Mike Johnson

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Chair, in closing, I have mentioned that this is a matter of fairness and common sense. We need to do right by our farmers and ranchers, and I urge my colleagues to support the amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, this Sunday marks the beginning of Small Business Week, where, as a nation, we come together to show support for the many risk takers, entrepreneurs, and mom-and- pop shops that make America great. More than 99 percent of all businesses in the United States are classified as small businesses, and they are responsible for two out of every three jobs that are created in this country. That is why we often refer to small businesses as the backbone of the U.S. economy. Thankfully, the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act has given a boost to these operations, which is directly translating into more jobs, better pay, and new investments and expansion across America. I have traveled all across the 15 parishes of my district, Mr. Speaker, over the last few months, and no matter where I go, our constituents tell us how the historic reform has helped them and all of our local mom-and-pop shops. Hardworking Americans everywhere, from all walks of life, are reaping the benefits of our reforms, and the best is yet to come. So, for Small Business Week, which is next week, I want to thank all those who truly are the backbone of our economy. Keep up the good work, and we will continue to fight for you in Washington.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on H.R. 4790 because I was in Louisiana attending a family event. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 139.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Estes).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Walker), the distinguished chair of our Republican Study Committee.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Jenkins).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am glad to hear the gentleman openly acknowledge that not a single Democrat voted for the tax cut. I am sure the American people would love to hear that. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Jordan).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes. Mr. Speaker, as virtually every American now understands, Washington is broken. For years, Congress has spent irresponsibly and with what seems to be little or no thought for how it might affect future generations. We are passing along a bill that our children and grandchildren may never be able to pay, and it is as immoral as it is unsustainable. Meanwhile, our Nation's top military officials have repeatedly warned Congress that the number one threat to our national security is our debt. We have no choice now but to correct this wrong and institute policies that promote fiscal responsibility. Currently, our national debt exceeds $20 trillion, and the number increases every second. Mr. Speaker, when I do townhalls back home, I put the debt clock up on the screen very often and allow our constituents to watch that clock toll. It is frightening. The last omnibus package, which is a whopping 2,232 pages in length, allocated another $1.3 trillion. That is about $582 million of Federal spending per page. Our government is out of control, and we have to put an end to the dangerous and clearly excessive spending patterns that are coming out of Washington and out of this body. As I have said on more than one occasion, people all across America sit down at their kitchen tables and create budgets for their families. Small businesses make countless sacrifices to manage their balance sheets. And our government should act no differently. We cannot continue to spend money we don't have and drive ourselves further into the debt of hostile nations like China, who is the primary creditor in holding all of our debt. Passing a balanced budget amendment is a commonsense solution that will put us back on the right track and restore fiscal sanity to the Congress. The balanced budget amendment will ensure our government acts as a good steward of America's tax dollars, not only today, but for all the days in the future. It has the potential to make the bloated budgets of Washington a thing of the past. Opponents of this amendment will say that passing this will force serious cuts to our budget. And to that we respond and say: Of course it will. We simply cannot get out of the hole that we have created without making tough decisions. But that is our job. That is why we are elected as the duly elected representatives of the people. Right now, our country faces a point of no return with our debt, and there should be nothing controversial about telling our Federal Government to act within its means. This is simply about aligning and agreeing upon our top priorities. Thomas Jefferson said that the representatives of a nation should never take on more debt than they themselves can pay in their own lifetime. We abandoned that principle a long time ago, and, unfortunately, we have already far exceeded that amount in this body and in our lifetime, and it is now our moral obligation to right this wrong. This is really about who we are as Americans, if you listen to the Founders. That is why I urge my colleagues to support the balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, and help restore and preserve the American Dream for our children and for all future generations. We owe that to the country. Fiscal sanity, responsibility, and good stewardship is why we were sent here, and it is what we must do. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Mrs. Handel).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Byrne).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, and I ask unanimous consent that he may control that time.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Harris for this time this evening and all of our strong colleagues who are standing with us today for the Constitution and for the sanctity of human life. You know, Psalm 127 says: Children are a heritage from the Lord, a reward from him. For most women, of course, finding out they are pregnant is certainly a beautiful moment in their life. Often, it is an answer to years of prayer. However, of course, there are times when the heavy responsibility of carrying a child can bring uncertainty. That is why the work of thousands of pro-life pregnancy centers throughout our Nation is so vital. Hundreds of thousands of women have sought the guidance and the services of these pregnancy centers nationwide, and they have been embraced and supported with unconditional love and care throughout their entire pregnancies. These centers serve the woman, the child, and their whole family. There are more than six pregnancy care centers in Louisiana's Fourth Congressional District--that is my district--from the Community Care Center, the Northwest Louisiana Crisis Pregnancy Center, and Mary's House in the northern part of our district to the Community