Phil Gingrey

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to recognize the retirement of a lifelong civil servant, Clarence Brown. Clarence has selflessly served the citizens of Bartow County for more than 38 years, and his tenure as Bartow County Commissioner is the longest to date. Clarence began his service with a plan and vision for Bartow County, and under his leadership it has flourished. Some highlights of his public service are the implementation of the county's growth management plan in 1996, the completion of Georgia Highlands College, and the development of the nation's first county-wide Environmental Management System. Each of these accomplishments shaped Bartow County, but Clarence's legacy of leadership is truly defined by his character. He paid extraordinary attention to public input and cared deeply for the people he governed. In recognition of Clarence's selfless service and commitment to the community, the county named the conference center in Cartersville in his honor. However, this was not an easy task given Clarence's humble nature! It took the community, a judge, and Clarence's wife to convince him to agree to the dedication. To this day when asked about the Clarence Brown Conference Center, Clarence will humbly reply, ``It's just a name on a building.'' Through his philanthropic and civic contributions, Clarence's impact on our community is immeasurable. He has, and will, continue to lead our community with integrity and honor. Clarence represents the best of the 11th District, the best of Georgia, and indeed the best of public servants. I am proud to call him a friend,

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6374, a bill to designate the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Carrollton, Georgia, as the Trinka Davis Veterans Village. Mr. Speaker, much of what I'm going to say has already been said by the distinguished chairman of the Veterans Affairs Committee, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), as well as the ranking member, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Brown), but I thank them for giving me the opportunity to repeat and maybe elaborate a bit because it deserves to be said. Katherine--better then known as Trinka--Davis, was a businesswoman from Carroll County who founded the Trinka Davis Foundation back in 2004 after realizing the struggles many servicemen and -women faced upon returning from both Iraq and Afghanistan. As has been stated, though not a veteran herself, through her generosity, Ms. Davis performed an outstanding service for the veterans of northwest Georgia. Mr. Speaker, Trinka made note of the reports of difficulties that many returning veterans and their respective families were facing: loss of limbs, traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic stress syndrome, unemployment, and loss of their homes. Although she is no longer with us, her memory lives on. Trinka Davis left almost her entire estate, over $18 million, to this foundation, which has used it to construct a first-class health facility to aid our wounded warriors in their recovery and treatment. I've been there. I've seen it. I was there at the ribbon cutting ceremony just this past year. It's a beautiful facility in my district in Carrollton. Mr. Speaker, with the war in Afghanistan, a recent one in Iraq, and unrest around the globe, the United States has more than 196,000 active duty servicemen and -women that put their lives on the line night and day to protect our families and our freedoms. These men and women accepted the call of duty, leaving behind their loved ones and life as they know it, to protect the lives of us and so many others. When our soldiers return from battle, sometimes they don't get the support and the assistance that they deserve. Simply put, we owe them more. Just as they have answered the call to serve our country, we must answer the call to serve them. This is what Trinka Davis did and why I rise today, and I am so honored to be a part of the naming of this Carrollton VA facility in her honor. Thanks to Trinka's generosity and the tireless dedication of her foundation, the new clinic was donated to the Department of Veterans Affairs just this past August. The doors were opened for veterans to receive outpatient treatment on September 24, 2012, and in the coming months the clinic will also include a 42-bed community living center. While providing a variety of services, including primary care, physical therapy, and outpatient mental health services, the facility will serve 3,000 veterans and will allow them to receive treatment closer to their homes. I believe that, like our veterans, Ms. Davis is, indeed, a hero. She recognized the needs of our veterans, and she worked tirelessly to meet them. The Trinka Davis Foundation ensured that Ms. Davis' commitment to the veterans and to their families in the Carrollton community and beyond would be preserved through the construction of this health facility. I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing Trinka Davis' selfless actions by supporting H.R. 6374.