Jeb Hensarling

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. There's no doubt that Hurricane Sandy rendered unspeakable damage to both lives and property on our east coast. It represents truly one of the great natural disasters of recent history. For millions of our fellow citizens, the devastation has been unspeakable and unfathomable. It is time, obviously, to rebuild homes, buildings, and lives. For the victims who paid for flood insurance policies with the National Flood Insurance Program, their claims need to be paid, and paid now. But, Madam Speaker, here's the tragic reality: The National Flood Insurance Program is broke. It is beyond broke. It is now taxpayer- bailout broke. Regrettably, not unlike our Nation, broke, trillions in debt--debt to the Chinese, the shameful bill sent to our children and grandchildren. So right here, right now, Madam Speaker, Members are faced with a tragic choice of not paying contractual claims to victims who paid premiums or adding $9.7 billion to an insane national debt that threatens our national security, our economic well-being, and our children's future. Emergency bills like this should not come to the floor without offsets to pay for it or structural reforms to ensure that taxpayer bailouts are never needed again. Regrettably, less than 24 hours into a new Congress, there is simply not time for this. As many in this body know, I have long been critical of the National Flood Insurance Program. For more than four decades, this experiment in government-provided flood insurance has proven to be ineffective, inefficient, and indisputably costly to hardworking American taxpayers. Last Congress, we passed a reauthorization bill with modest reforms to begin eliminating outdated subsidies and get the program on a path towards actuarial soundness.

Mr. HENSARLING. But Sandy has hit before many of these provisions could take effect. As chairman of the Financial Services Committee, I wish to inform all Members in this Congress our committee will take up legislation to transition to a private, innovative, competitive, sustainable flood insurance market, one that serves the needs of all of our countrymen but ends the unsustainable taxpayer bailouts once and for all. A great fiscal tragedy of today should never become an even greater fiscal tragedy for our children tomorrow.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentlelady for yielding to me. Mr. Speaker, an hour ago, I had no idea that I would be on the House floor to witness the farewell speeches of two giants who have served in this institution. In many ways, Mr. Speaker, I approach my comments tonight with trepidation because my voice is most inadequate and unprepared for this moment. The term ``happy warrior'' was used. The gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake), I have never known him not to have a smile on his face. Mr. Speaker, if there was one individual who summed up the phrase that one man in the right makes a majority, it's the gentleman from Arizona, Jeff Flake. Mr. Speaker, I have no doubt whatsoever that the other body will never be the same when the gentleman from Arizona steps into that other Chamber--because of his leadership. Many come here and serve. They speak with eloquence. They represent their values. They represent their constituents. But, Mr. Speaker, not all that many leave this institution and can look themselves in the mirror and know they have made a difference. The gentleman from Arizona has made a difference in the people's House and how the peoples's money has been spent. Mr. Speaker, it's a challenging time in our Nation's history. There's much turmoil. I know many question Madison's genius--perhaps mad genius--in providing for this thing called divided government. It's sloppy; it's messy; it gets a little noisy; it's not always efficient; but it has produced the greatest, freest, most prosperous Republic in the history of mankind. That divided government is played out in this institution by noble men and women who mean well. Again, I find my voice most inadequate to honor the work of these two great men. I look at the words above you, Mr. Speaker, ``In God we trust.'' Few have lived that and had it emblazoned on their heart as the gentleman from Indiana, Mike Pence. He knows the words of Jefferson: Can the liberties of a Nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm foundation, and that is a conviction in the hearts of man that these liberties are gifts of God? I know this man, this great man from the Heartland. I know Karen, Michael, Charlotte and Audrey. What a strong family. I want to thank them for their sacrifice. We, Mr. Speaker, as you know, we serve our country, but we don't sacrifice. But our families do. What a great sacrifice of the Pence family of Indiana to let this great man come and serve with distinction for these years. Mike Pence has brought the values of the Heartland to this institution and taught us all well. He has led by example, and he's done something that, frankly, few Members have done, and that is he has inspired us to greatness. Again, Mr. Speaker, many serve here as public servants, but some go beyond being a public servant and they embody everything that was good and great about the Founders. We have a special word for those people, it's called ``patriot.'' Mike Pence, the gentleman from Indiana, is a patriot. His moral compass always points true north. His humor and compassion have lifted