Virginia Foxx

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, in just a few minutes my colleagues and I will be following a tradition that we began when Republicans regained the majority in 2011 of reading the Constitution during the first week that we are back into session. I think this is a very important tradition that we have established here in the House of Representatives. Our Speaker reminded us the other day that this is the first time in the history of the country that this has been done. This is our third Congress in a row to do this. All of us, or almost all of us, carry a copy of the pocket version of the Constitution with us to remind us why we are here and what undergirds everything that we do in this House and in this Congress. In the front of the copy I have, it says, ``The Declaration of Independence was the promise; the Constitution was the fulfillment,'' and there is a quote from Alexander Hamilton: ``The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for, among old parchments, or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of divinity itself; and can never be erased or obscured by the mortal power.''

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. LaMalfa from California. I have heard him often speak on the floor. I have invited him several times to speak and do 1-minute speeches because I am the person in charge of getting people to the floor. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to hear him speak in a little longer time because I found out how much we agree on issues. I am particularly keen about the water issue that he spent some time talking about. I grew up in a house with no electricity and no running water. I grew up carrying water. Water has always been a precious, precious commodity to me. We are the most fortunate people in the world in the United States that we have the greatest resources available to us. Many times I think we don't appreciate the scarcity of some of those resources or the need to husband those resources in a way that protects them not only for ourselves but for future generations. I have always felt that people who are farmers are among the most eloquent speakers for our environment. As Mr. LaMalfa said--and I completely agree with him and said it many times myself--farmers are the best stewards of our land. They believe in sustainability. They believed in sustainability long before sustainability became a catchword in the community because if they didn't keep the land sustainable, then they wouldn't have the land in order for their own livelihood. I am a person who also grew up farming, sometimes on a very small scale. My husband and I still have a garden every year. We certainly understand the importance of taking care of all of our resources, but particularly our natural resources. I think so often Republicans don't get the credit that they deserve for being good stewards and for looking after our land and all of our resources. I also am very keen on the fact that we have a diversity of people serving in Congress. Again, I think it is very important that we have people from all walks of life serving in here because it is the diversity of experiences that are so important to us in terms of having the different points of view as we consider legislation, so that there are people who grew up in cities who have no idea what it is like to farm, have no idea where food comes from exactly, and it is important for us to get the different points of view. We need farmers, we need educators, we do need some lawyers, but we need people who have had all kinds of experiences. We need people who have driven trains, train engineers. But every kind of diversity that is at all possible here. I think it is very important, though, that we have particularly a large share of farmers. Our numbers of farmers have gone down over the years, obviously, as we have left the farm and as farmers have become so incredibly productive in this country. They provide so much more than they have in the past. So I really appreciate the eloquence of my colleague from California in presenting the issues that he has presented. I want to talk a little bit about some of the other things that he talked about. He talked about our need for jobs and for, again, maintaining what we can in this country, improving the economy. I want to talk about the three focuses that we in the majority have in this session of Congress, the three initiatives that we are going to be working on: energy, jobs and the economy, and regulatory reform. This week already we have already passed two bills that we think will help us with the creation of jobs and the economy. On our first day here on Tuesday, it got very little attention, but we passed a bill, the Jobs for Heroes Act. The idea for it came from a constituent of one of our colleagues from Illinois. The constituent said: Look, I was a veteran, couldn't get a job because the employer was concerned about going over the 50 limit, or hitting the limit of 50, which then his company would be subject to ObamaCare, and companies are avoiding being subject to ObamaCare. So we passed a bill introduced by Congressman Rodney Davis that said veterans don't have to be included in the 50 persons in a business requirement and then be forced to go into ObamaCare; that if they are covered by TRICARE then they don't have to do that. That is a positive bill to help create jobs. Today, we passed another bill that we think will help with employment in this country. As many people know, ObamaCare has told employers if people are working 30 hours or more then you have to cover them with ObamaCare. So we changed the definition of full-time employment from 30 hours to restore the traditional 40-hour workweek. As I have said in other comments that I have made, from