009, after 58 years of broadcasting on WTCM Traverse City. His long history with the station began when, at 8 years old, Merlin first entered WTCM with his father as they tuned the station's pianos. Fascinated by what he saw, Merlin returned 8 years later and has never left. Few could have foreseen the impact that the day would have not only on his life, but for the residents of greater Traverse City. Merlin has been the voice of the Traverse City community for 58 years. He started his show on WTCM, Farm and Orchard Time, in 1963, for which he has won numerous state and local honors. It has become one of the longest continuously-running shows in the nation. During his time behind the microphone, he has been a voice for Northern Michigan farmers. He also served as the Farm Director, and the Public Affairs Director for the station. Merlin has been a standard-bearer in the studio and without. His service to his community deserves high praise. He was a longtime producer and host of the National Cherry Festival and Parade. For the past 3 decades, he has also been the audio technician for the Central United Methodist Church Sunday broadcast. Despite all of these momentous accomplishments, I'm sure Merlin will say that the biggest blessings of his life are June, his wife of 55 years, his three children, and his three grandchildren. On behalf of the 4th Congressional District of Michigan, I would like to extend my congratulations and I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Mr. Merlin Dumbrille and wishing him the best of luck in his retirement.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to rise today in support of H. Res. 831, a resolution that recognizes the successes of federal efforts to encourage adoption, and honors National Adoption Day and Month. As an avid adoption supporter, I believe that Congress must continue to promote the adoption of children into safe and loving homes. Through our work in 1997 as part of the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and more recently through the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, Congress has made significant advances in providing more options for children in need. Yet, far too many children, nearly 130,000, are waiting in foster care programs throughout our country for families to adopt them. These children should be given every opportunity to lead successful lives, and one way to make that happen is to increase the adoption of these children into safe, permanent, loving homes. That is why National Adoption Day and Month are so important. This year, National Adoption Day will take place on November 21, and is designed for communities around the country to highlight adoptions. Last year there were events in all 50 states during which the adoptions of 4,000 children were finalized. This year is especially important, as the National Adoption Day is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. This is a significant achievement from its humble beginnings, when Los Angeles County Judge Michael Nash started ``Adoption Saturdays'' to help facilitate the adoption of foster children. I have been honored to participate in National Adoption Day over the past several years. To be part of such a special occasion reinforces the need for further efforts to move kids into adoptive homes. I would also like to highlight the efforts of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute to promote adoption through its annual Angels in Adoption Awards Ceremony, held in September. This event also highlights those that have opened their hearts and their homes. This year, I was honored to nominate Sarah and Steve Rosinski, from Traverse City, Michigan, as Angels in Adoption. Steve and Sarah became foster parents when a young boy name Logan was placed in their home. Coming from a difficult family, Logan needed special attention and care. The Rosinskis gave him the love and support he needed to thrive and made him a permanent addition to their family by adopting him in 2007. They now are fostering a baby girl, also coming to them with early challenges--again, putting the child's best interests first, they are working on a reunification plan with her family. The Rosinksis have never asked for recognition for what they have done, they have simply done what is right. This is what National Adoption Day is all about. I first got involved by helping families with their adoption proceedings as their attorney. I strongly believe that we have the ability and the opportunity to help encourage adoption and help those in the foster care system. That is why it is so important to recognize the families who make extraordinary efforts to welcome children into their family and highlight the importance of National Adoption Day and Month.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, the health care of every American is too important to risk on one gigantic piece of legislation, especially one being written in secret and behind closed doors. The Democrat plan, or at least the last time any of us saw it, was over 1,000 pages long. It contained hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes--taxes on families earning as little as $20,000 a year and taxes on small businesses. Even if our national unemployment rate were not 9.8 percent, or over 10 percent in my home State of Michigan, these massive new taxes would create an undue burden on families and on employers. To raise taxes while these Americans are losing their jobs is irresponsible. To what end do Democrats raise these taxes? What do we get for these tax increases? While the Democrats' health care tax increases go into effect immediately, Democrats delay their so-called ``reforms'' for years to come. This plan is literally immediate pain for no gain. Again, the health care of every American is too important to risk on this secretly negotiated 1,000-page bill.