Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, along with my colleague Congressman David Valadao, to recognize and pay tribute to Les Clark on his retirement this month as Executive Vice President of the Independent Oil Producers' Agency (IOPA) after 37 years of dedicated service to the ``mom and pop'' oil producers in Kern County. Les began his career in the very heart of California's Central Valley. After graduating from Taft High, he played football for Taft College and later baseball at California State University, Fresno. Shortly after leaving for school in Fresno, Les found himself back in the Kern oil patch, where he was first introduced to the oil business that he would go on to leave an incredible impact upon. Les had taken drafting classes at Taft College and was subsequently recommended by the school when Belridge Oil Company, in need of draftsmen, offered him a position where he gained a wealth of technical knowledge and hands-on experience. With this experience and a well-established reputation as a down-to- earth, no-nonsense communicator, Les became the Executive Vice President of IOPA. In this position, he worked not only to move IOPA members' crude oil to refineries across the state, or as he would say to the ``majors,'' but he also doggedly and passionately pursued their public policy interests at the Federal, state and local levels of government--in our state, that's no easy task. With a myriad of Federal regulations layered on top of byzantine state regulations that oil producers come up against daily, Les quickly became a regulatory expert learning complex issues and government procedures to advocate for his members. One just has to walk into Les' office and see the stacks of paper- filled boxes and files piled on his desk--not to mention the giant model wooden oil derrick--to recognize his wealth of knowledge accumulated over a lifetime of dedicated service to the Kern oil patch. Sitting in those old wooden chairs across from his desk as we discussed the important issues facing Kern County's small oil producers, Les knew where every file was while answering his flip phone that rang nearly constantly to close a deal or put out a fire for one of his members. In addition to his work for IOPA, Les is an active member of the Bakersfield and Kern County communities. Whether it was serving as a Taft Union High School Trustee to being a president of the Kern County Fair or the Taft Chamber of Commerce to chairing the West Side Hospital Foundation to being a board member of the Fresno State Alumni Association or Cal State Bakersfield Foundation, in addition to the many state and local advisory boards he participated on, he always made sure to focus on his family. Les founded the Ponytail Softball League enabling the girls of Taft-- including his daughters--to learn and enjoy softball. He is also in the Little League Hall of Fame for his service in coaching Taft little league teams, something he did for more than 30 years. Les coached baseball for Taft College and was a football referee for over 20 years. Many people may not know, but Les played competitive fast-pitch softball and semi-pro baseball for the Kern County League. From my time working for former Congressman Bill Thomas, to when I served in the California State Assembly and now in the United States House of Representatives, I have always sought and appreciated Les' counsel, wisdom, and friendship. His larger-than-life personality and dry wit always made our conversations engaging and memorable. He always cut right to the crux of an issue and had a clear vision of where he wanted things to go. And, Les never shied away from telling me when he thought I was wrong or why some new Federal or state regulation was hurting his members, all the while leaning back in his chair, arms folded in front of his chest. As Les enters this new chapter of his life, I'm sure he's looking forward to spending more time with his family, including his wife of 52 years, June, two daughters, Tessa and Kerrie, son ``Little Les,'' ten grandchildren, Arizona, Ayana, Cash, Darius, Easton, Keelan, Logun, Sierra, Tanisha, and Willow, and great granddaughter, Zaria. Les exemplifies how one can serve their community and become a living legend through that service--everyone in Bakersfield and the Taft community knows him and appreciates his passion and leadership for our region. We all wish him the best in his retirement.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, before I begin, I want to thank the gentleman. I want to thank him for all those Americans out there who have waited decades for this, for the hours that he has listened, for the numerous hearings he has gone through to get us to this day. Mr. Speaker, I stand before this body, but I want to speak to the people watching us at home right now and who will hear us in the hours and days to come. I want to speak to the people who stretch their budgets to get to the next paycheck. I want to speak to the people who are starting to wonder if the American promise no longer applies to them. You need a comeback. America needs a comeback. If we are successful today and in the weeks to come, you will keep more of the money that you earned. You will have more in your paycheck. Your life will improve. If we succeed, you will succeed, but if the leaders and obstructionists on the other side of the aisle win, you will lose. You see, they want Washington insiders and bureaucrats to keep more of your hard-earned income. They think it is theirs to spend. We think it is yours. Now, I have tried my best to understand their opposition, and I have listened to the pessimistic leaders of a party that once upon a time claimed they stood for the common man. Without a shred of evidence, they are certain our plan won't work. They drum up a stale argument from 30 years ago, saying all this bill does is help the rich. They call it a middle class tax hike. That same paper our colleague just held also has fact checkers, but the fact checkers gave them not one, not two, not even three, but the most Pinocchios you can give, four, for that lie. Every honest person sees this as a tax