adjunct professors to hourly workers, I have heard from constituents all across North Carolina's Fifth District who have one thing in common: their work hours are being reduced. ObamaCare has placed an undue burden on employers and their employees by undermining the traditional 40-hour workweek, which has long been the standard for full-time work. This legislation will help protect the estimated 2.6 million Americans at risk for lost hours and wages at work under this destructive rule. The employer mandate in ObamaCare defines a full-time employee as someone who works an average of at least 30 hours a week. But H.R. 30, the Save American Workers Act, which passed the House today by a vote of 252-172, changes that definition, and that is a good thing for American workers. As I said, we have three big initiatives: energy, jobs and the economy, and regulatory reform. So the American people are going to see us passing bills all this year and next year focused on these three issues, in addition to the other things that we work on. We work on a plethora of subjects here. But I introduced a bill on the first day which will help us deal with regulatory reform. It is a bill I am proud to say has passed the House before with bipartisan support. I am very proud to say that when I introduced the bill on Tuesday, it had bipartisan original cosponsors. I am very pleased that Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, from Mr. LaMalfa's State of California, joined me in introducing legislation to shed light on how Federal policies impact the budgets of State and local governments and private sector employers. The bill is called the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act--H.R. 50--and it would fix loopholes within the bipartisan regulatory reform act, known as UMRA, which passed in 1995. I introduced this legislation in the past four Congresses, and it has successfully passed the House with bipartisan support on three separate occasions. Every year, Washington imposes thousands of rules on local governments and small businesses. Hidden in those rules are costly mandates that stretch State and city budgets and make it harder for North Carolina businesses to hire. While Congress cannot create prosperity, we can work to ensure entrepreneurs and employers aren't crushed under costly regulations. This legislation will help restore transparency and hold Washington bureaucrats accountable for the true cost in dollars and in jobs that Federal dictates pose to the economy. Americans are better served when regulators are required to measure and consider the cost of rules they create. The bill ``increases transparency in the regulatory process and protects State and local governments from the burden of unfunded and often unnecessary mandates that waste time and money,'' is what my colleague Loretta Sanchez said. H.R. 50 would increase transparency about the cost imposed by unfunded mandates and holds the Federal Government accountable for considering those costs before passing them on to local governments and small businesses. The legislation would make it easier for people to determine how much these regulations are going to cost and make sure that we are not imposing unnecessary rules and regulations on both State and local governments and the private sector. So I am very pleased that that bill has passed. It is going to be a part of the regulatory reform package that passes this House. I encourage people watching this to contact your Member of Congress if you are aware of unnecessary rules and regulations that are out there that we could do something about. Obviously, we need rules and regulations. We want to make sure that we have safe food, that the airlines are flying correctly and safely, we want to make sure the railroads are operating safely, we want to make sure our cars are safe to drive in. But as we all know, often bureaucrats in Washington, and sometimes at the State and local level, look for ways to create jobs for themselves, create a reason for their being, and pass along rules and regulations that are simply unnecessary for the health and safety of the people in this country. So what we want to do is reduce those rules and regulations. That reduces cost, that helps with our emphasis on jobs and the economy. I believe that is going to be very important to us in getting our economy going again. As I mentioned, we are going to be working hard on our third initiative: energy. We will be passing another version of the Keystone XL pipeline. We will do that tomorrow. That bill will then go to the Senate. The Senate is already holding hearings on the bill, but the Senate does work a little bit slower than we do here in the House. We hope very much that the President will work with us in a bipartisan fashion and sign that bill. We are all very happy about the cost of gasoline having gone down in our country in the past few months. It, of course, doubled under President Obama, and now it is coming back down. It is because in many cases we have been able in the private sector to create more energy supply, and that's been helping bring down the cost. We know that the economies in Europe and Asia have slowed down considerably so there is less demand. We are all very grateful for the price of gasoline going down. I am very grateful for it. Every Member of Congress is very grateful. So what we hope is to help that cause even further by passing the Keystone XL pipeline and have more energy available in this country. We want to do everything we possibly can. Republicans have always believed in all of the above. As Mr. LaMalfa said, we want solar, wind, and all those other things, but they are primarily operating now because of giant government subsidies. What we would like to see is renewable and sustainable energy