Steve Kagen

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. I appreciate what you just said, but it raises another question. When you indicate that there is a question of immunity, is that not another word for ``amnesty''? Is it correct to say that the current President, President Bush, is seeking amnesty? And if we are going to give amnesty to someone, isn't it a natural thing to ask what are we forgiving somebody for? Don't you think we should understand exactly what someone did before we forgive them and give them amnesty? Isn't that a reasonable thing to ask?

Mr. KAGEN. Isn't that also one of the reasons why we were sent here to Washington to try to fix this situation where the 109th Congress failed to ask questions, failed to ask the pertinent questions, failed to hold hearings to find out what it is we are fighting for, why we really invaded Iraq, where's our money being spent? I've been told that 20 percent of the money we spent in Iraq is simply unaccounted for. And 20 percent of over a trillion dollars is a lot of billions of dollars. So I think the 110th Congress has a duty, a responsibility, and, yes, a constitutional responsibility to balance the balance of power, to reset the balance, and to also investigate wherever possible and ask questions. So the questions I would pose to my Republican friends is, what is it you're afraid of? What is it that someone has done wrong? And whom is it we are trying to protect? Are we trying to protect America, or are we trying to protect special interests, either the telephone industry or the people that ask them to break the law in the White House? Do you think it's possible that what they are really concerned about is their own immunity in the White House? Is that a possibility?

Mr. KAGEN. But isn't it also true that not every telephone company bent over and yielded information that was constitutionally protected under the fourth amendment? Isn't it true that Quest in Colorado said, no, not without a court order? And isn't it true that what we are trying to obtain is judicial oversight of the executive branch? And isn't it also a fact that the telephone companies didn't just volunteer the information, that they were being paid to do so, and at one point when they weren't being paid, they stopped turning over the information and stopped the wiretaps? So I don't think it's just out of a patriotic duty that the companies had. There was a monetary compensation that went along with it. So I think that we have a constitutional duty and the right as representatives of the people that we have the honor of serving to ask these questions and to bring out the reality and the truth of this situation.

Mr. KAGEN. Just to follow up, if I understand what you are saying, what we are really talking about is everybody's personal individual liberty and their rights as guaranteed under the Constitution, and that giving blanket immunity without asking any questions would be giving away individual liberties and rights. Is that correct, Mr. Perlmutter?

Mr. KAGEN. Well, I thank you for yielding. There were two very valuable lessons that I learned during my campaign and election to Congress. The first lesson was that people will believe a lie if it's represented to them with great skill on television repeatedly. People will believe something that just simply isn't true. Here, the kind way of putting it is misrepresentation of reality. I am continuously amazed at how people are misrepresenting reality. We have never gone dark in our intelligence community. We have continued to survey those who seek to attack us and do us harm. We must stand strong behind our Constitution, and most especially our fourth amendment rights, which reads, ``The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons and things to be seized.'' Now if someone in the United States is seeking immunity, I ask my colleague, Mr. Perlmutter, what could be the reasons for seeking amnesty or immunity?

Mr. KAGEN. Before I yield to my colleague from Iowa (Mr. Braley), I have got a question. Millions of people are thinking to themselves right now, and have been, gee, I haven't done anything wrong. What have I got to be worried about? What have they got to be worried about?

Mr. KAGEN. If I may ask a question, because I really appreciate your legal acumen, it is good to have roommates that are attorneys. So what you are explaining to us is that I have a right to my own phone records. That the records the phone company might have are not their records. They really are my personal files, and they are entrusted with that information on my behalf and cannot release that information to anyone without my permission or a court order. Did I hear you correctly?

Mr. KAGEN. I appreciate the question. I am not very good with analogies, but it kind of sounds like a blind umpire, doesn't it? If we don't know what we are looking at, how can we judge if it is fair or foul or a strike or a ball, in baseball parlance. But let me come back to this idea about cherry picking our laws and cherry picking it apart to the point where the law doesn't mean anything. Earlier today in this Chamber we had the distinct privilege of passing a law about mental health care, about mental health care insurance. We laid the foundation, the foundation that would establish our constitutional rights in health care, so that people will not be discriminated against on the basis of a preexisting condition, albeit mental health care or a heart condition or otherwise. But the idea of cherry picking our Constitution and our laws, are the signing statements, the many hundreds of signing statements by this administration or by this President, is that a sign or a symptom of cherry picking our laws? Is this a situation we are in now, where we finally have found a President that doesn't believe in the Constitution, that won't enforce the laws, either immigration or our constitutional rights? Mr. Perlmutter?

