Tim Murphy

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 654, on motion to suspend the Rules and concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2142, GPRA Modernization Act of 2010; had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank my colleague. I rise to speak about S. 30, the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009, addressing the serious problem of caller ID fraud that allows a caller to hide his true identity. They do this through Web sites that will let you choose any number to show up on the caller ID. The Web sites even offer options to disguise your voice, such as making a man or woman's voice appear as the opposite gender. I am glad to see the Senate is finally acting on this issue that I first raised in 2006 when I introduced H.R. 5304, known as the PHONE Act, or the Preventing Harassment Through Outbound Number Enforcement Act. My bill passed the full House on December 9, 2006, and while it didn't make it through the Senate, several Members of the House pressed on. Congressman Bobby Scott and I reintroduced this legislation in the 110th and 111th Congresses. The House passed the bill in March of 2007 by a vote of 413-1. And I would like to thank my colleagues in this session of Congress for overwhelmingly voting in favor of the Murphy- Scott Phone Act a year ago tomorrow by a vote of 418-1. Caller ID can have legitimate uses to protect victims or when law enforcement are trying to track down criminals. However, here we are concerned about illegitimate uses. When I first introduced the PHONE Act, several problems were already beginning to emerge. On one level friends were using it to prank others, and just to annoy them. On another level, there were famous or infamous cases where the harassment involved well-known personalities, * * *. But caller ID is also employed for more sinister reasons. My own office experienced this when an organization used a phony caller ID system to make it appear as though my congressional office was calling constituents. Constituents were understandably puzzled and annoyed when bombarded by these calls. Unfortunately, we were not able to track down the perpetrators. In total, at least 42 House Republicans from 14 States were targeted in their home districts by similar harassing phone calls using call spoofing. Although I believe that action alone constitutes a fraud in posing as a Federal elected official's office, that is not the worst case. In several cases, police and FBI have been subjected to so-called ``swatting'' calls when a caller uses another person's caller ID to phone the authorities, report a fake crime in progress, which draws a police and SWAT team response. Luckily, no one has been harmed in these cases, but you can imagine the potential tragedy when a team of police with guns drawn respond to the scene of what they believe is a dangerous ongoing crime. It is more than just a false alarm to a fire department. It can lead to serious injury for police and the community, and that is why we must pass this bill before someone gets hurt. Here are some other reports. A woman from Pennsylvania discovered her phone number was appearing on other people's caller ID, and it was being used as a vehicle to harass people. In the wake of the Haitian earthquake, the Virginia State Police warned citizens to be vigilant against scam artists using phony caller ID numbers to obtain donations. Under such circumstances, perpetrators can pose as a legitimate charity to fool others into donating to an illegitimate account. We have heard of cases where a county courthouse number appears as citizens are told they missed jury duty and are asked to give their credit card number to pay a fine. Last December, another case in Pennsylvania occurred when a woman claimed to have shot her baby. It turned out to be a hoax. The police and detectives were forced to spend their Christmas Day wasting valuable resources investigating what was presented as a gruesome crime that was never committed. These are just a few examples, and if we do not enact this legislation into law, I worry we will read about many more cases of call spoofing, including some that will inevitably end in tragedy. Because of these, I am still a supporter of enhanced penalties when caller ID spoofing is used in the commission of a crime. Therefore, we should not stop with this legislation. The Truth in Caller ID Act provides for civil penalties under the Communications Act of 1934. My legislation, the PHONE Act, which has already passed the full House, provides for criminal penalties under the U.S. criminal code. But I want to thank Congressman Engel and Congressman Barton for being leaders on this issue in the House of Representatives in introducing their version. I urge my colleagues to vote for the Truth in Caller ID Act, and let's hope in the future we can pass enhanced criminal penalties such as those in my PHONE Act bill. Together these pieces of legislation would create a comprehensive set of civil and criminal penalties to enable us to effectively combat caller ID spoofing.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that I may redact a statement from my remarks in debate made earlier today that I believe might reflect a misapprehension of fact.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, our country continues fighting a deadly and determined terrorist enemy. Agencies such as Homeland Security and the TSA work hard to keep us safe and protect us. Still, American citizens are concerned with the newly implemented security measures that are both revealing and personal. Concerned passengers and even TSA workers feel violated, confused, and uncomfortable. No one is sure what to expect. The American public rightfully wants answers from questions like what is the training, accountability, and selection process for the TSA? Two, what can we learn from other countries' security measures? Three, can we prevent body scan photos from public release? Four, how do we identify who is actually a risk? And isn't there another, more accurate way to do this, rather than treating everyone as a suspect? People do not have confidence in the Federal Government's ability to protect their privacy, and TSA must explore other screening alternatives because national security and the liberty it aims to protect both matter.