cut for hardworking Americans. This bill increases the child tax credit, increases the standard deduction, increases wages, and is already bringing back jobs to America. The fact is the first $55,000 an average family of four earns will not face a single penny of income tax, not a single penny. So what are these party leaders defending by their opposition? It is not the people. After all, there is not a single person I have ever met in this Nation who wants higher rates, lower wages, fewer jobs, and a more complicated Tax Code. No, they aren't defending the people. They are defending loopholes for the special interests, corporate welfare, and carve-outs for lobbyists. They are defending the abusive tactics of the status quo at the IRS. You know what I find most absurd? They are defending the reckless tax-and-spend policies of broken States across this country. They have made it their mission to increase taxes on our fellow citizens. My friends on the other side of the aisle have the audacity to call this a tax increase. In the end, they are defending a broken status quo. You know what I think, Mr. Speaker? I think that voting ``no'' on a plan with lower taxes, higher wages, more jobs, and a simpler system, that isn't about Republicans and Democrats. Voting ``no'' is telling the American people you do not have faith in them to rise if they are given a fair shot. Mr. Speaker, I have a simple question for this House and for everyone who is watching at home: Do you want higher taxes and less money in your pockets or do you want lower taxes and more money? I think we have sent a message to the doubters and the critics. The American people do not want hard work to be punished. We do not accept decline. We do not accept that Washington knows how to spend our money better than we do. I have a different message for the American people: To those trying to find a job, that long search is coming to an end. This is your comeback. To those sick of just getting by and fighting for a raise, this is your comeback. To those struggling to keep your small business afloat, to pay your employees, to help your neighborhood, this is your comeback. To every American who ever dreamed of being an entrepreneur and owning a small business, this is your comeback. To every mother and father starting a family, raising your kids, and trying to give them more of an opportunity than you ever had, this is your comeback. Now, I put hope in the American people. This bill puts hope in our American people because we trust the people. That is the start of America's comeback.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I just caution the gentleman on some of the things that he says because I do not want him to end up with any Pinocchios. The gentleman knows my fondness for him. Just today in The Washington Post we had a joint editorial about our trip down to Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and to the Keys in Florida. The one thing I do want to say to the gentleman is I know he mentioned a few people in the very beginning, NFIB, whether they support the bill or not, I say: Just stay tuned. When the gentleman talks about will there be changes in the bill, this is the process. When you go through committee, do you not want to have the committee to have input? So there will be some changes. Substantially? No. But I do want to also advise my good friend--maybe I could refer the gentleman to clause 5(a) of rule XXI of the House Rules. That will tell my friend how a bill comes to the floor coming out of the Ways and Means Committee when it deals with taxes. Now, I know the gentleman talks about debt. I know the gentleman brought up teachers, that it is a $250 tax credit. The only concern I have is that it is only in Washington that they could be opposed to a bill because they think we are eliminating a $250 tax deduction while we are giving somebody $12,000 more tax free. There is a lot more there going around, and I think that is a much bigger gift. If you ask the American public what they wanted, I will guarantee you which side they would pick. Now, the gentleman talks about debt--and I have great respect for my friend--but just a few weeks ago, the gentleman voted for a budget that called to raise taxes by $3.9 trillion. That same budget would also increase the deficit by $6.8 trillion--that is not what the gentleman said on the floor; that is what he did on the floor--over 10 years. It assumed a $764 billion deficit in 2027. Now, we had a budget on our side. A budget lays out the framework for the future. The Republican budget resulted in a $197 billion surplus in 2027 and a $2.6 trillion deficit over 10 years. So I am concerned about the budget, and my votes show that. I want to put us on a path where we balance. We had this debate just a couple weeks ago, and that debate set up the mechanism to go to tax. And the one thing I have learned time and again--and my friend and I have had this discussion--we have got to protect the entitlements for the future, but we know that is what is going to break us if we don't do something about it. We have got to grow the economy. As we have watched the history of America, every generation has improved on the generation before it. But 75 percent of Americans believe this generation will not. Why? Because of the last 10 years. It has been our lowest growth that we have seen in decades. We have always averaged more than 3 percent GDP, but we didn't then. We have just gone through two quarters at 3 percent where we had five hurricanes. I watched the Atlanta Fed look at this and say that we could be above 4 percent. Do you know what opportunities we have? So it just won't be the Maryland Fifth District that is getting that money back or the small businesses that are hiring more with that $19,000. But imagine what that family will do with that $5,000. They will get to determine that. They will buy more than just a pencil. They will invest in their kids' future. So I think that it is an opportunity for all of us to come together, put people before politics, and let's make sure this bill goes out in a very strong vote.