Mike Kelly

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I proclaim the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) as a pillar of the community. Whereas, LECOM has been established since 1992 in Erie, Pennsylvania as a college of Osteopathic Medicine and now celebrates its 30th Anniversary; and Whereas, LECOM has grown to become the Nation's largest medical college with campuses in Erie, Pennsylvania, Greensburg, Pennsylvania, Bradenton, Florida, and Elmira, New York; and Whereas, LECOM has prepared and graduated more than 16,000 students to become osteopathic physicians, pharmacy practitioners, and dentists through programs of excellence in education, research, clinical care, and community service to enhance the quality of life through improved health for all humanity; and Whereas, LECOM has expanded its reach to include exceptional programs in graduate studies designed to provide scholars superlative education in the respective areas of study; and Whereas, LECOM is opening a new School of Podiatric Medicine and pursuing opportunities to open additional campuses, further demonstrating their steadfast commitment to continue expanding healthcare education; and Whereas, LECOM offers a quality medical education at an affordable price with one of the lowest, private medical college tuitions in the Nation; and Whereas, LECOM provides students a choice of student-centered pathways that match the learning styles of individual students to promote success. Whereas, LECOM has been ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top medical colleges for graduating primary care physicians; and Whereas, LECOM is the most applied to medical college in the United States; and Whereas, LECOM has the Nation's only osteopathic academic health system with its own teaching hospitals, a physician network, and a full continuum of services for older adults; Now therefore be it resolved, that I proclaim LECOM as an acclaimed school of Osteopathic Medicine in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Be if further resolved, that during their 30th anniversary, LECOM is commended for the exceptional impact the organization has on the communities they serve and for their contributions to improving healthcare for all.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I wish his family could be here to see that the entire gallery just stood up and, even though you did not know Trooper Rougeau, you stood up to honor what he did in his line of duty. This is a tragic loss not only for the community of Corry, but the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This morning, I am praying for the family, friends, and colleagues of Trooper Rougeau, another person in law enforcement who died while responding to help others in danger.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Jacques ``Jay'' Rougeau, a Pennsylvania State trooper who died in the line of duty just this past Saturday, June 17. Trooper Rougeau was shot and fatally injured while responding to a call in Juniata, Pennsylvania. Trooper Rougeau was only 29 years old. Now, Trooper Rougeau is a native of Corry, Pennsylvania, which is in my district where, today, he remains on the minds of so many family, friends, neighbors, and loved ones. According to reports, a man had arrived at Troop G, Lewistown Station armed with a rifle and fired at patrol vehicles in the parking lot and shot one officer. After a search, troopers located the shooter where they exchanged gunfire. Both the shooter and Trooper Rougeau were shot and killed. Those who knew Trooper Rougeau say he knew from a young age that he always wanted to be a police officer. After graduating from Corry Area High School in 2012, he first interned with the city of Corry Police Department in 2014. During the internship, Rougeau said his ultimate goal was to become a Pennsylvania State trooper. He enlisted in 2020 and started with Troop G just 3 months ago. Trooper Rougeau is the 104th member of the Pennsylvania State Police to make the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. If we can, take a look at this picture. This is somebody that is in the prime of their life, just starting off, in the position that he so coveted being a part of this group. He wanted to be a police officer. He wanted to serve Pennsylvania's citizens by being a Pennsylvania State policeman. Unfortunately, he is gone. He leaves behind a wife, Chloe, who I am told was his high school sweetheart. I know that he has made the city of Corry and the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania proud for so bravely serving in law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, I thank him for his service, and offer a moment of silence in honor of his memory. I ask if we could all please think for a moment about this young man, think about the unlived part of his life, and all who serve in the line of duty.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Paul Nelson, a longtime Erie, Pennsylvania, businessman who passed away on Sunday, May 21. Mr. Nelson was 89 years old, but I don't think you could ever say that Mr. Nelson was old. Oftentimes, people compared him to a cross between Willy Wonka and Peter Pan. Why was that? Well, Mr. Nelson ran Waldameer Park & Water World. Mr. Nelson started working there when he was 11 years old. He married the love of his life, Lane, and together, they ran Waldameer. You can say many things about Mr. Nelson, but what you can't say is that he ever had a bad day because he never had a bad day. I think when we talk about people at their passing, oftentimes, we are very sad, and we say it is horrible that we have lost him. I am different. I am just happy that we had him. What if Paul Nelson had never been born? What if Paul Nelson had never been in Erie, Pennsylvania? What if Paul Nelson had never married Lane? What if Paul Nelson had never taken Waldameer and made it an iconic place for people to take their children? When he was 83 years old, Madam Speaker, I was visiting with Mr. Nelson