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we are here today to honor and celebrate our veterans, American heroes, who have bravely served their country, to open a first class health facility to aid our wounded warriors in their recovery and treatment, and to honor the legacy of the woman who made it all possible--Katherine ``Trinka'' Davis. With a war in Afghanistan, a recent one in Iraq, and unrest around the globe, the United States has more than 196,000 active duty servicemen and women that put their lives on the line, night and day, to protect our families and our freedoms. These men and women accepted the call of duty, leaving behind their loved ones and life as they know it to protect the lives of others. When our soldiers return from battle, sometimes they do not get the support and assistance they deserve. Simply put, we owe them more. Just as they have answered the call to serve our country, we must answer the call to serve them. That is what Trinka Davis did and why we are gathered here today. Trinka Davis was a businesswoman from Carroll County who founded The Trinka Davis Foundation in 2004 after realizing the struggles many servicemen and women faced upon returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. The Foundation exists to support veterans and their families. Though she is no longer with us, her memory lives on. Thanks to her generosity and the tireless dedication of her foundation, the Community Foundation of West Georgia, and the Georgia Department of Veterans Services, we are here today to open the Trinka Davis Veterans Village. This facility will serve 3,000 veterans, and allow them to receive treatment closer to home. Prior to construction, veterans were often forced to drive two hours or more for treatment. The facility will offer primary health care, mental health services, physical and occupational therapy, health and wellness counseling, and social services. I am happy to report that veterans began receiving outpatient treatment at the Trinka Davis Veterans Village on Monday. In the coming months, the facility will also include a 42-bed community living center for veterans needing inpatient rehab in a ``homelike, family-oriented, atmosphere.'' Like our veterans, Ms. Davis is a hero, who recognized the needs of veterans and worked tirelessly to meet them. The Trinka Davis Foundation ensured that Ms. Davis's commitment to the veterans and their families in our own community and beyond would be preserved through construction of this facility. The USO has a motto, ``Until everyone comes home.'' Trinka realized that our work did not end there. She is an example to us all.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I rise in strong support of H.J. Res. 118. The Department of Health and Human Services, in July, essentially stripped many of the provisions of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act in regard to TANF, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and they should not do that. They absolutely should not do that. This resolution, of course, calls for action under the Congressional Review Act--our authority, Mr. Speaker, as Members of Congress to say, no, you cannot do this, HHS, by any kind of executive order, and we are going to challenge it. Because people, sometimes, yes, they do need a little bit of a nudge to get off welfare and onto work; but in the final analysis, these individuals have the pride of having a job. There is nothing that compares to that. And as long as you have that opportunity, I think most individuals--and as I say, some may need a little bit of a nudge--but most people would gladly embrace that opportunity. So that's what this is all about. We're just simply saying we want to make sure that the provisions--in a very bipartisan way--President Clinton, in agreeing with Congress to have that welfare reform, it was worked out very carefully. We as a Congress will not permit those provisions to be stripped out of welfare to work. So, please, my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, join me in supporting H.J. Res. 118. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.J. Res. 118, a bill expressing Congress's disapproval of the administration's waiving of TANF work requirements. This legislation would utilize the Congressional Review Act to restore the welfare to work requirements of the 1996 welfare reform law that the Department of Health and Human Services unilaterally stripped in July. When President Clinton signed welfare reform into law, he said, ``First and foremost, it should be about moving people from welfare to work.'' Mr. Speaker, the administration has absolutely no justification to waive the reforms required by this bipartisan law. Welfare to work requirements have proven to lower poverty levels, increase earnings, and reduce government dependence. This legislation will restore the reforms that are an integral part of helping people become independent and self-sufficient. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.J. Res. 118 because we cannot allow the Administration to roll back key features of the 1996 reforms.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman of the committee for yielding to me. I want to respond to my Democratic colleague from Illinois who just spoke, my Democratic colleague who is the ranking member of a subcommittee of Energy and Commerce, the Subcommittee on Energy and Power. Mr. Chairman, as you know, he used all of his allotted time plus additional time to talk and rail about a do-nothing Congress. I want to remind the gentleman and I want to remind all of my colleagues that this bill, this No More Solyndras Act that we are bringing to the House floor today, comes from another subcommittee of Energy and Commerce, a subcommittee of which the gentleman from Illinois is not a member. That subcommittee, as you all know, is the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation. The gentleman made some points in regard to the public looking at us as a do-nothing Congress, and in many ways that's true. Not a lot has been done, and not a lot has been accomplished. But it sounds like he is suggesting that we members of the Oversight and Investigation Committee of Energy and Commerce, or, for that matter, any subcommittee on oversight and investigation of any standing committee of the House of Representatives, should sit back and do nothing because it's an election year. Colleagues, it's an election year every 2 years. It's a Presidential election year every 4 years. We have our work to do. I feel very compelled to stand here before you today and compliment, in the highest way, the chairman of this Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation of Energy and Commerce in the House of Representatives, a distinguished Member with well over 20 years of service. You