Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, you know, the attacks on this amendment are truly uncalled for. No Republican is calling for people to be paid $2 an hour or to be abused, nobody. You know, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle, they have a right to their opinion but not to making up things and not to putting words in our mouths. That is just uncalled for. So, I am not going to really dignify those comments by trying to respond to them except to say that. We are getting sick and tired of people telling others what we think. Let's just talk about what we do. And what this bill does is waste hardworking taxpayer dollars, and that is what we are trying to protect. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I ask for the gentleman's words to be taken down.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I ask for the gentleman's words to be taken down. I am not a hypocrite.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record this letter to honor Dr. Moore. An Extraordinary Ordinary Man Madison, NC.--In full disclosure, I don't really believe in luck, but if I did, I would have to say I won the mega- powerball lottery when I was born in the spring of 1981. This premise rests entirely on the fact that God, in His great mercy and goodness, predestined me to have two incredible parents, Don and Sue Moore. Since it is Father's Day, I would like to take a moment and reflect on my dad whom many lovingly know as ``Dr. Moore.'' As the middle of three daughters, I was without a doubt the most challenging of the Moore girls and received more disciplinary correction than both of my sisters combined. Discipline was often administered by my mother because my dad was working. Just to aggravate my mother, I would tell her that the punishment didn't bother me. One can imagine my mother's level of frustration with me. Yet, it was my dad's authoritative words that prompted sincere reflection. For anyone who knows my dad, they will know he has the most kind, gentle and sensitive soul, but is equally firm and desires others to improve under his ``care.'' So for me as a child, his words not only called me to repentance, but more importantly, urged me to become a better friend, daughter, sister and ultimately, a mother. As a complement to this, my dad rarely missed an occasion to remind us that we were beautiful and loved. There were many times during my childhood and early adult years when my dad would return from a long medical conference out of state with the most beautiful dresses as gifts--each handpicked for my sisters and me with the most exquisite eye. By bestowing us with lovely things, he was reminding us how beautiful we were to him. Growing up along the Mayo River, my sisters and I had many adventures with my dad. As a little girl I was definitely the tom-boy of the Moore girls. I enjoyed getting muddied in the creek, hunting for crawdads under the rocks, and picking up field mice for show and tell. Like my dad, I was always curious and ready for adventure. I was my dad's ``right hand man,'' clearing trails and highlighting nature's beauty for friends and family when they visited us. Many people asked me as a young girl whether my dad played golf regularly. I laughed and would say no, unless you call a chainsaw or weed eater a golf club. These were the tools he used, not to manicure nature, but to clear it enough so others could see its beauty. True and genuine beauty is an important quality to my dad. One of my favorite memories as a child was in the early fall of 1990. I vividly remember my dad and me waking up early with the ambitious task of planting over 1000 daffodil bulbs alongside, our family home. We were so motivated that we easily planted another 1000 alongside our loop road. Over thirty years the blooms have multiplied yielding over 10,000 daffodils each spring. This proliferation of beauty in many ways reflects the sensitive yet tenacious spirit of my dad in his forty years of practicing medicine in Madison, NC. His servant leadership has exponentially improved the lives he has loved, prayed over, and had the privilege of caring for over four decades. I know most little girls think of their dads as their Prince Charming; however, I have to admit I have always believed my father to be a superhero. I think there's very little my dad is not able to do. Whether creatively giving insight or executing new ideas, my father faces all challenges with excellence. When my sisters and I had school projects as little girls, he would assist with childlike zeal, not to do the project for us, but to give us artistic vision and insight into how to make it the most innovative and well-designed piece. His perfectionism did not come with judgment or criticism, but instead inspired us to think outside the box and do all things exceptionally well. One of my dad's superpowers is that he is an animal whisperer. There are more times than I can remember when an animal on our property, wild or domesticated, would find itself badly injured and my dad would heal them with his adept medical knowledge. He has a particular love for swans, and over the years, we have had upwards of twenty of them reside on our pond. I distinctly remember carrying swan eggs on the bus in an incubator and watching them hatch in my classroom as a young child. My dad always encouraged us to make observations and to care for animals with the utmost concern. On several occasions we had swans with large gaping wounds which he would pack and suture in our backyard. The swans he would heal seemed to know that Dad loved them and would protect them at any cost. To this day, many of them will come right up to him and just lay their heads on his lap. He's able to hold them with such tenderness and peace that they will wrap their necks around his neck as if to say ``thank you.'' My sisters and I are the most grateful for the endless educational opportunities my parents offered us. In fact, we would often laugh when our parents wondered why jobs were difficult to obtain upon our graduations. We would smile and remind them that if they had only taken us to the beach instead of museums while on vacation, we wouldn't have ended up as history and art history majors. These trips were prompted by my dad's love of education and his desire to be a perpetual student and to experience new places and cultures. Although we did visit the beach on occasion, it was important