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, by 2030, America's energy needs will increase by 40 percent, and our nuclear power plants are, on average, 30 years old and are nearing the end of their life cycles. We need more energy. The Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act, which passed the House last night, accelerates the development of small, pre-made reactors that can be built in factories and shipped to sites at a fraction of the cost. Today, a typical nuclear power plant costs $10 billion, takes 5 years to build, and produces more than 1,100 megawatts. Small reactors cost $750 million, which can be quickly added to the grid and shipped into the place. We need energy independence; but to rebuild our economy, we need products that can be developed here, built in our factories, and sold all over the world; or we can keep sending our dollars to OPEC. This year, the U.S. will buy $350 billion of foreign oil; and for roughly 1 day's worth of oil purchased from a foreign country, this bill invests in the technology that produces these new energy plants. The stimulus bill gave us windmills made in China. Let's not repeat that mistake. If we don't do this in the USA, other countries can and will make them and ship them here. Let's support U.S. jobs for U.S. energy. I urge the Senate to quickly adopt H.R. 5866.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, what does an Irish Pennsylvania boy have to do with Ike Skelton standing up here and talking? Actually, I have roots in Missouri. In Farmington, my ancestor, Sarah Barton Murphy, started the first Saturday school west of the Mississippi in Missouri. And that was a little story I told Ike. I don't know if he remembers it. But it comes from times that Ike and I traveled together on congressional delegation trips. He had asked me to travel with him to Afghanistan and Iraq at Thanksgiving--we did that twice--giving up time with our families by traveling out there to be with the soldiers. Small codels as they were, but I think they meant a lot certainly to the soldiers that were sacrificing so much for our country. And I thought it pretty amazing that here was this gentleman, in the truest sense of the word, being willing to giving up his holidays with family to be over there, and I was certainly pleased and honored to go with him. And we had some interesting times. A meeting with General Petraeus, a meeting with General McChrystal, seeing the ins and outs of what takes place in a war zone, talking to soldiers in the most candid ways about the stress that they face. And I know, for me, I learned a great deal from them, but I also learned a great deal from my friend, Congressman Skelton, about the ins and outs of what takes place in the military through his chairmanship and ranking membership of what he's learned from the House Armed Services Committee. But there's also things you learn about a person under times of stress. Ike and I have the dubious distinction of being the only two Members of Congress ever injured in Iraq, and it happened on a dark night. We were traveling, after having met, I believe, with General Casey, on a road back to the Baghdad Airport when this up-armored minibus we were traveling in--referred to affectionately as an ice cream truck-- suddenly hit something. We heard a boom. We're up in the air, bounced, rolled over the side, and both of us slid inside the interior. I was injured a bit. That doesn't matter. Ike had his own symptoms. And a lot of chaos occurred at that moment. And we learned what happens on a military site when there's an injury that occurs, that soldiers are swarming around securing the perimeter, ambulances arriving trying to take care of both Ike and me at that moment. An incredible dedication and skill of these soldiers. We had intended to visit a hospital but not in a horizontal position. What occurred afterwards, taking us in an ambulance, and we're both in some pain--nothing compared to what our soldiers face. But an interesting little thing happened with one of the staffers at that point. Erin reached in and patted my toe and said, ``I'll pray for you.'' And the ambulance door closed. And Ike, always a man of good humor, said, What am I? Chopped liver? What's wrong here? No one's going to pray for me? He had issues, too. We went to a hospital then in Baghdad. Some difficult moments. Hearing the cries of a young boy whose room was near ours who, we understand, his parents had just been killed, and he was hurt, too. And then traveling over to Balad where our soldiers who were wounded pretty severely were all being prepped to take to Landstuhl Hospital in Germany, and to see what takes place as people with some pretty severe injuries were prepared, sometimes on basically a traveling intensive care unit with doctors and nurses around them. And Ike and I are both on our helicopter trip over there. And having those moments when you're lying on this litter on this same helicopter that carries so many of our wounded soldiers, it gives you something to think about. And of course traveling over to Landstuhl on this big C-17 for several hours' flight. But now and then I would hear this voice coming from either above me or below me, wherever we happened to be on that particular flight, there's the voice of Ike saying, Well, what do you think about this? Well, we're learning something here. Always just that little bit of humor and putting that little bit of perspective on an otherwise pretty stressful situation--not only of what was happening to us but being around all of these wounded and all of these doctors and nurses doing so much. I'm sure Ike has lots of variations on the stories he tells, but what is important to hear is, after we came back, he had of course made sure that that one staffer who tapped my toe and said ``I'll pray for you'' understood that he wanted prayers, too. And it was some time after that, I believe, Ike, that what you received was a note that a mass was being said for you by the Pope. So you certainly outranked me on what was happening there. But it's his humor, it's his knowledge, it's his incredible class. A lot of times Americans may hear criticisms of Members of Congress. And you may hear the bipartisan attacks on each other, which is hardly bipartisan. That makes the evening news. When people call each other names, when they insult each other, when they play political games, that's going to make the front page. What you don't hear about is the genuine friendships and respect we have for each other. And let me tell you, Ike, I can't think of anybody in this House that I have more friendship and respect for than what you have taught me. The people of Missouri ought to be real proud that you served them for so long. I know they are. And I am mighty proud to have had the honor to serve with you, and a man that I can always call my friend. God bless you and thank you.