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, joining me this evening is Congressman Altmire from Pennsylvania. I think it's only fitting that on this Valentine's Day we begin to have a discussion about health care in America. It's a heartwarming day. It's a day of friendship, a day of conversation between one's loved ones. When I was sent here by the people of northeast Wisconsin, I was sent here to listen to their concerns. In my previous existence, I was a physician caring for many thousands of people across northeast Wisconsin. And I continue to listen to them while I'm here in the halls of Congress, and I want to share in the first few minutes of this hour some of their conversations with me. Tom and Sue Wright from New London, when I asked them what was important to them, 50 million people without health insurance is a disgrace. Tom and Sue are right, but they're not alone. Bob from Green Bay writes, ``If taxpayers can't get the same health insurance as Congress, at least get drug costs down so we can afford our pills.'' What about from Casco, Russ writes, ``I'm 60 years old, and I have a $5,000 deductible on my health insurance per family member; all of my health expenses out of pocket. We need help desperately.'' That's Russ in Casco. In Greenville, it's the same story. This is from Al and Linda. ``As we near retirement, we know we can't afford health insurance premiums or drugs on our own. Please help. We're getting towards retirement. We don't have the money.'' From De Pere, it's Kathleen. ``It's time for all Americans to have the same health care benefits as their Representatives in Washington.'' And finally, from Crivitz, Al writes, ``Without a job that pays a fair wage, I won't have money to pay for health care, gas, a war, Social Security, or anything else.'' My friends, my colleagues, it's time for us to have an open and honest discussion about what's important in America. And if it's not your health, I don't know what it is. Because if you don't have your health, you don't have anything. I yield to my colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. Altmire).