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Since September 11, American military, diplomatic and intelligence personnel have seen extended and recurring deployments in support of contingency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave Americans have answered the call and, at the drop of a hat, gone off to defend this great Nation in a most consequential time. This House and the American people are extremely grateful for their courage and sacrifice. Today, as we rotate personnel home from Iraq and contemplate increasing force levels in Afghanistan, Congress can ease the transition for those in uniform by ensuring existing homeownership tax incentives are flexible for their circumstances. This bill does that. It modifies the existing first-time homebuyer tax credit to make it fairer for military and diplomatic families deploying overseas or returning home who, under the way the current credit is written, may be unable to take advantage. These provisions are based heavily on language included in bills that many, including my colleague from Louisiana, Charles Boustany, and from North Carolina, Walter Jones, have championed for some time. The bill also helps military families relocating as part of the Base Realignment and Closure, or BRAC, process. As DOD has transformed its base infrastructure, many service families have had difficulty selling homes adjacent to military installations because of declining values and an unprecedented slowdown in the housing market. In the stimulus bill, Congress provided relief in the form of a one-time funding increase for DOD's homeowners assistance program, which provides housing payments to these military families to help with relocation. H.R. 3590 clarifies that military families will not be taxed on these additional benefits. In closing, Mr. Speaker, this is a good bill, and I'm proud to lend my support to it today. I'm hopeful the Senate will quickly approve the legislation so the President can sign it into law. We owe our men and women in uniform, as well as the families that support them, nothing less. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. At this time I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

Mr. CAMP. At this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Jones).

Mr. CAMP. We have no further speakers at this time. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I would just yield back the balance of my time and urge support for H.R. 3560, the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and commend Mr. Stuart Frohm, a prolific political journalist, columnist, and editor. Stu will retire today, September 30, 2009, after 30 years with the Midland Daily News, my hometown newspaper. He was the political writer and wire editor for state, national, and world stories and photos. Stu was a true newspaper man, a balanced mix of watchdog and champion for the Midland area community. He was a tireless and dedicated reporter and editor who fully understood politics. He was thorough and he was fair, even when critical. Most importantly, he informed readers and helped bring us together, even through the toughest decisions, the way only a professional journalist can. I have shared many experiences with Stu. After each election, Stu and I talked. After State of the Unions, major votes, and important moments in our political history, Stu and I would talk on the phone. In fact, I vividly remember that it was Stu on the phone with me as the events of 9/11/2001 unfolded in Washington, D.C., and we were still talking as the Capitol Police told us to run out of the Cannon House Office Building. Stu is much more than a reporter, much more than a columnist, and much more than an editor. He is a dedicated husband, beloved father and cherished community leader. It is an honor to consider him a friend, and I say that ``on the record.'' I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Mr. Stuart Frohm, a journalist, editor, and friend, and wishing him the best of luck in his retirement.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The majority wants you to think we are here today to help seniors. This bill will help some seniors, and I intend to vote for it. But seniors shouldn't sleep well tonight, for they are facing massive cuts in Medicare benefits in pending health legislation proposed by the Democrats and the President. That's what I want to talk about today. The reality is the majority's health care bill will slash Medicare Advantage benefits for millions of seniors, and the administration is abusing its regulatory powers to keep that fact from seniors. This week we learned that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has initiated an investigation into at least one provider of Medicare Advantage health care plans for accurately informing its enrollees that Medicare cuts proposed in pending health care legislation could alter their benefits. CMS has since banned all Medicare Advantage health plans from providing similar information to beneficiaries, and let me just read to you the phrase that was communicated: If the proposed funding-cut levels become law, millions of seniors and disabled individuals could lose many of the