his colleagues in this Chamber in tough and challenging moments. He embodies that definition of character that he always does what is right even when no one is watching. And because he understands better than most what the true genius of America is, every day he gets up, he praises his Lord, he thanks Him for his family, and he dreams bold dreams because, Mr. Speaker, he is an American. Mr. Speaker, I've been granted many blessings in life, many blessings in life, few that I will cherish as much as the blessing of fighting for freedom on the floor of the United States House of Representatives at the side of Mike Pence. He has taught me that verse in Proverbs that ``iron sharpens iron.'' Mr. Speaker, he has always sharpened my iron. He has taught me about Proverbs 18:24: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Mike Pence is my friend that sticketh closer than a brother. I've often thought, What is the highest praise that I can pay to such a friend? Back in Dallas, Texas, I've got a son, Travis; he's 9. Since it's a school night, he, hopefully, is not playing Angry Birds or Plants Versus Zombie or some other electronic game. He and his sister are the apple of my eye and my wife's eye. And I think, Mr. Speaker, what kind of life might my son have? How do I want to raise my son? What do I want to teach him? Who do I want him to emulate? Mr. Speaker, I've said this about very few people I have met in life, but Mr. Speaker, I could never be more proud than if my son, Travis Jeb Hensarling, grew up to be like Mike Pence, the Governor-elect of Indiana, my friend, our patriot.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great honor to recognize my friend and fellow Texan, Ralph Hall, for being the oldest Member of Congress to cast a recorded vote on the House floor. It is not often that I have been given the opportunity to recognize someone with such a long, long, long, very long history of service to our country. Everyone in this institution knows that Ralph's passion in this institution is science and space and technology. It represents the areas of the committee he now chairs. When I came here, I asked someone, Why is Ralph such an expert in science? And someone said, Well, you may not know it, but according to some, he was there when Columbus discovered the Earth was round, Newton discovered gravity, and Franklin discovered electricity. Now, Mr. Speaker, they say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, and this was a poor attempt on my part to show how Ralph Hall brightens this institution every day with his humor. He is clearly the wittiest Member of Congress in a body that is in desperate need to be brightened up and occasionally benefited by such wit and humor. But besides his wit and humor, for those who really know him, he is clearly one of the wisest men to ever serve in this body. And I certainly benefit from that wisdom, as do so many others. Mr. Speaker, we heard earlier that Ralph has said, I'd rather be respected at home than liked in Washington. The truth is, not only is he respected in Rockwall, Texas, he is beloved in Rockwall, Texas. And not only is he liked in Washington, more importantly, he is respected in Washington. And more importantly, he is respected by both Republicans and Democrats alike. And that, Mr. Speaker, is a huge, huge testament. And so, Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to recognize a Texas legend, a World War II veteran, a statesman, a role model for all American citizens, including my children. I'm honored to recognize him on this historic occasion. I'm honored to recognize this institution for this historic moment. But most of all, I'm honored to call Ralph Hall my friend. I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to congratulate a very special organization on a very special anniversary. On Saturday, November 10, 2012, For the Love of the Lake will mark its 200th consecutive month of shoreline spruce-ups that have helped keep the shores of White Rock Lake clean and the surrounding park looking beautiful. For the Love of the Lake is a truly grassroots effort, made up of caring volunteers who are dedicated to improving White Rock Lake and the surrounding area. The organization is a shining example of conservation and volunteerism in action. For the Love of the Lake shows what good people can do when they come together to accomplish something for the betterment of their community. My wife, Melissa, and I, along with our two young children, enjoy White Rock Lake, and know that the lake area is important, not just to those who live in the neighboring streets, but to all who come to White Rock Lake to enjoy the landscape, water, trees, and parks. For the Love of the Lake volunteers understand that we have a duty to conserve these wonderful natural resources for our children and future generations. Since its inception in 1995, thousands of people have given their time, effort, and energy in a variety of ways--from picking up litter, to painting murals and buildings at the park, to attending fundraising events, or helping with White Rock Marathons. Over the years, For the Love of the Lake has been honored with countless awards and recognized by numerous organizations for their outstanding work. Dallas Observer magazine said, ``For the Love of the Lake is easily one of Dallas' best volunteer service organizations.'' I could not agree more. On behalf of the people of Dallas, especially those who live in neighborhoods near White Rock Lake, I would like to congratulate the For the Love of the Lake organization and volunteers on their tremendous accomplishment. I would also like to thank them for their continued valuable service to our community.