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I thank my colleague Tim Ryan, who is the Democrat lead in this, and I am the Republican lead on this. We know this is an important bill. You know, the perfect is the enemy of the necessary. We are arguing about trade policies, what the WTO might think, what China might think, what negotiations might happen while the American people are out there saying, What are you doing about our jobs? China has been involved in a number of things, such as steel dumping and dumping products here, and setting these unfair currency practices which lead to up to a 40 percent discount. And while American companies see their factories close and American workers get their pink slips, they wonder if Washington gets it. Well, we do, and today is our chance to make good on that. There was a time when ``Made in the USA'' was a standard for the world. It was a matter of fact that you owned the best. We earned that esteem. And now we are about to lose our position as a global leader when next year China overtakes us as the biggest manufacturer in the world. You know, the trouble is that China has never really accepted the basic rules of fair trade, and that's what we're standing for in this bill, fair trade. Former Bush administration Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said that China's currency valuation does not yet adequately respond to market forces. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said similar things, believing that China is manipulating its currency. President Obama said the same thing and said, We need a two-way street. But unfortunately, when President Obama goes to talk to the Chinese, they push him back in a corner because we've got $800 billion in debt to them, and they continue to stall and stall. Now I don't care who is in the White House, Republican, Democrat, whoever. But I don't want another country saying to my President that we are not going to talk to you about these things and somehow make it sound like it is the United States' fault. This is an issue that Republicans and Democrats alike are backing, and action delayed is action denied. Only when our government starts pursuing policies that cultivate rather than stifle American manufacturing and holds China and other trading partners fully accountable for cheating on trade will we begin to revitalize that manufacturing sector which we have lost ground on. If we unleash our factories and workers from the constraints of an overly burdensome taxation and regulatory requirements, giving them the tools they need to ensure that all countries play fair and by the rules, the American manufacturer will win in the global marketplace every time. With its dedicated workforce and demonstrated ingenuity, American manufacturing has a chance not just to repair our economy, not just lead us out of debt and deficit, but to create hundreds of thousands of new, well-paying, high-quality jobs. We in Congress must do everything we can to support American manufacturing in this goal and not stand in their way and not quietly wring our hands and worry. We can start by passing the Currency Reform for Fair Trade Act tomorrow, because in matters of economic and job diplomacy, we can speak softly, but it sure is nice to carry a big stick.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, community health centers provide a neighborhood medical home that is both high quality and lower cost. They are more than just a doctor's office; they are a place where a child can see a pediatrician and an adult can see an internist. You can get dental care, mental health services, or prenatal care. You can go there when you are getting a cold instead of running up big costs at an emergency room. The doctors, dentists, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals are under one roof; and they coordinate your care, working as a team for your family's health in a one-stop wellness center, and the costs per patient are far, far below the costs one would pay if you went to a hospital or private practice. That coordinated effort saves a lot of money through preventative care, keeping you up with immunizations and providing quality medical intervention when you need it at one of these 1,250 nonprofit community health centers. In our Nation's $2.4 trillion health care system, the community health centers are credited with saving nearly $25 billion each year. Families save money and Medicaid saves money. On average, a person using a community health center saves $1,100 per year on health care costs, according to a recent study by George Washington University. That's the good news. The sad news is that there is a serious shortage of health care providers at these centers, and no matter now great the center, if there are long delays because of the shortage, then health care delayed is health care denied. Health centers located in medically underserved urban or rural areas report a 27 percent shortage of dentists, a 26 percent shortage of OB/ GYNs that could be providing prenatal care, and a 13 percent shortage of family physicians. The centers simply do not have enough money to hire the additional staff required to cover the growing patient needs, but there is an answer. Many health professionals, especially part-time workers or highly qualified, semi-retired medical providers are willing and able, but not allowed to do so. That's right. They want to volunteer their time, but they