Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, our colleagues across the aisle are constantly reminding the American people of what a great economy we had when President Clinton was President. Why did we have such a great economy? Because 6 of the 8 years that he was President, we had a Republican-controlled Congress. The first 2 years of his administration was a disaster in this country, and then we had 6 years of the Republicans in control. They balanced the budget. They reduced spending. And did we have a horrible economy? Did we have horrible workplace situations? No. They want to lead you to believe that with Republicans in control and passing Republican bills that we'll somehow or another destroy this country. That is not going to happen. Under Republican control we have, generally, a booming economy, but not under Democrats. I now would like to yield 3 minutes to my distinguished colleague from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).

Ms. FOXX. I yield the gentleman another minute.

Ms. FOXX. I yield the gentleman another minute.

Ms. FOXX. We do not, and I am prepared to close, if the gentleman from Colorado is prepared.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind my colleague from New York, as well as remind all of my colleagues across the aisle, that Republicans have passed over 20 bills this session that would create jobs and have passed bills that would bring down the cost of gasoline. Those are the two things that my constituents are most concerned about. If my colleagues across the aisle are talking to their constituents or, more importantly, are listening to their constituents, they would know that's what their constituents are concerned about also. However, those bills are tied up in the Democrat-controlled Senate. I now would like to yield 5 minutes to my distinguished colleague from South Carolina, who did such a wonderful job on C-SPAN this morning, Mr. Gowdy.

Ms. FOXX. I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that I neglected to say earlier in response to my colleague who said we hadn't passed any House bills, that those were bipartisan bills that passed. Every one of the jobs bills that we passed has received bipartisan support, and the American people want us to be bipartisan, and I hope that they have noticed in the debate today that the vitriol about this bill has not come from our side of the aisle. House Republicans are committed to reducing government red tape as a way to encourage job creation. The rule before us today provides for consideration of yet another bill to reduce government interference in job creation by reinstating the traditional standards for unions organizing elections and ensuring that employees' and employers' voices are heard. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote for this rule and the underlying bill. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Madam Speaker, today's debate over the balanced budget amendment is highly instructive. It throws the differences between those who believe in limited government and those who believe in an ever-expanding federal government into sharp relief. This debate brings to mind what American founder Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist Paper 84. He said that the Bill of Rights was ``. . . not only unnecessary in the proposed Constitution, but would even be dangerous.'' He thought that it ``would contain various exceptions to powers not granted; and, on this very account, would afford a colorable pretext to claim more than were granted. For why declare that things shall not be done which there is no power to do? Why, for instance, should it be said that the liberty of the press shall not be restrained, when no power is given by which restrictions may be imposed?'' He made a good point, but the Bill of Rights was adopted and has served to secure many of the liberties we enjoy. Even though he was somewhat wrong about the Bill of Rights, he was correct in understanding the nature of power and government. After all, if a power is implied, enthusiasts of big government are bound to leverage the slightest constitutional hiccup into a new ``enumerated power.'' It appears that Hamilton understood very well the tendency of some to rush to the federal government to solve problems, create programs and expand in size and scope. In this sense, Hamilton was correct; the specter of an expanded and powerful central government is one that destroys and suppresses freedom. That is why this debate over a balanced budget amendment is so important, if only for the sharp contrasts it unveils between the various parties to this crucial debate and the visions for limited government and big government.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. House Resolution 467 is a closed rule providing for consideration of H.R. 2112, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, also known as the mini-bus. Mr. Speaker, this conference report was approved by the conference committee on a wide bipartisan basis with all but one of 38 House and Senate conferees signing off on the report. The bill contains a continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown and continue Federal operations until December 16, 2011, or until Congress completes the remaining nine FY 2012 appropriations bills. It is important to highlight that this CR is a clean extension and includes no new funding provisions. In accordance with the Budget Control Act, this conference report upholds the overall discretionary spending level of $1.043 trillion and includes $2.3 billion in disaster relief funding, which falls under the disaster designation cap set by the act. The Agriculture agencies and programs in this bill will receive