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to honor Chandler Elementary School of the Brownsboro Independent School District from the Fifth Congressional District of Texas for excellence in education. Chandler Elementary School was named to the United States Department of Education's 2012 Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which: ``recognizes public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students perform at very high levels or where significant improvements are being made in students' levels of academic achievement.'' Chandler Elementary School's performance illustrates the commitment and dedication of the school board, administrators, teachers, and staff who provide students with a quality education. The school district, parents, students, and community should be applauded for this achievement. Mr. Speaker, as the representative for the Fifth Congressional District of Texas, I would like to commend Chandler Elementary School for their continued educational achievements.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, every single day we see more proof of the President's failed economic policies. We just have heard that last quarter's GDP was revised down. It's probably two-thirds of what it ought to be. Forty-one straight months of 8 percent-plus unemployment. Millions can't find jobs; millions more only can find part-time work. Real disposable income of working families down under this President's failed policies. And because his policies have failed, he resorts to the politics of diversion, division, and envy. Change the subject. Let's talk about taxes. Let's divide Americans into smaller groups and make them envious of each other. So the President comes and says, Let's increase taxes. Let's increase taxes on a million small businesses. Fact: Ernst & Young has said this will cost our economy 700,000 jobs. Fact: Small businesses now say, for the first time in almost 4 years, the greatest threat is not lack of sales; it's taxes. And that's why House Republicans voted yesterday to stop the tax increases. Stop the tax increases. Today we take the next step, and that is to create a process for a fair, flatter, simpler, and more competitive Tax Code, one that will assure that the family budget doesn't go broke paying for the Federal budget, one that ensures that the success of working families depends on how hard they work in their hometowns and not the size of their tax loopholes in Washington, D.C. Now, my friends from the other side of the aisle, Mr. Speaker, they have great theories that we're going to tax our way into economic growth. If only we will tax small businesses more, then somehow they'll create more jobs. Beatings will continue until morale improves is their theory. Well, we have history. We have history. Go to the Coolidge administration, the Kennedy administration, the Reagan administration, the Bush administration. Every time we have lowered marginal rates, every time that we have simplified the Tax Code, not only have we ignited economic growth, but we've actually received more tax revenues. And yet my friends from the other side of the aisle and the President, they want to defend the status quo, only more so. And now I wake up this morning to discover that, as they defend the global system, that even our Olympians are going to be taxed on their Olympic medals. So we've had a President who told every small business man in America, every small business woman, You didn't build that, by defending this global system, they now tell our Olympians, You didn't win that. That belongs to the Internal Revenue system. This is what it is about today: less taxes and more jobs; more taxes, fewer jobs.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, we know our Nation faces very serious threats overseas, but we also have a very serious domestic threat as well, and that is our national debt, a debt that has increased more in the last 3 years on a nominal basis than in the previous 200. Thus, the Budget Control Act. The Budget Control Act, because, as the chairman of the House Budget Committee pointed out, the supercommittee--on which I served, as did the ranking member--did not prove so super, we are staring into the face of a sequester. So I would like to not only compliment the chairman of the House Budget Committee for his leadership in bringing an alternative to this very, I believe, destructive sequester that still maintains the deficit reduction levels of the Budget Control Act, but I also want to compliment the Democrat ranking member for also offering an alternative plan. It is one I disagree with, one that, by my reckoning, includes 73 percent tax increases. But he should be applauded, and House Democrats should be applauded at least for recognizing the draconian defense cuts that could do real damage to our national security. As Secretary Panetta has said, the sequester ``will do real damage to our security, our troops and their families, and our military's ability to protect our Nation.'' But although I compliment the ranking member, I find it more challenging to compliment the Democrat Senate Majority Leader. Senator Reid has said: I'm not going to back off sequestration. That's