important benefits and services that make Medicare Advantage health plans so valuable. Frankly, this is government intimidation, pure and simple. Seniors know the President's Medicare cuts will impact their benefits. The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed these cuts could negatively impact Medicare benefits and increase seniors' costs. But when health care plans try to share that information with their enrollees, the administration slaps a gag order on them. It is an abuse of power, plain and simple. So while the government is intimidating Medicare health care plans, shockingly, no such pressure has been applied to those supportive of the President's Medicare cuts. AARP, which boasts the largest Medicare Advantage plan, for example, has directly communicated with its members via e-mail, a Web site and letters. However, their pro-Medicare cut stance has apparently received no scrutiny from the administration. CMS' selective use of its regulatory authority threatens the integrity of the agency and our democracy. In fact, CMS' unprecedented action is in direct conflict with its own guidance issued during the Clinton administration. The then-director of what was called HCFA at that time, Center for Health Plans and Providers, instructed health plans in 1997 that ``Prohibiting such information would violate basic freedom of speech and other constitutional rights of the Medicare beneficiary as a citizen. As long as member materials that discuss the rights and responsibilities of the member and the HMO with regard to HMO membership are not misrepresented in the context of this article, we see no reason for prohibiting the distribution of information.'' This policy reversal by CMS is also at odds with Supreme Court decisions in the area. We need to get to the bottom of this, and we need to make sure all Americans, and especially seniors, know the facts about what the President and the congressional Democrats health care bill will mean for them.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memoriam of Mike Fuoss, who was shot and killed on Friday, September 11, 2009. Mike was a small business owner, father, brother, and friend to many in the greater Owosso community. Mike was born February 7, 1948, in Owosso. He graduated from Corunna High School in 1966. He went on to study Diesel Mechanics and Business at Ferris State University. In 1999, he married his wife, Barbara. Mike co-owned a number of small businesses throughout Owosso, including Fuoss Gravel Co. and Eddie O'Flynns. He was a member of the Owosso Home Builders Association, and the Shiawassee County Chamber of Commerce. Mike loved restoring old cars and hot rods, enjoyed riding his Harley, and was a fan of NASCAR. Fuoss was a good American who died tragically. The people whose lives he touched through his contributions to the community will miss him dearly.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commend the team members of the Midland Berryhill American Legion Post 165 baseball team on winning the American Legion World Series on Tuesday, August 18, 2009. They have represented the state well with their perseverance and athleticism, and we are very proud of their national accomplishments. Berryhill's 11-4 win over the Medford, Oregon Mustangs completed a five-game unbeaten run through the World Series. This is Berryhill's first ever national championship. Additionally, Berryhill, a 19 and under travel team comprised of players from mid-Michigan and rooted in Midland, consistently outscored their opponents with strong hitting and solid defense throughout the series. Team members include: Cole Martin, Kenny Babinski, Jordon Herman, Larsen Cronkright, Garrett Yatch, Nate Kuehne, Jordon Dean, Sean Hartman, Alex Rapanos, Eric Dawson, Matt Cresswell, Kenton SanMiguel, Ryan Longsteth, Kyle O'Boyle, Ben Singer, Eric Peterson, Chad Mayle, Max Yatch, and Jake Enszer. The team's coaching staff includes Dan Cronkright, and Patrick Dawson, while Steve Cronkright serves as the team manager. I am honored today to recognize the Midland Berryhill American Legion Post 165 baseball team for their accomplishments, and congratulate them on their outstanding performance.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to LTJG Edwin North in recognition of the 11 years of honorable service in the United States Navy during and after World War II. Edwin North started his military career in the U.S. Army ROTC at Michigan State University. In 1943, he decided to join the U.S. Navy where he served with distinction on various ships in the Pacific Theater, including the heavy cruiser USS Tuscaloosa. He also served as captain of a Landing Craft Tank, LCT, where amongst his other duties, he ferried sailors, rescued from the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, from the USS Doyle to the island of Peleliu for treatment. On his LCT he performed other tasks like transporting equipment ship-to-shore, and transporting slave labor survivors, who had been rescued from Japanese capture, from Peleliu Island to resettlement on Koror Island. In addition, Lieutenant junior grade North served with great honor and distinction in numerous other activities in the Pacific Theater, performing reconnaissance missions and deliveries ship-to-shore on his LCT, mostly in areas of potential danger to life and craft that were still under Japanese control. In another instance, Lieutenant junior grade North was handpicked to be an observer in the turret of an amphibious PBY observation plane. He performed these