Christopher Lee

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, today we are doing what we promised the American people we would do after the November election. We will vote to repeal last year's massive health care law. Most importantly, we will also vote to begin replacing this massive new government entitlement with commonsense reforms that actually remove costs from our health care system. We can all agree our current health care system is unsustainable. It is ripe for reform. Passing last year's 2,300-page monstrosity will raise health care costs by $311 billion over the next decade, according to the administration's own actuaries. It will raise health care costs for seniors and cut more than $500 billion for Medicare and Medicare Advantage, which are both very popular plans. It will cause employers to simply drop the insurance they offer employees because they have done the math and they understand that it's cheaper to just pay the penalty than pay for the insurance, leading to struggling Americans being kicked out of their current plan they have and they like. That is not the reform Americans deserve. We need to include medical liability reform. The CBO has scored that at a $54 billion savings. Meaningful reform will allow western New Yorkers to start buying insurance across State lines to encourage competition. And meaningful reform will empower small businesses to group together to cut costs and provide coverage to their employees. Republicans are pursuing these commonsense reforms because we made a promise to the American people and because we believe health care reforms need to address both affordability and accessibility. It can be done, and we are committed to making it happen.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his assistance in bringing this bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker, our national debt just recently broke $14 trillion. It is well past time for Washington to get serious about cutting spending, and that effort starts right here in our own House. With this in mind, Speaker Boehner proposed a measure to cut every Member's budget by 5 percent. In a 410-13 vote, the measure to save $35 million easily passed. It's called leading by example. Another simple way to continue this process is by passing legislation that I brought up in the last Congress and which became part of the YouCut initiative, which gives all taxpayers the ability to vote on what Federal spending they want Congress to cut. When a Member of Congress introduces or originally cosponsors a bill, we automatically receive multiple printed copies of the legislation, regardless if we have asked for them. When the health care bill was introduced, the Government Printing Office printed and delivered over 100,000 pieces of paper to the original cosponsors alone. That is just one single piece of legislation we're talking about. At the start of Congress, the Small Business Paperwork Mandate Elimination Act, which repeals the onerous 1099 provision of the health care bill, won the support of 245 original cosponsors, all of whom will automatically receive multiple printed copies of the bill. For each bill introduced, there are between 300 and 475 copies printed. This overprinting of bills is wasteful and inefficient at a time when we need to be tightening our budgetary belts and looking for greater efficiencies. In the 111th Congress, nearly 14,000 bills were introduced. That is a lot of unnecessary and costly printing. That is why I introduced the Stop the OverPrinting Act--to save both time and money. This bill is a near mirror image of the legislation I introduced last year in H.R. 4640, keeping with the initial intent to strictly end the wasteful practice of printing copies of legislation for Members. However, note that this bill will not hinder the daily operation of the House, the archiving process, or affect the transparency that this Congress has made a priority. This legislation will lead to significant savings each and every year--money that can be used, frankly, for better uses. With technological advancements, we have become a paperless world. It is a waste of taxpayer dollars to automatically print and send multiple unsolicited copies of something that is readily available online. Should a Member's office truly need a printed copy, they will still be available in the document rooms and also in the committees.