Pregnancy Center, the New Life Crisis Pregnancy Center, and the Cenla Pregnancy Center in the southern part of our district. These centers work day in and day out to serve our communities. I know these folks well. They are selfless servants down in the trenches. Over the past two decades, I have provided pro bono legal services to almost all of these centers and many more around the country, and I have often defended their causes in court because I believe so very strongly in what they do: they save lives and they provide critical care, like performing ultrasounds and counseling services and parenting classes and so much more, and they do this at zero cost to the persons who are receiving these vital services. They also do it with zero Federal funding, by the way, and they save their clients and taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. As fathers and mothers and sisters and brothers and friends, I think Members of Congress have to stand with these pregnancy care centers throughout our districts, and we ought to support these women and their children and their families, especially in times as precious as pregnancy when they need us most. As Dr. Harris mentioned, on March 20, my former colleagues at the Alliance Defending Freedom will stand before the U.S. Supreme Court, and they will argue on behalf of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and its affiliated pregnancy centers in California. All of us ask and expect the High Court to protect the freedom of speech not just for pregnancy care centers, but for anyone who would be forced by the government to speak a message that contradicts their sincerely held beliefs. It is absolutely absurd for the State of California to try to force pro-life centers to provide information on abortion services. The outcome of this case could not only affect the freedom of speech for every American, it could save countless innocent lives. This is a pivotal moment in our Nation's history, and we pray the Court will uphold our fundamental liberty, the sanctity of every single human life, and the best of our American traditions.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, we have heard some outrageous arguments from our colleagues on the other side in the last hour or so. I have heard things like the argument that this is unnecessarily legislating medical standards. They said that this should be a matter of medical judgment. Really? A commitment to the sanctity of every single human life is essential to who we are as Americans and, more fundamental than that, who we are as human beings. They have also argued that this is a solution in search of a problem, but they ignore the data. According to the CDC, between 2003 and 2014, 588 of the infant deaths reported included a record that the cause of death was ``termination of pregnancy affecting a fetus and a newborn.'' The CDC acknowledges that this could be an underestimate. I can tell you from my own experience, firsthand, over two decades litigating against the abortion industry in Louisiana that that industry always underreports their numbers of terminations and, certainly, their complications. Just yesterday, I spoke with my friend Brandi in Baton Rouge. She is, herself, a survivor of a failed abortion attempt. She was left to die, and now she lives with severe disabilities because of that. She is a passionate advocate for life. Mr. Speaker, every single one of us should be. The most important responsibility of a just government is to defend the defenseless. With the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act, it is necessary to protect the most vulnerable in our society, and I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey and all of our colleagues here tonight for standing for the sanctity of every human life. Mr. Speaker, I was born on January 30, 1972, 357 days before Roe v. Wade became the law of the land. Before I came to Congress, for almost 20 years, I defended religious freedom and the sanctity of human life in the courts and the court of public opinion. We often summarized our conviction on this issue by stating, very simply, what I have said in this Chamber now many times, that this is part of the very foundation of our Republic. It was the British philosopher, G.K. Chesterton, who said one time: ``America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.'' He said that creed is articulated with ``theological lucidity in the Declaration of Independence.'' What is the creed? We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal and that they were endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. Among these are the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The Founders understood that this is essential to who we are as Americans, but, more fundamentally than that, who we are as human beings. They understood that because we are made in the imagine of a holy God, every single person has inestimable dignity and value. And our value is not related in any way to our race, our socioeconomic status, where we came from, where we went to school, how talented we are, or what we may be able to contribute to society. Our value is inherent because it is given to us by God. It is for all of these reasons we fight for the sanctity of every human life, we cherish our children as a heritage from the Lord--as the scripture says--and we defend the defenseless. It is our solemn obligation before the Lord, and I pray that we are always faithful in doing so.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. Our constitutional right to keep and bear arms should not be confined by State lines. Yet, currently, a person who has legally obtained a concealed carry permit in one State can be denied that right by simply crossing the State's border. Consider my own home State of Louisiana. Our laws rightfully allow for licensed carrying of concealed firearms. I am a concealed carry permit holder myself. When a Louisianian leaves the State, however, our valid concealed carry handgun permit becomes void, absent an agreement from the State we may be in or traveling through. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act that we vote upon today ensures that law-abiding citizens with a concealed carry permit are not denied their Second Amendment right simply because they travel to other States. The Constitution should know no such bound. It does so while also recognizing States' rights by clearly noting that concealed carry holders must follow the law of each and every jurisdiction. As a constitutional law attorney myself, it is critically important to me that the fundamental right of every law-abiding citizen to keep and bear arms is protected; and, yes, this legislation is about preserving our God-given freedoms. It is about public safety, and it is about common sense. As noted, our letter by 23 States attorneys general, including my own home State of Louisiana, affirms that concealed carry laws deter crime. As my friend and colleague, Sheriff Rutherford, just said here so well, he reminded us that law enforcement wants the good guys to be armed. The Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act protects our Second Amendment right, and I encourage my colleagues to support this important legislation. I want to thank Congressman Hudson for introducing H.R. 38 and Chairman Goodlatte for advancing this legislation through the House Judiciary Committee. I am proud to be a part of this historic legislation.