all know that he'll be retiring from this body after this year. I am so proud to be on that committee, to work with him, to have an opportunity to see how he handled this 18-month investigation of this Solyndra loan program through the Department of Energy, and how flawed that it was, and how diligent he was in trying to get the information necessary to connect the dots. Yes, even, indeed, issuing subpoenas to get the information. I am proud of the overall chairman of the committee, Fred Upton, the gentleman from Michigan, in regard to being very careful and deliberate and working with the other side of the aisle, not making a rush to judgment, but a very careful and planned investigation to finally get to where we are today. And I'm extremely proud of the work of the staff of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. The bottom line, my colleagues, is we have work to do. If we're members of Oversight and Investigation, we have got to ferret out waste, fraud, abuse, corruption. Any program of the Federal Government that takes money from we, the taxpayer, whether it's a loan or a grant or whatever, we have to investigate, to look, to make sure that these programs are being done in the right way and not for political purposes. To promote an industry? Yes. But to make sure that this applicant is reasonable, that due diligence has occurred, that they have a good business plan, that they're not burning cash, and that we're not putting good money after bad. In this case, Mr. Chairman, it was $550 million. This is just one of three failed programs. Abound is another one. Beacon Power is another one. That is three out of the first four. There was something wrong in River City. We're altogether correct and right in ending this program. That is why I stand here today, and I encourage each and every Member on both sides of the aisle to vote ``yes'' on the No More Solyndras Act.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, as one of the Co-Chairs of the bipartisan Congressional Taiwan Caucus, I rise in strong support of S. Con. Res. 17. I particularly want to commend Chairwoman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for bringing this concurrent resolution to the floor. Additionally, I would like to applaud the work and leadership of our other Co-Chairs--Ms. Berkley of Nevada, Mr. Diaz- Balart of Florida, and Mr. Connolly of Virginia--for their work supporting our relationship with Taiwan. Since its inception in 1947, the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has been a great resource for the international community to develop and foster the most efficient and safest means of airline travel across the world. In the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks 11 years ago today on September 11, 2001, it was the ICAO that convened a conference to endorse a uniform international strategy to ensure aviation safety throughout the world. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, our friends in Taiwan have been excluded from participation in the ICAO since 1971. Not only has that diminished Taiwan's ability to stay at the cutting edge of aviation, it has also presented obstacles to the international community as a whole because the ICAO cannot completely fulfill its mission to meet the needs of all people in efficient and safe air travel. Taiwan has a very large footprint within commercial aviation that warrants its inclusion within the ICAO. The Taipei Flight Information Region covers airspace of 176,000 square nautical miles and provides air traffic control services to over 1.3 million flights annually. Additionally, there are over 174,000 international flights carrying more than 35 million passengers that fly in and out of Taiwan each year. With this high volume of air traffic, Taiwan certainly deserves to have a seat at the table of the ICAO--at least as an observer. Mr. Speaker, this is precisely what this concurrent resolution seeks to accomplish. Providing Taiwan with meaningful participation at the ICAO only benefits both the Taiwanese and the international community as a whole. Due to our longstanding relationship and respect for our friends in Taiwan, I urge all of my colleagues to support S. Con. Res. 17.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in memory of the nearly three thousand lives lost in the attacks of September 11th. On Patriots Day, we also honor the servicemen and women who have paid the ultimate price in the war on terror. We will never be able to fully honor their sacrifice in the defense of our freedoms. In the 11 years since the devastation of that day, our anger and sadness have turned to unfaltering resolve and determination. On that terrible day, 19 terrorists believed they would bring America to its knees. They believed our Nation and our people could be defeated by a cowardly attack. They were wrong. Today, America is a brighter beacon of freedom than she ever has been. We remain a nation inspired by the sacrifices of those before us and committed to the ideals they fought so dearly to protect. Mr. Speaker, we will never forget the loved ones and the heroes lost on that day.