Mr. KAGEN. I appreciate your being here tonight, Mr. Altmire. Your contributions to Congress have already been exemplary, and I look forward to working with you in the future on health care issues. And it's not just you and I, it's not just the Members of the class of 2006, a group I call America's hope for a real change and a positive change in the direction of our country, it's not just the people that call us up, not just the people who send us postcards, not just my patients back home; but it's the most trusted person in Washington, DC that understands the importance of health care costs today. And who is that person? That's our Comptroller General, David Walker, who, on January 28 before the Senate Budget Committee, had these words to say: ``Under any plausible scenario, the Federal budget is on an imprudent and unsustainable path. Rapidly rising health care costs are not simply a Federal budget problem; they are our Nation's number one fiscal challenge. The growth in health-related spending is the primary driver of the fiscal challenges facing the State and local governments. Unsustainable growth in health care spending is a system-wide challenge that also threatens to erode the ability of employers to provide coverage for their workers and undercuts our ability to compete in a global marketplace.'' And he went on to say that the key points in his presentation are: ``Although recently declines in our annual budget deficit are good news, our longer-term fiscal outlook is worse, and absent meaningful action, we will face spiraling levels of debt. Our long-term fiscal challenge is primarily a health care challenge.'' Well, I think the Comptroller General has it right. It's our health care challenge. And people every day in Wisconsin and across the country are challenged when they receive in the mail a solicitation from an insurance company, one such as this: with happy smiling faces on the front, they invite you to call an 800 number to see if you qualify. But here's the list, and it reads: ``Important information about preexisting conditions. Although we make every effort to extend coverage to all applicants, not everyone will qualify. If you have had treatment for any of the following conditions, you may not qualify for coverage.'' And it lists a long list of conditions that many millions of people have. And at the very end there is a real teaser, and it says: ``This list is not all-inclusive. Other conditions may apply.'' My friends and my fellow Americans, I believe it's time on this Valentine's Day, February 14 of 2008, to bring an end to the discriminatory actions that insurance companies now enjoy. We have to bring an end to the discrimination against any citizen in this country based on their preexisting medical conditions. Before I highlight the bill that I am putting in for submission today called No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act, I'd like to review with you what we have today in our health care system, and it's here to my right. Our health care system is simply unsustainable. There are three tiers to health care. In tier one, in red and orange, we have Medicaid, which is 61 million Americans; and Medicare, 43 million. These people, in general, don't pay for the bill. They don't feel the economic costs because government is providing for their needs in most cases. So in tier one, you have a group of people that aren't paying the bill. In tier two you will pay a portion of your bill, and this has to do with the 149 million Americans that have health insurance. But increasingly today, the health insurance premium is skyrocketing, and the cost for care averages $14,000 each year for a household of four. This price and this cost is beyond what the normal hardworking family in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the country can afford to pay. In tier three, this is the 47 million American citizens who have no health care coverage at all, and I am one of them as the only Member of Congress who has not signed on for health care benefits. For I didn't come here for a benefit; I came here to guarantee access to affordable care for everyone. But 47 million Americans who choose not to purchase insurance either because they don't have the money in their pocket or they can't afford it. So our system, as it exists today, is unsustainable, unbalanced, and is tipping over rapidly. That is why I submitted for passage a bill called the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act. This bill seeks to do three things: first, it guarantees that if you're a citizen, you're in because no insurance company in group or individual health should be allowed to sell you a policy that excludes you from the community. We have to begin again to ensure communities rather than individuals because what's happening amongst the insurance world today is you will be cherry-picked away from your mate. A husband will qualify but not his wife. A mother may be separated from her family. And what's worse, your neighbor may have a completely different health care coverage only because we're being cherry-picked and divided. I believe we have to get back to community ratings. It's not just my opinion. Many millions of Americans agree with me. The SEIU agrees with this idea, families USA as well. And our Constitution, in fact, guarantees any citizen and every citizen has protections against discrimination. This is the result of very long and hard-won gains by ordinary people who for decades showed extraordinary courage fighting for positive change and the rule of law to protect each and every citizen. Now I believe is the time to apply this fundamental principle of anti-discrimination to our health care system, because my patients, quite frankly, cannot hold their breath any longer. And that's why I have introduced this bill, the No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act. This essential piece of legislation will guarantee access to affordable care for every citizen in America by bringing an end to the discriminatory practices employed by insurance companies today who deny lifesaving coverage to millions of Americans only because of a preexisting medical condition. Look, the grim reality is that our Constitution protects us from discrimination unless and until we become sick. I believe our legislation here that I am putting forward will put discrimination where it belongs: in the past. Ending all forms of discrimination is essential, I believe; but it's also time we pull back the veil of secrecy because today the real price of health insurance, the real price of a pill, the real price of a hospital service is hidden. And that's why the second thing that this bill will do is to show us the price, openly disclose the price, and then allow every citizen to purchase that product, that health insurance policy at that same lowest price within the region. Ending all forms of discrimination is paramount and tantamount to why we are here as a Congress. If you go to your favorite restaurant, you'll find the solution to our health care crisis right in front of you. They'll hand you a menu, and when you open the menu and see that your ice cream for dessert might cost $5 for you, what's the price that the person sitting next to you or across the table will pay? $5. Show us the price, and everyone gets to pay the same price. If you go today to a pharmacy anywhere in the country and you're standing in line with five people to buy the same prescription drug, you may all pay five different prices for the same product because the price is not openly disclosed and there isn't a free and open medical marketplace. As a physician for the past 30 years and now as a Congressman for the past 13 months, I understand how difficult it is for families to pay not just their health care bills but their insurance premiums. People today all across the country are choosing between taking their next pill and skipping a meal or vice versa. But you don't have to be a doctor to know our system is broken because ordinary people cannot afford to pay for their health insurance. These skyrocketing costs are excessive. They're simply out of reach for small businesses. They're