Buck McKeon

Mr. McKEON

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

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire as to the amount of time remaining.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds. My colleague, the chairman of the committee, earlier read a statement from a Member of the other body. I would like to read a couple of them. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, ``If it takes adding small business tax cuts to get a minimum wage increase, we are going to do it.'' Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus said, ``This Congress promised to raise the minimum wage, and we will. We also need to pass meaningful small business incentives along with the minimum wage increase. We can do both, and we will.'' I commend them. I applaud them, and I am hopeful that when we leave this body, we will join together in a bipartisan, bicameral way. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Sali).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia, a member of the committee, Mr. Price.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, we will reserve and let them take some time to kind of even that out.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire again the time remaining.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence). (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield 2 minutes to the gentlelady from West Virginia (Mrs. Capito).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield to the gentleman from California, a good friend and colleague, Mr. Rohrabacher, 4 minutes.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, might I inquire as to the remaining time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Fortuno), a member of the committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield 2 minutes to our new colleague, my neighbor from California (Mr. McCarthy).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry).

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), a member of the committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I am happy to yield 3 minutes to the gentlelady from Oklahoma (Ms. Fallin), a new Member of this Congress, for her maiden speech on the House floor.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. McCrery), the ranking member on the Ways and Means Committee. I ask unanimous consent that he be allowed to control that time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling), the chairman of the RSC committee.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, this debate represents a series of colossal missed opportunities. The new Democratic leadership of the House promised us and the voters a fair, open, honest, and, yes, democratic process in considering major pieces of legislation. Instead, today we are stuck with unfair, closed and heavy-handed terms for our debate, terms that were tucked into an unrelated rules package less than a week ago. Not only was that move unprecedented, but it also means that during today's debate on a minimum wage increase, what you see is what you get. No comprehensive alternative has been allowed. No amendments will be considered. In fact, I didn't even get a chance for those types of considerations before the Rules Committee because, well, the Rules Committee didn't meet on this issue. There was no hearing. That is unfortunate because, frankly, there are Members on both sides of the aisle who support a balanced minimum wage increase, and this bill, this early in the Congress, represented an opportunity to work together toward a true, bipartisan, bicameral consensus. But we won't, and that is a colossal missed opportunity. My colleagues will remember that last summer the Republican majority brought forward and passed legislation to increase the Federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour with important considerations for small businesses and their workers. Many Democrats joined us in advancing the measure. In fact, had a few more on the other side of the Capitol supported this measure, today's debate would be unnecessary because the minimum wage increase would already have taken place. Nonetheless, I was hopeful that when we considered minimum wage legislation under the new Democratic majority we would again do so with our Nation's small businesses and their workers in mind, particularly since both the President and the Senate majority leader have indicated their willingness to forge such a consensus. But it is apparent that we are not here on this side of the Capitol, and that is a colossal missed opportunity. So later in this debate I will offer a motion to recommit that would provide them the very protections that the Democratic leadership's bill does not. Yesterday, Mr. Speaker, my friend, the ranking Republican member on the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. McCrery from Louisiana, and I introduced minimum wage legislation that, quite frankly, puts the bill before us today to shame. It is a three- pronged measure that includes the same, the same, minimum wage provisions that are in the Democratic leadership's bill. As you can see on the chart, here is the unbalanced Democratic plan. It does raise the minimum wage. Then the comprehensive Republican plan. It also raises the minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 per hour over the 2 years, in precisely the same increments as the Democrat leadership's bill. Also identical to the Democrat leadership bill, the Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act that we offered yesterday would extend the Federal minimum wage to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. We don't stop there, however. But the Democrat leadership does, another colossal missed opportunity. As you can see, the Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act not only increases the minimum wage in the same exact manner as H.R. 2, but it also would expand access to affordable health care for working families, including many families that may benefit from the wage increase. The Democratic leadership's scaled-down proposal does not include this. For the last several Congresses, Republicans and Democrats alike have joined together behind legislation that would significantly expand access to health coverage for uninsured families across the country by creating Small Business Health Plans. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Americans who have no health insurance is about 46.5 million. Estimates indicate 60 percent or more of the working uninsured work for or depend upon small employers who lack the ability to provide health benefits for their workers. To ease the burden on small businesses and provide meaningful benefits to those who work for them, the Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act would allow small businesses to join together and purchase quality health care for workers and their families at a lower cost. Now, during today's debate, we are likely to hear from our colleagues on the other side of the aisle about how a certain percentage of the American people support a minimum wage increase. By the same token, my colleagues also should be aware that a whopping 93 percent of Americans support creating small business health plans; and 36 members of their own Democratic caucus supported them in the 109th Congress. Doing so again during this debate would not only be logical but it would be welcome news for scores of uninsured working families. But the Democratic leadership's bill won't allow for it, and our bill simply isn't allowed at all. A colossal missed opportunity. Finally, as you can see, only the Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act includes a number of other important considerations for small businesses and their workers. Small businesses create two-thirds of the Nation's new jobs, and 98 percent of the new businesses in the U.S. are small businesses. Increasing the minimum wage increases costs for small employers, and often they may be forced to respond by reducing their number of workers, scaling back benefits or hiring fewer new employees. Given that small employers are responsible for most of the new jobs in our Nation, and practically every new business, why would we do anything to endanger their momentum? Well, you would have to ask the Democratic leadership, because that is exactly what their proposal would do. By offering small businesses and their workers important protections, the Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act would protect American jobs. The House Democratic leadership's scaled- down minimum wage proposal will not. A colossal missed opportunity. Mr. Speaker, only the Republican-led Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act will both raise the minimum wage and protect small businesses and their workers. And only the Republican-led Working Families Wage and Access to Health Care Act will both raise the minimum wage and expand access to affordable health care for working families. Unfortunately, due to unfair, closed, and heavy-handed tactics, only the scaled-down Democrat leadership plan is before us today. A colossal missed opportunity, not just for the House but for working families and small businesses as well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, as the minority leader's designee, I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. McKEON

Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the Republican Conference, I offer a privileged resolution (H. Res. 45) and ask for its immediate consideration.