what he has said. Thus, we are looking at a 10 percent real cut in our national defense. Madam Speaker, I also picked up Monday's edition of The Washington Post--not exactly known as a bastion of conservative thought--and I read the headline: ``Democrats Threaten to Go Over Fiscal Cliff if GOP Fails to Raise Taxes.'' So on the one hand, again, this is a very simple piece of legislation that I have coauthored with the chairman of the House Budget Committee. It simply says: Mr. President, since under sequestration you get to call a lot of the shots--according to the Congressional Budget Office ``the administration's OMB has sole authority to determine whether a sequestration is required, and if so the proportional allocations of any necessary cuts''--all this is saying: Mr. President, show us your hand, show us your plan. Let the American people know what the true impact is going to be on our national defense, on our economy, on a number of vital services, because you have the discretion. That's all this bill does. But I fear, to some extent, it may mask another agenda on what the debate is really about. Madam Speaker, I need not tell you we continue to face the weakest, slowest recovery in the post-war era, and there are some who seem to have an ideological passion for raising taxes on the American people. An earlier speaker got up in an earlier debate and said that the largest small business group in America, the National Federation of Independent Business, has just released a new study saying that the President's tax plan will cost 710,000 jobs--jobs of working families-- and those same working families will see their wages fall by 1.8 percent. So why would we want to raise taxes on anybody in this economy? Well, someone pointed out, well, we need to reduce the deficit--and we do. But, Madam Speaker, if you do the math and give the President the top increasing tax rates in the top two tax brackets, not only does it destroy jobs; it's about 2 to 3 percent of his 10-year spending budget. So it harms jobs, and it doesn't solve the problem. I fear it is diversion from the failed policies that we have seen from this administration that has created the worst unemployment crisis since the Great Depression. But I would hope that we would at least have a growing consensus that we shouldn't decimate national defense, and there should at least be transparency. I urge all of my colleagues to support the Sequestration Transparency Act.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I've heard so many of my Democrat colleagues come to the floor and question why are we here to vote to repeal the President's health care program. Let me offer a few reasons. Number one, the American people don't want it. The longer people have to know this bill, the more intense they are in wanting to see it repealed. Reason number two is we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle that the Supreme Court said it was constitutional. Well, the $5 trillion of additional debt that they and President Obama have foisted on the American people, it's constitutional, but, Madam Speaker, it is not wise. Seniors know that the President's health care program cut a half a trillion dollars out of Medicare. The Independent Payment Advisory Board is 1 of 159 boards, commissions, and programs that will get between Americans and their doctors. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, they're there to help ration health care for seniors. That's another reason. I just heard the distinguished leader of the Democrat Party saying we should be talking about jobs and the economy. Madam Speaker, these are the very same people who told us the stimulus bill would help jobs, would help the economy. The stimulus bill was not a jobs bill. Repeal of ObamaCare is a jobs bill. Talk to any small business person across America that has 40, 45 workers, and they will tell you: We're not going to go to 50. We're not going to do that. We're not going to hire those extra people. Talk to a tool and die manufacturer like I have in my district in Jacksonville, Texas. Half of their business comes from the medical device industry. You know what? He told me that ObamaCare, with the medical device tax, is going to force him to lay off workers. The employer mandate costs jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, which the gentleman from Maryland just cited, they, themselves, said this will cost 800,000 jobs. Private economists say it will cost 1 to 2 million jobs. The Chamber of Commerce just did a survey of small businesses. Seventy-four percent said this makes it more difficult to hire. So after the President just turned in his 41st straight month of 8 percent-plus unemployment, the worst jobs and economic performance since the Great Depression, maybe it's time for a true jobs bill, Madam Speaker, and a true jobs bill is to repeal ObamaCare. The American people do not want it. We can't afford it. Job creators are losing jobs. Let's repeal it, and repeal it today.