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Tuesday and Wednesday the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow. In addition, the House will consider the conference report to accompany H.R. 2810, the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. This bipartisan agreement will strengthen our military, give our men and women in uniform a 2.4 percent pay raise, and ensure America's fighting forces have the resources they need to secure peace both at home and abroad. I want to thank Chairman Thornberry and the entire House Committee on Armed Services for their hard work on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, the House should also look forward to voting on the most significant tax reform in over three decades, H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, sponsored by Representative Kevin Brady. America is among the highest taxed nations in the developed world. Americans pay more in taxes than we spend on housing, clothing, and food, combined. Our current Tax Code is almost 2,600 pages long, with an additional 70,000 pages of forms and other regulations. That is just unacceptable. We want to see economic growth in this country. Instead of ``closed for business'' signs, we want to see ``now hiring'' signs. We want to double the standard deduction. What does that mean? It means, for every American, the first $12,000 of income for an individual is tax free; for a couple, that is $24,000 tax free. We want to simplify the Tax Code so you can file it in minutes-- instead of spending weeks--on a form the size of a postcard. We want to bring back the trillions of dollars of American wealth that is forced to sit overseas, have it come back to America and invest in Americans. That is what voting for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act will accomplish. That is why I look forward to the House passing this critical bill without delay. Lastly, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible in the House. If anything is added to our schedule, I will be sure to inform all Members. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, for the last three decades, we have done that, and I don't think the American people want to continue to wait. I know we go through this every week, time and again, and so I can quote you back the number of hearings. I can quote you back what people even ran a campaign on and put out to the American public. But what is most important that I can quote to you is the lack of growth that has happened, how much people have to pay in taxes, the trillions of dollars that are sitting overseas. What I have found time and again, and I know we have talked about this before, but just by the introduction of our bill, I was sitting in the Oval Office last week and there was a company there, Broadcom, that was created in America, but because of our Tax Code, they were forced to leave America to try to be competitive. They looked at this bill, and they told me a couple of days before: If you really believe this bill is going to pass, we will come back. When they come back, that is $20 billion in revenue each year. They will spend another $3 billion each year on R&D. Then they will spend $6 billion in manufacturing. The gentleman and I have had so many discussions about how to bring manufacturing jobs back. That is why I am so excited about this bill coming to the floor the next week.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. The gentleman does know that we have put a task force together. I happen to serve on that task force. We have met over a half dozen times. It is true that when the President made his decision, he made it based upon whether it was legal or not for an action the executive branch took. The courts said it was not. So it was, rightfully so, moved back into this body, which is the legislative body. He gave us 6 months to get the job done. That i what we are continuing to work on. I look forward to continuing to work with the gentleman to get this done. I believe we will be able to. There is one point I do want to bring up to points the gentleman made prior. I do know that he is concerned about this. As the gentleman does know, if we just get 1 percent of growth in the GDP, that will add over a trillion dollars of extra revenue. The Atlanta Fed is already saying we are going to get 1\1/2\ trillion dollars. Who knows how high we can go, but I would never want to put a ceiling on America. I will always bet on America. I just want to unshackle the things that hold us back. You are correct; you talked about how we now have the lowest unemployment in decades. For the 58th time since the election a year ago, the stock market broke a record. Business confidence is at an all- time high. Most of that is happening because America has the anticipation of us passing a tax bill. That is why I think this is a moment that will be significant for every Member. They will look back on their vote for next week as one of the most important votes they would ever take. What is the future you want to have for your children; what is the opportunity you want to give them? Did you put the rhetoric aside; did you look at the bill based on constitutionality; did you look at the bill based upon your own constituents? Take your partisan hat off, and when you look at that at the end of the day, if it empowers your small businesses, if it gives every American more money in their own pocket, if the projections are that it is going to grow the economy, do what is right. Do what is right for America, and I believe, at the end of the day, history will treat you well.