to our parents that we experienced mmm educational, yet fun, family togetherness. Community members, in fact, remember my dad well as an avid learner as a young student. Always the inquisitive scientist at heart with the vision and creativity of an artist, my now seventy-year-old dad, was known as a youngster for his love and care of animals and his tremendous organizational and visionary abilities. These qualities were nurtured by his parents, Leland and Lucille Moore, who worked respectively at a family owned welding and service station and Gem Dandy. They were quiet and kind parents of two sons. My dad's older brother, Leland ``Butch'' Moore Jr., was a starting defensive back at Catawba College and later served as an officer in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. My dad, seven years his junior, however, was a renaissance man. There was truly very little he could not do as a child and even less as an adult. He rode horses, he scientifically categorized whole butterfly and insect collections, molded images of friends with clay as an artistic pursuit and was a straight A student throughout all twelve years of school earning him the title of Valedictorian at Madison-Mayodan High School. He attended UNC Chapel Hill majoring in biology and was accepted at Bowman Gray Wake Forest School of Medicine where he also achieved academic excellence as a medical student. Upon graduation, my dad had many opportunities presented to him that might have awarded him more comfort and stability in life, but for my dad this was not the primary goal. Instead, his heart dreamed of returning home to care for the teachers, family members and friends who had loved him and equipped him to pursue medicine. After nearly six years of wooing his high school sweetheart, my dad finally convinced my mom to be his wife. They were married the spring of his final year in medical school and spent their honeymoon years in Roanoke, VA, where my dad completed his three-year residency in family medicine. With my mom and older sister in tow, he returned home in 1980 to the county and people he loved so dearly. Dr. Joyce, my dad's predecessor, was aging and needed help with the growing population of the Madison-Mayodan area. At the time, the practice cared for just under 2,000 patients. Now, more than forty years later, Western Rockingham Family Medicine boasts over 15,000 patients. As a physician, he listens not only with his ears, but with his very heart strings, always going above and beyond what insurance would dictate to care for patients both young and old. He always recommends the very best resources and referrals to alleviate his patients' pain, but he will also work diligently toward getting them answers. He walks with them as if they were family through their emotional, physical, intellectual and spiritual needs until they feel completely at peace and confident with what they are facing. Any patient upon entering his exam room can expect a gigantic, warm hug and the sweetest and most sincere eyes meeting their own gaze. For most, the healing starts the moment they walk in. While his medical knowledge is first- class, his sincerity, authenticity, and willingness to go above and beyond to care for others has been a mainstay of his superpowers. It is certainly true that behind every great man is a great woman so I'd be remiss without saying that my dad would not be the man he is without my mom. Over the years she has quietly and gracefully empowered my dad by advising and praying for him, even as he sacrificed important moments with our family to serve the greater community. In her own way, and as a family, we've each sacrificed, but I know my mom's has been the greatest. She has, humbly and with love, encouraged him to provide the very best care for each and every patient that walks into his exam room. My gratitude on this Father's Day for my dad, my hero, really cannot be described in words. From his early years as a great thinker and creative spirit to the present day, my dad is steadfast and serves all who cross his path with love and selflessness. In the world we live in today, he's a rare gift, and if the very qualities of his heart could be harvested by all of mankind, the ripple effect would radically change the culture of our country. My dad is a man whose heart is rooted in his faith in the Almighty, which is the true and eternal source of his superpowers. My dad knows that ultimate healing comes from our Creator and that my dad is merely a humble instrument that God uses to care for those He has entrusted to him. CS Lewis once famously wrote in his book, The Four Loves: ``To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your own selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.'' If you wish to see a life fully lived with genuine love, look no further than my dad. He epitomizes Lewis' idea of loving and serving others versus choosing a life of self protection and insincerity. While the loss of beloved patients, systemic changes in healthcare and decreased time with our family have been challenging at times, the rewards of providing compassionate medical care have produced infinite beauty in my life and my family's life. Even more so, this outpouring of love has extended to the lives of those throughout Rockingham County and beyond. My dad will be the first to say that his time as a physician has yielded much more in his life than what he's invested. He credits this entirely to the wonderful patients he's had the great joy of loving and serving. There's not a day I don't think about my dad's prayer each morning on our childhood rides to school. It was very simple: he prayed he would be the very best doctor he could be that day. In the same way, I thank God for the privilege of having one of the very best of men guide me through this life. What a gift, what an extraordinary ordinary father. Thank you, Dad, for exemplifying what it means to live a life well lived with humility, integrity and service to others, a love that is so vulnerable that it is contagious to all whom you encounter.