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, there is a time-old saying that one can either be respected or loved, but not both, and that leaders should always strive towards the former. As one of the most beloved and well-regarded leaders in our community, though, and as only Otis could, he managed to be both. My family moved to Marietta in 1975 and, like so many families, we got to know the Brumbys through Marietta City schools. Our children were in the same grades, played on the same sports teams, and went to one another's birthday parties. One of our daughters, Phyllis, was particularly close to Betsy Brumby. They were, as we called it, ``spend-the-night'' friends. Just like he and Martha Lee, their children were respectful and well-liked by everyone. Their son, Otis III (``Little O'') became the starting quarterback for the Marietta Blue Devils. My wife and I know how proud Otis and Martha Lee were on those Friday nights at Northcutt Stadium. Otis was deeply involved in and steadfastly dedicated to Marietta schools. He was a staunch supporter of the Marietta School Board and, for a time, was a member himself. I began my political career on the Marietta School Board and have always admired his commitment to our local schools. In many ways--and for many reasons--he inspired me. As the editor of the Marietta Daily Journal, Otis was always fair and even-handed. When he identified a problem, he drew attention to it, regardless of party affiliation. When he shined a light on something, he always left the situation better than he found it. Otis always sought the truth, but in his quest for it, he still treated everyone well. Besides being fair to Republicans and Democrats alike, the diehard Dawgs fan even managed to be gracious to this Georgia Tech alum. Our community mourns his loss alongside his wife, children, and beautiful grandchildren. Otis will be deeply missed. But we will honor his memory today and every day. Because of one man's rich life, we've all gained so much.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to urge Senate Democrats to halt President Obama's job-killing tax hike. According to one study, this massive tax increase would eliminate 700,000 jobs, raise taxes on the middle class, and deal a massive blow to our nation's economic engine, small businesses. The President and his czars continue to burden our nation's job creators with onerous, anti-growth regulations. Along with his tax hikes and burdensome regulations, President Obama's health care law threatens patient access, raises taxes, and takes over one-sixth of the U.S. economy. In the meantime, House Republicans have maintained a laser-like focus on jobs, passing more than 30 pro-growth jobs bills, which continue to stack up on Senator Reid's desk. Mr. Speaker, President Obama's economic policies have failed. This massive tax hike on the middle class is unsustainable and a hindrance to growth and job creation. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to take up our jobs bills and stop the tax hike.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 406, a bill to amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to permit candidates for Federal office to designate an individual to disburse the campaign funds of the candidate in the event of the candidate's death, authored by my colleague from North Carolina, Walter Jones. Unfortunately, he has personally experienced the situation that this legislation is attempting to remedy when his father--a 14 term member of this body--passed away and questions arose as to what to do with remaining campaign funds. Current law authorizes the campaign treasurer to disperse campaign funds but does not give instruction on how those funds should be spent in the event of a candidate's death. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 406 is a common-sense solution to resolving this potentially complex issue. I was proud to support the legislation when it came before the Committee on House Administration, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it today.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 537 on suspending the rules and passing S. 679--the Presidential Appointment Efficiency and Streamlining Act of 2011--I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 538 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 828--the Federal Employee Tax Accountability Act of 2011--I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.'' Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 539 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 3803--the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act--I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted `'aye.''

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 8, the Job Protection and Recession Prevention Act of 2012. In August of 2009, President Obama told NBC News, ``You don't raise taxes in a recession.'' Quite frankly, I agree with the President and would take it a step further. We should never raise taxes at all, period. Unfortunately, if we do nothing before the end of the year, we risk raising taxes on Americans by $384 billion over the next ten years according to the Joint Committee on Taxation. For my home State of Georgia alone, this would represent a tax increase of $3,010 per tax return. At a time when we have had 41 straight months of unemployment, it would be irresponsible to place an additional burden on working families and job creators, particularly when Ernst & Young recently released a study stating that this tax increase would destroy 700,000 jobs. Mr. Speaker, House Republicans have a simple solution. H.R. 8 will prevent this looming tax increase on all Americans, especially the 1 million small business entrepreneurs that would likely feel the pain the most. To all of my colleagues, we have a clear choice today. You can either support H.R. 8 to prevent a $384 billion tax increase, or you could oppose this legislation, endorse these tax increases and destroy 700,000 jobs in the process. The choice is yours.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 459, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2012, and I would like to commend our colleague from Texas, Dr. Ron Paul, who has worked tirelessly as the author of this legislation for a number of years. With its ability to control monetary supply policy, the Federal Reserve is arguably the most powerful entity of the federal government. Yet, despite this power, current law specifically prevents Congress from fully auditing the monetary policy actions the Fed takes that impact each of us on a daily basis. Mr. Speaker, as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 459, I believe it is well past time to change that policy. This legislation would simply require the Comptroller General to conduct a full audit of the Federal Reserve before the end of 2012. At a time when the Federal Reserve has expanded its balance sheet to $3 trillion as of last month, the American people deserve to have transparency and accountability when it comes to our monetary supply policy. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 459.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Maryland, my physician colleague, for yielding. I missed some of the hour. I regret that, and hopefully I'm not repeating some remarks that have already been made. Even if I am, I think it's important for people to understand that Medicaid expansion is threatening each and every one of our 50 States and the territories. The provision in the Affordable Care Act, ObamaCare, that's titled, ``Maintenance of Effort''--actually, this maintenance of effort provision, Mr. Speaker, began even before the passage of ObamaCare. ObamaCare passed March 23, 2010, a little more than 2 years ago. It just extended this. But what happened with the stimulus package back in 2008 is that States were told that they would not be allowed to purge their rolls of people that were, at that point in time, under Medicaid to see if, per chance, they were in this country illegally and not eligible or their income level had risen to the point that they were doing just fine, thank you, maybe making $50,000 a year and could afford their own health insurance premiums not to be paid for by we, the taxpayer and the citizens of the State of Georgia, my great State. And then it was extended with the passage of ObamaCare to say that, through the year 2013, these States could not do that. Well, what's happened is, I've got some statistics. And just to quote from the National Governors' Association report, ``States are facing a collective $175 billion budget shortfall through 2013'' in large part because of this maintenance of effort requirement under Medicaid, that they're not allowed to make sure that the people on the Medicaid program are the ones that need to be there, the most needy that can't afford--their children can't afford health care. And now these rolls are sort of set in stone until the year 2013. And in many cases, Mr. Speaker, they include childless adults, childless adults who maybe were eligible to get on the program at a point where their income was very low or maybe they were out of work. But now, shouldn't the Governors be allowed--at least on an annual basis, if not every 6 months--to look at those rolls and make sure that the dollars for health care are going to the folks that really need it and their children? That's what the Medicaid program was all about when it was started as an amendment to the Social Security Act back in 1965. So I wanted to mention that. It may have already been talked about earlier. My colleagues in the Doctors Caucus of the House know of what they speak with regard to health care. There are a lot of other issues in Medicaid. But I thought, in particular, I would want to discuss that. But in conclusion, on this point, if allowing a State to improve its enrollment and its verification system saves enough money to keep our children's education program intact and the safety of its citizens, with regard to police and fire protection, intact, then why wouldn't we support this change? Why wouldn't we repeal this maintenance of effort? If giving Governors the ability to manage their own Medicaid programs prevents drastic cuts to education or job creation programs, why in the world would we not support that? The only reason I can think of would be to force, under ObamaCare, more and more people into the Medicaid program, where the States have to eventually do that FMAP and that sharing of the cost because, otherwise, they would be in the exchanges, and the subsidies, as we know, go up to 400 percent of the Federal poverty level. It's all part of this grand scheme to eventually have national health insurance, Medicare for all, if you will, and it's got to stop.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I rise in strong support of the Flores amendment that will prevent funds in H.R. 5856--the FY13 Defense Appropriations Act--from being used to carry out Section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Section 526 prohibits all federal agencies from contracting for alternative fuels that emit higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than ``conventional petroleum sources.'' This means that if a federal agency--particularly the Department of Defense--attempts to utilize an alternative fuel that even has one scintilla more carbon emissions than conventional fuels, it is prohibited from doing so. As a result, Section 526 limits innovation from DoD to improve clean carbon capture technologies for alternative fuels, thereby increasing our dependence on foreign oil, and will only further increase fuel costs. The amendment intends to remove the handcuffs placed on the agencies under this bill by Section 526. This means that the DoD will still be able to purchase Canadian fuels with traces of oil sands that may create more of a carbon footprint than completely conventional fuel. Mr. Chair, I support a full repeal of Section 526 because the cost of refined product for DoD has increased by over 500% in the last ten years when volume only increased by 30%. Furthermore, within the last month, the U.S. Navy spent $26 per gallon and the U.S. Air Force just spent $59 per gallon for bio-fuels used for the Administration's Great Green Fleet Demonstration while conventional fuel bears less of a cost on the Pentagon. When defense spending is already facing $600 billion in sequestration cuts, we must find commonsense ways to best utilize taxpayer dollars. This amendment takes a very important step of achieving this goal by prohibiting funding to carry out Section 526 for the upcoming fiscal year at the DoD. With that in mind, I commend my colleague from Texas--Bill Flores-- for his continued leadership on this important issue. I urge this body to support this amendment.