out of reach for families across America. We need to do more. We need to do more now. We need to pass legislation that contains the essential elements of openly disclosing the price, guaranteeing if you're a citizen, you're in and you will not be discriminated against, and that everyone in your region, every citizen or legal resident can pay the lowest price possible. The reality is our Nation's insurance industry has been successful. It has been successful beyond all measure. And it's been successful by dividing and conquering. Dividing you by your neighbor, dividing up families, and individually insuring people based upon their preexisting condition. We have to put the letters ``unity'' back into community and restore community-based ratings. We can begin to heal our Nation by doing this, by becoming a community once again. My No Discrimination in Health Insurance Act requires companies to openly disclose their price, to charge every citizen the same fee for the same service within the region, and allows all citizens to find a benefit by paying the lowest available price. It will end discrimination in health insurance. It's the right thing to do, and it will reduce the cost for everyone across the country for health care. Simply put, if you're a citizen, you're in, without any discrimination against you due to a previous medical condition. I ask all of you to join me in this effort because it will be a big battle. There are some very strong forces in the insurance industry that don't want to compete for our business. This legislation is essential not just for you and your family; it is essential for small business to survive. The greatest expense everywhere in Wisconsin, as I went around the district to listen to different employers, whether you're in agriculture and a family farmer or a small businessman trying to run a photography shop, the greatest expense in their overhead is their health care cost. We can and we must do better. And we can do better by forming an openly disclosed marketplace where people begin to compete once again for each other's business. This is important. It is essential not because I say so, but because the people that I represent say so and, as I mentioned earlier, the Comptroller General agrees. Everyone in this House, every Member of Congress in the Senate and the House has a health care story to tell. I can share that with you nonconfidentially because they come up to me on the floor and ask me about their health. They ask me about the pills they are taking. And I am here, I am available, and I can't bill them because, well, I have taken an oath. I only get paid by the people I represent. The fact is everybody has a health care story to tell. We have to make certain that we don't discriminate against people based on their political affiliation, be they independent, Democrat, or Republican, but by the condition that they are a citizen and they ought to be involved in the risk pool. Mr. Speaker, I will close my remarks on health care by suggesting very strongly that every Member of Congress consider this. Either you are for discrimination and on the side of the insurance industry or you are against it and you are on the side of the consumer, the patients, and the millions and millions of Americans who need health insurance at prices they can afford to pay. It was said first in the White House several years ago, either you are with us or you are against us. But this bill allows everybody in the House to decide whose side are you on. Whose side are you on? Are you sitting in the boardroom with the CEOs of the insurance company or are you sitting at home at the kitchen table with mothers and fathers who are struggling to pay their bills every month? In my State of Wisconsin, and it is true across the United States, the most common reason that people go bankrupt today is they go bankrupt because they cannot afford their health care bills. They cannot afford this. In Shawano County several months ago when I stopped into the county courthouse, I was told that 19 out of 20 families who had come through an education policy after going bankrupt did so only because they couldn't afford their health care bills. We can and we must do better in America. And it starts by reforming our health care system. When we drive down the cost of health care, we are going to cut taxes for everyone. Now this sounds like it is voodoo economics, but if I lower the cost of doing business for every city, every county, every town, every State in the country by lowering health care costs, I can reduce your taxes. This is not just a health care issue. It is a business issue. It is a tax issue. And, Mr. Speaker, I would like to share with you some words I was privileged to listen to in a small town in the northern part of Wisconsin, a district I have the honor and privilege of representing. It is a city called Niagara, Wisconsin. And as Niagara goes, so goes our Nation. Niagara is a small town of 1,880 people. And the major employer there is a paper mill, which was recently purchased and then closed. Three hundred twenty jobs in this small town are about to disappear in April. And I went to Niagara to interview some people and listen to their concerns to see what government can do to help them. I spoke with George. George is nearly 80 years old. I would like to share with you his words for our country. They will be available, if not today, then tomorrow at my congressional Web site, Kagan.house.gov, as a video clip. I asked George, ``Are you still working?'' And George responded, ``Nope, I'm retired 19 years. Put 41-plus years in there. But what I want to say is that Congress should have been aware of this happening because it has been in all the union papers.'' And he is referring to the closing of the mill, the one major employer in town. ``People been talking about it. They put one or two paper machines out of there. They pulled the machines out. And what do they do? They ship the machine to India. That machine was 100 years old, and now it is operating in India. So why was Congress so lax? All these jobs been deteriorating right along.'' And I asked him, ``How long have you lived here?'' He responded, ``All my life.'' ``You were born right here?'' ``Yup. I will be 80 years in April. And I have five brothers who worked in the paper mill also, 41, 42, 45, they all worked there that long. And my children during the summer months worked in that mill.'' I asked him, ``What did you do in the mill?'' ``I worked on the paper machines.'' ``Which one?'' ``I worked on them all, all machines. Started off in the old mill, number one, went to number two, and then went to number three, and then to number four'' ``And do they have any retirements,'' I asked him, ``at the mill?'' ``I have very good benefits, and I am thankful for that. That is what I am worried about now, though. I was told that at the end of 2008, things are going to change. I am going to have to get something else. I don't know that. Nobody told me that. But that is just the rumor. So we have to start looking into something else.'' He is referring to health care benefits and the prescription pills. ``What makes me mad is that we found out we can get medication in Minnesota and in Canada. And what happens? They tell me I can't do it no more because we would get sued, the company would get sued. They would save the mill about $300 every 3 months, and we would save ourselves $250 every 3 months. And they said, ``No, we can't do it,' so now we have to buy them at Wal-Mart.'' And I asked him, ``So you think there is a better way of doing things?'' ``You better believe it.'' I asked him then at the end of my conversation if there is anything else he would like Congress to hear? If he were talking then with Congress and with President Bush, what would he have to say, what would you ask him to do. And George responded, ``Get on the ball. Take care of the United States, not foreign countries. They always said foreign countries are going to take us from within. They don't have to fight a war with us. Well, that is what is happening right now. They are buying up all the United States.'' George had it right. We