that doesn't require government subsidies, and we believe Keystone XL pipeline will help us along those lines. I am looking forward very much to our passing that legislation, the Senate passing that legislation, and our being able to send that bill to the President for his signature. I am hoping that he will sign it. I oftentimes get people quoting the Constitution to me and talking about what the Constitution says. Particularly, I hear from people a lot about the role of the House of Representatives. I want to talk a little bit about that in terms of our work in appropriations. In particularly the last few weeks, many people have expressed genuine concerns to me about the appropriations bill that passed Congress in December. Unfortunately, many Washington-based special interest groups are confusing the matter of what happened in December with the omnibus bill that we passed with incomplete and sometimes, frankly, false messages aimed more at fundraising for themselves than uniting behind our shared goal of stopping President Obama's executive overreach on immigration. One of the most misleading and commonly circulated suggestions is that the Constitution grants the House of Representatives alone the ``power of the purse,'' or giving the House exclusive authority to withhold funding for targeted initiatives. I am going to be reading a part of the Constitution in a moment that relates to this, but I want to read another part of the Constitution that I think often gets misquoted to prove this example. We often hear the quote from the First Amendment, ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.'' This comes oftentimes from groups who protest Ten Commandments being placed in public buildings or creches being placed on public land. They often quote that, but they usually forget to quote the second part of that sentence, which says ``or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'' Congress has a dual responsibility there. It is the same when people, I believe, are attempting to quote the Constitution when it comes to their version of what they call the power of the purse. As I said, they are, I believe, misconstruing a part of the Constitution. Specifically, it is article I, section 7, clause 1, of the Constitution which states, ``All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.'' I believe many well-meaning people believe that that means the House of Representatives has total control over what happens with appropriations, but they have forgotten that there is another phrase there, and it is ``but the Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other bills.'' While the House may pass an appropriations bill, it still has to go to the Senate for the Senate to pass. As we all learned in civics, the bill has to pass the House and pass the Senate in exactly the same form and be signed by the President in exactly the same form. There is another clause that people are often thinking about also. Article I, section 9, clause 7 states, ``No money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.'' Those two are often talked about as power of the purse, meaning that is what people are talking about when they talk about power of the purse. As I said, all bills, including the appropriations bills that pass the House, must also pass the Senate and be signed by the President in the exact same form. What happened, particularly last year, is the Democrat-controlled Senate could reject a House-passed bill. It could pass liberal amendments and return it to the House, forcing the House either to accept a worsened product or risk a Federal Government shutdown, which would still not stop the President's executive overreach. What we did last December was pass a bill that would fund the rest of the government, except for the Department of Homeland Security, in a negotiation with the Senate because we needed to not shut down the government. Most of what was in that bill had already been passed by the House. We passed seven appropriations bills and sent them to the Senate, but the Senate had refused to act. We had also passed four more appropriations bills out of committee, but hadn't taken them up on the floor because they take so many hours to pass, and once the Senate made it clear they wouldn't take any of our appropriations bills, we thought we shouldn't waste additional time. While H.R. 83 was not a perfect bill, we are all faced here with making decisions on what is presented to us rather than what we would like to be presented. We did have a lot of conservative victories in H.R. 83. It continued our track record of cutting wasteful discretionary spending by $165 billion since FY 2010, but it is no small achievement that the Republican-led House has been able to implement overall spending cuts to save taxpayers more than $2 trillion over the next 10 years since taking the majority 4 years ago. Certainly, we want to do more, but we shouldn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. We cut back spending to the Internal Revenue Service to pre-2008 funding levels. We blocked the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating farm ponds and ditches. There was no new funding for ObamaCare, and a host of pro-life and conservative, pro-gun policy ``riders'' were protected in that bill also. House Republicans have worked extremely hard in the past 4 years to stop President Obama and the Senate Democrats from furthering the damage they did to this country when they and Nancy Pelosi were in control. In fact, Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren both stridently opposed that legislation. However, unfortunately, when people focus on the perfect instead of the good, they don't give credit to us, and we were criticized by the liberal media and the conservative media. Despite the