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding. I would like to introduce you to Sole Commissioner Boss Hog from Hazzard County, Georgia. Boss Hog used his position of authority to terrorize the citizens of his community with the help of henchmen like Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane in the 1970s television show ``The Dukes of Hazzard.'' Mr. Speaker, today, life imitates art. We now have another boss in our midst--I call this boss ObamaCare. The only health care that citizens of this country can access are those approved by the boss. If you like what you currently have, you can't keep it. Let me repeat, if you like what you currently have, you can't keep it, according to the boss, the boss and his henchmen who help fund this tyranny. They include the biggest permanent tax increase on Americans, borne in large part by middle class families and the employers who give them jobs. It enacts a $500-plus billion cut to the Medicare program, all while the program is going bankrupt. And finally, new rules that allow the boss to dictate how doctors actually practice medicine. No longer will my colleagues in the medical profession be able to put the needs of their patients first. Mr. Speaker, our Forefathers rejected tyranny, and so should we. Support H.R. 6079, a bill that would repeal ObamaCare. Let's get rid of the boss once and for all.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, since its creation in 2009, a majority of patients in this country have been united behind a single truth--they do not want ObamaCare. Young people don't want it because it increases their costs--making them pay high prices for care they don't need or cannot afford. Patients with chronic illnesses don't want it because it allows a board of bureaucrats to restrict access to life saving treatments if they cost too much. Seniors don't want it because it takes $575 billion out of the Medicare program and will make it harder for them to find a physician or hospital for treatment when they are sick. Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will rule on the constitutionality of ObamaCare. Mr. Speaker, we have a lot of work ahead of us but one thing is certain: my former patients do not want ObamaCare in any way, shape, or form.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The FDA Safety and Innovation Act of 2012 may not be a great bill, but it is a darn good bill. And as a physician and a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, I strongly support it. As my colleagues have said on both sides, this is a bicameral, bipartisan piece of legislation, and yes, we can get our work done. I want to particularly thank Chairman Upton, Ranking Member Waxman, Health Subcommittee Chairman Pitts, Ranking Member Pallone, and all of the Members that have worked so hard on this really vast, huge bill that covers a lot of things, not the least of which, of course, is to provide 65 percent of the funding for the FDA so they can, indeed, hire the best and brightest scientists so they get their work done in a timely manner, get new drugs to the market, medical devices, and bottom line, keep the health care system in this country the best in the world for our constituents and our patients. Mr. Speaker, I want to mention one particular aspect of the bill that I was very much involved in, and that's this issue of antibiotic shortage. The bill as it stood alone was called the GAIN Act, and I had a tremendous amount of help on both sides of the aisle. On the Democratic side, there was Congresswoman Eshoo, Congresswoman DeGette, and Congressman Gene Green. On my side of the aisle, there was Mike Rogers of Michigan, Mr. Shimkus, and Mr. Whitfield. What we do with that portion of the bill is to provide an opportunity for the manufacturers of antibiotics to have an additional 5 years of exclusivity so they can bring these innovative fifth- and sixth- generation antibiotics to the market and still have an opportunity to recoup the investment and the expense of doing so. I want to just say to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, it's a proud day, I think, for all of us, for Chairman Emeritus Dingell, the former chairman on our side of the aisle, Mr. Barton, and everybody involved in this bill. I thank all of you. Let's all unanimously support this bill.

Mr. GINGREY

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for yielding. The previous speaker, the gentleman from Minnesota, it sounds like his policy on his side of the aisle is: No oil, no matter what. This is a very good bill. If it becomes law, H.R. 4480, the Domestic Energy and Jobs Act, will put people back to work. It will be a great giant step toward creating energy independence for this country. And, yes, indeed, my colleagues, it will bring down the price of gasoline at the pump, which has actually doubled in 3\1/2\ years under President Obama's watch. As a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, let me focus on one specific title of this legislation: The Strategic Energy Production Act. The Strategic Petroleum Reserve that we have in this country is about 700 million barrels of oil. Mr. Chairman, that reserve is there for a situation of a domestic crisis, not a political crisis. We use 20 million barrels of oil a day in this country. If you assume that 60 percent of it was domestically produced and we had to import 8 million barrels of oil a day, then think about how many days it would last if we truly had a crisis and OPEC cut us off completely from what we import. That reserve would last about 90 days. That is a 3-month period of time. Yet, President Obama wants to take that reserve and use it for political purposes. This title of the bill, Mr. Chairman, just simply says that every ounce of oil that he takes out of the strategic reserve, we would increase that same amount on Federal lands.