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled today to recognize Lance Corporal Jeffrey Knight for his service to our country. Lance Corporal Knight was a combat engineer for the United States Marine Corps, who was severely injured while serving in Afghanistan in June of 2011, resulting in the loss of both legs and one hand. Currently undergoing treatment at Brooke Army Medical Center, Lance Corporal Knight takes great pride in the fact that no other soldier was hurt under his watch. Thanks to the selfless sacrifice of Lance Corporal Knight and others like him, my children will sleep in a safer and freer America tonight. As a father, as a congressman, and as an American, I am honored to offer this small token of gratitude to Lance Corporal Knight for his brave service to our nation. As Ronald Reagan once said, ``We will always remember, we will always be proud, we will always be ready, so we may always be free.'' On behalf of the constituents of the Fifth District of Texas, I extend prayers and best wishes to LCpl Knight for a speedy recovery.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled today to recognize Captain R. Scott McKee for his service to our country. In 1987, he enlisted in the Army as an airborne paratrooper at the age of 17 and was soon accepted into Georgia Military College, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1991. After his commission as a lieutenant, he served as an operations officer and tank platoon leader with the 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment at Fort Hood, Texas. While at Fort Hood, then-First Lieutenant McKee deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In Cuba, he served as a Quick Reaction Force platoon leader in support of Operation Sea Signal, responsible for the security and safety of over 2,000 Haitian and Cuban migrants and U.S. personnel on the base. Upon leaving active duty, Captain McKee enrolled at Texas Wesleyan School of Law, attending classes at night while working full-time. In 2008, he was elected to serve as the Henderson County District Attorney, taking office on January 1, 2009. A year after assuming office, Captain McKee mobilized with the Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 256th Light Infantry Regiment for a deployment to Iraq on January 4, 2010. During his deployment to Iraq, Captain McKee served as the infantry operations officer for the battalion and planned over 1,200 combat missions throughout Iraq, participating in many of them. While in Iraq, Captain McKee was awarded the Bronze Star for his actions and performance in a combat zone. He was also awarded the Louisiana War Cross by the Adjutant General of the State of Louisiana. Captain McKee currently serves as the commander of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 156th Infantry Regiment, Louisiana National Guard out of Fort Polk, Louisiana. He and his wife, Ashley, have three children, Stuart, Ryan, and Ranger. As the Member of Congress for the Fifth District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives, it is my honor to recognize Captain McKee for his service to our nation in uniform and to the citizens of Henderson County as the District Attorney.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I am humbled today to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Robert Roach for his service to our country. Lieutenant Colonel Roach joined the United States Army Air Forces as an Aviation Cadet in November of 1942, was called to active duty in January of 1945, and beginning at age 21, piloted his B 17 through 35 missions into Germany during World War II. During one of these missions, his plane was hit by ground fire. Fearful that they would not make it, he ordered his crew to bail out. Thankfully, he survived and continued to serve--retiring after 28 years in the Air Force and Air Force Reserve. As the Member of Congress for the Fifth District of Texas in the United States House of Representatives, it is my honor to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Roach for his service and acts of bravery that allow us the freedoms we enjoy today.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes. It is important for us to remember why we are here. We are here because the President's policies have failed--a trillion-dollar deficit, a second trillion-dollar deficit, a third trillion-dollar deficit, and now a fourth trillion-dollar deficit--putting the Nation on the road to bankruptcy. That's why we have a reconciliation bill before us. I hear my friends on the other side of the aisle talk about deep cuts. The deepest cuts that are happening in America today are to the family budgets of breadwinners who are either unemployed or underemployed due to the economic policies of this administration. We just got the news last month: the third month in a row where job growth is down. We're not even keeping pace. We have the lowest labor force participation rate in 30 years because, Mr. Speaker, people have given up on the Obama economy. Those are the deep cuts that truly count. Republicans have a plan for America's job creators. We want to get this economy going; and as we do, as people go back to work, they will get off of the welfare checks and onto the paychecks. That's what counts. So Republicans have brought forth a reconciliation plan that says, You know what? Maybe we ought to quit spending money we don't have, and maybe this will help provide part of the confidence that job creators need to put America back to work. I am very proud of the work that was done on the Financial Services Committee, among other things, to end the perpetual Wall Street bailout fund that was put in by the Democrats in the Dodd-Frank bill, because if you lose your ability to fail in America, you lose your ability to succeed, and the American people are tired of the bailouts. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Canseco).