duties calmly and courageously, gaining praise for his surveying and observation skills in the midst of a high level of danger while reconnoitering active Japanese emplacements and other potential Naval targets on New Guinea. Lieutenant junior grade North was seriously injured in a fire resulting from the collision of his combat ship with its supply ship. He spent several months in various hospitals recovering from his injuries before returning to duty. Following his service in the Pacific Theater, Lieutenant junior grade North was assigned stateside to the Great Lakes Naval Training Center near Chicago, Illinois. On January 19, 1954, LTJG Edwin North was honorably discharged from active duty after eleven years of service in the United States Navy. In more recent times, Lieutenant junior grade North served as a volunteer with distinction in the Michigan Governor's Home Guard. On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Michigan, I am honored today to recognize LTJG Edwin North in gratitude for his eleven years of service to our country. I hope the years to come will bring him health, happiness, and special memories with family and friends. We are thankful for his dedication to this nation, and wish him and his family the best.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would just say that the Obama administration famously predicted that its so-called stimulus plan would save or create 3.5 million jobs. The gentleman referred to millions of jobs being created repairing our infrastructure. However, the unemployment rate is now at 9.5 percent, well above the 8 percent the administration projected if the stimulus passed. That means 2.5 million more Americans are unemployed than the President promised. So not only have no jobs been created in the private sector, in just 4 months, 2 million private sector jobs have been destroyed. Meanwhile, jobs in government have grown slightly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. At this time, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CAMP. I yield myself such time as I may consume. (Mr. CAMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CAMP. Last week, we appropriated an unlimited amount of general funds to the unemployment trust funds throughout fiscal year 2010, which starts in October, and today we're doing the same thing for the last 2 months of this year, ensuring these funds don't run out while Congress is on district work period. Both actions are needed because the Democrats' economic policy has resulted in record job loss, record deficits, and none of the job creation they promised. Democrats predicted unemployment would top out at 8 percent if the stimulus passed; instead, it's 9.5 percent and rising. In Michigan, it's above 15 percent. There are now a record 9.2 million collecting unemployment checks instead of paychecks. That's 1.1 million more than when the stimulus was passed. So if the stimulus is stimulating anything, it's record unemployment, not jobs. Where are the jobs? Americans can surely see the record unemployment, but they cannot see where the jobs are. That's because millions of jobs are disappearing, not being created. What's more, since President Obama was sworn in, the Nation's public debt and unemployment, combined, has risen by a shocking 40 percent. And that's before literally trillions of dollars in additional spending under the Democrats' stimulus, energy, and health plans, and whatever higher unemployment lies ahead. This bill reflects the continued failure of Democratic economic policy to save or create millions of jobs they promised that would flow quickly from their stimulus bill. More unemployment benefits instead of paychecks have led directly to more State insolvency and more Federal loans to those insolvent States. And that has drained the Federal bailout funds so much, it now needs its own bailout. That's what this bill does. We had a choice when it came to the stimulus last February. We could have chosen a better policy of stimulating private-sector growth creating twice the jobs at half the price. That was the Republican plan. Instead, Democrats insisted on their government focus plan, which has produced no jobs and a mountain of debt. Today, in my view, we don't really have a choice but to support this bill; otherwise, in the next 2 months, laid-off workers will not get the unemployment benefits they were promised. American workers should not be forced to pay for the mistakes and failures of the Democrats' so-called stimulus bill. So this bill is necessary. But in the longer run, we need to work together to create jobs so Americans can receive more paychecks, not more unemployment checks. I would also note, Mr. Speaker, that this bill provides an emergency transfer of $7 billion in the general fund revenue to prop up the Highway Trust Fund for the reminder of this fiscal year. This is not the first time Congress has had to fill a year-end shortfall in the trust fund to ensure that State highway projects can go forward. And unless we get serious about enacting long-term structural reforms as we move ahead with the next reauthorization bill, it surely won't be the last bill, either. I don't think anyone in this Chamber thinks that yet another short- term general fund transfer is the ideal solution to these chronic shortfalls, and I certainly hope that going forward, the majority focuses its attention on long-term structural reforms and not just on higher and higher spending levels. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).