up at Waldameer, and he goes: Mike, how much time do you have? I said: Mr. Nelson, as much time as you need. He says: Come with me. We went to his office. He looked around to see who else was there and pulled out a set of plans. He unfolded them. I said: What are you going to show me? He said: This is my 10-year plan for Waldameer Park. I said: Mr. Nelson, I don't think you could define optimist other than an 83-year-old man with a 10-year plan. His passing, yes, we grieve. We don't want to lose him, but what if we never had him? Where would the tragedy have been? The tragedy would not have been that he was here and died. The tragedy would have been if Mr. Nelson had never lived. I think when we go through moments like this and have a chance to reflect on the people who we represent, we understand that we represent more than a person. We represent an attitude. We represent a legacy. We represent people who rely on us to come here and represent them. Look, you can't say enough about Mr. Nelson. I told you, he is a cross between Willy Wonka and Peter Pan. I always found him to be so charming. We awarded him as a Community Champion of the district when I was able to see him. I think people need to take time every once in a while to look not just at the birth date and passing date but look at the time in between. What did they do with that time? Was it time well spent? At the end of that time, can we look back and smile and say how blessed was I to have had something that made saying good-bye so hard to do? This guy was incredible. Madam Speaker, I will never yield this man's memory and what he did for Erie, Pennsylvania, and for childhood devotees who just couldn't wait to go to Waldameer in the summer.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, today I wish one of the members of my team, Sam West, a very happy birthday but also farewell. Sam is originally from Indianapolis. He went to school at Indiana University and Purdue University, so he is both a Hoosier and a Boilermaker. He worked as an auto technician before coming to work here in Congress. In healthcare there are a million acronyms. I don't know of any other place in the world than D.C. that uses more acronyms, and nobody seems to know what they stand for. It is because of Sam's time working on automobiles that allowed us to see eye-to-eye on so many things. I spent my entire career in the private sector as an auto dealer, and Sam has always been able to translate a lot of Pennsylvania's healthcare priorities into terms that I have been using my whole life, and it just clicked. We really worked well together. He is moving over to the Senate to be a health policy adviser for Senator Bill Cassidy. I know he is going to do a great job. Sam, I tell people all the time, it is not so much the Member that matters, it is the staff. Here is Sam with a couple of his cheerleader friends, Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders. Wherever he goes, he will always be a part of our team, and he is always going to have great fans.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Maudie Beatty for her selfless and dedicated service to the children, families, and community of Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. For 35 years Maudie has taken in and cared for over 300 foster children, demonstrating the valuable attributes of compassion and generosity to those around her who are the most vulnerable and in need. As a beacon of hope in the community, Maudie is one of the exemplary constituents that it is my honor to represent from the 16th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. It is, undoubtedly, these heroes who too often go unrecognized that are the foundation of what makes this country the greatest country in the world.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Fischbach for hosting this Special Order tonight. Mr. Speaker, it has been 7 months since the Supreme Court's landmark decision to overthrow Roe v. Wade. In that time, we have seen incredible progress to protect life around this country, including right here in Washington, D.C. Just last week, many tens of thousands of families came out to the annual March for Life to peacefully and prayerfully show their support for the unborn. The week before that, the new pro-life Republican majority took major steps to protect the unborn. We passed legislation to ensure babies who survive an abortion receive the healthcare they need and to condemn the attacks against pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. All of this is so important, but it is only the first step. Advocates and people of faith around the country are going to their State and Federal lawmakers and asking for change. It is my hope that this Republican majority will continue to pass pro-life legislation. But my real question is: Where is the outrage? Nearly 1 million unborn children are expected to die in 2023 from abortion in the United States of America where protecting life is our highest calling, where we are the first responder anywhere in the world anytime there is an attack on life, anytime there is a tragedy, and anytime there is a need for somebody to come there to try and save lives, and yet, in 2023, 1 million of the unborn will be aborted. It is incredible to me that in a nation that has been blessed for so long with so much can turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the cries of the unborn. My question is: Where is the outrage of my fellow Americans? Where is the cry against this injustice that is taking place? Where are we standing not as a political party but as citizens of the world? As I said earlier, if there is a cry for help anywhere on this globe, it is America that will be the first responder. It is America that will be there to save lives. It is America that will go to any end of the world to help, and yet in our own country, we are willing to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the abortion of over 1 million babies a year. Where is the outrage?