a total of $136.6 billion in both discretionary and mandatory funding, a reduction of $4.6 billion from the President's request based on the administration's midsession review. Discretionary funding in the legislation totals $19.8 billion, a reduction of $350 billion below last year's level and a cut of $2.5 billion from the President's request. It is important to note that mandatory food and nutrition programs within the Department of Agriculture--including SNAP, also known as food stamps, as well as child nutrition--are funded at $98.6 billion. This funding will allow all individuals and families who meet the programs' criteria for aid to receive all the benefits available to them, and includes $3 billion in reserve funds in case of unanticipated increases in participation or food price increases. Additionally, school lunch and school breakfast programs will receive $18.2 billion in mandatory funding in the agreement. This funding will help low-income students with free or reduced-price meals at schools in every community in the Nation. The conference agreement includes provisions to prevent overly burdensome and costly regulations and provide greater flexibility for local school districts to improve the nutritional quality of meals in the national school lunch and school breakfast programs. Without these provisions, the cost of these important programs would balloon by an additional $7 billion over the next 5 years, leaving States and local school districts in the lurch. The WIC program is funded at $6.6 billion. This funding will provide supplemental foods, as well as nutritional and other preventative health services, to low-income participants. I am pleased to report that the bill places restrictions on the implementation of a Grain Inspection and Packers and Stockyards Administration, GIPSA, proposed rule that would have allowed harmful government interference in the private market for livestock and poultry. The Commerce, Justice, and Science section of the conference report includes a base total of $52.7 billion, a decrease of $583 million below last year's level, and a decrease of almost $5 billion below the President's request. The conference agreement includes numerous provisions that protect the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Three of these protections are made permanent law beginning in fiscal year 2012. These three provisions prohibit the Department of Justice from consolidating firearms sales records, electronically retrieving the records of former firearms dealers, and maintaining information on persons who have passed firearms background checks. The conference agreement also contains numerous 1-year firearms protections and new language prohibiting DOJ from requiring imported shotguns to meet a sporting purposes test. The bill extends important provisions related to Guantanamo Bay, including a prohibition on the transfer or release of any detainee into the U.S. and a prohibition on the acquisition or construction of any new prison to house detainees. Under no circumstances should we endanger our communities by allowing some of the most dangerous people in the world to set foot on American soil. The conference agreement includes important provisions to protect unborn human life, including a ban on abortion funding for Federal prisoners and a conscience protection for prison employees, and a prohibition on the Legal Services Corporation funds for organizations that engage in abortion-related litigation. The Transportation, Housing and Urban Development section of the conference report includes a base total of $55.6 billion, representing a decrease of $19.4 billion below the President's request. The conference agreement provides $500 million for National Infrastructure Investments, commonly referred to as the TIGER program, and includes language prioritizing rail, highway, and transit projects that improve or expand existing systems. The conference agreement provides $39.9 billion for the Federal highway program, which is the annual spending level set by the latest Surface Transportation Extension Act. The agreement provides $1.66 billion for the Federal Highway Administration's Emergency Relief program, which assists States in rebuilding Federal highways that were damaged by major natural disasters such as Hurricane Irene and the flooding of the Missouri River. Included in the conference agreement is $12.5 billion for the FAA. The agreement provides $3.35 billion for airports and $2.7 billion for facilities and equipment. Language is included to restore the Block Aircraft Registry Request program, or BARR, and to prohibit future changes to the program. Also included is $878 million for FAA Next Generation funding to ease congestion and reduce air traffic delays. The legislation includes a total of $37.3 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a decrease of $3.8 billion below last year's level and $4.7 billion below the President's request. The bill does not extend the increased maximum loan limits for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These entities have been under public scrutiny for their questionable business practices and use of billions in Federal bailout funds, some of which have been used for extravagant management bonuses. The bill does allow an increase in the conforming loan limits to the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, which is subject to greater congressional scrutiny and oversight. Mr. Speaker, I am appreciative of the members of the conference committee and cognizant of the tough jobs they had to get to this bipartisan agreement coming to the floor for consideration. It is for this reason that I urge my colleagues to support the rule, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Slaughter), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose of debate only. General Leave