Mr. LEE of New York. Too many people in Washington don't seem to care about the dollar amount unless it has a ``B'' or a ``T'' after it, and that is the type of mentality that needs to change here in Washington and was mandated in the November elections. We need to be looking for cost savings and turning over every possible rock. With our current deficit, there should be no such thing as spending cuts just being a drop in the bucket. Every dollar and every cent counts in the real world, and it should here, too. The money we spend here in Congress is not ours; it is the people's. House Republicans have been stressing this for some time, and together we proposed over $155 billion in savings for taxpayers throughout the 111th Congress with the YouCut initiative alone. Through this program, Americans asked Congress to support spending cuts on a wide variety of issues, including the End the Stimulus Advertising Act, which would have eliminated the unneeded highway signs notifying the public of stimulus-funded projects. With no real purpose, tens of millions of dollars could have been saved. Also considered were proposals requiring Federal employees to pay back taxes, stopping the cycle of bailouts, and putting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac back on budget. The American people have spoken loudly that we must get our fiscal house in order. While previous efforts to curb wasteful spending were not successful, I am hoping that under our new leadership we will have far better results. I would like to thank the leadership for their support in working to implement laws that will reform flawed aspects of our government and save taxpayer dollars, be it a dollar, a million, or a billion. I am encouraged by the fact that the new majority is listening to the will of the people to eliminate inefficiency and waste. Passing the Stop the OverPrinting Act today is an important step in beginning this process. I urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense bill.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Chairman, I am amazed how my friends across the aisle now, all of a sudden, have found religion when it comes to fiscal issues. But where were they when we had the $800 billion stimulus? Where were they with the $1.2 trillion health care bill that they all promoted? Where were they when the Speaker chose not to enact a budget resolution this year, the first time in 36 years? And now they're preaching fiscal responsibility when we are out promoting a bill that is not cutting taxes; it is helping to ensure that every American citizen who pays taxes won't be seeing an increase this year. It is truly, truly amazing. Simply put, this bill before us today will allow taxpayers to keep more of what they earn and will allow small businesses, the engines of our economy, to invest in themselves and invest in jobs. This bill will provide much-needed certainty that businesses have been screaming for. They are looking to invest in themselves and truly what they want to do is hire more workers, but: tell us what the rules are going to be. Currently, today, businesses are sitting on close to $2 trillion in cash and liquid assets awaiting to know what the rules are going to be. This bill is not perfect, but it will help set the stage for businesses to get some confidence and certainty in this economy and go out and start investing in U.S. workers. Congress is long overdue in providing this certainty to small businesses, and it is one of the best ways that we can start turning around this economy. I ran a manufacturing business before coming to Congress. I know what it feels like to look at a production line and not know if you will be able to operate it the next month because Washington is dragging its feet. By acting now, we can also ensure that small businesses and family farms aren't hit with a 55 percent death tax. We reaffirm our commitment to providing incentives for manufacturers to invest in research and development. And we help every American family by extending current tax rates, the child tax credit, and the marriage penalty relief. Is this bill perfect? No. Few things are that come out of Washington. But the bottom line is that this bill will allow families to keep more of what they earn and help small businesses grow and invest in themselves. This is a proven recipe for job creation. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation so we can protect taxpayers and get on to the tough work of cutting spending next year.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I thank the gentleman for yielding. The American people are truly frustrated, and we saw that in the November election. They are demanding that Congress start to do what they were brought here for, and that is to get our fiscal house in order. Mr. Speaker, I introduced the STOP the Overprinting Act earlier this year as a commonsense way to cut spending in Washington, and I appreciate your support in selecting it as this week's YouCut winner. When a Member of Congress today introduces or cosponsors a bill, we receive five printed copies of the legislation, regardless of the length. The best example I can show is the 2,000-plus page health care bill that stands here. So, in essence, you would be getting 10,000 copies of paper in your office when, in fact, each office has it readily accessible online--a waste of money. This bill was introduced months ago, and we finally now have an opportunity to do something about this needless spending that's going on. When the bill was introduced, just on this bill alone, the Government Printing Office had to print nearly a half million pieces of paper. Again, that's just on one single piece of legislation. In this last Congress, we've had more than 14,000 bills that were introduced--a lot of unnecessary cost and waste when the American people keep scratching their head as to what's going on in Washington. We have a very simple way to save money. This week's YouCut vote will save $35 million over the next 10 years. The unfortunate thing about Washington is that unless that amount has either a ``B'' or a ``T'' after it, bureaucrats are ignoring it. That has got to stop, and that's why we saw such a huge change in the November election. Simply put, we've got the information online. Let's start doing what the private sector has been doing for years--going paperless. This is a very simple way to do it. We've got to start managing a budget and doing what the private sector is doing and looking for every way that we can start saving a dollar. Starting now, we truly can change that attitude in Washington and start cutting wasteful spending by supporting this YouCut bill. Over the past several months, House Republicans have been stressing this for some time, and we have proposed over $155 billion in savings for taxpayers through this YouCut initiative. Despite the more than 2.5 million votes cast, Republicans--and those of you who have cast your votes through YouCut--have been met with a lost resistance on the other side. Hopefully, that will change. Again, thank you for your vote and for your participation in cutting Washington spending through this YouCut initiative.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I rise today to honor a great man, Army Specialist Blake D. Whipple of Williamsville, New York. Just 21 years old, Blake's life was taken by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on November 5. It was his job to clear the roads of these devices, and he did so proudly. Blake was a 2007 graduate of Williamsville East High School, and signed up to serve his country in 2009. Blake's parents, Dave and Kim, expressed concern about him joining the Army, as any parent would, but Blake's parents sensed his passion and drive for wanting to be a part of something bigger. Blake was eager to serve his country and was proud of the work he was doing, and I know his family was extremely proud of him. Blake was fortunate to be home in western New York for 2 weeks this past September. He was able to see his family and friends one last time before his life was cut so drastically short. Blake proudly served our Nation with courage and bravery, and his life was taken far too soon. He will be missed.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. LEE of New York. In its present form.

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I, like many of my colleagues, am a strong supporter of the underlying provisions in H.R. 847, the James Zadroga 9/11 health bill. In fact, I am a cosponsor of the bill and believe we should pass it for our 9/11 heroes. Unfortunately, H.R. 847 is not on the floor today because the same harmful, job-killing tax hikes that were added to the bill in July are still here today. I'm a new Member of Congress. I'm from New York. I spent my entire career in the private sector before coming here, not in politics, focused on growing jobs in the manufacturing sector, and I can tell you firsthand these taxes will kill jobs in the United States. These are taxes on new jobs. I share the frustration of so many Americans when Congress talks a good game about creating jobs but does everything possible to send them offshore. These taxes, without a doubt, will send more jobs offshore. And with 15 million American workers out of work, it is unwise and unnecessary to pit America's jobless against the 9/11 heroes. Earlier today, I signed a letter, with the entire New York delegation, to the House leadership urging that this bill be considered without procedural games or poison pills meant to make the other party look bad. This motion to recommit lives up to that request. Specifically, this motion eliminates the job-killing tax hikes and, instead, finances the bill through spending cuts, just as the American people are urging us to do this in each and every one of our districts. It eliminates the duplicative Public Health Service Act slush fund. It repeals the poorly drafted comparative effectiveness research program and the Medicare Independent Payment Advisory Board. It also eliminates incentives to overutilize services by changing reimbursement rates. In addition, CBO says the motion reduces the deficit over the next 10 years. I want to repeat that. It reduces the deficit. It takes the additional step to save money and improve care for everyone by enacting something that was missing from the health care bill that was passed earlier this year. It enacts meaningful medical liability reform, reform supported by both sides of the aisle. By passing this motion to recommit, we can remove the harmful job- killing tax hikes and do what's right for these 9/11 heroes and leave the politics aside. I urge adoption of this motion. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. No one will ever forget 9/11, where we were that day. It's ingrained in our memories. We saw thousands of men and women rush into buildings, not caring about their own safety, caring about others. We've also seen other people come in and clean up this debris knowing that they were exposed to chemicals and toxins. I was a cosponsor of this bill and believed in this bill. The problem is, it's where Washington gets it wrong. The pay-for for this bill is in job-killing taxes. There were opportunities to solve this problem in a bipartisan way. That was missed. And it's an unfortunate situation when we have people who are getting put in the way of politics have got in the way of trying to help people who were brave and honest and doing the right thing for New Yorkers. And it's a sad state of affairs. And, unfortunately, I won't be able to support this bill.