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, this phrase keeps coming up that no person is above the law. That is true. But, also, no person is denied protection under the law. Why would we wait 4 years? Why would this come up at this time that we have to check the former President of the United States' tax returns? The answer is because we want to make them public. Why do we want to make them public? Because we need to have every single citizen understand just who this person is and what is in their tax returns with no regard to the protections that are already in place that these kinds of things don't happen, that they do not become a political weapon. Yet, now in the very last days of this session, we have decided that this is the most important thing this Congress can do. No other President has ever gone through this type of scrutiny. We keep saying he is not above the law. He is not above the law. The truth of it all is, he is not protected by the law because we are going to change the law. We are going to make it a weapon that we can go after. I will just tell you this: The American people continue to lose faith, trust, and confidence in a system that cherry-picks what it decides to go after and go after in a way that is detrimental to the very form of government that we have. To be here today, talking about this, in the last hours of this session, has nothing to do with what is good for the American people. It is a political hit job. It is sad and, especially in this age, for the Ways and Means to be doing this at the end of the year? Horrible.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of several Pittsburgh athletes. The first is a young man named Roberto Clemente. Roberto Clemente was a tremendous player for the Pittsburgh Pirates. He had an 18-year career with the Pirates--3,000 hits, 240 home runs, two-time World Series champion, and he had an arm that was incredible. Nobody in the Major Leagues, after getting a single to right field, ever made a wide turn at first base. Clemente would throw them out, throw it behind them. As we remember him as a baseball player--and this is his last hit, which was a double where he got his 3,000th hit--one of the things I really admired about Roberto Clemente was not the fact that he was a great athlete, that he was a great leader, but that he was a great humanitarian. Roberto died on December 31, 1972. That is 50 years ago this New Year's Eve. He was on a mission trip to deliver aid to the victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. Mr. Clemente was only 38 years old. I think the thing that we need to remember as Americans is that while people have different talents, their commitment is always to their fellow man. What I remember about Roberto Clemente was just how involved he was in Puerto Rico and in the islands because he knew they needed help. On that day in 1972, in a DC-3 airplane loaded with medical supplies and food supplies, Clemente took off on a trip that would never reach the end he desired. The cargo shifted in the airplane, and the plane went into a spin and dove into the ocean. We lost Roberto Clemente that day. We didn't just lose a great baseball player and a Hall of Fame player. We lost somebody else. On the back side of this, this is, perhaps, the picture--if you were to ask Roberto Clemente what uniform he liked the most, it would have been a toss-up between the Pittsburgh Pirates and U.S. Marines uniforms. Roberto Clemente served in the Marine Corps from 1959 to 1962. In that time period, he was on the All-Star team and won a World Series twice, but again, it was his efforts to help his fellow human beings that we remember the most. A tragic loss for us, but also something for all young people to look at and say: I want to be like him. Also, Dr. Joyce spoke earlier today about the loss of Pittsburgh Steelers running back and Hall of Famer Franco Harris. Madam Speaker, I had the blessing of actually knowing Mr. Harris, he was a very imposing figure and he was a phenomenal athlete. When we think of Franco Harris, this is a picture of him. This is the last tackler that was trying to get him. He picked up a pass that ricocheted off a guy name Frenchie Fuqua and ran it into the end zone. The Pittsburgh Steelers ended up winning their first championship game that day. In addition to his years in the NFL and in addition to the years of being an idol in the Pittsburgh community, Franco Harris was something else. Franco Harris was very approachable. Franco Harris always had time for those who needed something. Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said today that Franco always said yes to helping our food banks, blood drives, and youth sports leagues. He loved this city and this city loved him. His memory will always be a blessing for the people of Pittsburgh. When you think of these two athletes--not only their great prowess on the field of play, but their commitment to their fellow human beings-- the thing that we really have to sort out and dwell on, especially at this time of the year, is that these are incredible people who did incredible things both on the field of athletics, but more importantly in the city in which they lived and for the people that were around them. Roberto Clemente died in a mercy flight to Nicaragua and Franco died this morning just days before the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to retire his number and honor the 50th anniversary of the ``Immaculate Reception.''

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. He also volunteered serving on the Board of Directors of the Civil War Orphans' Home that was located on Butler's Institute Hill from 1867 until moving to Mercer, Pennsylvania, in 1905. Outside of his legal practice and his Civil War-related activities, Mr. Williams served one term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and 4 years in the Pennsylvania State Senate. He also served for 20 years as the choir director of Butler's First Methodist Church and rose to the rank of Grand Commander, Knights of the Templar of the State of Pennsylvania in the Masons. After a full life devoted to his Nation, his church, his community, and--most importantly--his family, Andrew Gomer Williams died in his North McKean Street home on April 6, 1923, from pneumonia at the age of 83 at 10:40 that morning. Fittingly, for a man who had been a soldier in the Civil War, his funeral and burial were held on April 9, the same day, only 58 years earlier, that Robert E. Lee had surrendered his Confederate Army to Union General Ulysses S. Grant at a place called Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia. Now, the finish to this speech is not mine. But I think it is so relevant as to where we are today. Allow me to conclude my speech today the same as it began with the eloquent words spoken at Gettysburg by Andrew Gomer Williams well over a century ago. Mr. Williams said: We have met again on this field after so many years to perpetuate the memory and render our faint and feeble tribute of praise to the valor of those Pennsylvania soldiers. Especially at this time in our history, these are the heroes we should be naming buildings and Post Offices with. It has taken a long time to get to this point. Madam Chair, I thank you for working together on this. I do hope people listen to these words. These are the true heroes of America. These should be the examples that we all try to live by today. In a country that is getting too far apart and needs to get back together, this guy is a hero. This guy deserves as much time as we can give him.