Dave Camp

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order against the motion to recommit.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my point of order, and seek time in opposition to the motion to recommit.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, ObamaCare is already forcing workers to lose coverage. CBO has said that employers will drop health care coverage. CBO has said that employers will lay off workers and reduce coverage. That is already happening, and workers in this country are suffering. Even the Teamsters union has said so in a letter to Leader Reid and Leader Pelosi, and let me just read from one paragraph of this letter from the Teamsters union and other unions: When you and the President sought our support for the Affordable Care Act, you pledged that if we liked the health plans we have now, we could keep them. Sadly, that promise is under threat. Right now, unless you and the Obama administration enact an equitable fix, the ACA will shatter not only our hard-earned health benefits, but destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is backbone of the American middle class. The only way to fix this is to reject this motion, delay the employer mandate, and vote for this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my point of order and seek time in opposition to the motion.

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, we know that ObamaCare increases premiums, and we know ObamaCare will force Americans to pay more for their health care. It's not me that says this--although, I do--it's CBO. The Congressional Budget Office confirms that ObamaCare drives costs up of health care for working Americans. The only way to control health care costs and reduce health care costs is to delay ObamaCare until we can repeal it. The only bill, the only legislation that the Congressional Budget Office scored as lowering premiums was the bill Republicans offered during the health care debate. The President of the United States, through a blog post, delayed the employer mandate. This House just voted to delay the employer mandate. We owe it to the American people to give them the same treatment the President has given corporate America. Defeat this motion. Pass the Fairness for Families Act. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Today, I rise to welcome Pastor Ron Dunn to the House floor and to thank him for sharing his inspiring words this morning. Pastor Dunn has served in a number of ministry roles for the last 15 years. Currently, he is the senior pastor to the Revolution Church of God in Harrison, Michigan, where he has encouraged the church to serve the community by offering counseling services and donating items such as clothing, diapers, and formula. Before joining the ministry, Reverend Dunn was a member of the United States Army for 8 years and served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He and his wife, Stephanie, have three daughters-- Chelsea, Abigail, and Sara--and they join us here today. On behalf of the United States House of Representatives, I would like to thank Pastor Dunn for offering this morning's prayer and for his service to God, his community, and our country. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Jerry Luptak, a Michigan resident, a veteran, and a hero of one of World War II's most infamous battles--the ``Battle of the Bulge.'' Jerry began his military career in the ROTC at Michigan State University. His group was called into duty and assigned to the 36th Infantry division. Upon landing in Italy, he and his unit fought through southern France, advancing the Allied line. During the Battle of the Bulge, Jerry served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 131st Field Artillery Battalion. He was positioned as a forward Artillery Observer on a bridgehead on the German side of the river, the very front of the Allied line. From his position in the fourth floor of a building, Jerry saw the enemy advancing with an overwhelming force of troops and tanks. Thinking quickly, Lieutenant Luptak called for his fellow troops to take cover, then called in an artillery barrage on the German advance. Still exposed in his fourth floor position, Jerry put his own life in danger to give the American forces their only chance at avoiding defeat. His quick decision-making and bravery proved successful, and the artillery barrage defeated the German advance. Lieutenant Luptak was awarded a silver star for his gallantry in action. According to his citation, Jerry ``effectively directed artillery fire was of material aid in crushing enemy attacks.'' This battle was an important stepping stone in halting the German opposition during World War II. Jerry's vast combat experience and tactical knowledge provided vital tools to the United States Armed Forces. In addition to his silver star, he also received the American Theater Service Medal, German Occupation Medal, and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. As Memorial Day approaches, all Americans should remember our brave servicemen and women, like Jerry Luptak, who dutifully and nobly answered the call to service for our nation, and the debt of gratitude we owe to them. On behalf of Michigan's 4th Congressional District, the Members of the Michigan Congressional Delegation, and all Americans, I thank Jerry Luptak for his dedicated and selfless service, and bravery in the face of the enemy.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 45, legislation to repeal ObamaCare. In March of 2010, then-Speaker Pelosi famously said, with respect to the President's health care law: We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it. Well, Washington Democrats passed that bill, and virtually every week since has been an expensive, eye-opening experience. Over the past 3 years, it's become clear that ObamaCare is irreparably flawed, fails to deliver on its promises and causes serious harm to our economy. The legislation before the House is the first step toward fixing all of these problems. We must first repeal this onerous law and then move forward and work with stakeholders to develop step- by-step, commonsense reforms that actually lower the cost of health care and respect the patient-doctor relationship. The President's health care law is, at its core, a flawed policy. It puts the Federal Government precisely where it doesn't belong, between Americans and their doctors. Instead of families deciding what coverage is best for them, or families and employers deciding how much they can afford, this law has the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the IRS making those decisions. ObamaCare also falls short of almost every one of the President's and congressional Democrats' promises for the law. It doesn't control costs, doesn't let Americans keep the insurance they have and like, doesn't protect jobs, doesn't ensure seniors have access to their doctors and hospitals, and doesn't prevent 21 new tax increases, including more than a dozen that will hit middle class families. Simply put, it's a resounding failure. If that wasn't enough, the health care law is causing serious harm to our economy at a time when it's struggling to climb out of the hole dug by the administration's failed economic policies. We've received countless reports of businesses reluctant to hire, or shifting employees from full-time to part-time employment because of the steep costs associated with complying with the law. This is simply unacceptable. Well over 11 million Americans remain unemployed. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in voting to repeal this burdensome law and continue working toward real reform that lowers costs and improves the quality of health care in this country. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. At this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany), a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price), a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee.