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the remaining 1\1/2\ minutes. The American people know that after the Nation's first, second, third, and now fourth trillion-dollar deficit--the American people know after the worst employment record in 30 years--that the problem is with the President's economic policies. Ultimately, the debate comes down to this: Do we have a debt crisis because Washington spends too much or because the American people are undertaxed? My colleagues on the other side of the aisle say a nation can tax its way into economic growth, that it can tax its way into economic prosperity. They want to impose taxes on 40 percent of the income on small businesses, and they somehow think they will create more jobs. Mr. Speaker, if you gave them every job-harming tax increase that they have asked for, it would be roughly 16 percent of the additional $11 trillion of debt that the President wants to put on this economy, our children and our grandchildren. The American people know we can do better. It is time to quit spending money we don't have for jobs the stimulus program never creates. I'm proud to be a part of this reconciliation package which will save the draconian cuts that are aimed at our warfighters and their families and be able to begin the process of ensuring that a great Nation lives within its means and that we can give the next generation greater hope, greater opportunity, greater economic growth. I urge all my colleagues to support this reconciliation bill. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 1 minute to the distinguished chairman of the Financial Services Committee, the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bachus).

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer).

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to recognize the outstanding achievement of the Trinity Valley Community College Lady Cardinals as the 2012 National Junior College Athletics Association (NJCAA) Division I Women's Basketball Champions. This marks the 6th NJCAA Championship for the Lady Cardinals. In a 69 to 55 victory, the Lady Cards closed out their season with a perfect 36-0 record. That kind of differential is remarkable and a true testament to the great coaching staff of Co-Head Coaches Kenya and Michael Landers, Assistant Coach Courtney Simmons, and Coaching Assistant Jeremy Bonin. Trinity Valley Community College President Dr. Glendon Forgey, faculty, staff, and students are to be commended for their continued contributions to success both on the court and in the classroom. Team members include: ShaQuita Arnick, Jenea Barrett, Starr Breedlove, ShaKayla Caples, Taneshia Davis, Keuna Flax, Brittney Gill, Ashley Jones, Breanna Lewis, Alice Robinson, and Keiana Vines. On behalf of the citizens of Athens and the Fifth District of Texas, I am honored to be able to recognize the Lady Cardinals in the United States House of Representatives.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Speaker, today I would like to take a moment to honor the life of Mr. Henry Madgwick of Terrell, Texas. Henry, known to those closest to him as Harry, passed away on March 10, 2012. Harry was born on May 16, 1923 in Hampshire, England to William Henry and Emma Mary Madgwick. At 16 years of age, Harry volunteered for Home Guard, which was a defense organization in the United Kingdom during World War II. Soon after joining the Home Guard, Harry was drafted into the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a cadet and at 17 years of age was made a squad leader in the Air Training Corps (ATC). The Lend-Lease Act was signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on March 11, 1941. The President described the Lend-Lease Act as ``helping to put out the fire in your neighbor's house before your own house caught fire and burned down.'' During World War II, thousands of British pilots learned to fly at six civilian training schools in the United States. The first and largest of the schools, known as the No. 1 British Flying Training School (BFTS), was in Terrell, Texas, located in Kaufman County. After the United States entered the war, American Aviation Cadets also trained at the school. More than 2,000 Royal Air Force and American Army Air Force pilots earned their wings in the skies over North Texas between 1941 and 1945 to help our nation