short time we have had, the obstacles we faced, and the enormity of our task, House Republicans have still managed a number of conservative victories. Last summer, a bill I authored was passed. It streamlined the Federal workforce development system, including the elimination of 15 duplicative programs. I would have liked to have eliminated more than that, but again, we take the victories that we can get. It is like being on a football team. You get the ball, and you look down field, and you think, ``Gosh, I can't score a touchdown,'' so I just sit down because I can't score a touchdown. No, that is not what the receiver does. The receiver says, ``If I can make a few yards, if I can make a yard, I'm moving in the right direction.'' That is what Republicans have been doing for the past 4 years, moving us in the right direction. Occasionally, we are going to score a touchdown, but if we are moving in the right direction totally, then we are going to win this game, and that is what we are doing. We wish we could have done more, but we are going to have greater opportunities over the next 2 years with the Republican-led House and Senate. This 114th Congress offers us new chances to pass legislation that will lead our country down a road of economic recovery. We are going to work to reduce the size and scope of the Federal Government, protect against executive overreach, reform Federal spending, and keep America strong. This is America's Congress, and we are going to be addressing the American people's greatest priority in the 114th Congress. We are going to work hard to build a better future for American families. I believe we will accomplish that. With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate it very much. Like my colleague before me, I am grateful for the opportunity to be here on the floor to speak about issues that are of concern to the American people. My colleague from California (Mr. LaMalfa) is joining me for a short period of time, and I would like to give him the opportunity to speak for a few minutes. I believe that he has some important things to say, and I would like him to share those. I now yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, over the last few weeks, many people have expressed genuine concerns about the appropriations bill that passed Congress in December. Unfortunately, many Washington-based special interest groups are confusing the matter with incomplete and sometimes false messages aimed more at fundraising for themselves than uniting behind our shared goal of stopping President Obama's executive overreach on immigration. I am vehemently opposed to the President's unilateral executive actions granting amnesty to millions of illegal aliens. It is the responsibility of Congress to pursue reforms and ensure that a strong immigration policy is devised. By extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security only through February 2015, the House and Senate are prepared to confront the President's unparalleled power grab without the threat of a looming, government-wide shutdown, and we will do everything we can to stop his destructive actions.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, since I was first elected to Congress in 2004, I have heard from thousands of constituents across North Carolina's Fifth District. In recent years, there has been an understandable note of frustration in their voices over the direction that our country is headed. These folks know all too well the struggle to find a job and pay the bills. They are angry that it takes an average 111 days just to make enough money to pay the government before starting to keep what they earn for the year. They have watched an oppressive government intrusion into health care make it far too difficult and expensive for many to do business. They are discouraged by an uncertain regulatory environment that is wreaking havoc on both employers and employees. They are outraged at the President's unprecedented attempt to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens when there are so many individuals who have waited years for the opportunity to come to this country the right way. Over the last 4 years, the U.S. House of Representatives has done everything in our power to put this Nation on a better path. We have passed numerous pieces of legislation to encourage job growth and strengthen America's standing in the global economy. We have also passed bills that would decrease energy costs, allow workers to have more flexibility to spend time with their families, and increase transparency in how tax dollars are spent. However, we were stymied again and again by Democrats in the Senate. Despite the short time we have had, the obstacles we have faced and the enormity of our task, House Republicans have still managed a number of conservative victories. For example, this summer legislation I authored was signed into law to streamline the Federal workforce development system, including the elimination of 15 duplicative programs. Last month we passed legislation that has since been signed into law to allow families of a severely disabled child to save for their child's long-term disability expenses in the same way that many families currently save for college through popular 529 investment plans, encouraging personal responsibility instead of increasing dependency on the government. We all wish we could have done more, much more; however, we will have greater opportunities over the next 2 years with a Republican-led House and Senate. The 114th Congress offers new chances to pass legislation that will take the country down a road of economic recovery that results in lower unemployment, a fair Tax Code, and opportunity for all. We will work to reduce the size and scope of the Federal Government, protect