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I am a little confused that the gentleman is not enthusiastic about this bill. I have read what some people on the other side of the aisle have said about this bill. I heard one phrase that the gentleman recently used about the middle class. I would just caution my friend in inferring anything negative to the middle class with this bill because there were some on the other side of the aisle that made some comments. Like most things we say, we get fact-checked. The Washington Post, to a few Senators and my own Senator from California, tried to claim this was poor for the middle class. Do you know what happened? She did not receive one Pinocchio, she did not receive two Pinocchios, and she did not even receive three Pinocchios. She received four Pinocchios on that statement. That is the most Pinocchios you can get. Mr. Speaker, if I may, I wanted to do the research. I wanted to look. Is this tax bill good for all of America? Especially because I want the gentleman to be enthusiastic about it, I looked at Maryland's Fifth District. Now here are just a few facts: Currently, in the Fifth Congressional District of Maryland, 47 percent of the filers take the standard deduction. So not only will they be better off, it will actually double, and they will see the increase in their pay on day one, January 1. Another 11 percent have itemized deductions. They will no longer with our new higher standard deduction, so they will also save more money, not to mention the time and confusion by not having to itemize. That means, before we even look at lowering tax rates, 58 percent of my friend's district is better off on day one. Now, how about the median family of four? A median family of four in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District earns $123,000. For the 20 percent of those families that don't itemize today, they will receive a tax cut of $5,000. For the 80 percent who are itemizing today, they will get, on average, $2,200 in a tax cut. But those are not the only people I am worried about. How about the single mother who is earning $30,000 in your district? Well, she will no longer have to pay any tax under this plan. In fact, she will receive a refund of about $500 to $700. How about the small business, the entrepreneur, the factory creating jobs? The small-business owner making about $400,000 in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District will see a savings of nearly $19,000. So what I am confused about is: How can't you be excited about this bill? In short, Mr. Speaker, to the people not just in my friend's district, but all of America, let me state this: under our plan, the average family of four earning $55,000 a year will not pay any tax. For so many days and so many years, I have heard from the other side of the aisle and my friend talking about the middle class. We have a bill that is on the floor that is going to help the middle class, the single mother not to pay any tax and getting money back; the median family there getting $5,000 back; the small business getting 19--I don't know how much more we have to do to get my friend excited, but next week he will have the opportunity.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I would not use that term, ``substantial,'' because, as you know, we have gone through this process for quite some time. We are all writing to the same number: $1.5 trillion. But, as you know, any bill, when it moves through regular order, where it gets introduced in committee and we have a markup, just as Ways and Means has done all week long--they will come to the final vote today--whatever amendments pass will be added. You will then see that bill posted. You will then, next week, see the Rules Committee take it up, and then you will see that bill on the floor, just as with any other regular order bill in the process.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Monday, November 6, 2017, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, the first lesson, if you ever take debate, if you cannot win the argument on the substance of the bill, argue about process; go to process. But you know what? This is not the beginning of the process. This is the end of the process. For 31 years, we have been working to get here. We had hearings upon hearings. We have gone to the American people. We went to the American people 7 years ago this week, and they made a very big decision: to change the direction. We went back in 2014, and they made another big decision, and they made one just a short time ago. I heard you talk about a lot of Presidents, but I think you missed one. Really, this bill is about growth in this country, about job creation, about raising somebody's paycheck. The history of America, from the beginning of time until 2006, we always averaged more than 3 percent growth. If you just take the last 8 years, if you take the very best year under Barack Obama--and I will go apples to apples. Let's take Bill Clinton. The growth year under Bill Clinton's worst year is higher than Barack Obama's best year. That is why the middle class is hurting. That is why this tax cut helps the middle class. What is most interesting, you want to talk about debt? You talked about a lot of Presidents. You can add up all those Presidents, and you know what? Just one President, Barack Obama, added all that money and more to the debt. What is more interesting to me, if my friend is concerned about the deficit, I want to ask you this: Why did you vote for a budget that increases the deficit by $6.8 trillion over 10 years? Why would you do that this year? Why would you, as a party, bring that forward as your plan. Do you know what we are bringing forward? We are going right through the rules. We have gone all through the hearings. We know, even before this bill passes, just as yesterday, that the companies are coming back to America; $20 billion a year in revenue, one company has already announced. They are going to put $3 billion every year into research and development and $6 billion into manufacturing. I think the debate on process is over. This bill is less than 500 pages. You talk about us bringing it up? Yes, so the whole American public can see the bill and read it. It is much different than when we talk about your ACA--more than 2,000 pages, and I was here. I watched what was brought right to the floor and jammed through. And you are right; the ACA doesn't work. We believed in doing something different. We made a promise to the American public--3 days for public viewing. It is longer than 3 days. We made a promise to the American public that we would make sure you keep more of what you earn, we would create more