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Dr. Donald Moore of Madison, North Carolina. For over 40 years, Dr. Moore has served as a physician at Western Rockingham Family Medicine. Dr. Moore understands that God humbly uses him as an instrument to care for those who are entrusted to him, and he believes each patient is an extension of his own family. That mindset, Mr. Speaker, encapsulates the true essence of a servant's heart. After graduating from Madison-Mayodan High School with the title of valedictorian, Dr. Moore attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he majored in biology. Dr. Moore was then accepted at Bowman Gray Wake Forest School of Medicine. Upon graduation, Dr. Moore had many opportunities presented to him that might have awarded him more comfort and stability in life, but for him, this was not the primary goal. Instead, he turned his gaze to returning home to care for the teachers, family members, and friends who had loved him and equipped him with the necessary tools to pursue medicine. Mr. Speaker, it is clear to see that Dr. Moore not only possesses a servant's heart, but he also understands that service to a community is intrinsic to bettering the lives of those around us. His daughter Lindsay describes him as: ``A man who knows that he's made in the image of God, and he understood at a young age what it meant to be a servant leader in the community he so loves.'' Dr. Moore's wife, Sue, and three daughters believe that he is more than just a father; he is a healer, a teacher, and a hero to the countless people he has cared for. Mr. Speaker, may God continue to bless Dr. Moore and his family as he enters retirement. I have no doubt that Dr. Moore's legacy, as well as his future service, will continue to impact the lives of those in the community.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Missouri for yielding me time. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to H.R. 2. The Democrats' school construction provisions in H.R. 2 will result in increased costs to taxpayers, increased costs to States and school districts, and crushing new requirements for the entire education community, all in exchange for limited grants to a handful of school districts. What is worse, Democrats have inserted provisions of their radical Green New Deal in this bill to appease their far-left Members. Schools will be forced to comply with burdensome green requirements. The costs to comply with these requirements could exceed the funding schools are being offered. This ill-advised bill also unnecessarily limits access to funds by charter schools, continuing Democrats' relentless assault on any educational option that provides families a lifeline out of a failing school. H.R. 2 spends taxpayer dollars recklessly to advance bad ideas. This partisan bill is the wrong answer for students, teachers, and their communities.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, the Smith Reynolds Airport--located in North Carolina's Fifth District--is set to be designated as North Carolina's first legacy airport. Originally named Miller Municipal Field in 1927, the airport was soon renamed in 1942 after the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation made a donation to the airport. Since its inception, the airport has served as an Army Corps facility and was the birthplace for Piedmont Airlines, the legacy carrier that merged with US Airways. The Smith Reynolds airport has been a vital component of the Piedmont community. Through this designation, its impact will lead to further growth and innovation within North Carolina's aviation sector and will serve as a boon to the stat and local economy.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, Smith Reynolds Airport, located in North Carolina's Fifth District, is set to be designated as North Carolina's first legacy airport. Originally named Miller Municipal Field in 1927, the airport was soon renamed in 1942 after the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation made a donation to the airport. Madam Speaker, since its inception, the airport has served as an Army Corps facility and was the birthplace for Piedmont Airlines, the legacy carrier that merged with US Airways. Madam Speaker, with this designation on the horizon, I am confident that the airport will continue to be a vital component of the community and that North Carolina's aviation sector will continue to grow and contribute to our State's vibrant economy.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1425, the so-called Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act, the latest in a series of attempts by House Democrats to score cheap political points at the expense of hardworking taxpayers. And speaking of scoring cheap political points, I think most of my colleagues and I are tired of having words put in our mouths that aren't there. We do not oppose reducing the cost of drugs. We want that. We don't believe it is a bad thing. At a time when Congress should be united in our continued fight against the novel coronavirus and ensuring the country can reopen safely, we are instead here today debating a bill that amounts to nothing more than political posturing. Rather than solve any pressing healthcare problems, including the Nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, this misguided legislation will limit healthcare options for patients, contribute to already skyrocketing healthcare costs, and double down on the many failures of the Affordable Care Act or the ACA. As the Republican leader of the Committee on Education and Labor, I am committed to improving and enhancing employer-sponsored healthcare options for American workers and their families. Yet today, we are debating legislation that would enlarge ObamaCare even further by providing subsidies for some of the wealthiest Americans, providing a blank check bailout for insurance companies, strong-arming States into expanding Medicaid, and eliminating lower cost healthcare options like short-term, limited-duration insurance plans. Short-term insurance plans offer healthcare options for Americans who might find themselves between jobs or unable to afford rising premiums in the already expensive individual market. What is astonishing to me is that Democrats conveniently failed to mention that these short-term, limited-duration plans were legal under the Obama administration and that States still have the authority to regulate these plans. As Republicans, we believe in federalism. If States choose to limit or prohibit the sale of these plans, they are free to do so. Instead of respecting the judgment of State lawmakers and local authorities to act in their States' and constituents' best interest, House Democrats are doubling down on a one-size-fits-all Federal