cannot. They cannot because the centers are not able to cover the costs of medical liability insurance for the doctors and nurses. Medical liability insurance can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and, in some cases, well over $100,000 per year per doctor, and the clinics simply cannot cover that expense. Here's why: Practitioners employed by the community health centers are covered by the Federal Torts Claim Act, which extends Federal liability protection to those volunteer doctors. Oddly enough, the opposite applies at free clinics, where volunteers are covered by the FTCA, while those who are employed at free clinics are not covered. The Congressional Budget Office said that medical liability insurance costs pose a ``significant barrier'' for many providers who otherwise would be eager to volunteer at health centers. This bill, H.R. 1745, fixes this disparity and opens the door for volunteer providers at clinics all over America. This bill, which I introduced with Representative Gene Green, will eliminate the barriers for millions of patients seeking care in these neighborhood health care homes and will allow thousands of practitioners to volunteer their expertise for high- quality, low-cost patient care. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that the cost of this bill could be as little as $5 million a year for 5 years, and, in return, the clinics receive hundreds of millions of dollars worth of free health care services for those living in underserved communities. And because this funding is part of the health centers program's annual appropriations, this funding is not a scored cost. The dedicated health center fund means that the slight additional cost to the FTCA program will require no new appropriations. I repeat: The slight additional cost will require no new annual appropriations. I am grateful for the support of my colleagues--Representative Gene Green, Frank Pallone, John Shimkus, Phil Gingrey, Ranking Member Joe Barton, and Chairman Henry Waxman--for working with me on this legislation, and also my staff--Brad Grantz and Susan Mosychuk. Mr. Speaker, we in Congress have a chance to do something to expand care to millions of Americans with this act without raising the health care bills for families. This is an example of real bipartisan reform that helps people get the health care they need when they need it close to home at an affordable cost. Isn't that what we all want with health care? So let's say ``yes'' to community health centers, ``yes'' to families, ``yes'' to doctors who want to volunteer their care, ``yes'' to affordable and accessible care to millions of families, and please say ``yes'' to H.R. 1745, the Family Health Care Accessibility Act.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the distinguished chairman of the Science Technology Committee, Mr. Gordon. I would also like to thank both Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for their generosity in letting me voice suggestions to this very important piece of legislation. As this legislation demonstrates, Congress will not allow the Deepwater Horizon incident to end safe exploration for American energy resources. If America fails to safely and securely produce our own energy resources, we increase our dependence on foreign oil, weaken our national security, and stand to lose good-paying jobs. I commend the chairman for this legislation making deepwater drilling technologies safer and want to call particular attention to the work of the National Energy Technology Laboratories. These workers have scientific expertise related to fluid flow, imaging, fire science, and ultra-deepwater, and can integrate research across academia, national labs, and industry. The national energy labs have unique capabilities related to the containment of high-pressure fluids/gases in the subsurface under extreme conditions, like the prediction of materials' behavior under extreme conditions. The Federal Government has a critical role to play in the research of new drilling technologies. In representing the interests of the taxpayers, the Federal Government is the fair arbiter--weighing the risk of exploration against the environmental impacts, unrelated to the value of economic return. The workers at these labs have demonstrated themselves to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money with respect to ultra-deepwater programs, and I hope they'll continue to do so. Although H.R. 5716 eliminates specific reference to the National Energy Technology Labs, it is not the chairman's firm belief that this vital research that is so necessary to ensuring America's energy independence will continue to be coordinated and overseen by the dedicated and experienced Federal employees in the award-winning laboratories in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Oregon. Would that be correct, Mr. Chairman? I yield to the gentleman.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the gentleman for his response.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 448 and 449, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, what were world leaders saying last weekend about their troubled economies? German Chancellor Merkel: Budget cuts are urgently needed. Prime Minister David Cameron: Those countries that have big budget deficits like ours have to take action. The Washington Post headline said: ``President Obama urges G20 nations to spend; they pledge to halve deficits.'' Just like England, the U.S. has a budget deficit that's equal to 11 percent of gross domestic product. While other nations are tightening their belts, Washington is borrowing Chinese money belts. By year's end, the national debt will reach 62 percent of the GDP, the highest leveled since World War II. The more Washington spends, the more it borrows, the more interest rates, the more taxpayers must spend on interest payments to Chinese and foreign debt holders. You know, the first rule when you're in a hole, especially a $13 trillion hole, is stop digging. American families understand that just because there are checks in the checkbook, that doesn't mean there's money in the account. And that's the message from Main Street to Wall Street. Is anybody listening?