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, this has been a long time in coming. We are here today due to a group of individuals, many of whom are here tonight up in the gallery. It is truly amazing. They are the ones who decided to turn their personal tragedies into a mission to overhaul the way our airlines operate in this country and the way the pilots are trained. It was February 12, 2009, a day, I think, everyone will always remember who is from western New York. Continental Connection Flight 3407 crashed into a home in Clarence Center, New York. This tragedy claimed the lives of 50 people, including a friend of mine, an expectant mother, many of whom who were constituents in my district, and, as I'd mentioned, a number of whom I'd known personally. Since the night of the tragedy, I am proud to say that I have made many new friends as I see and peer up into the gallery this evening. The faces of these family members have not only become familiar to me but to many of the people who sit here on the floor tonight. As a result of their never-ending commitment to ensuring a tragedy like this will never, ever happen again, they have taken their grief and have turned this tragedy into a significant push for meaningful aviation safety reforms that are before us today and which will be a part of the future of the FAA extension. From requiring all pilots to have at least 1,500 flight hours of experience to addressing issues with pilot fatigue and training, these reforms will ensure that no air carrier will ever cut corners. When this law takes effect, each and every person who boards a commercial aircraft in this country will know that there is an experienced, well-trained and prepared pilot in every cockpit. It should never have to have been otherwise. With no doubt, we are here today because of the hard work of these families and also because of the dedication of many of my colleagues: my good friend, Congressman Brian Higgins; Congresswoman Slaughter; Ranking Members Mica and Petri; and of course, Chairmen Oberstar and Costello, who took this forward. This has been very near and dear to me, and I appreciate your efforts and what you have done. This has been a long haul. Again, it is truly appreciated. To the staffs of all who have worked tirelessly over the last 17 months, I think they also deserve credit in addition to the families, for all of this, at the end of the day, is going to mean meaningful aviation safety that will benefit all Americans. It has been nearly 17 months since the crash, and we are finally at a point where 1.8 million Americans each and every day who board a craft--and more than 400,000 of whom are on regional carriers--will be assured one level of aviation safety. Lastly, our actions today truly validate the families' efforts in coming out to honor their loved ones. I just want to name a few. Kevin Kuwik, Karen Eckert, Susan Bourque, Scott Maurer, John Kausner, and many other family members--way too many to offer here--all have played an incredible role in getting done what we've gotten done tonight. There were days I didn't think we'd get there, but it gives you hope when you see how both sides have come together to really push through this legislation. They have really turned the tears of sadness into tears of joy. So I am very pleased to be here. These men and women have worked so hard to get to this point. It makes me proud to be a western New Yorker. I really don't think anybody else--any group of families-- could have done what this group has done tonight. With that, I am just pleased that all Americans will benefit from the hard work that these families have done for this country. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, on Monday I introduced a resolution honoring ATF Special Agent William G. Clark of Rochester, New York. One morning in 2008, while stationed in the United States Virgin Islands, Special Agent Clark witnessed a domestic dispute between his neighbor and her boyfriend, who was drunk and on drugs. His neighbor was being threatened and pleaded for his assistance. And Special Agent Clark did what his training taught him to do: he helped someone in need. While attempting to protect his female neighbor from being beaten, Special Agent Clark was charged by her boyfriend, who was swinging a large metal flashlight after threatening to retrieve a gun. Special Agent Clark fired in self-defense. The man subsequently died from his injuries, and Special Agent Clark is now being charged with second- degree murder. A Justice Department incident review panel has cleared Special Agent Clark, who remains on active duty. The panel unanimously found that Special Agent Clark was acting within the scope of employment and authority, and that there was no evidence of misconduct or inappropriate action on the part of Special Agent Clark. ATF Special Agent William G. Clark is a hero who was protecting a battered woman, and Congress should recognize his heroic acts.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 4684, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Commemorative Medal Act. No one can forget the September morning, where we were, the way we felt, what we feared. As the tragedy unfolded, all of us wondered what it meant for the future. The attacks of September 11 occurred during a time of relative tranquility for this Nation. The country had entered a new decade, excited about the boundless opportunities that lay ahead of the new century and confident it would realize the potential of its people. 9/11 shook that confidence. The downed planes and the burning buildings and the shattered lives and families showed us just how vulnerable we truly were. At that moment the paths of prosperity and progress, of safety and liberty that our Nation had so surely followed seemed in jeopardy. But more telling than that day was not how vulnerable we felt when the terrorists struck, but more so how resolute we were in our response and in the comforting arms extended to help our fellow citizens. First responders rushed to the scene. Upon seeing the devastation before them, these men and women rushed into the buildings knowing their lives were in danger. They put aside their personal safety and rushed to the aid of those in need. They epitomized the bravery and resilience that has been the foundation of this Nation since its inception, the compassion and the will that built the United States into truly what it is today. As Americans and the world witnessed the response, it became clear that although the attacks would change the decisions and circumstances of our Nation, it would not change our resolve. Alongside the tragedy of that day, we watched America's greatness as ordinary citizens showed their capacity, America's capacity, in meeting challenges knows no bounds. This bill, which enjoys the support of over 300 cosponsors and the entire New York delegation, asks us to remember the individuals who perished that fateful day. It directs the Secretary of the Treasury to make available 2 million silver medals designed to be emblematic of the courage, sacrifice, and strength of those individuals who died in the terrorist attacks and the bravery of those who risked their lives to save others that day. These medals will be sold with a $10 surcharge that will be paid to the National September 11 Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center. All of this will be accomplished at no cost to the taxpayers. Mr. Speaker, I stand here today in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11. They will never be forgotten. I commend my colleague from New York (Mr. Nadler), the chief sponsor of this measure, for his commitment to getting this issue before the House today. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall 398, to suspend the Rules and pass H.R. 5618, I intended to vote ``nay.'' While I understand that many Americans, including some in my Congressional District in Western New York, rely on unemployment benefits to survive in these difficult economic times, I believe that it is irresponsible for this Congress to not pay for the extension. We simply cannot afford to tack on an additional $34 billion in deficit spending.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I rise today to honor a great man, Marine Lance Corporal Timothy G. Serwinowski. Just 21 years old, Lance Corporal Serwinowski was killed in action while serving in southern Afghanistan this past Sunday. A native of Tonawanda, New York, and a 2007 graduate of North Tonawanda High School, Tim enjoyed singing and playing the guitar. He played football throughout high school and was honored by his coaches during his senior year for his ``excellence and leadership,'' and he took those traits to the marines. When asked why he wanted to enlist with the marines, he said, ``If you're going to do it, you go with the best.'' Tim strove to be the best, and his life was taken far too soon. Both Tim and his family-- some who I know personally--have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and we owe it to them our renewed commitment to bring our men and women home as soon as possible. Tim served our Nation with valor and with honor, and he will be deeply missed by the many whose lives he has touched.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, I ask that the House join me in recognizing Merton Williams Middle School of Hilton, NY, for being recognized as one of the top middle schools in the country. The National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform recently recognized Merton Williams Middle School as a School to Watch. Only 90 of the nation's 21,000 public middle schools are honored each year, and only 17 of New York's 1,121 public middle schools are honored this year. Until the establishment of Merton Williams Middle School in 1964, middle school students in Hilton attended six different area schools. Today, Merton Williams lives up to the motto of the Hilton School District: ``Maximizing the Potential of the Individual Learner.'' The teachers and staff of Merton Williams are truly to be commended for their hard work and service to their students. Credit is especially due to Principal Carol Stehm and Assistant Principal Suzanne Goff for their exceptional leadership. But most importantly, I would like to congratulate the students of Merton Williams. Through their hard work and devotion to their schoolwork and their community, they stood out as an exceptional group of young adults. I ask that this House once again join with me in congratulating Merton Williams Middle School for receiving this commendation and serving as an example to middle schools and junior high schools everywhere.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Mr. LEE of New York. In its current form.