have to be able to take care of our own people. I represent people in Wisconsin, not foreign nations. And taking care of people in Wisconsin means, first of all, guarantying them access to health care that they can afford, high-quality care that is delivered right close to home. And how can we do that? How can we afford to continue to pay for those costs when our jobs are being shipped overseas? So, Mr. Speaker, as a close this evening, I would like everyone to begin to think differently in America. Health care is intimately tied up with our employment opportunities, with our jobs. We need higher wage jobs that will sustain America and provide living wages, a living wage that can afford health care. Health care is intimately involved with our jobs and also with our environment and the education of our children. You can't unwrap all of these problems. They are all stuck together. But the single greatest problem we face today is our health care crisis. And by submitting this bill for passage today, the No Discrimination Health in Insurance Act, I hope to lay the first brick in the new wall for the foundation of the House of Health Care. We have to begin to think differently in America, and hopefully that starts today.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, this is not a political exercise nor is it a Hollywood movie, but we can give this a happy ending with a ``yes'' vote today to override the President's veto of an essential bill to guarantee health care to those children who need it most in America. Forty-seven million citizens have no health care coverage at all, zero. And the costs for care are simply out of reach for everyone. People cannot afford to pay their doctor bills, their prescription drugs. They can't afford their hospital tests, and they can't even afford to pay for life-saving cancer therapies. And why? It's simple. They just don't have the money. And what kind of Nation are we when children who are most in need are not being seen in a doctor's office and instead have to go to the more expensive emergency room? We need a uniquely American solution to this crisis, and we need it now because patients cannot hold their breath any longer. Everywhere in the country people are asking, ``Whose side are you on, and why can't Congress work together?'' Well, let's work together today, this day, and reverse President Bush's veto. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on the override. Let's bring an end to this national disgrace. This is for our children on whose future we all depend.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, yesterday, Niagara, Wisconsin--a town of 1,900 people--was hit with an economic earthquake when the new corporate owner of the former Stora Enso paper company, Newpage, announced that every single one of the 319 higher-wage papermaking jobs would be eliminated. The mill is closing. Period. It's gone. The paper company is the primary source of income and the town's tax base. And as Niagara goes, so goes our Nation. Niagara is paying the price for our Nation's unbalanced and unfair trade policies. The NAFTA and CAFTA-style ``fair trade'' policies have failed to produce prosperity that professional politicians promised. These failed trade deals will soon bankrupt hard-working families in Niagara and families all across America. When will the President realize that no one--not even skilled papermakers--can compete against slave labor in Communist China? China has targeted every one of our manufacturing industries for extinction. Textiles, steel, paper, automobiles, toys, pots and pans, even our ammunitions; what's next? We must stop the bleeding of our economy and we must stop it now. We simply cannot afford to lose any more jobs, and we certainly cannot afford to stand by the side of the road and watch the tax base of every city in America disappear. Instead of exporting our jobs, we must begin to export our values, for without a viable economy, we have no freedom. Today, the good people of Niagara have lost their freedom. Congress must hear their voices, their fears, and their prayers. These papermaking jobs put food on their tables and helped pay the mortgages for the 1,880 hard-working families in Niagara. The good people of Niagara need our economic and psychological support--and they need help now, not next year.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Well, thank you very much, Congressman Ed. I really appreciate being with you, not just here on the floor, but many people don't realize that you're my roommate. We've got an apartment. We're working together to pay our rent, we're working together to pay our Nation's bills, and we're working together to build a better nation for everyone. And before I mention anything about our economy, you have to all be thinking about the Green Bay Packers this weekend. We've got a football game up in Green Bay that we're going to rock the world. We're going to demonstrate not just how professionals can work together as a team in athletics, but we have to imitate them here on the House floor by beginning to work across party lines. And if you're looking for a good example of how corporate America should be run, look no further than the Green Bay Packers because they will never, ever be outsourced. They cannot be shipped overseas. Why? Because the community owns the Green Bay Packers. Not a bad example. I'd like to turn your attention to two questions, questions that I think are important for all of us in this class of '06, what some of us call ``America's Hope,'' whose side are we on? Now, does anybody sitting here, standing here having this conversation with America, anybody here sitting in a board room of a major corporation? I don't think so. We're working hard for everyday people who are trying to make it through the day. The second question is, what kind of Nation are we, what kind of Nation are we when we don't educate our children, when we don't guarantee access to affordable health care for every child in America, for every citizen, every legal resident of this country? Who are we now as a Nation? Now, you don't want to talk much about statistics because it will put people to sleep at this hour of the night, but the Department of Labor has given us these numbers. The Consumer Price Index went up by .3 percent. That's a little bit of inflation, a little whiff of what we're going to get at the end of 2008. The unemployment rate up to 5 percent nationwide; some areas of my district even more. We got the news today earlier this morning that a paper maker in Niagara, Wisconsin, they're going to shut down 320 jobs. That's 320 homes in a very small neighborhood that won't have a bread earner, in Kimberly, Wisconsin, just outside of my district, 120 paper making jobs. Now, how does it happen in this country at this time, how does it happen when we allow Communist China to target each and every sector of our economy and our manufacturing economy for extinction? They've targeted our steel. And what happened to steel production? It went down here and went overseas. They've targeted textiles. They've targeted auto production. So, what are we going to make in America? Because if we don't make anything, quite simply put, we won't have anything. The unemployment claims for the month of December, 322,000 jobs lost, people looking for work. What about the minimum wage, $5.85? You can't feed a family on $5.85 per hour. You can't educate yourself and your children. So, we have got a lot of work to do, not just in the Green Bay football game. I don't know who we're playing, some team from New Jersey or the New York Giants. I wish them well. I hope no one is injured because--well, they do have pretty good health insurance, I hear. So, we've got a lot of problems that we have to face together. I am very proud and honored to be able to serve with all of you here tonight as we talk about this economic stimulus, as I send it over to my colleague, Mr. Ellison, who represents the great State of Minnesota. And he is going to, perhaps, allude to the fact that we have to have an economic stimulus that's timely, that's targeted to those who really need it, and temporary.