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, there are few times in our lives when we really get to honor true heroes. Today is one of those days that we have by naming a post office after him. I am going to read through this document that I have to give you an idea of just who Captain Andrew Gomer Williams was. Now, this is at a dedication. It starts off with: ``Monuments are as old as our race and all along the history of the dim and dusty age down to the bright and joyous present we have been perpetuating the memory of heroic men.'' These elegant words, so very appropriate this morning, are not mine but were the actual words of Andrew Gomer Williams, whose monument we gather here this morning to dedicate. He delivered them in a speech on September 11, 1889, on the Gettysburg Battlefield during ceremonies dedicating the monument to his regiment, the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, who fought during the famous battle on July 1 through July 3 in 1863. Much like they gathered on that field 132 years ago, we gather here today on this field to perpetuate the memory of a heroic man. Ironically, Williams, who fought for the Union, was born in Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy on September 8, 1840, to a Welsh immigrant father and an eastern Maryland mother. His family moved from Richmond to Pittsburgh in 1847 and from Pittsburgh to Etna 1 year later. The recipient of very little education, Andrew Williams went to work as a nail cutter in the local factory at the young age of 10. He was a fourth grader. Maybe it was the sense of patriotism that swelled in Andrew Williams' heart, or maybe it was wanting to escape the dullness of factory work for the great unknown adventure of war, but regardless of the reason, we do know that at age 21, in 1861, Mr. Williams was helping to raise three companies of men to become part of the newly created 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers and leave the smoky city of Pittsburgh for the battlefields of his native South. He was elected captain of Company E but declined the honor and the rank to initially serve as their third sergeant when their 3 years of service began on September 9, 1861. He was promoted to 2nd lieutenant on the field during the Second Battle of Bull Run in 1862, and then in the spring of 1863 he was promoted to the rank of captain of Company E of the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers. He fought in over a dozen battles and was wounded four times including at the Charles City Crossroads on June 30, 1862, and again at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. 1863 would find Williams leading his men at the Battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. During the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5, 1864, Williams was thought to have been mortally wounded after being struck in the left temple by a Confederate minie' ball and left for dead. Miraculously, he was found barely alive 4 days later on the Wilderness battlefield. According to his great-granddaughter Mary Caroline Baker Hunt, Williams' life was saved by falling wounded inside the muddy boundaries of a spring with the muddy soil saving his temple wound from infection and providing him with much-needed water. He was mustered out with the rest of his regiment on August 6, 1864. But Williams would carry the external scars from the near fatal wound for the rest of his life. After his return home to Etna, he was unable to find work for the next 3 years due to his wounds. He entered Duff's Business College in Pittsburgh to become a bookkeeper and also read law at home. In 1868, following his father's death in a boiler explosion at the Fort Pitt Foundry, he was forced to return to cutting nails in the Etna rolling mill to help support his family while continuing his law studies at night. Besides his father's tragic death, Williams, throughout his life, experienced the deaths of 13 members of his family by explosions, railroad accidents, burnings, and drowning. In spite of all the personal and family trauma, Andrew G. Williams, marched on and came to Butler in 1875, and upon being admitted to the Butler bar the following year, immediately formed a partnership with Alexander Mitchell. This partnership would last until Mitchell's death 40 years later. During these four decades together, the men claimed to have never had an argument or ever having signed a lease for their office on the Diamond with their word as their bond. The only day in the entire history of their practice they did not open was when both men's Civil War regiments were holding reunions on the same date in Pittsburgh. The two lawyers closed up shop every day at precisely 4:45. It was said that people along their walking route home could set their watches by their passing. The house Andrew Williams came home to each night he built himself in 1887 for his second wife and three sons and daughter and for his three children from his deceased first wife. Williams' military service in the Civil War continued to play an important role in his life with his membership in the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic, or GAR, a Civil War veterans' group, and contributing his time to help those survivors scarred by the effects of the war. He helped Civil War soldier spouses whose husbands had served and had died to get them the benefits that they deserved.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Love you, too, buddy.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, Fred and I met several years ago. A mutual friend of ours by the name of Tom Marino had been elected and then decided to leave the Congress. We were really fortunate because the person who came in after Tom was Fred. We formed kind of an instant friendship. I think a lot of it is because of who raised us, because we oftentimes talk about family. I was looking at different things that people have said over the ages. This is Thomas Aquinas, over seven centuries ago, who summed up what Western civilization understood to be the natural debt of gratitude all human beings owe to God, family, and country. Isn't that the truth for all of us? Who is it that we owe this incredible life we have? Those who came before us. We talked today, as we talk often. Mr. Speaker, 1\1/2\ million men and women gave their lives. It wasn't so much that they gave time; they gave their lives in order for us to practice this incredible form of government, this representative Republic. People often get confused and talk about our democracy, our democracy, our democracy. We are truly a Republic, and every voice gets heard, every voice gets counted, and every person gets counted. I think, for my friend and I, we spend a lot of time together. When I look up in the gallery, his family is here. Where is Camrie? Camrie, stand up, honey. You are so little, I can't see you from down here. There she is. She is my favorite source of energy. I have never seen a child with the energy she has. But you realize, she is just an offshoot of her grandma and grandpa. Listen, we have had great fun together, but I think more than anything else, when you come to Washington, if you have never been here before, and you have not served