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, the underlying bill that we have been considering today is an important one, and I support the provisions that are included in H.R. 5072, the FHA Reform Act of 2010. It gives HUD new tools that will allow the FHA to protect taxpayers against fraudulent or poorly underwritten and insured loans. The goal of H.R. 5072 is for HUD to begin the process of putting FHA back on the road to a program that has adequate capital in reserve to weather whatever problems it encounters down the road. However, H.R. 5072 is not a cure-all. We can do more to ensure that American taxpayers are better protected. During the past 2 years, FHA's market share has significantly increased from less than 5 percent to more than 30 percent. As FHA's market share has increased, taxpayer exposure has continued to grow day by day. That is why we must do everything we can to ensure that the program is being run in a safe and sound manner and that the taxpayers will not be asked to pay for yet another government bailout. The motion does two important things. First, it prohibits the FHA from insuring loans from borrowers who have strategically defaulted on previous loans. Second, it prohibits a taxpayer bailout of the FHA program. According to a study by Experian and management consulting firm Oliver Wyman, from 2007 to 2008, the number of strategic defaults more than doubled to 588,000, and a separate 2009 survey found that more than a quarter of all existing defaults were strategic. Meanwhile, there are lawyers, scam artists and opportunists touting the financial benefits of walking away from a mortgage and offering to help you do that for a fee. Not a day goes by that we don't read another news article about folks who are making calculated decisions to stop paying their mortgages even though they still have the ability to pay. We are not talking about those families who have fallen on hard times or who simply can no longer afford to make their payments. We are talking about this new trend of people who voluntarily choose to stop paying their mortgages even though they still have the ability to pay. While these decisions should ultimately be left to the individual, we should put in place more stringent penalties to discourage this irresponsible behavior. If borrowers make decisions to strategically default on their loans, they certainly should not be allowed to benefit from a government-subsidized program. This motion makes it clear: if you can afford to pay your mortgage and choose not to, you will no longer be eligible to secure an FHA mortgage. This motion calls on the Secretary of HUD to define strategic default and to work with lenders to identify and to prevent borrowers from participating in the FHA program. This motion also prohibits a taxpayer bailout of the FHA program by requiring HUD to use all available methods at its disposal to ensure that the program is properly capitalized and that the taxpayer is protected, ensuring that mortgage applicants have truly enough skin in the game. As Ranking Member Bachus said in yesterday's motion to instruct conferees on the financial regulatory reform conference, it is time to end bailouts once and for all. Whether it is $145 billion for Fannie and Freddie or another $60 billion for AIG, Chrysler and GM, the American public has suffered enough from bailout fatigue. This motion to recommit ensures that the FHA uses its existing authorities to ensure that the program does not need an appropriation and that taxpayers are protected. While the underlying legislation makes significant improvements to the FHA program and goes a long way to providing HUD with the tools it will need to improve the financial condition of the FHA program, these additional prohibitions on strategic default borrowers and on taxpayer bailouts will ensure that the FHA program stays on a solid financial path and that American taxpayers will be protected from yet another bailout. I urge the adoption of this motion, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I thank my friend from West Virginia for yielding. I rise today in support of H.R. 5072, the FHA Reform Act of 2010. This legislation before us today clearly takes important steps towards restoring stability into our housing market. I share the frustration that I hear, though, from my constituents in western New York who have been responsible homeowners but who are increasingly paying the price for the fraud and abuse throughout our mortgage system. No one--no business and no person--should be able to take risks without having to accept the consequences. We've all seen the consequences of the actions taken by irresponsible lending practices, and Congress has rightfully looked at outdated mortgage structures to ensure responsible homeowners have access to safe and affordable mortgages without forcing them to pay for the irresponsibility of others. Earlier this year, I joined my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Adler) in introducing H.R. 3146, the 21st Century FHA Housing Act, which took much of what we have learned from past FHA shortages to ensure they don't happen again. I am pleased that the bill before us today does this as well and includes many of the reforms that we proposed last year. H.R. 5072 will help ensure that FHA will be a stabilizing force in the market and support responsible homeownership for first-time buyers and underserved markets. Given that FHA is now one of the primary facilitators of mortgage financing, it is absolutely necessary that we get this reform right. FHA must have the resources it needs to effectively oversee mortgages and ensure that no bad actors are allowed to function in the marketplace. We need a responsive, efficient, and capable FHA to help ensure that owning a home remains part of the American Dream. I believe the bill before us today will help keep that dream alive. I urge my colleagues to support its passage.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Mr. Speaker, Washington never ceases to amaze. While families across the country continue to struggle to live within their means, Congress continues to spend money we simply don't have. The House has passed a budget resolution every year since 1974, yet leaders on the other side of the aisle have no plans to pass a fiscal roadmap for the upcoming year. Without a budget, there will be no plan to curb the runaway government debt that we have, which is now approaching $12.9 trillion. It is embarrassing to think that the government running the world's largest economy would forgo the most basic of tools to manage close to a $4 trillion budget. If you ran a business and proposed to your bosses you wanted to forgo a budget in order to hide some very bad numbers, what would happen? I can assure you. You would be fired. The spending has to stop. American families are making tough decisions each and every day. Washington needs to start playing by the same rules.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. Madam Speaker, to follow on to what my colleagues' points have been, first and foremost, I do want to thank my good friend from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri) for his hard work with this important bill that ensures the Service flag can be displayed on residential properties, which is key, without limitation. Each day, millions of Americans proudly display the Service flag in recognition of conflicts overseas. However, due to some unreasonable and misguided policies instituted by some housing associations, the Service flag has been unable to fly free. The bill before us today will ensure that those who wish to proudly honor those serving in conflicts around the world will be able to do so. The Service flag is a meaningful symbol used by many to honor brave men and women currently serving in war zones, as well as those killed in action or who have died in service. There should be no restrictions on honoring these courageous souls, and the passage of this bill brings us one step closer to ensuring that this is the case.

Mr. LEE of New York

Mr. LEE of New York. I appreciate the opportunity to speak out on the rule on the ``Cash for Caulkers'' legislation before us today because I believe this is the wrong approach. It's another government boondoggle costing taxpayers over $6.5 billion. Even more frustrating is the fact that last year's so-called ``stimulus,'' we haven't used up the billions of dollars that were allocated for the energy-efficiency programs. So, again, let's just keep spending money that we do not have in this country. Americans can agree on one issue, that is, that we are facing an energy crisis that demands our attention, and that part of the solution means improving the efficiency of our energy intake. Today, we have an important choice on how we get this done. Energy-efficiency improvements are best achieved through the use of voluntary, market-based programs through tax incentives which are provided directly to the consumer. I've had the pleasure to work with Representatives from both sides of the aisle on introducing H.R. 4226, a comprehensive, bipartisan package of energy efficiency incentives that will reduce energy costs, save energy, and create long-term energy jobs. For this reason, my colleagues and I offered an amendment in the nature of a substitute to provide a choice in how we move forward. While the underlying bill and the substitute amendment both seek to make it easier to retrofit an existing home to achieve energy savings, only one of these bills will allow families and businesses to plan for future retrofit expenses and to make more effective home improvements. The alternative legislation my colleagues and I supported is more effective in creating jobs and saving energy costs. It includes a predefined 5-year extension of proven successful tax incentives, not another government handout. Our alternative will make it more affordable for homeowners to retrofit their existing homes. Furthermore, H.R. 4226 includes commercial retrofits, something the underlying bill does not provide. Commercial buildings are in as much need, if not greater need, than many residential buildings. H.R. 4226 would allow small businesses to save more, which would allow them to invest in themselves and create jobs, something that cannot be said about the bill before us today. H.R. 4226 is an important step towards energy conservation, and it does so in a responsible and meaningful way. Contrast that with the underlying bill before us today, which amounts to a rushed cash handout to the tune of $6.6 billion that just forces burdensome mandates on taxpayers already struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, today's rule does not allow my colleagues the opportunity to vote on this approach. I encourage all of you to reject this rule and the underlying bill and to support H.R. 4226, which will increase energy efficiency in both domestic and commercial structures in a much more effective, fiscally responsible, market-based approach.