achieve victory--including Harry, who arrived in 1944. Harry met his soon-to-be wife, Kate Weatherford, in Terrell while training. Once the war ended and Harry was discharged from the military, he returned to Terrell and lived there for the rest of his life. Kate and Harry were married for 47 years until her passing in 1993. In 1995, he remarried to Kate Marriot Sanders, a widow of another RAF pilot who was trained at the No. 1 BFTS in Terrell. She passed away in 2001. Harry was a fixture in Terrell, having served as Mayor, Chairman of the Baseball Committee, Director of Terrell Youth Council, the Terrell Park Board, and countless other boards and committees in the community. In 1974, he was named the Terrell Rotary Club Citizen of the Year. Most notably, though, Harry could always be found working as the President of the BFTS Museum. The BFTS Museum, located at the site of the No. 1 BFTS, was dear to Harry's heart. He had a wealth of knowledge and passion for the BFTS and has left a historic legacy for not only the city of Terrell, but for two grateful nations. On behalf of the citizens of Terrell and the Fifth District of Texas, I am honored to recognize the life of Mr. Henry Madgwick and recognize the lasting impact he had on the Terrell community and this country.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. So we know it's the middle-income who will end up paying this. Second point: we repealed the President's failed health care program, the one that we now understand is going to cost almost $2 trillion, the one that now the Congressional Budget Office tells us will cost almost 2 million jobs, and the one that creates the Independent Payment Advisory Board, as the chairman has said, that includes 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats who will begin making health care decisions for our seniors, like my 79-year-old mother, my 83-year-old father. You know, if one of them needs a hip replacement, if one of them needs a heart bypass, I want that decision to be made between them and their doctor, not the 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats who have one, and only one, purpose, and that is to impose price controls and ration the quality and access to health care for our seniors. You know, I hear the buzz line, but it seems to me that ends Medicare as we know it. Looting $500 billion out of Medicare to pay for the President's health care, that seems to end Medicare as we know it. Putting a global price cap, that seems to end Medicare as we know it. And most of all--since we've heard from the trustees of the Medicare and Social Security trust fund that it's going broke--allowing it to go broke, which our friends on the other side of the aisle do, seems to me to be ending Medicare as we know it. Our budget will end the road to bankruptcy by controlling spending. Under the President's budget, spending has gone from its traditional 20 percent of our economy to 24 percent, and it's on its way to 40 percent over the course of the next generation. Our budget will control spending and limit government so we can have unlimited opportunity. What is this debate truly about, Mr. Chairman? Here's what I think it's about. And I have shared this correspondence with my colleagues before. I heard from the Calhoun family in Winnsboro, Texas, about this debt. And he wrote me: Congressman, I have never felt so embarrassed and ashamed about anything I have done in my life as I do about leaving this mess in the laps of Tyler and Caitlynn, my precious grandkids. I have written both of them a heartfelt apology for them to read when they get old enough to understand what I allowed our country's governing authority to do to them. Mr. Chairman, we have no greater moral responsibility than to preserve the blessings of liberty and opportunity for this gentleman's grandchildren and the next generation. It's what we do. We are Americans. We're not just operating on borrowed money. We're operating on borrowed time.

Mr. HENSARLING. Two paths. Two choices. One duty. I hope history records that we acted worthy of ourselves, that we acted worthy of our forefathers, that we acted worthy of this great Republic for which so many have sacrificed over the years. No more borrowed time. No more borrowed money. Let's seize the moment in history. Let's adopt the Republican Path to Prosperity budget.