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor two sons of southwestern Pennsylvania who gave their lives to their country. While on patrol in Afghanistan, Sergeant First Class Robert Fike and Staff Sergeant Bryan Hoover were killed by a suicide bomber. They became the 35th and 36th members of the Pennsylvania National Guard to be killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sergeant Fike was described as ``one of those guys you just liked instantly.'' He graduated in 1989 from Penn-Trafford High School, joined the National Guard in 1993, and served in Panama, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. His experience in military as well as a State prison guard made him an excellent leader of the younger troops. It was said of him that the guys respected everything he said. They trusted and liked him. Staff Sergeant Hoover graduated from Elizabeth Forward High School in 2000, where he was a standout athlete in track, football, and wrestling. He enlisted in the Marines and served in Iraq and then served in the Army Reserves before joining the National Guard. Back home, Bryan Hoover was an assistant track and cross country coach at Elizabeth Forward High School. He also volunteered to coach low-income children at the YMCA. While he is no longer with us, Bryan left a mark on his students. One described him as an ``inspirational coach.'' These two guardsmen were friends, having served together with the 28th Military Police Company in Iraq in 2007 and 2008. It was also their shared commitment to community and country that led them to join the military, where together they protected the reconstruction teams, building schools and infrastructure for the people of Afghanistan. Hundreds gathered to pay their respects this past week for Sergeant Fike and Staff Sergeant Hoover as they were laid to rest. As we mourn with these families, we know there are two more heroes keeping watch over us from above. On behalf of a grateful Nation, we thank them for their service and sacrifice. May God bless their families and the country they loved.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I thank the ranking member for yielding. One of the amendments in there I'd like to talk about here. According to a RAND study, there are more than several hundred thousand potential cases of post-traumatic stress disorder in our veterans from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and suicide rates among them are also higher than that of the general population. The Department of Defense has rightly doubled its budget for treatment and research of PTSD and traumatic brain injury and set higher goals for the number of behavior health providers. And although care has also been supplemented through TRICARE and contract providers, the military remains understaffed to meet the needs. Combat veterans should not be placed on a waiting list, especially dealing with mental health problems and suicide. And servicemembers who need care can only get care if they are near care. Now, a huge investment has been made into many of the great clinicians in medical services at the dawn of their careers. Stipends, bonuses, educational expenses are paid in hopes we can recruit and retain them for 20 or 30 years, although many do not remain that long. Sometimes we discourage those from signing up later in their careers who, because of their age, they can't remain for 20 years or so. Yet there are those who are at the peak of their career who we could look to not only to fill the immediate needs with highly skilled and ready-trained experiences, but to provide mentorship and training to those starting out in their medical and behavioral medicine careers. This amendment simply calls upon the Surgeons General of the Army, Navy, and Air Force to report on other incentives that can be offered to recruit and retain those with 20 or more years of nonmilitary clinical experience to serve in active or reserve duty. This might include, but is not limited to, offering a 10-year retirement instead of the traditional 20- or 30-year retirement. I might add that we are very proud of our servicemen and -women and want to make it very clear that all of us in Congress--and I know all the military--are absolutely dedicated to making sure that we take care of all of their wounds, whether they are visible or invisible wounds of war. We are proud of their service, and we will continue to support them. And along those lines, I hope my colleagues will also support this amendment.