against executive overreach, reform Federal spending, and keep America strong. My priorities for this year include continuing efforts to increase transparency and accountability in government. That is why H.R. 50, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, which we call UMITA, is the first bill I introduced in the 114th Congress. This legislation would improve transparency and public disclosure of the true cost--in dollars and in jobs--that Federal dictates pose to the economy. I have offered this legislation in the past four Congresses, and it has successfully passed the House with bipartisan support on three separate occasions, only to be ignored by the Senate. My hope is that this year will be different. Congress will also face off against the White House this year over President Obama's attempts to short-circuit the American immigration process. By extending funding for the Department of Homeland Security only through February 2015, the House and Senate are prepared to confront the President's unparalleled power grab without the threat of a looming government-wide shutdown, and we will do everything we can to stop his destructive actions. Congress will be addressing the American people's greatest priorities in the 114th Congress, and we will work hard to build a better future for American families. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I offer a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize North State Aviation, an aircraft maintenance company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. In November I had the pleasure of attending the company's fourth anniversary event to celebrate the completion of work on their 300th United Airlines aircraft and 400th aircraft overall. In just 4 short years, North State Aviation has experienced exponential job growth, going from zero to 365 full-time employees. More than 100 of those employees are military veterans. However, the economic impact of North State Aviation goes beyond the company itself. While the company's ambitious growth plan has enabled hundreds of workers to find jobs in Winston-Salem, the local community and the region's aviation industry have benefited as well. As a result of North State's success, Smith Reynolds Airport has been able to afford the ongoing construction of Runway 4-22, and the airport's master plan includes an additional hangar, in part to give North State more expansion space. North State Aviation is a company that recognized an opportunity and seized it through hard work and innovation. Its resulting success is well deserved.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, last week, the House passed legislation to extend a number of individual and business tax provisions that expired on December 31, 2013. This legislation would reinstate the provisions retroactively and extend them through the end of 2014. As a former small business owner, I recognize the tremendous cost that Federal policy can have on American businesses and believe the temporary extension of many of these tax breaks is necessary. However, I have long been a consistent and vocal supporter of simplifying the Tax Code and decreasing the tax burden of hardworking Americans. If you listen to the political discussion in our country very long, you will inevitably hear some liberal lawmakers repeat one of their favorite lines: all of our country's budget problems would be solved if only we increased taxes. But our old friend across the pond, Mr. Churchill, once said: ``A nation trying to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket trying to lift himself up by the handle.'' History has shown the truth of this statement: increasing taxes increases government spending and crowds out private sector investment, diminishing our prosperity. It is ridiculous that Americans labor, on average, 111 days just to make enough to pay the government before starting to keep what they earn for the year. At 70,000 pages long, the U.S. Tax Code is also far too complicated. It is almost five times wordier than the Bible, minus the grace and mercy. It is so complex and intimidating that the majority of Americans pay good money just to have someone else tell them how much the government is going to take from them. It is also important that we reduce the number of loopholes in the Tax Code, which is why I have voted for the budget proposals introduced by Chairman Ryan since Republicans regained the majority in the House of Representatives in 2011. These Path to Prosperity budgets provide for comprehensive tax reform, close loopholes, and make our country more economically competitive. The simple truth is that the United States has the highest corporate tax rates in the developed world. Continuing to make it more expensive to do business in the U.S. than elsewhere in the world will not encourage companies to operate and keep jobs in this country. As we move forward with comprehensive tax reform in the 114th Congress, it is vital that we enact policies that strengthen and stabilize our economy as well as give individuals and businesses long- term certainty.