the public before, one of the things when you come to Washington that you are told right away is, if you want a friend in Washington, get a dog. Well, for me, it wasn't getting a dog. It was getting a chance to serve with Fred Keller. We do a lot of things together, mostly talk about family and faith and the opportunity we have to serve the people who sent us. It is never about me; it is always about we. It is never about us; it is always about our families. It is about our wives. It is about our children. It is about our parents and grandparents and aunts and uncles. You talk about your former employer so well that I feel I know Max. Although we have never met or shook hands, just from the way you have talked about him, I feel I know who he is, and I know how important he was in the whole being of Fred Keller. This is truly one of the most unselfish men I have ever known. He doesn't come here for himself. He comes here for his family. He comes here for the people he represents. He comes here for those 1\1/2\ million men and women who have given their lives to give us the opportunity to practice this incredible form of government. I know sometimes we get mixed up about what this is all about when we sit here and say this is the people's House, with the emphasis on the people. It is not Fred Keller's House. It is not Mike Kelly's House. It is not Virginia Foxx's. It is not Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks'. It is about the people we represent, and each of us represents about three-quarters of a million people. I know that every week when we have the chance to come here and share time together and share the opportunity to actually bring about legislation, as do you, Mr. Speaker, we need to take a breather sometimes and forget about all the hyperbole and think about all the blessings we have because there is truly no place else in the world like this. There never has been, but it is up to us to make sure it is available for that next generation. When I look up in the gallery, and I see Camrie up there, Fred doesn't come here for Fred. Fred comes here for Camrie and for Karsen and for all the other people he represents back in Pennsylvania. I think that is the beauty of us, who are so fortunate and so honored to serve, because it is not about us. It is about our constituents. It is about all those who came before us. I have to tell you, buddy. I hate to see you leave because we have had a lot of fun together. We shared a lot of meals. We shared a lot of stories. You are great at entertaining my staff. They get bored with me from time to time. They always say, boy, I hope Mr. Keller stops by today. We have formed an incredible friendship. I have gotten to know Fred. I have gotten to know his wife and his family. He is truly one of the finest Americans you could ever be around. It has been a wonderful time. It has been a wonderful life, not to coin any famous movies that are a favorite, but I have to tell you that it has been a great time, buddy. The service you have given to God, to your family, and to your country is immeasurable. We are going to miss you being here, but I know this is not the end of the Fred Keller story. I am a phone call away, brother. Any time you need me, I am a phone call away. It has been a pleasure serving with you. You have some fan favorites here with you that I think we should hear from. One of my all-time favorite people is Virginia Foxx, who is sitting beside me. Dr. Foxx is one of a kind, and you know from serving on her committee just how special she is.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I am standing beside this picture of Jackie Walorski, and anybody that ever knew Jackie knew this is the way she always looked. This bill today that we are talking about reveals who she really was and still is. She was born on August 17, 1963, and she passed on August 3, 2022--59 years on Earth, 59 years of a servant's life. Jackie Walorski never did anything for herself, to advance herself. Her main concerns were the mothers that she worried about and the children that she worried about because she knew that was America's greatest asset. She knew that everything she did in her life was not about her but about others. She brought such a new concept to the floor, the people's House, to not only transform it in legislation but to change people's hearts. She would never talk about herself as a Representative or a Congresswoman. She was always here for others, not for herself. When we look at legislation, from time to time, we start to think about what it is that we are really doing. What are we asking our taxpayers to invest in? If it is not our future, then why are we here? The most important asset for Jackie Walorski was expectant mothers, infants, and childcare. She was truly unusual, but in her 59 years, she did so much to help so many. I think for us to be here today on the people's House, on the floor, and to be able to share who she is--I said August 3 she passed. The only difference is Jackie is not here in person, but she is looking down from her spot in heaven and smiling the way she is smiling in this picture because that is the essence of who Jackie Walorski was. We all loved her, we all miss her, and we know we will never replace her, but we sure thank God for giving her to us for 59 years. Mr. Speaker, I thank Drs. Wenstrup and Davis for bringing this forward, and I cannot believe in anything other than a complete ``yes'' from every single Member of the House on this bill.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Texas for yielding. I think at some time in whatever it is one does in life, there is a saying: It is rug-cutting time. What does that mean? It means to face the reality of what is in front of you right now. Don't try to paper over it, don't try to dismiss it, and don't ever think there is always going to be time sometime in the future to address a crisis that you face today. I brought with me a picture of an iceberg, and this is the way our debt looks. You only see a very small portion above the surface, Mr. Speaker. Most of the iceberg is below the surface. We talk about kitchen table economics. What do we mean by that? Well, we tell people: Hey, do you know what? We had really good revenues last year. It was $4.8 trillion. People say: That sounds like a lot of money. Yeah, but we went out, and we spent $6.1 trillion. And they say: Oh, that doesn't sound like that much of a difference. Kitchen table economics: You sit down with your wife. You look at what your earnings are, and you say: Well, gee, honey, we had a pretty good year. We made $48,000. She looks and says: That is a lot of money. And you say: Yeah, but we spent $61,000. It is like: Oh, my God, we couldn't have possibly done that. What allows you to borrow more money than you should have? It is irresponsible lending, and it is irresponsible spending. When the United States of America makes a conscious decision to enter into overwhelming debt, then it will not only rest on the shoulders of our children and grandchildren, it will rest on us. We talk about spending and we talk about the size of our debt, and we say: Do you know what? In the last year and a half, it has gone up $9 trillion. So how much is that then? Well, roughly about $31 trillion in the red. But then we say: Yeah, but do you know what? That covers a certain portion of our debt. What it doesn't take into