John Carney

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Chairman, my amendment is simple and straightforward. It would eliminate funding for the $50 million oil and gas research and development program funded through the Department of Energy's fossil energy R&D account. This cut, which the President also proposed in his FY12 budget, would save the taxpayers money and end an unnecessary subsidy to the oil and gas industry. I am proposing elimination of this R&D program because the research is being done and should be done by the industry itself. Don't just take my word for it. The industry itself is doing the job and says so. There is an ad in today's edition of The Hill newspaper on the back which says, in part, this is placed here by the people of America's oil and natural gas industry; that oil and natural gas companies are leading innovators investing hundreds of billions of dollars in innovative technology and capital projects over the past decade. We should be using our scarce Federal dollars on clean energy innovation that we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create jobs, and to stay competitive globally. This continuing resolution would cut over $2 billion in renewable energy research and development. At a time when we are looking to cut unnecessary spending, the oil and gas R&D program should be on the chopping block as well. The oil and gas industry has ample resources to develop these technologies without this Federal subsidy. A recent GAO report found that the industry spends over $2 billion of its own money annually on R&D. This $50 million cut to an R&D program for the oil and gas industry is the right way to cut spending, and I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 18, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this counterproductive effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Instead, we ought to focus on how we can move forward together, Democrats and Republicans, to address the very serious challenge of rising health care costs. Among developed nations, the United States spends twice as much as a share of GDP on health care; yet we rank near the bottom in health outcomes. Insurance premiums more than doubled in the last decade. Absent reform, they are on pace to double again by 2020. These costs are unsustainable for Delaware families and for the Federal budget. There can't be serious conversation about deficit reduction without talking about health care cost containment. Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP alone consume one-quarter of the Federal budget. The Affordable Care Act will curb health care cost growth, but there is a lot more that needs to be done. I came to Congress to make the tough, thoughtful decisions necessary to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it. And I look forward to working with my colleagues to do just that.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Article IV, section 1: ``Full faith and credit shall be given in each State to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general laws prescribe the manner in which such acts, records and proceedings shall be proved, and the effect thereof.''