Mr. KAGEN. Thank you very much for yielding. I just wanted to make a more accurate diagnosis of the condition that you are in. Mr. Walz, it's not $30,000 of Federal debt sitting over your head or your newborn son. It's $375,000 on an accrual basis when you factor into all the debts that we're going to owe to those of us who very soon will be on Social Security or Medicare as we retire. So you have to begin to accurately diagnose the problem in health care, physically, or an architect has to do it, a plumber has to do it. Let's identify what's really going on here. What is it that has caused millions and millions of manufacturing jobs to jump overseas, to be taken away from the workers that we represent, the families that we represent? Because people back home are asking me, as they are asking you, Hey, Kagen, what are you going to do for me? The first thing you have to do is identify the two causes I believe are doing this. First, it's the trade policy. A trade policy that allows corporations to take away our jobs. Listen, Mr. Perlmutter, if I go to your home and I take your car and you don't even know about it, if I steal your car, I go to jail. I get punished for stealing, for taking away your property. But if I go to where you are working, if it's a paper company, if it's a steel factory, if it's some auto manufacturer in Detroit, if I take away your job, I get rich. So there is something wrong with our trade policy that allows communist China to compete unfairly using an abundance of what I would call slave labor. The second reason is we have had a fiscal policy by the Republican administration that has plowed more debt onto everybody. The debt in 2000 on an accrual basis, according to the most trusted man in Washington, David Walker, the Comptroller General of the GAO, was $20 trillion and at the end of 2006 was $53 trillion. From $20 trillion to $53 trillion is a debt no one in this room, no one living today can afford to repay. So we have to repair our trade policies, and we have to come to an end with this policy of borrow and spend and borrow and spend and borrow and spend. We cannot afford to stay on this path. I believe in large part those are the reasons why we came here to the House to do the people's work and why we are going to speak up every day for the people that tell us their problems. And I will share with you just one story of my constituents. I went up north to northern Wisconsin. On the way back, I stopped into Two Angels Restaurant in Antigo to see what's going on, to put my finger on the pulse of their community. And there at the counter was a 55-year-old former carpenter, a former carpenter because he has gone through bankruptcy not once but twice because of health care bills. The first time, since he works by himself, he's his own employer, he went bankrupt because he didn't have enough health insurance when he had cardiac surgery, and the second time he had a new heart valve put in. The second bankruptcy he went through, and he went through it twice, was due to an abscess in his brain. He can't think straight. He can't work. And he's counting on us to do something to help him, to guarantee he has access to health care he and his wife can afford. They can't take away his home, but they have destroyed his spirit. So I think we are here to give hope to everybody, that by working together we will repair not just this idea of borrow and spend with pay as you go, with fiscal responsibility, but also ultimately, and we won't get to it tonight, we have to fashion a trade policy that is not just fair but is balanced. I yield to Mr. Perlmutter.