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 467 and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I would advise my colleague from New York that I have no requests for time. I do have some more comments that I will make that I am reserving until a little bit later in the time. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Our colleagues across the aisle often try to distract from what are the real issues facing our country and get into the weeds, and bills like this give them a perfect opportunity to do that. But when I'm home every weekend and talk to my constituents, what they're concerned about is they have incredible outrage with the inaction of the liberal Democrat- controlled Senate. My constituents are aware of the many bills that the House has passed but which are stalled in the Senate, and many of these bills deal directly with promoting jobs, which remains the prevailing issue of so many Americans. Our colleagues are upset about the quality of the free lunches that we provide. Well, we have more people in poverty and getting free lunches because the Democrat-controlled Senate refuses to work with the Republicans in the House to set an environment where more jobs can be created and fewer people would be dependent on food stamps and be dependent on getting free breakfast and free lunches in the schools. My constituents understand the colossal failure of the Obama stimulus bill and the general policies that existed when the Democrats were in control of the House for 4 years. My constituents understand that government can create jobs only for more government bureaucrats. And those bureaucrats must justify their existence by creating more regulations that wind up killing more private sector jobs. The liberal Democrat elites in Washington keep asking for one Republican jobs bill. Well, Mr. Speaker, we've passed at least 20 jobs bills that help the private sector--the only sector of our economy that can actually create real jobs through growth in their businesses. The liberals keep buying into the false theory that government will create millions of jobs. The reality is that, unless we provide the private sector with an environment that is conducive to job creation, jobs will be very hard to come by. Mr. Speaker, Republicans have been listening to our constituents, and we're acting to provide private business owners and entrepreneurs with the tools that they need to create jobs. However, the bills we pass and send over to the Senate just sit there and nothing is done with them. Mr. Speaker, we could reduce the number of children, again, on free and reduced lunches by creating jobs and getting people out of poverty in this country. That's what we should be focused on right now. We could solve a lot of the problems in this country by doing that. With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the rule before us today allows us to proceed to the general debate of a bill that encompasses three major appropriation measures. I want to thank the conferees for their work on this agreement. As we move forward with the debate, we must keep in mind the dire fiscal situation that our country is in, and we must continue to work in a fiscally responsible manner. With that, I urge my colleagues to vote for this rule. I yield back the balance of my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution. The previous question was ordered.

Ms. FOXX. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I just want to say to my colleague from New York that I think the American people are beginning to realize that government spends money; it doesn't invest money. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, if the Obama administration is serious about helping create jobs for the American people, then it should start by listening to America's job creators. House Republicans understand the importance of freeing our Nation's businessmen and entrepreneurs from the confidence-killing threat of higher taxes and more regulations so that they can invest, grow, and hire again. This means protecting job creators from needless tax burdens. This means reforming Federal spending. This means supporting a fairer, flatter and simpler Tax Code. This means stopping job-killing regulations that constrain employers from hiring more workers. On each of these issues, House Republicans have already acted. Following our Plan for America's Job Creators, we've passed more than 20 job-creation bills so far this year. The path to new jobs has been paved by House Republicans. It's long past time for Senate Democrats and President Obama to follow our lead and enact these jobs bills.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. I thank my colleague from Florida for handling the rule. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill. As a life member of the National Rifle Association and strong supporter of the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, I am pleased to speak in support of H.R. 822, the National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act, which will help protect law- abiding American citizens' right to bear arms. The Supreme Court ruled in District of Columbia v. Heller that ``the inherent right of self-defense has been central to the Second Amendment right,'' and in McDonald v. City of Chicago that the Federal Government can intervene to ensure that State and local governments are not restricting Second Amendment rights. Statistics show correlation between right-to-carry laws and a decrease in violent crime rates. According to NRA estimates based on the FBI's Annual Uniform Crime Report, States that have right-to-carry laws have 22 percent lower total violent crime rates, 30 percent lower murder rates, 46 percent lower robbery rates, and 12 percent lower aggravated assault rates compared to the rest of the country. Law-abiding citizens have the right to protect themselves from criminals and defend themselves with firearms. Throughout my career in elected office, I have worked with my colleagues to ensure that American citizens maintain their Second Amendment rights. Each State has different eligibility requirements, and H.R. 822 maintains the State's ability to set its own eligibility. However, the bill would end uncertainty and confusion for concealed-carry permit holders when they travel. Forty-nine States allow individuals to conceal and carry handguns, and the bill before us would allow individuals who hold a concealed- carry permit in their State of residence to carry that weapon in other States that allow concealed carry. Madam Speaker, this rule should be passed unanimously, as should the underlying bill.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, President Obama has been going around the country saying that he is taking action through Executive order because ``we can't wait'' on the Congress. However, he has just said that he is going to put the largest job-creating project in America on ice. When it comes to creating jobs and providing additional resources for energy, the President can wait. In fact, he's putting the Keystone pipeline off until after the 2012 election. That is nonsense and hypocritical. This pipeline will not only create tens of thousands of jobs, it will also help to dramatically reduce our dependence on oil from despotic Middle Eastern petrostates. By blocking and delaying this important project, the Obama administration is standing squarely in the way of economic growth and energy independence. It's time to get serious about approving this pipeline. It has broad support, and its builders have demonstrated a strong willingness to do what it takes to reduce potential environmental impact, even going so far as to propose changing its route. Mr. Speaker, this project makes sense for our economy and for our national security and energy independence. It's long past time the Obama administration stopped blocking its progress, because the American people can't wait on this issue. But the President again seems oblivious to the fact that we have a real unemployment rate of approximately 26 million people. I want to read some information put out by the Republican Conference this morning. ``According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of Americans who are either unemployed, underemployed, or not searching because they've been discouraged by the job market has reached 26 million people. In October, nearly 14 million workers were unemployed, with an additional 8.9 million working part time because they could not find full-time work. There were also 2.5 million workers who were available for work but had stopped actively searching because of the economic conditions. All told, over 16 percent of the U.S. workforce is now unemployed or underemployed.'' And yet the President won't make a decision on the Keystone pipeline that would create tens of thousands of jobs. Republicans, though, have taken action. We have over 20 bills sitting in the Senate, introduced by Republicans but passed by a bipartisan House majority, and these will all create jobs in this country. Mr. Speaker, I urge the American people to go to jobs.gop.gov and click on ``track legislation'' for them to see the evidence of what Republicans are promoting in the House of Representatives that is being stopped in the Senate. Yes, there is a do-nothing part of the Congress, Mr. Obama, but that is in the Senate, which is controlled by the Democrats. So again, I want to urge Americans to go to jobs.gop.gov and click on ``track legislation.'' Republicans have the will to help create jobs in this country through empowering small businesses and reducing government barriers to job creation, fixing the Tax Code, boosting competitiveness, encouraging entrepreneurship, maximizing American energy production, and paying down America's unsustainable debt burden and starting to live within our means. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate World Stroke Day and to help increase awareness of stroke, stroke prevention and the challenges faced by stroke survivors and their families. Although I was unable to mark this day when it occurred last month, it is an important cause that is worth recognizing. A stroke is a brain attack. It occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery, or a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. While most strokes occur in older adults, it's a myth that strokes only occur in this population--anyone can have a stroke. Risk factors include high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, smoking, high cholesterol, diabetes, lack of regular exercise and poor diet. Family history of stroke is also a risk factor. The state of North Carolina is part of the ``Stroke Belt'' where death rates due to stroke are consistently more than 10 percent higher than in other parts of the country. The higher mortality rate may be linked to a higher than average population of African Americans and elderly residents, who are more likely to have a stroke than other ethnicities and age groups, as well as dietary factors. In the United States, about 795,000 people will have a stroke this year, averaging one every 40 seconds. While stroke kills 137,000 people and is the fourth leading cause of death, there are seven million adult stroke survivors in the United States. Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Although between 50 and 70 percent of stroke survivors regain functional independence, many survivors require the support of a caregiver or have difficulties returning to work. The estimated direct and indirect cost of stroke was $73.7 billion in 2010. While these statistics by themselves are startling, the impact of stroke goes beyond my district/State or even our Nation. Stroke is a global health crisis that kills one person worldwide every six seconds--that's six million people annually. If nothing is done, the predicted number of people who will die from stroke will increase to almost seven million each year by 2015. The goal of World Stroke Day is to bring attention to the risk factors and warning signs of stroke as well as to honor those living with the impacts of stroke around the world. I urge my colleagues and constituents to know their stroke risk and learn the warning signs. Stand with me today in support of the seven million stroke survivors, their caregivers and families and the rest of the stroke community around the globe to do our part to reduce the impact of stroke in the future.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, when I go home every weekend and talk to my constituents, there are two things that they ask me repeatedly: What can be done about jobs, and what can be done about energy prices? My constituents understand the colossal failure of the Obama stimulus bill. My constituents understand that government can create jobs only for more government bureaucrats. And those bureaucrats will have to justify their existence by creating more regulations that will kill more private sector jobs. The liberal Democrats in Congress keep asking for a Republican jobs bill. Well, Mr. Speaker, we have passed at least 15 jobs bills. We have them outlined on this card, as my two colleagues before me talked about, and they are shown on jobs.gop.gov. We've passed at least 15 jobs bills that will help the private sector do exactly what Americans are asking us to do, which is to create jobs through growth in their businesses and allowing new businesses to form. The liberal elite keep buying into the failed theory that government will create millions of jobs. The reality is that unless we provide the private sector with an environment that is conducive to job creation, jobs will be hard to come by. Mr. Speaker, I remember the cost of a gallon of gasoline when President Obama was sworn in, it was $1.85. Today, it is at least $3.45, an 86-percent increase--and it was a 100-percent increase until very recently. Republicans have addressed this with legislation that increases American energy production, provides us with energy security, and lowers our dependency on Middle Eastern oil. Mr. Speaker, Republicans listen to the American people. We are acting to provide business owners and entrepreneurs the tools that they need to create jobs and at the same time reduce the cost of energy. We have advanced legislation that will help our constituents in these two very important ways: by helping businesses and their communities hire people, and by reducing the cost of energy. But what has happened to legislation that will put Americans to work and lower energy costs? Democrat intransigence. The Senate has had these bills for months now and has failed the American people by refusing to take action. Senate Democrat Majority Leader Reid recently said: ``It's very clear that private sector jobs are doing just fine.'' This failure to accept the reality that the job-killing, anti-growth policies of this administration and the liberal elites are the key contributors to the 9.1-percent unemployment rate that continues to be in the United States. The liberal Democrats keep pushing for what is almost a carbon copy of the failed Obama stimulus that cost the taxpayers almost $1 trillion without having the slightest positive impact on unemployment and the economy. Now President Obama and the liberal elites are asking to do it all over again--more spending, fewer jobs. The administration wants to continue to pick winners and losers and fund unproven technologies that cost the taxpayers billions with little or no return. One shining example--if that's the way you want to look at it--is the Solyndra fiasco. The administration acted like a venture capital firm and squandered half a billion dollars, leaving the taxpayer holding the bill. Mr. Speaker, while the liberal elites in the House and Senate keep thinking that the private sector--the job-creating sector--is doing fine, House Republicans will continue to craft and pass legislation to help job creators, to lower energy prices, and to improve the economy. And I encourage Americans to learn about this on their own through jobs.gop.gov.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the Republicans have passed over 15 bills that would help create jobs and, in addition, ease the energy needs of this country. But where are those bills, and why is the President asking us to pass his jobs bill which almost no Democrats have signed on to? We've passed over 15 bills. They're stuck in the Senate. One Senator has described the Senate as moribund. Mr. Speaker, we can help create jobs in this country by empowering small businesses and reducing government barriers to job creation, fixing the Tax Code to help job creators, boost competitiveness for American manufacturers, encourage entrepreneurship and growth, maximize American energy production, and pay down America's unsustainable debt burden and start living within our means. People can find out more about our jobs program by going to jobs.gop.gov. I invite the American people to see what Republicans have presented to the Senate. Those 15 bills should be passed.