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an American hero. On April 27, the Kennedy family in the Town of Claysville, Pennsylvania, in my district, lost a son and a brother. Sergeant Nathan Kennedy was less than a month away from completing his second tour with the U.S. Army when he was fatally wounded by enemy sniper fire in Afghanistan. Nathan Kennedy was a 2004 graduate of McGuffey High School, where he excelled as a champion wrestler. In 2006, he enlisted in the Army, and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sadly, he was killed in battle on his late mother Penelope's birthday, and Nathan was laid to rest beside her this past Mother's Day. While Sergeant Kennedy returned a few weeks too early, he returned to a grateful group of friends and neighbors standing along the flag-lined streets of Claysville to honor his sacrifice. In joining the procession, I will never forget the overwhelming solemn presence of that silent crowd. Not a sound was made during Sergeant Kennedy's procession, none but for the strut of the team of horses that pulled the caisson carrying his flag-draped coffin. Although our hearts are heavy in remembrance of Nathan, we may rejoice, because while the small town of Claysville has lost a son, a grateful Nation has gained a hero.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, when it comes to exploring for Earth's natural resources, there can be no compromise on safety. The recent catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico reminds us that the safety of our workers and the environment cannot be taken for granted. There are 3,500 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. Accidents are extremely rare, and our goal needs to be zero tolerance. We are better off having high standards and drilling for our own oil than crossing our fingers and hoping that other countries will adhere to our standards. We have to pursue safe drilling, and use our own resources to clean our air, land, and water. The U.S. can reap between $2.2 trillion and $3.7 trillion in revenues and use our own offshore oil and gas to fund cleaning up our Nation's waterways, build energy efficient transportation systems, and invest in clean coal, nuclear, wind, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy sources. H.R. 2227 does just that. We create millions of jobs, don't borrow money from China, stop sending billions to OPEC, and don't raise taxes. So instead of running up record deficits, instead of having millions without jobs, let's get Americans back to work and pass H.R. 2227, the American Conservation and Clean Energy Independence Act. America can't keep waiting.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, over the past 14 months, I have held 235 meetings and town hall meetings, received and sent hundreds of thousands of emails and mail, and heard from my constituents loud and clear. There is much we can agree on with each side of the aisle, but we still did not fix the underlying problem of health care. We still will have $700 billion in waste. We still will have $50 billion wasted each year in hospital infections alone. We'll have a Medicare program that's going bankrupt, and, instead, we take another $500 billion from Medicare. We take $52 billion from Social Security. We cannot confuse anger with action, passion with policy, or rancor with results. We have to understand that we will not give up on real health care reform that really cuts costs and saves lives to make it acceptable to all. We will never, never, never give up. But above all, we have to make sure that this is not a moment that divides America. And to use the words of Abraham Lincoln, we must end this debate with understanding that we must have malice towards none, with charity for all, and to bind up the Nation's wounds. And that will include working together in the future to make sure we have real health care reform and help take care of those in need.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health care bill.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 144, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 146, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker on rollcall No. 147, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 145, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye.''

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. I have sent or received nearly 750,000 letters and emails from my office and have held 225 constituent town hall meetings. I have a pretty good idea why my constituents are upset about this health care bill. They were promised that it wouldn't tax health care, but it does. They were promised that it wouldn't mandate health care, but it does. They were promised it wouldn't raise taxes on people with incomes less than $250,000, but it does. You can only pay for this by doing some manipulation of taking $52 billion from Social Security and $72 billion from long-term health care. And it doesn't pay doctors to the tune of $371 billion. It doesn't allow doctors to volunteer at community health centers. It doesn't reduce infection rates at hospitals. And it doesn't deal with the $700 billion of waste in health care that we've got to address. You don't reform health care by demonizing insurance companies, drug companies and doctors. And Americans are saying we've got to reform health care, not just continue to pass bills that are facades to real health reform. And that's why they're mad as hell.

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania

Mr. TIM MURPHY of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 108, had I been present, I would have voted ``aye''.