Mr. KAGEN. Thank you, Mr. Walz. I certainly appreciate it. I think what people in Wisconsin are telling me in Green Bay and Clintonville, everywhere I go throughout my district, is they want their country back. I was walking in a parade and a lifetime Republican pulled me over and said, hey, Doc, we sent you to Washington because I want my country back. I said, Exactly what do you mean by that? He said, Heck, I want a border I can see and defend. I want my Nation back. Without any borders, we cease to exist. I agree with him. Several blocks later in that same parade a retired teacher pulled me in and said, Hey, Kagen, we sent you to Congress because we want our country back. I said, What is this, an epidemic? I said, What do you mean by that? He said, Well, I want my constitutional rights back. I want my government to protect my fourth amendment rights, my rights to habeas corpus. People want their country back. We all feel it here in Washington. We want our country back. We don't want to take it back; we want our values back. We want a government again that believes in being responsible with our hard-earned tax dollars. Everywhere I go, I ask people in Wisconsin, Hey, I'm working for you. I'm your hired hand. I have got your hard-earned tax money here from your family. Where do you want me to spend it, overseas or right back here at home? And everybody tells me they want it spent at home. But, Mr. Walz, this United States dollar doesn't buy what it used to buy. It has been devalued. In Milwaukee we've got Miller and Miller Light beer. Well, we have got dollar light. The gold hasn't changed for millions of years, but it takes a lot more money to buy an ounce of gold. The oil that drives our economy, our fossil-based fuel economy, our oil that we are purchasing hasn't changed in millions of years, but it takes a lot more money today. How much? Almost $100 a barrel. To do what? To drive our economy. Folks, we have to get our country back, and it begins by working together, no matter what party you're in, to give people hope and confidence that their government can work together across party lines. But we have to be able to see the same problem and begin to work on it together. This economic stimulus that we are putting together in Washington today, that the Democrats are preparing to work with the Republicans, is great for America. It gives me hope that we can work together across party lines and put together a stimulus package that will help every working family in America. Because what do we have to do? We have to reward work just as we do wealth. I yield back to my colleague from Louisville.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, I thank our leadership for offering an opportunity, not just this evening, but during this next month for our Nation to begin to answer the question of our time, and that question is this: What kind of Nation are we when we turn our back on our children on whose future we all depend? And what kind of President would turn more towards saving the profits of a corporation than the lives of our children? The SCHIP bill is good for our Nation's health. It is good for our children. It is far more economical to have children be seen by their physicians in their doctor's offices than in the emergency room. It just makes sense. But sometimes I am coming to find here, if it makes sense, it may not happen while we have the President that we do. I have been witnessing a great deal of misinformation about this bill. I have read every single page of the SCHIP bill, and I have heard the opposition in the minority speak up regarding with what I call misinformation. The fact is that this bill provides for children who are 19 years and under, and yet I have heard them say age 25. I have read the bill and it says it is two times poverty, $41,000 of annual income, and yet I have heard them stand up and claim that it will cover people up to $83,000. That is misinformation. I have heard them claim it is not really private health care but the slippery slope to socialized medicine. Well, we don't need socialized medicine in America. This is private health care. It is private doctors, private clinics and insurance companies, private hospitals providing the care that these children require. It does not cover any illegal immigrants. It covers people who are here legally. So no more misinformation, no more lies. SCHIP is good for our children. It is good for our economy. It is good for our Nation's soul. Madam Speaker, I ask everyone to understand that the people of Wisconsin sent me here because they feel the same as we all do. We want our country back. People all across Wisconsin are saying the same thing, they want their country back. They want a country that has a border they can see and defend, and they want a country that believes in providing access to affordable health care for all of our children, no matter their economic means. We must have this time to discuss SCHIP all across the Nation and answer the question: Whose side are we on and what kind of Nation are we?

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support today's energy bill. This is the change we need, for America needs a reliable energy partner, one that is home grown. This bill restores our Nation's independence and will help to secure our future. It will also stimulate our economy and protect our environment. It will allow for clean, renewable energy and move us away from the dangerous dependency on Arabian oil. It will also decrease our imported oil by 2 million gallons per day. It will create jobs and strengthen our economy as we move towards efficient, clean, and renewable energy resources. This bill answers the question whose side are we on. Do we stand with Big Oil and the past or do we stand with the future? I stand with the future and will continue to fight to cut the price of energy and fight hard for the people of Northeast Wisconsin.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in support of H.R. 4156 because people in Wisconsin want their country back. This bill supports our troops and demands the President begin to move our forces away, away from Iraq and back after our real enemies, Osama bin Laden and his followers. Iraq will forever be President Bush's war, an unnecessary war based on lies and deceptions. His poor judgment has written perhaps the saddest chapter in our Nation's history, wearing down our military and the endless, centuries-old Iraqi civil war. The vote today will end not the hatred between the Shiites and Sunnis, but it will redirect our efforts away from Iraq as soon as humanly possible. A ``yes'' vote supports our troops by protecting them from a President who does not understand reality. People in Wisconsin have asked me to deliver their message here, here on the House floor: I want my country back. I want my country back. Tonight, we will begin to move our country in a new direction, away from Iraq and back after Osama bin Laden and his followers.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, whose side are we on? The Hard Working people in northeast Wisconsin want to know. This measure is not difficult to understand--someone has to pay the bills, and democrats believe in paying-as-we-go, and we do want to pass off our bills to the next generation. The democratic leadership of the house has promised to keep their word to the American people by remaining fiscally responsible and socially progressive. All of us should play by the same rules, and that means everyone should pay their fair share, including hedge fund managers--who have managed to pass the buck to the middle class time and time again. Enough is enough. Let's just tell it like it is. This bill cuts taxes for the middle class: property tax relief for Wisconsin homeowners; tax deductions of $4,000 for college tuition; helps small businesses by continuing the tax credits for research and development. People in northeast Wisconsin need to hear that this bill will benefit 62,000 households who would otherwise if fall into the AMT tax trap. This bill delivers. It finally gives the American middle class a tax cut. My friends, whose side are you on? I urge you to join me by standing up for taxpayers in the middle class, not only in Wisconsin, but across America. It is time we deliver tax cuts to the little guys.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, Louis Griese served with honor, with courage and skill; and last week on October 31, he lost his life while serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Please join me in honoring his memory. He leaves behind a wife, Stephany, and 4-month-old daughter, Skylar. Sergeant Louis Griese of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was killed as a result of wounds incurred from a roadside bomb. His family believes in service to one's Nation. A true believer in service, Sergeant Griese followed in the footsteps of his father who fought in the Korean War. Sergeant Griese's mother, Susan Frihart, described her son, saying, ``He was very proud to be a soldier. He didn't want to leave his newborn baby, but he left because that was his duty.'' Every Member of Congress and every American owes a debt of gratitude to Louis Griese and his family for his dedicated and honorable service. Sergeant Griese made the ultimate sacrifice, and his service shall not be forgotten. I ask all of you to join me in a moment of silence on his behalf.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of this resolution, I rise in strong support of its passage. Next week, on Veterans Day, our Nation will pause to honor the many sacrifices made by veterans who have served in the defense of our country. And I appreciate the attention of our House leadership that they have given to this resolution and to our veterans who have served with incredible honor, with incredible skill and courage. H. Con. Res. 162 recognizes the value of their dedicated service and begins to address the economic sacrifice of veterans as they endure their economic pain. Because we rely on a voluntary citizen Army, we are now more indebted to those who have foregone higher pay elsewhere in civilian employment, especially as the value of our United States dollar continues to decline. As Congressman Murphy personally understands, our military has historically been underpaid. Service men and service women receive much less than they could earn in the private sector. And like my colleagues, I believe their pay must reflect their sacrifices. This resolution calls upon Congress to fairly increase basic pay by 3.5 percent. We all understand that we must begin to pay all of our Nation's debts, and this resolution is a good first step in doing so.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, kindly join me in honoring the memory of Naval Chief Petty Officer Patrick Wade from Manawa, Wisconsin, who perished in combat on July 17, 2007. Pat Wade was a true American patriot. While some people spend their time talking about what they think is wrong in the world, Chief Wade spent his time doing what he knew was right. Believing in personal sacrifice for the betterment of others, he made a selfless commitment to defend all of us. Rear Admiral Michael Tillotson, deputy commander of the naval Expeditionary Combat Command on which Wade served said, ``Pat Wade gave his life saving lives. He was doing what he wanted.'' It is difficult for most of us to comprehend such selflessness. Chief Wade's life was one of putting principle into practice. He wanted us to be not only better Americans, but better people. Today, with this in mind, please join me in honoring his life of service.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, the war to end all wars, World War I, ended on the 11th day of the 11th month in 1911. In these words, Armistice Day became our Nation's day to give our gratitude to all, to all of our servicemen and women, as President Wilson proclaimed: ``To us in America the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of nations.'' Peace and justice. Peace and justice. President Eisenhower would later, in 1954, change this title to Veterans Day. This 110th Congress has fulfilled its duty to the spirit and the meaning of Veterans Day by passing the largest increase in veterans benefits in the past 77 years, making certain all vets receive the benefits they have earned. This Veterans Day day, please, please thank a veteran for their service, for this is still our Nation's finest hour.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Mr. Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to speak in support of H.R. 2408, a bill to name the Department of Veterans Affairs community-based outpatient clinic in Green Bay for Milo C. Huempfner, Brown County, Wisconsin's most highly decorated veteran of World War II, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor, the Bronze Star, and numerous other commendations. Having cared for thousands of veterans as their physician, and now as their elected Representative, I would also like to thank the members of the leadership and the members of the Veterans' Affairs Committee who worked hard to bring this legislation to the floor today, especially Chairman Filner. Thank you. And thank you as well to Ambassador Mark Green for beginning this good work. We need to remember Milo C. Huempfner. He was a hero. His bravery, his dedication to others and his selflessness to serve is a beacon to guide all of us today. Milo served in one of the best trained units in the U.S. Army, the elite 551st Parachute Infantry Battalion. It was a unit where courage was common. Yet even in this company, Milo distinguished himself. Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. For 2 days in December of 1944, Milo Huempfner was literally a one-man army. He singlehandedly waged war against a German tank column in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge. In that chaotic battle, Milo and a colleague were separated from their convoy with a truckload of ammunition. They were near the Belgian town of Leignon when their truck slid off the road into a ditch. Milo was left behind to guard the truck until a tow truck could return. He had instructions to destroy it if the Germans arrived. He turned down opportunities to leave. When he heard an armed column of Panzer tanks approaching, he burned the truck and retreated into the local city. Over the course of the next 2 days and 2 nights, Milo waged a one-man battle, a one-man guerrilla war against the town's Nazi occupiers. He destroyed tanks; he destroyed trucks. He stormed the machine gun positions and engaged in hand-to-hand fighting with enemy troops. When he was not protecting townspeople of Leignon, Milo would sneak out of town to warn approaching troops, allied troops, that the enemy was nearby. He saved many American soldiers' lives. One evening, a freezing evening, the townspeople came to him and asked if he would go to church and protect them. The people wanted to go to church and he could not understand why. Well, it happened to be Christmas Eve, they reminded him. And he stood outside armed only with a pistol to protect them on Christmas Eve. As the people of Leignon celebrated, he stood guard as he stands guard now. On Christmas morning, Milo received his present when allied forces began their counterattack and surrounded the town. Milo didn't stop. He sprang into action against a German artillery hidden in a barn, and 18 Nazis surrendered to him. When Milo finally met the allied troops, they almost mistook him for a German spy. They couldn't believe that a single soldier could hold them off from this town and couldn't understand how a single American soldier could bring so many enemy troops into being captives. For these deeds, Private Huempfner was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. The after-action report on Private Huempfner's deeds ends with these words, and I quote: ``His gallantry, intrepidity and extraordinary heroism while operating within the very limits of the German units, without being ordered to do so, and when withdrawal could have been accomplished with honor and safety, reflect the highest standards and ideal of the military service and favorably demonstrated to the citizens of Leignon the courage and daring of the American soldier.'' After the war, Milo Huempfner preferred not to talk about his experiences. This was common for many soldiers in World War II. His own children did not know any of what I just spoke about until his funeral, when Milo's comrades stepped forward to speak of their cherished comrade. Despite his silence, Milo remained a committed patriot and dedicated to the men he served. Over the years between the war and his passing in 1985, Milo attended the funerals of over 900 veterans in Brown County, Wisconsin. He used his dress uniform so frequently that he wore it out. As a mark of respect and thanks, local veterans organizations paid to have it restored. By naming this temporary community outpatient clinic building in Green Bay after Milo Huempfner, we are paying respect to one of Wisconsin's great heroes. I would like to thank Milo Huempfner's children, Jackie, Wayne, Geri and Milo, for their help and also his friend, Bernard Depry of Green Bay, who brought this request to my attention and worked tirelessly over the years to make this a reality. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2408. We are recognizing the deeds of a brave and noble man.

Mr. KAGEN

Mr. KAGEN. Madam Speaker, our Nation's values are reflected in how we spend taxpayers' hard-earned money. Yesterday, rather than encouraging us to invest in the good health of our children here at home, the President asked for permission to spend $200 billion in Iraq. Well, it is okay to ask and it is okay to respond by saying, ``No, thank you.'' The health of our Nation's children is more valuable than making more of a mess in Iraq. My friends, enough is enough. It is time to spend our tax dollars right here at home. Last week, 44 Republicans joined the Democratic majority in attempting to override the President's veto of the State Children's Health Insurance Program, known as SCHIP. This issue is not going away. We will prevail. It is a matter of how long it will take. Here are some facts to keep in mind: SCHIP saves tax dollars by sending children in need to the doctor's office, not to the costly emergency room. And over 90 percent of those in SCHIP earn less than $41,000 a year. There is a better way of doing things in America. By working together, we will find it and guarantee access to health care for all those in need.