Mr. HENSARLING. I thank the chairman for yielding, and I especially thank him for his national leadership on this pressing issue of the national debt. Mr. Chairman, last week, Secretary Geithner came up to Capitol Hill to warn of the threat to the American economy of the European debt crisis. Now, Mr. Chairman, the American people know that the greater threat to the American economy is the American debt crisis. We face the absolute worst debt crisis in America's history, and yet it has been almost 3 years since both House and Senate Democrats have submitted a budget--almost 3 full years. Now, to his credit, the President has submitted a budget. To his shame, it adds $11 trillion to our national debt on top of the $5 trillion that he has already imposed of additional national debt. Mr. Chairman, everyone knows that the spending trajectory of the Federal Government is unsustainable. And what does our President do in his budget? He takes an unsustainable spending trajectory and doubles down. He makes it more unsustainable, which makes it unconscionable. Perhaps worst of all, Mr. Chairman, even though he knows what the drivers of our national insolvency are, he refuses to deal with them. But don't take my word for it. Listen to the editorial pages of major U.S. newspapers, many of which are pretty liberal in their orientations. The Boston Herald writes: President Barack Obama has apparently decided that he is not going to be part of the solution to the Nation's enormous deficit, which would make him, yes, part of the problem. The LA Times: It's past time for the administration to lay out a credible plan for bringing the deficit and debt under control. Sadly, Obama's budget proposal shows that he would rather wait until after the election to have that reckoning. USA Today: The best test of a budget proposal these days is whether it reins in the national debt. The election year budget President Obama sent to Congress on Monday fails that test. It's pretty clear the President's policies have failed and are hampering our economic recovery. Because they have failed, regrettably, our President has resorted to the politics of division and envy, which is fairly evident in his budget. He has not appealed to the better angels of our disposition and not to the noblest aspirations of our fellow citizens. Instead, he appeals to their basic instincts. The Nation is truly, truly at a crossroads between two very, very different paths. The President's path is one of crushing, unsustainable debt; a massive tax increase on struggling families and small business; and, most troubling, a diminished future for our children and grandchildren. In short, it is the road to becoming a European-style social democracy of the 21st century. Mr. Chairman, it is past time to quit spending money we don't have. It is past time to quit borrowing almost 40 cents on the dollar, much of it from the Chinese, so we can just turn around and send the bill to our children and our grandchildren. Where the President and other Democrats have failed to lead, House Republicans, under the leadership of our Budget chairman, Paul Ryan, have acted. We have a vastly different path for America's future. It is a path of opportunity. It is a path for economic growth. It is the path to prosperity, and it is the path of fiscal sustainability that, over time, not just reduces the national debt but will pay it off. Number one, let's look at the differences. Our budget would absolutely prevent the President's single largest tax increase in American history, $1.9 trillion of new taxes to be imposed upon our job creators and other hardworking Americans. And you know what's ironic, Mr. Chairman? Even if you gave the President every single job-hampering tax increase he's asked for, it's about 16, maybe 17 percent of the $11 trillion he wants to add to the national debt. You can't tax your way out of this problem, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Mr. Chairman, regrettably the President's policies have failed and continue to harm our economy. We were told if we would pass the stimulus plan, unemployment would never exceed 8 percent, and instead it's exceeded 8 percent for 37 straight months. We were told that the President would cut the deficit in half, and instead we have the worst debt in our Nation's history. We were told he would take steps to reduce the price of oil, and instead gas prices have doubled at the pump. One more of his policies that has failed is clearly his health care plan. We were told that it would create jobs, but instead every day I hear from job creators in the Fifth District of Texas who write me things like: ObamaCare will put a tremendous burden on my company. I can't put a 5-year plan in place. I therefore have to withhold cash for expansion. I also hear things like: I could start two companies and hire multiple people, but based on this administration and the lack of facts with ObamaCare, I will continue to sit and wait. We know now that the Congressional Budget Office says that the health care plan will cost us almost a million jobs from this economy. We were also told that if we pass this that health care would be more affordable and lower premiums, but instead the Congressional Budget Office now tells us that the new benefit mandates will force premiums to rise in the individual market by $2,100 per family. Any way you look at it, the President's health care law is harming job growth; it's harming our economy. But perhaps even more ominously, it's the infamous Independent Payment Advisory Board, section 3403 of the act, that will harm our seniors. The IPAB is going to be comprised of 15 unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats handpicked by the President. Their sole job is going to be to ration health care to our seniors and impose Federal price controls. This will undoubtedly slash senior access to doctors and to other providers. They literally will be making decisions about the health of our loved ones, our parents, and our grandparents. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services actuary has confirmed that large reductions in Medicare payment rates to physicians would likely have serious implications for beneficiary access to care utilization, intensity, and quality of services. Mr. Chairman, when it comes to my parents, both of whom are on Medicare, no government acronym, no government bureaucrat, no government board can ever substitute for the good judgment of their chosen family doctor. That's why today I'm proud to stand with my colleagues here to vote to repeal the IPAB. Once again, we need to repeal the President's health care plan and do it today.

Mr. HENSARLING

Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Chair, I move that the Committee do now rise.