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black).

Mr. CAMP. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Graves).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Benishek). (Mr. BENISHEK asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Radel).

Mr. CAMP. I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup).

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield to the distinguished chairman of the Health Subcommittee for the purposes of controlling the balance of our time.

Mr. CAMP

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 202, I call up the bill (H.R. 807) to require that the Government prioritize all obligations on the debt held by the public in the event that the debt limit is reached, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 807.

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise today in support of H.R. 807, the Full Faith and Credit Act. This legislation credibly and permanently removes the threat of default on a U.S. debt payment and ensures that Social Security benefits are paid in full and on time. The bill is really quite simple: it requires the Treasury Department to issue debt not subject to the statutory limit to make principal and interest payments. And here are the facts about who holds that debt: American families and businesses hold the overwhelming majority of U.S. debt--teacher pension funds, individual Americans, our military retirement fund, and the list goes on and on. So by ensuring that Treasury has the ability to honor our debt obligations, we are in fact ensuring Americans will be paid. This legislation is the first step in protecting our credit rating. Two major credit rating agencies--Standard and Poor's and Moody's--have indicated that they differentiate between debt and other payments when determining whether or not to review our credit rating. To that end, this bill specifically addresses the default on U.S. debt obligations that these agencies have identified. Additionally, Standard & Poor's was crystal clear as to why it downgraded the U.S. credit rating following the debt negotiations in the summer of 2011, and I quote: The downgrade reflects our opinion that the fiscal consolidation plan that Congress and the administration recently agreed to falls short of what, in our view, would be necessary to stabilize the government's medium-term debt dynamics. In plain English, they downgraded the U.S. credit rating because we have not addressed the primary drivers of our debts and deficits. It's nearly 2 years later, and neither the President nor congressional Democrats have offered a serious plan that would address the problems that caused the downgrade in the first place. This legislation places that responsibility on the Obama administration and encourages the President to be more involved with taming our debt, something Republicans have long called for. Some critics of this legislation have claimed that it opens the door for Treasury to issue new debt for new spending or that it is simply raising the debt limit by another means. This is categorically false. This bill does not increase the debt limit. Instead, under this legislation, Treasury loses the authority to issue debt above the limit if doing so creates any room under the existing old debt limit. Treasury may not issue new debt above the statutory limit again until the limit is reached. Additionally, any new debt issued to pay principal and interest is not exempt from the statutory limit unless issuing the new debt would cause Treasury to exceed the statutory limit. The American people agree, and that support transcends party lines. A majority, 55 percent, support requiring the government to pay the principal and interest on the debt before it pays for other government expenses. Support for the proposal is strong among Republicans, 65 percent; Independents, 53 percent; while Democrat voters are split evenly between favor, 46, and opposed, 47. Clearly, we cannot default on our debt. The consequences of doing so could be very serious. A default would at the very least hinder an already stagnant economic recovery, and, in a worst-case scenario, lead the country back into a recession. Failure to make a debt payment will increase our borrowing costs and threaten our ability to make any of the other payments we owe. If signed into law, this legislation would prevent such an unacceptable situation. The President and Congress must work to reduce the growing burden of our debt and deficits, but we must do so without imposing more tax increases on hardworking families and job creators. There are bipartisan policies we can enact to reduce wasteful Washington spending and preserve Social Security and Medicare for future generations. The Ways and Means Committee has already begun to examine those policies and will continue to do so over the coming months. In the meantime, we must act to make it clear to the American people and the world economy that the U.S. will not default on a debt payment. The legislation before us accomplishes that important goal, and I would urge my colleagues to join me in voting for its passage today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 15 seconds. Since the gentleman raised the question of who holds our debt, this chart shows that the vast majority of our debt is held by Americans. That's a fact. Thirty percent of the debt is held by citizens, pension funds, and you go down the list. Two-thirds of our debt is held by Americans. We need to make sure that Americans are paid first. With that, I would yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas, the chairman of the Social Security Subcommittee, Mr. Johnson.

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Mr. CAMP. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan) for the purpose of a unanimous consent request. (Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. CAMP. At this time, I yield 5 minutes to the sponsor of the bill, the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).