consideration is our unfunded liabilities. When you add in the unfunded liabilities, it is a whopping 123 or $124 trillion in debt. It is unimaginable. And if you could imagine it, Mr. Speaker, you would never be able to lay your head on a pillow at night and say that things are pretty good. If we can't do this, we will just print more money. If you printed more money in the private sector: irresponsible. That is called counterfeiting. Why were we always so worried about counterfeiting? Because the market would get flooded with paper that had no real value. What in the living hell has happened to our citizens? More importantly, what has happened to their leaders who they elected to come here and act in their best interest? We are at a titanic moment. Our country is steaming full speed ahead at an iceberg that will sink us. We live in the most dangerous times our country has ever seen. Budgets are the key to being able to sleep soundly at night. Budgets are the plan that you put together where you understand what your potential earnings could be and, more importantly, what you want to spend. Nobody in the private sector would ever develop a plan like the government does. I was told when I first got here: Do you know your problem, Kelly? You think that a government should be run like a private business. My answer to that was: No, no, no. What I know for a fact is that no private business could be run the way a government is. Why? When we pass these huge spending bills, whose pocket does it come out of? Who pays every single penny of it? Who is looking at balances that we can't possibly meet and irresponsibly still decides to do that, oftentimes to gain the favor of our fellow citizens? I hear constantly: Do you think we will get another check? Do you think we will get more help? I don't need the money, but I will put it in a bank account. Do you think we will get that? I said: I hope to heck you don't because the money that you got from the government went on your total tax bill. You do not ever receive anything from the United States Government, your State government, or your local government that comes without a price tag attached to it, and that price tag is attached to your wallet, and that wallet is suffering greatly under an unbelievable burden. We sleep through this. We doze off. We refuse to believe where it is we are going. When I say we are steaming full speed ahead, and we are going to have a titanic moment, anybody that understands what happened on the Titanic understands that the reason they had so many losses of life on the Titanic is they didn't have enough lifeboats to put passengers on. This government is bankrupting America. Somebody said: Do you know what? I am worried about my grandchildren and even my children. My answer to that is: Start worrying about yourself. This is an imminent danger that lies right in front of us. Our inability to face it, our delusional belief that somehow everything is all right, and we are fuzzy, warm, and comfortable until the wolf comes to the door--what happened here? What happened to the greatest Nation the world has ever known with the most potential the world has ever known? The government decided that a lot of the assets we have, we are not going to use them. We are going to go to a foreign source for energy. Why would you use domestic energy? Why would you use something that is right beneath your feet? I hear all the time: Well, we are going to work on all of the above. I said: That is fine, but let's not forget everything that is below. Let's understand what our assets are and understand that we are drowning ourselves in debt. I am accused sometimes of being too passionate, but I will tell you what, I will be damned if I am going to sit at the Thanksgiving table this year and look at those 10 grandchildren and my 4 children and say: Do you know what? Your mother and I really love you, but we just don't care about your future. We are cosigning your name to our debt. Hopefully, we will be gone before you face that. My friends, this is not a Republican issue. This is not a Democrat issue. This is not a red issue. This is not a blue issue. This is a red, white, and blue American issue. I ask my colleagues on the other side: Please don't accuse us of not wanting to work with you. For 2 years, we haven't been allowed to be at the table. We haven't been allowed to be in the room. We have not been allowed to be in the building. We were not even allowed to be in the town. This false narrative that we will not reach across the aisle to work together, the one thing we will never do is to continue to damn our children and grandchildren and the future of this country with a debt that is so large, so over-encompassing, that there will no longer be a United States of America. Anybody who tells me it is okay to spend $61,000 a year because you make $48,000, I would say you are a fool. We have been fools. Both sides of the aisle have spent unbelievable amounts of money that you can't justify other than the fact that every 2 years, there is an election. We try to put features and benefits together that will add value to who we are, knowing that it is a false narrative. Our real challenge is not how much we spend. It is a matter that we refuse to address the bankruptcy that we are facing and very soon. The great State of Texas is always a place that we look for leadership and talk about: How did Texas get to be Texas? Because of strong citizens. I say to all of our colleagues: I don't care if you sit on the right side or the left side. Be on a side that is a responsible side. If you can possibly say that what we are doing is fine and is in the best interest of the future of this country, I would say you must be working on some new math. You must be working out of some new program. Nobody who has any sense, common sense, would look at what is going on right now--please look at this iceberg. We are at a titanic moment. Turning your head away, refusing to listen, refusing to be responsible to our fellow citizens will cause this country to sink. It is time to wake up, America. Forget about being woke. Wake up. We are facing an incredible challenge and the demise of the greatest Nation the world has ever known. I think the biggest part about life as you are growing up, you always tell your kids, don't ever bring shame on this family, and don't do irresponsible things that hurt not only yourself but others. The oath of office is one thing. There is another oath, and we answer to a much higher power that someday we will face. We will be held accountable for our irresponsible actions. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for holding this Special Order hour tonight. I hope our fellow citizens understand what exactly is happening.