Mr. GINGREY. I thank the gentleman. Here is an important point, my colleagues. What this President has done has simply cut the production on Federal lands by 11 percent on his watch. Let's pass this bill so that we do create jobs, we put people back to work, we become independent in this country, and not dependent on nations that hate us.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 374 on agreeing to the Moran Amendment to H.R. 5882, the Fiscal Year 2013 Legislation Branch Appropriations Act, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.'' Amendment No. 7 Offered by Mr. Flake

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. I thank subcommittee Chairman Pitts, Chairman Upton, subcommittee Ranking Member Pallone. The bill that we are passing today in the House of Representatives, H.R. 5651, is an opportunity to come to the well in support of something that we have done in a bipartisan way. I really relish that fairly rare opportunity. Mr. Speaker, once again we are showing the American people that we can, when we have a need, a need and good ideas. Months and months and months went into working on this bill, staffs on both side. I commend them all and, of course, Ranking Member Waxman as well. Let me just say this. Other Members are talking about the many aspects of the bill, talking about the user-fee aspect of prescription drugs, generic drugs, biologic, biosimilars, the drug safety chain aspect, addressing this problem of shortage of drugs. Emeritus Member Dingell is a big part of that aspect of the bill. Let me just say one thing about something that I had a lot of input into, and I am very proud of, and that is a specific drug, antibiotics, where we have a tremendous shortage. That inclusion of my bill, the GAIN Act, Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now, in this bill, I think, is hugely important. We have a lack of antibiotics in this country. We need to incentivize manufacturers to come forward with new and better antibiotics. Mr. Speaker, I want to just mention very briefly anecdotally, in my district, the 11th District of Georgia, northwest Georgia, a young college student fell recently in a stream, the little Tallapoosa River, deeply gashed her leg. Bacteria got in that leg, which normally 99 out of a 100 times, Mr. Speaker, would cause no problems whatsoever. In this instance, I guess maybe because of the depth of the wound and the amount of the trauma to the tissue, it resulted in something called necrotizing fasciitis. This young student, 24 years old, has been struggling for months in an Augusta hospital to recover from these injuries. She is on the way to recovery, thank God, but not without significant long-term disabilities. That's why things like the GAIN aspect of the bill is so important so that we can get new and better antibiotics to the market. I support this bill tremendously in a bipartisan way.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman. I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3310, the FCC Consolidating Reporting Act of 2012. I commend the author of this legislation and fellow member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee, Steve Scalise of Louisiana, for his work on this issue. And I also applaud the work of subcommittee chairman Greg Walden, who ensured that we moved this legislation through regular order. H.R. 3310 consolidates eight congressionally mandated studies into a single report with a focus on intermodal competition, deploying communications to underserved and unserved communities, eliminating regulatory barriers, and empowering small businesses. This legislation will also make the FCC more efficient by eliminating a number of duplicative, repealed, or outdated reports that are still listed in statute. For example, in the 21st century, it is simply not necessary for the FCC to provide the report on competition between wire telephone and wire telegraph providers. Think Morse code. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3310 passed the full Energy and Commerce Committee by a voice vote on March 6, 2012. It will alleviate the unnecessary and antiquated reporting standards and replace them with an analysis of the 21st century marketplace and its demands on the telecommunications industry. This legislation represents solid policy. I urge my colleagues, support H.R. 3310.

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia

Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 1299, the Secure Border Act of 2011, authored by my good friend, Candice Miller, and urge my colleagues to support it. This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop a comprehensive strategy for gaining control of our borders at all ports of entry. In developing that strategy, an analysis of current security effectiveness will help define the needs and requirements of an implementable border security blueprint. Mr. Speaker, the reason this is necessary is because illegal immigration is one of the biggest crises facing our nation and securing our borders is of paramount importance. The Government Accountability Office recently reported that less than half of our southwest border is under operational control. At the same time, only 32 percent of our northern border operates at an ``acceptable'' security level. Mr. Speaker, keeping our nation safe is the federal government's chief responsibility, and that's why it is so important that we pass this legislation. I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill.