Mike Coffman

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Madam Speaker, we need to amend a fundamentally unfair provision within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as ObamaCare. That is, many of the very people who have been responsible for writing, advocating for, passing, signing into law, and promulgating rules governing the implementation of ObamaCare are exempt from the coverage requirements mandated by this law. That is why I am introducing the Affordable Care Accountability Act. This legislation will require the President, the Vice President, all of the Cabinet Secretaries, all political appointees, all Members of Congress, and all congressional staff, including those from committees and leadership, to receive their health care insurance coverage through the insurance exchanges required under ObamaCare. Americans deserve to know that their government officials will never seek to pass legislation only to exempt themselves from all of its provisions.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, retired United States Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Donald Hood passed away on December 30, 2012. He served our Nation with distinction, first on Active Duty in the United States Army and later in the Army Reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Hood began his military service with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he became the first parachute-qualified, combat-ready optometrist in the United States Army. From 1970 to 1972, Lieutenant Colonel Hood served in Southeast Asia during the war in Vietnam as the Army's chief of eye services at the Diplomatic Medical Mission in Bangkok, Thailand. In 1972, he left Active Duty and continued serving his country in the United States Army Reserve as the chief of optometry for the 5502 United States Army Reserve Hospital in Aurora, Colorado, until his retirement in 1990. Lieutenant Colonel Hood is survived by his wife, Patricia; his daughter, Chelsey Russell; his son, Cayman; and his granddaughter, Hayden Russell.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,794,349,827,897.30. We've added $6,167,472,778,984.22 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,794,429,148,215.24. We've added $6,166,467,852,284.57 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6.1 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,787,451,118,147.32. We've added $6,160,574,069,234.24 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to pay tribute to Royda Kimball, as she retires as the Chief Assignable for the Colorado State Senate, after 33 years of dedicated public service to the State of Colorado. Royda served under six Colorado governors, starting with John Vanderhoof in 1974 and finishing with John Hickenlooper in 2012. She worked with nine Senate presidents, from Fred Anderson to Brandon Schaffer. She has helped, cajoled, and tutored literally hundreds of Colorado state senators, including me. Royda was a tireless and dedicated state worker. In March of 2003, she suffered a heart attack and was back at work in a week. In March of 2004, she was diagnosed with cancer, underwent surgery, and was back on the job nine days later. Royda Kimball exemplifies what it means to be a true public servant. Colorado citizens--not just elected state officials--benefited from her expertise and her professionalism. She kept the wheels of the Colorado State Senate moving for a third of a century. She is truly irreplaceable and her dedicated service will not be forgotten. She will be missed by many at the State Capitol, but we are fortunate to still have her on hand as a dear friend.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to draw attention to cutting-edge research now underway at the Charles C. Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology at the University of Colorado in Aurora. As you know, our Nation faces major deficiencies in its ability to maintain an adequate blood supply for civilian and military demands. Traditional methods for obtaining blood or producing a new supply fall far short of current demand. But a collaborative effort at the Gates Center at the University of Colorado is working to develop a new technology that enables the rapid growth of adult blood stem cells. This proprietary technology can generate large numbers of cells that can be frozen and thawed while retaining their stem cell characteristics. This also means that soon there will be an ability to culture adult blood stem cells in an almost indefinite manner. This research is being funded with peer-reviewed grants from NIH, and they have joined a consortium funded by DARPA to further help develop the Red Blood Cell program. I'm very hopeful about the research at the Charles C. Gates Center, and I urge support for their efforts.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,801,307,487,216.56. We've added $6,174,430,438,303.48 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,819,547,647,482.89. We've added $6,191,586,351,552.22 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6.1 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,798,984,234,792.33. We've added $6,172,107,185,879.25 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,802,515,751,907.61. We've added $6,175,638,702,994.53 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,739,939,855,865.39. We've added $6,113,062,806,952.31 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, today is the 10th anniversary for the war in Iraq that began with the United States-led invasion on March 20, 2003. In 2005, I resigned from public office in the State of Colorado to return to Active Duty in the United States Marine Corps for assignment in Iraq. I did this, not because I believed that the invasion of Iraq was the right decision for our country, but because I strongly believed that, once the decision had been made to go into Iraq, that we had a responsibility to bring this war to a just conclusion. I can't say enough about the young men and women of our military whom I met in Iraq when I served there and observed their courage, their determination to succeed under very challenging conditions, and their extraordinary sacrifices. However, now that I'm a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will do everything I can to make sure that our country never goes down this path again. Nation-building operations, where we invade, pacify and administer whole countries, is the wrong direction for America and must never be repeated again.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,736,188,026,047.86. We've added $6,109,310,977,134.78 to our debt in 3 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,723,061,528,495.80. We've added $6,095,100,232,565.13 to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our Nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 20, 2009, the day President Obama took office, the national debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08. Today, it is $16,700,634,854,470.52. We've added $6,073,757,805,557.44 dollars to our debt in 4 years. This is $6 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a balanced budget amendment.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, in 1972, I volunteered to serve in the United States Army at a time when young men were still being drafted into our military. The last draftees were inducted into the United States Army in 1973, and 2 years later, given the success of the all- volunteer Army, the requirement for young men to register with Selective Service ended. In a symbolic show of strength to the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan, President Jimmy Carter asked Congress to reinstate the Selective Service System in 1980. Congress did so, and to this day all males are required by law to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday. However, despite the first gulf war, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conscription has never been considered as a viable option by our military. Mr. Speaker, my bill, H.R. 978, will end the registration requirement and dismantle the outdated Selective Service bureaucracy--saving the taxpayers over $24 million a year--and I urge its adoption.

Mr. COFFMAN

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

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to clause 1, rule I, I demand a vote on agreeing to the Speaker's approval of the Journal.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove as cosponsors from H.R. 423 the following representatives: Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Representative Janice Schakowsky, and Representative Steve Stivers. On February 26, 2013, three names were added as cosponsors that were not intended to be included. They were meant to be added to another bill I introduced, H.R. 435. Their removal is only necessary due to a clerical error on the part of my office, rather than a decision by the four offices.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,610,557,777,904.98. We've added $5,982,596,481,974.31 to our debt in 4 years. This is a $5.8 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, I had a career in the military with a combined 21 years between the United States Army, the Army Reserve, the United States Marine Corps, and the Marine Corps Reserve. During the course of my military career, I met so many extraordinary young men and women who served our country in uniform and who made tremendous sacrifices in defense of our freedom. I strongly believe that the highest expression of citizenship in America is exemplified by those who serve in our Armed Forces. In my hometown of Aurora, Colorado, I've recently met young people who grew up in Aurora, went to school in our community, and know of no other country than America. Some of them want to join the military, but because of their immigration status, they cannot. Mr. Speaker, I believe that they should be allowed to join and given an opportunity to earn their citizenship by serving our country, their country, in the military.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,498,229,961,731.67. We've added $5,970,268,665,801 to our debt in 4 years. This is a $5.9 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.

Mr. COFFMAN

Mr. COFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, on January 3, 2009, the day I took office, the national debt was $10,627,961,295,930.67. Today, it is $16,480,910,656,603.96. We've added $5,852,949,360,673.29 to our debt in 4 years. This is a $5.8 trillion in debt our nation, our economy, and our children could have avoided with a Balanced Budget Amendment. We must stop this unconscionable accumulation of debt.