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I know Dr. Bera is leaving the floor right now. So often, when I am home and I am here, we always pick winners and losers and, somehow, that becomes the main objective of who won, who lost. So we are worried today about the score. It doesn't matter on the score because everybody wins on this. There is no loser on this. And if we can't look to the people who have supported us our whole lives and have created opportunities that exist in this country on their backs, what in the world are we doing here? Well, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the opportunity to be with Ms. DelBene. This is incredible to get this done today. I am urging every single Member to vote for this. Please throw out your scorecard and look at the picture in your wallet of who it is that parented you or grandparented you and say you know what, wouldn't it be nice to give them something back after they gave us their whole life? And let them have some peace of mind. I don't think there is anything greater in your later years than peace of mind and being able to know that I am getting healthcare when I need it. I am not going to have to wait for somebody someplace else to determine whether I should get it. So it has been a pleasure working with you. It has been a pleasure working with all of our colleagues. And for Dr. Marshall, who used to sit here with us but now is over in the senior area of this magnificent model--although, I think he is too young to be there. Now, I am sure my older Senators will say, hey, Kelly, please don't call us old. I won't. Let's just say the more seasoned Members. But I am glad we can wrap this up on a really good note. I can't tell you how good I feel about this, that we can go home and tell those people that we represent--I don't care how they vote. All I want them to know is we care about what they have done for us, and we are going to be able to supply them some peace of mind. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a moment also to thank the Regulatory Relief Coalition because they have been working hand in hand with us trying to contact as many members as they can. And today is an example of when we work together, what we can get done. Mr. Speaker, I present one of the doctors in our Doctors Caucus from North Carolina, Dr. Murphy, to give his actually on-the-job, on-the- field experience of what it is like to try to work through this massive group of--I don't know what you call these people. They are hard to work with and they don't represent us. They do represent something else. I think we need to represent just our folks back home. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative DelBene for being with me today. We are really proud of this bill because it has taken a lot of time to get there, and it has taken so many people on both sides of the aisle looking at it and saying this is something that just makes sense. The purpose of the Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act is very simple: it is to protect our seniors. They deserve fast, high- quality care when they see their doctor, not bureaucratic paperwork and delays. Unfortunately, our current prior authorization system often produces just that. My office has heard countless stories of Pennsylvanians being affected by having their care delayed due to prior authorizations. One ophthalmology practice reported that they had problems getting both of a patients' eyes authorized for a basic operation because the system rejected the second eye as a duplicate. At the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Neurosurgery, doctors can perform an advanced surgery with a Gamma Knife to control brain tumors. In many cases, these operations give patients life and more time. The problem is that it takes prior authorization, and care is delayed for way, way too long costing patients' valuable time. As a result, patients lose confidence in the medical system, and they also begin to lose hope. That is why we are here today, to move the prior authorization process into the 21st century and give doctors and health insurance plans the tools they need to make these decisions more quickly. The current system allows insurance plans to take weeks to review prior authorization requests, leaving patients waiting. The process is often manual, requiring fax machines, phone calls, and paper submissions, meaning doctors cannot easily appeal these decisions. The Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act requires prior authorization decisions to be done faster, helping seniors get care more quickly. Most routinely approved prior authorization items and services will receive a real-time electronic response. For nonroutinely approved items, doctors and patients will have clear expectations of how long they are going to need to wait for a response, allowing them to better coordinate their care. Additionally, health insurance plans must begin to disclose data on how many prior authorizations they approve or deny, along with an analysis of how they made that decision. Truthfully, I have seen many similar situations in the business I have been in my whole life. I am an automobile dealer, and when we are working on an owner's car under warranty, too often it is a negotiation with a manufacturer on what repairs we are able to do. The manufacturer does their own time studies on how long they think it should take and what they think should be repaired. But oftentimes those time studies are on a brand new car or truck just off the assembly line. As we all know, living in western Pennsylvania, we have a lot of steep hills, and we go through really rough winters where there are a lot of things put on the road--salt and whatever else--that can corrode different parts once they are in operation. It is the same story with insurance companies when we are doing covered auto body work. We have to give the insurance company the estimates before we ever touch a car or truck, and then continuously negotiate with them as we get into the tear-down of the vehicle and find other damage. We have to go back and get authorization to do that, and that holds up the process. As much as people say, now, wait, wait, wait, don't compare cars and trucks and that warranty work to patients. You know what? It is the same thing. It is the same thing. You are denied access to care that you need today, not tomorrow, not some time in the future. There is no reason why you should have to wait for it, not in today's world, and not with the way we are able to improve all of this. I know when I talked to Dr. Bera or Dr. Bucshon and especially with Ms. DelBene, we think: Why in the world are we working on old ways of getting answers as opposed to being able to get them today and get them more quickly? I just think what we are doing makes sense. I would rely more on a technician who has expert experience than somebody who does time studies on something that isn't actually the duplicate of what we are looking to do. This whole thing is about protecting our seniors, the people who have done the most for this generation and previous generations, who have really put their shoulders to the wheel and have never ever complained and always done what they think is best. Why in the world would we make it harder for them to get the healthcare they deserve? Why? That makes absolutely no sense to any of us. This is not a red concern or a blue concern. It is all about red, white, and blue. It is about Americans. It is not Republicans or Democrats or Libertarians or anything else. It is about this body's obligation to come together on issues that are really critical. There never should be this type of work that we have had to go through to get this done. And then all of a sudden last night, by the way, the CBO decided after 11 months to weigh in on how we would score this legislation. They waited until the 11th hour, and right after the 11th hour they pulled back what they had said they thought the cost was going to be. I don't know how anybody runs a business like that. I know if