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, in October, I had the privilege of visiting Southern Prestige International to view firsthand the company's creative and innovative manufacturing solutions. Based in Statesville, North Carolina, Jim Wilson, one of the most creative and remarkable people I have ever met, started the company in March 1979 as Southern Prestige Industries. In 2013, this family-owned business joined with partners Jeff Eidson and Joey Chambers to form a new company, Southern Prestige International, and focus on future opportunities. Currently, Southern Prestige International has two operating companies, ProEdge Precision and Specialty Perf. ProEdge Precision is an advanced manufacturer of precision machine components for the aerospace, defense, medical, energy, and commercial industries. Specialty Perf is a soft-goods perforator, producing specialty products for signage, advertising media, and food packaging, as well as one-way vision, energy diffusion/control, and medical products. Although its business has taken on different forms over the years, today Southern Prestige International is a place where experience and confidence have prevailed to forge an advanced manufacturing business that understands the needs of its customers. During my visit, I had the opportunity to meet with employees as well as local leaders in workforce development before touring the company's two manufacturing operations. ProEdge Precision currently employs about 35 people, and during the visit, Mr. Chambers told me he could see the company doubling its workforce in the next few years to keep up with increasing demand. However, he also said one of the company's greatest challenges is finding the qualified workforce it needs to be a competitive manufacturer in today's marketplace. It is my hope that Southern Prestige International will have an easier time finding these employees with implementation of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which aims to close the skills gap by modernizing and reforming our country's workforce development system. By streamlining the jumble of paperwork and red tape that has been prevalent in Federal workforce education programs, this law will provide direct access to education and skills development for in-demand jobs. During the tour, I saw firsthand the cutting-edge equipment and methods used by Southern Prestige International and how they take advantage of industry innovations and develop proprietary advances of their own to give customers a competitive edge. It is clear we need to stop Washington from telling employers every little jot and tittle of what to do and turn the American workforce loose to be productive and innovative, as it has been in the past. The underlying philosophy of Southern Prestige International is that of customer service and high-quality products. It is clear that there is more wisdom in Iredell County than in Washington, D.C.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, on November 20, President Obama significantly overstepped the bounds of his constitutionally granted executive authority when he took steps to grant amnesty to millions of immigrants who are in the United States illegally. Prior to his unilateral actions, the President himself acknowledged repeatedly that this is not how our democracy functions, and the way to reform this Nation's broken immigration system is legislatively. As they say in North Carolina, the President has ``gone to meddling.'' It is absolutely critical that we go on record against his unparalleled power grab, and Congress must do everything it can to stop his destructive actions. As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, I am thankful America has always opened her arms to people looking to build a better way for themselves and their families legally. However, breaking the law to enter the United States should not be rewarded. It is wrong to short- circuit the American immigration process in this manner when there are so many individuals who have waited years for the opportunity to come to this country the right way, the legal way.

Ms. FOXX

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

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

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to acknowledge the special relationship between the United States and Israel. This year, we have witnessed yet another ugly chapter in the history of Israel's enduring fight to defend her sovereign borders and protect her people from terrorist attacks. On August 1, Congress approved a measure to deliver an additional $225 million in aid to Israel, with the aim of replenishing funds for the Iron Dome antimissile defense system in the midst of the conflict between Israel and Hamas. It was absolutely the right thing to do because America's national security interests are directly tied to developments in the Middle East and specifically to Israel's own security. Strategic cooperation between the U.S. and Israel is vital to the well-being of both countries. The simple truth is, throughout history, Israel has made numerous concessions in the pursuit of peace while seeking only the right to exist. The country is a beacon of democracy in a sea of violence and hostility, and its ability to function and defend itself against terrorism is in no small part due to the support from the United States.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, many North Carolina families know all too well of the struggle to find a job and pay the bills. Some are facing these challenges right now, and we all have family members, neighbors, or friends who are facing hard choices to make ends meet. Back home, I am often asked what Congress is doing to help people back to work and restore opportunity for everyone. For the last 2 years, the House has passed numerous pieces of legislation to encourage job growth and strengthen America's standing in the global economy. We have also passed bills that would decrease energy costs, that would allow workers to have more flexibility in order to spend time with their families, and that would increase transparency in how tax dollars are spent. While Congress cannot create prosperity, we can work to ensure entrepreneurs and employers aren't crushed under red tape. The 114th Congress is a fresh opportunity to help put more Americans back to work and to improve our economy. I look forward to working with the new majority in the Senate to accomplish those goals.