mandate. As we have seen over and over again, Washington-knows-best requirements simply do not work. In the case of the ill-advised legislation before us today, Federally dictated policies will only lead to fewer choices and higher premiums. Additionally, House Democrats have missed the mark with H.R. 1425 when it comes to COBRA notices for millions of workers. While there is room for improvement in this area, such as increasing transparency and allowing consumers to decide which plans work best for them, Democrats are instead blocking consumer access to information about other forms of valued coverage options outside of the ACA. Just when you thought it couldn't get worse, the blatantly political bill we are considering today incorporates Speaker Pelosi's socialist drug-pricing scheme to cover up the hundreds of billions of dollars this government healthcare expansion would cost American taxpayers. The rising costs of prescription drugs is an issue that resonates with everyone in this Chamber. Seventy percent of Americans consider reducing the price of prescription drugs to be a top priority, and they are looking to us, their elected representatives, to get the job done to get drug prices under control. That is why Congress started a collaborative effort and bipartisan process last year to tackle this issue. Unfortunately, this bipartisan collaboration was abruptly cut short by Speaker Pelosi's introduction of H.R. 3, which was written in secret without Member input or the regular committee process. Lowering drug costs should not be a partisan issue, yet the underlying partisan, socialist provisions in H.R. 3 are included in the legislation before us today. Democrats are well aware that H.R. 3 will never become law. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said it will go nowhere in the Senate, and President Trump has said he will veto the bill if it comes to his desk. Still, House Democrats continue to waste time during an unprecedented health and economic crisis on legislation that will die after House passage. Their socialist drug-pricing scheme is nothing more than a leftwing downpayment on a government-run healthcare system that would eliminate private insurance and implement government-controlled rationing of prescription drugs. As I have said many times before, governments don't negotiate; they dictate. The Democrats' radical drug-pricing scheme will eliminate choice and competition and jeopardize innovation, investment, and access to future cures. And we are considering this at a time when we are in the process of developing treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19. This type of unprecedented government interference in private market negotiations and substantial increase in regulatory red tape proves one thing: The Democrat Party is being held hostage by their most radical leftwing Members. The American people deserve better from Congress than the socialist drug-pricing scheme in the bill before us today. They deserve a real solution that will lower the cost of prescription drugs without jeopardizing access to new treatments and cures. That is why House Republicans have introduced H.R. 19, the Lower Costs, More Cures Act. This bill contains bipartisan, bicameral measures, and it can become law this year. Specifically, H.R. 19 will help lower out-of-pocket costs, protect access to new medicines and cures, strengthen transparency and accountability, and champion competition. Yet, House Democrats are ignoring this bipartisan, commonsense legislation. Clearly, they prefer politics over progress. Madam Speaker, I am deeply disappointed that we are here today debating yet another partisan ploy from my colleagues on the other side of the aisle. There are bipartisan solutions to many pressing issues at our fingertips, including continuing to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but Speaker Pelosi and her Democrat colleagues continue to turn their backs on bipartisan legislation to help the American people, and that is truly shameful. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Allen).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Smucker).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Keller).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Bishop).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. David P. Roe).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, propagandists have said that if one repeats a lie often enough, people will soon believe the lie and not the truth. My colleagues are entitled to their own opinion but not to their own facts or rewriting history. I want to repeat some comments from my Texas colleague, Mr. Brady, who spoke earlier in this debate. Republicans support children, seniors, and patients with preexisting conditions. Republicans created the popular Children's Health Insurance Program that millions of families rely on today. Republicans created the prescription drug program in Medicare to help seniors get the medicine they need. Republicans created the first law that established protection for patients with preexisting conditions. That law, passed in 1996, is the Health Insurance and Portability Act of 1996. We want people to have access to high-quality, affordable healthcare that fits their needs and make their own choices, not what Speaker Pelosi demands for them. Madam Speaker, the devastating effects of COVID-19 are still being felt across our Nation, yet today Democrats are spending time pushing a deeply flawed, partisan bill that is being used to score cheap political points instead of working on bipartisan solutions like lowering drug costs, ending surprise billing, and getting our economy back on its feet. We are left with H.R. 1425, a radical bill which will limit healthcare choices, increase costs, and double down on the failures of the Affordable Care Act. No innovation, investment, or solutions, just more of the failed status quo from House Democrats, which will go nowhere after the vote today. Contrary to what Speaker Pelosi said, Democrats do not and cannot, in this bill, guarantee affordability of healthcare. What they do guarantee is government control with rationing, fewer cures, and less freedom for Americans. Republicans believe in just the opposite. Madam Speaker, I strongly urge a ``no'' vote on H.R. 1425, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie).

Ms. FOXX of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.