Renee Ellmers

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I thank the gentlewoman. Basically, what you have been told and what women in this country have been told is a false choice for American women from Planned Parenthood. That false choice says that, if one Planned Parenthood facility is defunded, thousands of women and children who are in need will go without health care. Let me tell you, if that false logic follows in Dunn, North Carolina, it basically says, if there are 18 grocery stores and 1 closes its doors, thousands of families, including my own, will starve. This is absolutely untrue. We need to support everything we can in this country for good women's health care. This chart provides the actual truth--the truth. Good health care takes care of the whole woman, not just parts.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, on September 9, 2015, one of my staff members mistakenly added Congresswoman McSally from Arizona to H.R. 3443, as a cosponsor, instead of to H.R. 3339. Both my staff and I acknowledge and take full responsibility for this unintended addition of Ms. McSally's name, and I apologize for any confusion and inconvenience that this error has caused. This cosponsorship was not authorized by Representative McSally.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove the name of the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally) from H.R. 3443.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, please remove Member McSally as a cosponsor of H.R. 3443 as she was added inadvertently by my staff when cosponsoring another bill of ours, H.R. 3339.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for holding this very important Special Order. I want to thank my colleagues who are here today talking about this very important issue. It is not the first time that we have come together to talk about the importance of protecting life, the lives of those who are yet to be born. I can't even begin to tell you how disgusted I am, how nauseous I am right now, that we are having this discussion about the sale of baby body parts and that Planned Parenthood so values the organs of the unborn and, yet, so devalues the life of the unborn. Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart in sharing these concerns with my fellow colleagues. We now know about the two videos that have been released, the first video showing the senior director of the medical services at Planned Parenthood, who was bragging in gruesome detail of how this group harvests and sells fetal organs. She described how they take particular care of the baby's organs. If only this group were just as devout in showing so much care, time, and attention to the life of the baby. In the second video are details of how the health of the mother is purposefully put in jeopardy to yield pristine, viable organs. Mr. Speaker, this is sickening. This is all for a price, a price which is being negotiated. Regardless of whether you are a pro-life individual or a pro-choice individual, you have to be absolutely appalled at this. As a nurse, a mother, and one who believes that the life of the yet to be born should be protected, I can't begin to understand how someone can recount these appalling details in such a nonchalant manner unless this has become routine. As Representatives, it is our job to protect the rights of women. It is our job to protect the rights of the unborn. This horrific revelation warrants a response from Congress, and I am proud to be on the Energy and Commerce Committee to begin this investigation.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I yield to the gentlewoman from Utah (Mrs. Love).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I thank the gentlewoman. Madam Speaker, on behalf of the members of the Republican Women's Policy Committee, I would like to end this Special Order today by thanking our troops and their families. These men and women voluntarily venture into harm's way to protect our freedoms, ideals, and way of life. It is equally as important that we recognize the sacrifices that military spouses and children make as well. They deserve our unwavering support for putting the safety and security of our country first. May God continue to bless this great Nation and our men and women in uniform. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time to conclude this Special Order on national security.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the topic of this Special Order.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today to stand with my fellow members of the Republican Women's Policy Committee to discuss an issue of concern that is on the minds of every American, especially moms. The topic of concern to so many today is our national security and the need to maintain a strong military presence. Madam Speaker, we currently face many threats abroad, including the terrorist group ISIS and the newly crafted nuclear agreement with Iran. As threats continue to grow overseas, so should our response. We need for our Commander in Chief to lay out a plan of success. We cannot stand idly by while the Islamic State continues to grow. This barbaric group is an imminent threat to the United States and our allies all over the world. Yet another national security concern facing us today is Iran, the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism. Just last night, Iran and the other world powers reached a so-called nuclear deal. I remain deeply skeptical of this so-called deal. Furthermore, Iran has threatened our greatest ally, Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu has already called this deal ``a historic mistake.'' The President promised us that he would walk away from a bad deal, but instead he has forsaken his promises, neglected our allies, and disregarded the concerns of the American people. Because of the many freedoms we enjoy here in the United States, we will always have a target on our backs. This is precisely why we must maintain a robust military presence. At home in North Carolina, I have the privilege of representing the Nation's largest Army installation, Fort Bragg. Despite the mounting threats abroad, the Army began its reduction of 40,000 troops last week. This included a loss of 842 soldiers at Fort Bragg. I firmly believe that any troop reduction is not in the best interests of the national security we have. However, in light of this troop reduction, I did receive a piece of positive news regarding a decision by the Air Force. The Air Force has decided to stop pursuing their destructive proposal which is to close the 440th Airlift Wing. Our military is one of the best and the brightest. These men and women are the most well trained and well equipped in the world. We are blessed to live in a country that stands for justice and embodies freedom and exemplifies liberty. Madam Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Missouri.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Brooks).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I yield to the gentlewoman from the great State of Alabama (Mrs. Roby).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Lummis).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I now yield to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I would like to say how much I appreciate receiving General Townsend to the XVIII Airborne Corps as commanding general from the 10th Mountain Division. I know that you appreciate him as much as I do.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. I now yield to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. McSally).