Mrs. FOXX

Mrs. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Senate rejected legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. Meanwhile, the House has passed legislation to authorize building the pipeline nine times. There is no good reason to continue to delay this project, which will create tens of thousands of jobs and has strong bipartisan support. Keystone XL is the most studied pipeline in our Nation's history. Thousands of pages prove its worth to our economy and national interest and further document its safety. It will spur job creation, help us on our way to energy independence, and increase access to affordable North American oil. For more than 6 years, supporters of the Keystone XL pipeline have been fighting to secure the necessary approval that would allow the U.S. to take advantage of vital oil production in Canada and the northern United States. It appears supporters will have to wait a little longer before the Senate finally acts in America's economic and energy interests.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Yadkinville Letter Carrier Margaret Hutchens, who delivers mail in the Country Club Road area, the Booneville end of U.S. 601, and the Hamptonville side of Old U.S. 421 West, upon her induction into the prestigious Million Mile Club. Margaret received this high honor from the National Safety Council in recognition of having driven in the workplace for at least 30 years or 1 million miles without incurring a preventable motor vehicle accident. Let's think about the magnitude of travelling 1 million miles. That would be two trips to the moon and back. At the celebration honoring her accomplishment, Margaret thanked the customers on her route and said she knew God was looking out for her during those 30 years of accident-free driving. This honor illustrates the dedication to excellence that Margaret practices every day, and her customers are fortunate to have such a reliable and hardworking letter carrier.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, during a recent visit to Lansing, North Carolina, I stopped in Rose Mountain Butcher Shoppe and met its proprietor, Ann Rose. Ann is a pioneer in the region's local foods movement, delivering meat and organic produce from small farms in Ashe, Alleghany, and Watauga Counties to her community. In addition to running her farm and butcher shop, Ann graciously shares her extensive knowledge with other local farmers. A former nurse, Ann is a strong believer in the importance of an active lifestyle and homegrown diet. She is on a mission to see her neighbors embrace the healthy foods grown in the region. If she didn't have enough on her plate already, Ann is also helping coordinate the creation of a 66-acre park in Lansing so local residents have access to a community garden and green space for recreation. Ann is doing tremendous work in her community, and I look forward to seeing her efforts on behalf of the people of Lansing continue to grow and flourish.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield to our colleague from North Carolina, Richard Hudson.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to our distinguished colleague from Texas, Mr. Lamar Smith.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Texas, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield to our distinguished colleague from North Carolina (Mr. Pittenger).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all of my colleagues who have come down tonight. I did not thank them on an individual basis because I wanted to save as much time as possible for people to make the comments that they have made. I think the fact that we have had such a bipartisan presentation here tonight supports the comments that have been made tonight. The comments that have been made, notwithstanding what our colleague said, have been extremely eloquent, and I want to thank everybody for coming down. I want you to know that we did our best to have this event earlier this year, but we could not get on Mr. Coble's schedule because there were so many parties going on on his behalf that we had an awful time finding a night to do it. I don't know anybody who has more people paying him tribute than our friend Howard Coble. We are going to miss him tremendously and his North Carolina values of hard work, common sense, and sacrifice on behalf of those he has served. It has been a personal joy for me to work alongside Howard Coble in the Congress for the last 10 years, and it really is hard to imagine how we will go on without him. His friendship and leadership on our State delegation will be dearly missed in the coming years. But his legacy of service and devotion to our home State and all North Carolinians will continue to be a standard for current and future leaders to follow. He will always be our dean. He will always be our ``leadah.'' And, Mr. Speaker, with that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. FOXX

Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, you can't turn on the TV this week without hearing about MIT economist Jonathan Gruber's comments that ObamaCare was passed by exploiting the lack of information given to the American people. In his comments, Gruber, a key architect of the legislation, called the lack of transparency involved in passing ObamaCare ``a huge political advantage.'' President Obama has claimed that his administration is the most transparent administration in history, but statements like Gruber's indicate otherwise. It is long past time for Congress to require transparency from the executive branch. Earlier this year, a bipartisan majority in the House passed my bill, H.R. 899, the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, which we call UMITA. This bipartisan legislation would improve transparency and public disclosure of the true costs in dollars and in jobs that Federal dictates pose to the economy. Asking the Federal Government to disclose the cost of a mandate in addition to its benefits should not be controversial. It is just plain common sense, Mr. Speaker. I call on the Senate to pass UMITA and put transparency back in government.