jobs. You know what happened after that last election? We just went through the second quarter of 3 percent growth. You and I just talked about the number of hurricanes we just watched, the devastation. People say it probably knocked off 1 percent of growth. You know what the Atlanta Fed just came out with? They are predicting, they think we are going to go to 4\1/2\. Do you know what? The best days of America are in front of us because of the work we have done. Let's not argue about process, because we know we have been through this process for 31 years. We know what the American public has said. We know in the hearings what they have told us, and we have listened. Now I think is the time to have the courage to lead. Let's take what we heard in those committees and put it into a bill, exactly what we just did. To have the returns before the bill is even passed of jobs coming back, to me, like I said earlier, this is a good week, but this is going to be a great month.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I am excited about his question, because I am excited about this bill. For more than three decades, we have waited for tax reform. Many people know the challenge of what they have with the government taking more than they should, and the challenge to see individuals raise their paychecks. Ways and Means has announced that they will start markups next week. I assume that it will take them probably a week to get through the entire bill, going through regular order as we do, and then I would assume that we would bring that to the floor right after. We would like to get this to the American people as soon as possible. I am willing to talk about the bill, I am willing to talk about the bill in any different manner, because we spent a lot of time working on this. The very first thing that is going to happen for the American public, come January 1, they are going to get more in their paycheck, because what we do, we take the standard deduction, because in the current law today, a single individual in America, it is only the first $6,000 they have are tax free. Well, that is going to go to 12. For a couple, it is going to go to 24. We take seven confusing rates and make it four. It is about cutting them. Every rate is lowered except the highest rate. Then we go and look at: How can we make America competitive? I started my first business when I was 20 years old. Small business is the backbone of this country. Small businesses work harder than almost anybody else. We lower their rate to 25. That is the lowest it has been in 40 years. Then all this money that is being pushed overseas that we tax too high so people won't bring it back--and there are trillions of dollars there--we are going to have that money come back. And what are they going to do? They are going to invest in America. Now, the name of our bill is Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Just yesterday, I was with a company, Broadcom. We went into the Oval Office. I had worked with this company for quite some time. They started in America. Bell Labs was part of it, and others. Three companies got together. They are technology; they were building; they were growing. Then what they found was, America's Tax Code was so burdensome on them, that for them to compete around the world, they became a company that domiciled in Singapore. Talking to them just the last month or so, laying out our tax bill, they said: You know what, we are so confident in you passing this, we are going to announce that we are moving back to America. They have $20 billion a year in revenue. They invest $9 billion every year in R&D and manufacturing, those manufacturing jobs we care so much about. So yesterday, we were sitting in the Oval Office, and this is exactly what the CEO said. You know what he talked about? He grew up in Singapore. He said: When I turned 18, the greatest engineering school in America gave me an opportunity, MIT, but my parents did not have wealth, but they gave me a scholarship. He comes to America, gets his education, becomes an American, builds a company. He said it broke his heart he had to leave. He wants to give back to this country that has been so good to him, and he said this tax bill is actually doing it. So we are creating jobs even before we pass it. So I am very excited, but, if I may, I wanted to do a little research for you. So we have taken all the IRS tax information, and I broke it down in spreadsheets. So any district that wants to know about it, please come see me, and I will walk you through it. So I take your district, Maryland's Fifth, currently, 47 percent of your filers in Maryland's Fifth take the standard deduction. They will be better off, because it doubles right off the bat. Another 11 percent of those who itemize their deductions won't have to do that anymore. Instead of spending weeks on their taxes, they will put it on a postcard in minutes. So they are going to get a higher deduction; they are going to get more money. That means even before lowering of the rates, 58 percent of your district is better off from day one. Now, in addition, we repeal the alternative minimum tax, that AMT. So that costs 13,000 of your constituents in your district an average of $3,750. That is wiped away. As we lower all the brackets, we will create a great deal of savings for everybody else. So I am excited about this. I would love to look forward to working with you on it, because just as we just passed the CHIP bill bipartisan and the IPAB with more than 70 Democrats on that, I think this has been a very good week for America.