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to rise and honor the Friendship Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) of Lisbon, LA, for its historic impact upon our nation and to the State of Louisiana. Friendship CME Church helped to unify the Claiborne Parish community around faith and family during the most trying times of our history. At the height of the civil rights movement from 1965 to 1974 and beyond, Friendship CME Church served as the heart of the African American community and opened its doors for the meetings of local civil rights leaders. Many of the major contributions to the Claiborne Parish civil rights movement were conceptualized within Friendship CME Church, and the church played a central role in the community as a safe haven for those working to protect the dignity of every human life. Friendship CME Church was founded between 1900 and 1915. The current structure was rebuilt by the congregation in 1933, after the original church building was destroyed by a violent tornado that tore through Claiborne Parish in 1932. With only a few modifications, today's building largely resembles the original structure. This 1933 building still stands to this day as a testimony to the resilience and fortitude of the Friendship CME community. In recognition of the church's integral contributions in advancing the Claiborne Parish civil rights movement, the National Park Service listed the Friendship CME Church in the National Register of Historic Places in May 2016. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress and the people of Northwest Louisiana, I am honored to recognize the Friendship Christian Methodist Episcopal Church for the exceptionally important role it played during the civil rights movement in our region and in our nation. I, along with my wife, Kelly, pray the Lord continues to use this congregation as a beacon of hope for generations to come.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material in the Record.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, we have heard a lot in this debate today. One thing is abundantly clear. Virtually every hardworking citizen in this country recognizes our genuine need for tax reform. Let me summarize some of the facts that have been presented today. The burdensome 70,000-page U.S. Tax Code has grown to be unreasonably complex, increasingly unfair, and filled with special interest loopholes. American companies are taxed at the highest rate in the industrialized world, and the government takes even more from our small-business owners and our entrepreneurs. As a result, our economic growth is stagnant, companies have gradually shifted their manufacturing and operations overseas, and families are struggling just to keep up. Today, the hurdles in our system seem almost insurmountable for hardworking people as they are afforded fewer and fewer opportunities for economic mobility. For previous generations, it was a different deal. We had the American Dream. The American Dream was defined by a simple promise: if you were willing to work hard and sacrifice and play by the rules, you could make a better life for yourself and your family. But today, our outdated Tax Code has pushed that dream beyond the grasp of more and more people. The good news is we can fix this problem, and we are going to do that in this Chamber tomorrow. For the first time in over 30 years, Congress has a historic opportunity to pass landmark tax reform that will be a turboboost to this economy, and it is going to lead us to a fairer system, as we said so many times, with more jobs and bigger paychecks for everyone. Our Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, H.R. 1, will deliver significant tax reductions for low- and middle-income earners, and it will help Americans in every level of our economy. The bill, which draws from 6 years of intensive work and expert analysis from more than 40 different congressional hearings, lowers individual income taxes by consolidating the existing seven brackets into four and doubling the standard deduction for everyone. It also establishes a new family tax credit. It provides higher education benefits. It repeals the death tax. It preserves deductions for mortgage interest and charitable donations and property taxes, and it incentivizes saving for retirement. Tax returns will become incredibly simple for the first time in my lifetime because 9 out of 10 Americans will be able to complete their annual filing on a form the size of a postcard. The bill's business tax reforms are equally seismic because we are going to slash our draconian corporate tax from 35 percent, the highest in the world, to 20 percent, and we are going to institute the lowest rates for small business job creators since World War II. U.S. companies will finally be allowed to compete again on a level playing field and bring their jobs and operations back home from overseas. The independent Tax Foundation estimated that our plan will result in the creation of approximately 975,000 full-time American jobs and an increase in family incomes of 4.4 percent, on average. In Louisiana, for example, that would mean 13,293 new jobs and $1,857 of additional after-tax income for our average middle class families. The American people have long deserved a simpler, fairer, and effective system that rewards hard work and allows taxpayers to keep and invest more of what they earn. Our plan will finally provide that relief and spark the dramatic economic growth our Nation has so desperately needed. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is about more than just smart legislation. It is about a revival of that American Dream I referenced. That has one agenda that should unite every single one of us, and we hope all of our colleagues will support this historic landmark piece of legislation tomorrow. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Budd), a great American small-business owner himself.

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas, who is always eloquent. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington).

Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, there is a trend here tonight. Those who are addressing the House this evening have had their own experience with this burdensome Tax Code. They have been small- business owners, entrepreneurs, job creators, and farmers, like my friend from Kentucky. I appreciate their zeal for this issue. Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Garrett), a former prosecutor, an Army veteran, and always a good voice to reason.