I give somebody an estimate or tell somebody something is going to be done at a certain time--and I know we make commitments to all of the people we represent, give them the right answer in the right time. Why make them wait for something that is so basic? I know we always have this concern about fraud, waste, and abuse. My complaint really comes down to service. We can complain about a lot of things, but we cannot complain about what we owe our seniors. We wrote and rewrote this bill over the course of the last several years to ensure it was as strong as possible, using everything that is available to us today to implement, to get answers quicker, not longer, not put people off, not tell them to wait in the waiting room, not tell them to stay on hold, but to get them an answer and get them the care that they need today. Feedback is important. Honesty is more important. I know Ms. DelBene and Dr. Bera and Dr. Bucshon and so many of our colleagues agree the same way, and all the staff members that you mentioned. This is not something that just happened very quickly and on the back of an envelope. This is something that a great deal of concern went into, a great deal of care went into, and a great deal of looking into went into. So I am going to thank my colleagues, and I am going to ask everybody today, when this comes up for a vote, please vote for seniors. Please vote for all of those who have done so much for all of us. And take this opportunity to thank them in a way that really makes sense and, that is, by saying, you have played the game well; you have played the game long. You have done so much for all of us. Why don't we do something for all of you? So I thank my colleague--it has been great--and all our colleagues for getting on board on this. It has been a really good example of how, when we actually work together on good policy and don't worry about the politics of it, amazing, amazing what can get done for the American people. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas, and I hate to see him leave because he has been so productive. Madam Speaker, it is interesting. We had the talk and hear it going back and forth about what the IRS is not going to do. I would just tell my fellow citizens--and I am not going to talk to the other side because we shouldn't be doing that anyway. There is something wrong whenever we look at the money that is being spent to hire agents for enforcement. I would tell my fellow citizens: Be afraid. Be very afraid. If the events of this week don't shake you to the bottom as to what this government can do to you whenever it chooses to do it and however it chooses to do it, understand that this agency, the IRS, is the most feared agency in the United States Government. It is incredible the power that it wields. It is incredible that it is going to increase the number of enforcement officers. They are not coming in to help with the processing because all of us in Congress, including my friends on the other side, have been doing the work of the IRS for the IRS. They haven't been back to work full time for 2\1/2\ years. Madam Speaker, I urge my friends on both sides of the aisle to vote ``no'' on this monstrosity that does not do anything about inflation but continues to harass hardworking American taxpayers.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Oklahoma for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the distinguished leader was exactly right in his comments, but I would just like people to think about something. Every single problem we face today globally emanated right here, from this same floor. Tax policy, regulation policy, drove most of these businesses offshore. They didn't leave because they didn't like America. They left because it looked like America didn't like them. We have seen the erosion of so much of what it is that we are, all because of policy that emanated right from this same floor. Now, we are trying to do something to correct bad policy in the past. I am in the automobile business. We can't finish building cars because we don't have the product necessary to finish them. Most of the people we talk to said we didn't leave America by choice. We were forced offshore by policy. The Speaker and I know this because we are big fans of the steel business. The only thing I would ask my friends on this side and my colleagues on the other side, there are consequences for past performance. This bill in no way is perfect, and Mr. Hoyer is exactly correct about that. But the question is: What is it that we are trying to fix, and whose problem is it? The answer is: It is our problem because it is happening in real time on our watch. We have to do something. Doing nothing is not the answer to how we fix this bad situation. But we can't do everything from the House. We have to rely on the Senate to participate. Then, we look at what we had initially started and say: What did they do to the piece that we were trying to get done? Listen, I know the debate can get heated. We can talk about how patriotic we are, and we can talk about what the future is not only for ourselves but for our children and our grandchildren and our great- grandchildren.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I suggest that all of us need to take a good long look in the mirror and see who it is that can change the future. There is no sense in talking about what happened in the past. The past is the past, and we cannot reclaim it. We can just deal with it. We have a huge problem on our hands today because we have allowed the technology to leave; we have allowed the production to leave; we have allowed the product to leave; and then we come back and say now we have to do something to get it back. This may be the bill that does that. I don't know. I know from certain States, this is a must-have for some of our colleagues. It is a must-have for us to remain competitive. We are in a global economy. I can tell you this: I wish this was the same bill that we had proposed back when General Motors was facing bankruptcy because we know this body--not us, we weren't here--lent them the money to stay alive, and they paid it all back in full with interest. This is not that same process, and that is why we are so caught, trying to figure out what we should do to face this part of the business. What can we do here?

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it comes down to this: We are not Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, or Independents in this House. We are truly the American people. It is up to us to fix problems that are bad, even if we started them ourselves. I just hope that all of our colleagues sit back and take a long look at what is being proposed today and try to figure out, not for themselves but for the people they represent--and most of us represent three-quarters of a million people--what is in the best interest of the people you represent, what is in the best interest of the Nation that you live in, and what is in the best interest of the future of America.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert), somebody who has been a friend of mine since way back in 2011, and who has never stopped fighting for life since he got here.

Mr. KELLY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the Representative for his comments. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from the great State of Tennessee (Mr. Rose).