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, we have all heard the phrase ``if you have your health, you have everything.'' But for many who are suffering from debilitating diseases or caring for a family member with one, their ability to pursue life, liberty, and happiness is interrupted. Mr. Speaker, the reason entitlement spending is so vast in this country is because we have diseases and conditions requiring countless dollars. We are America, the greatest country in the world. We have big ideas, and we want to provide the best future for our children and our grandchildren. The 21st Century Cures Act is just one of those big ideas that will produce numerous benefits for everyone. And for fiscal conservatives like myself, we should appreciate this bill and its passage with overwhelming support. In our healthcare system, we diagnose disease, we treat symptoms, and we have thousands of new seniors on Medicare every day that we must take care of. The passage of this 21st Century Cures Act is a definitive way to take care of every American family. Today we waged war on disease.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to shed light on why the nonpartisan 21st Century Cures Act is important for patients everywhere. As a nurse and as part of our team working on this effort over the last year, I can relay that the 21st Century Cures Act is important because of people like my constituent back home, Ellie Helton. Ellie was a beautiful, courageous constituent of mine. She loved peanut butter cups, the color pink, and most of all her family and her friends. At about this time last year Ellie suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm that took her life at the tender age of 14. The 21st Century Cures Act legislation creates an accelerated process by which we discover and develop cures and treatments for patients like Ellie. This legislation is fully offset and will reduce the deficit by more than $500 million over the first decade. Mr. Chairman, I am so proud to be a Member of Congress who is working on this legislation with all of my colleagues, and I am so proud of our chairman, Fred Upton, for the work that he has done. This is an incredible effort, and I am so proud to be a part of it.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of my colleague from Pennsylvania's amendment. As a nurse, I know the key component of staying healthy is being hydrated and drinking plenty of water. However, if you were to be in one of our Nation's parks, you might find this difficult. Why? Because the National Park Service allows individual parks to ban bottled water from their premises. Yet, in those same parks, someone can still purchase soda and other bottled beverages. Mr. Chairman, this ban is misguided. While it was created in an attempt to reduce litter in the parks, it has, instead, served as a primary example of intrusive government overreach--something this country certainly needs less of and something my constituents sent me here to Washington to prevent. According to the National Park's Sustainable Practices report, parks that have implemented this ban are not actually reporting any useful data on recycling by type. In other words, they don't know if this ban is effectively working or not. Preserving the beauty of our parks is a noble goal and is something we should all care about, but it should not come at the expense of consumer choice. Mr. Chairman, we should support freedom; we should support the beauty of our parks; and we should support good, healthy lifestyles for every American. However, the current ban in place does none of the above. I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense measure as it stops this ineffective ban.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to continue my fight against the Air Force's misguided decision to shutter the 440th Airlift Wing. As I have stated time and time again, the removal of the 440th Airlift Wing at Pope Army Airfield injects avoidable and unreasonable risks to our military readiness. Given the instability and uncertainty in the Middle East and around the world, I find it baffling that the Air Force has chosen to close such an efficient airlift wing that provides critical training to special operations forces and units such as the 82nd Airborne's Global Response Force. I have failed to see the true cost savings and any benefits associated with this shortsighted proposal, and I will continue working with my colleagues to pursue every option possible in order to prevent the closure of the wing. Furthermore, I find it troubling that the Air Force has made a concerted effort to hollow out this wing before allowing congressional efforts to come to fruition. Mr. Chairman, I simply lack the confidence that there will be no negative impacts to the training of Fort Bragg paratroopers and special operations forces. I will, therefore, continue to work with my North Carolina colleagues to prevent its closure. I believe that this is a necessary effort to preserve the 440th Airlift Wing because of the vital and unique training mission that it has at Fort Bragg with our paratroopers. Our paratroopers have to be packed and ready at any given moment for their Global Response Force. I have paratroopers who simply live day-to-day, ready to leave at a moment's notice--within hours--around the world. I believe that this is, again, a shortsighted, myopic decision on the Air Force's part, and I believe we need to be protected. I reserve the balance of my time. Point of Order

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina

Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, as we prepare to debate the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill, I stand in support of our Nation's truckers. The trucking industry not only provides Americans with access to goods we need to use every day, but it is also critical to our Nation's economy. In my home State of North Carolina, there are over 70,000 truckers working for more than 16,000 small businesses. Perhaps even more impressive is that 86 percent of North Carolina communities depend exclusively on trucks in order to transport consumer products and goods across our State. This industry is essential to ensure a growing and thriving U.S. economy and to provide crucial support to our Nation's small businesses. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the hard-working men and women of this industry who eat their dinners on the road so that we can eat ours at home.