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding, because you did ask a question in there. When you talked about Bill Clinton, you asked: What did he have? Well, when he first came in, he had Democrats in the majority, but all that growth happened because he won a Republican House and a Republican Senate. That is when we turned it around with John Kasich as the budget chair. That is when we balanced the budget in those 4 years. We had to send him welfare reform how many times? Three times. He vetoed it all the other times and claimed some glory. But also there is another question you asked. I love a good debate. I love to pick just facts when you don't want to look at the whole picture. The best thing to even just look at if you want to go: Did the election matter? Did the election matter to the American public? Well, I heard a lot of pundits on the other side say: Oh my God, if President Trump got elected, the market is going to crash. You know what? Most everyone in America that invests for retirement invests in the market, and President Donald Trump has given them all a raise because we set new records, more than 60 times; that is because of the belief of what they think he could achieve. When you look at what he has been able to do with regulation, unbelievable. The few headlines you didn't announce during Obama, when you were doing those jobs, you didn't say anything about Nabisco leaving the country, or Burger King went and domiciled someplace else. Why? What was the answer that President Obama would have when companies were leaving America because the taxes were too high? We will pass a law to say they can't. You know the difference that election has made? We just proposed a tax bill. Companies are now coming to the Oval Office to say: We are coming back. And all that means is more jobs, more money for Americans. I understand that we are going to probably have a philosophical difference of agreement. I believe Americans should keep more of what they earn. I know what you said a few weeks ago. My friend cast his vote in favor of a budget that calls for ``$3.9 trillion in revenue enhancements.'' You know who I think needs the revenue? The American public. That is why we doubled the standard deduction, and that is for every American. On day 1 they will get more in their check. Small businesses, lowest tax in 40 years. All that money that those companies were being pushed out are going to come back. We can argue all you want about this, but for 31 years we have had this argument. I think the American public is waiting for us to lead.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I think this is an excellent question. So, first of all, you are asking about hearings. I caught you yesterday; I caught you on TV yesterday. You were pretty good. You were asked about hearings. This is what you said: A hearing is when you ask the public to come in and say: What do you think? What are your suggestions? How will this impact you? Since taking the majority--you know what anniversary it is this week? When we rolled this bill out, it was the seventh anniversary of the Republicans winning on that election day for the majority. This is what we campaigned on. Now, we have been working quite some time. Dave Camp has retired, but when he was with Ways and Means, he put out a Camp proposal. We have been having numerous hearings in those Congresses and this Congress. It took us to win the White House, it took us to win the Senate, but, you know what, we have kept our promise. Let me walk you through the rest of what we have done. Since taking the majority, we have held at least 59 hearings on tax reform with witnesses from all sides on everything from simplification, to closing those loopholes that we have talked so much about together, to creating jobs, to accelerating economic growth. That is not to mention the countless town halls and the forums of Members who have held them in their districts all across. Now, if we need further witnesses on the burden of our Tax Code, look no further than just me. As I told you, I was 20 when I started that first business. You know the three lessons I learned in my first business? I was the first one to work, I was the last one to leave, and I was the last one to be paid. I remember investing all that I had. It was just a deli. I had six employees. It was early in the morning, the front was all glass, and here pulled up a little truck from the city, and they were knocking on the door 2 hours before I started. I thought maybe they wanted to give me a key to the city for starting a new business. He wanted to give me a ticket for my sign. I thought that was a little odd, because the sign was bringing more people in that paid more sales tax that paid their salary. I learned the challenges of starting a small business. What is so great about this bill is there are going to be so many more Americans who are going to take that risk, start a small business, and be successful, with so many more Americans working. So I am excited about this, because that is what we have been hearing in our hearings--all those hearings we had, all those town halls, all those years we fought so hard to get to this point. Mr. Speaker, I think this has been a good week.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I have great respect for the gentleman. It is true, we just recently traveled to look at the hurricanes and we had a lot of discussions. We disagree philosophically at times, but I think there is a place that we can find agreement upon. I listen to you when you speak. I did just hear you ask right before: ``Why couldn't you do it when you controlled everything?'' I kind of ask my friend the same thing. When you controlled everything, the White House, the House, and the Senate, you had a self- proclaimed master legislator as Speaker. You had an opportunity. But I know this is the window, and I know President Trump wants to get it done. That is why he put out things that he wants to see done as well. We talked about chain migration. We talked about border security. We have been meeting--the Speaker and I just had a meeting yesterday with a number of Members about this. We would like to solve this problem overall, and I think it is a place everybody can work together, to secure our border, work on the chain migration problem, and solve this problem for others. Now, I know there is a 6-month time period here, and I don't want to confuse issues because I would like to focus on this issue as well, but I don't want to have the government shutting down over an issue. You and I know we both discussed things like that, and I never think that is productive with whatever we do; but I look forward to continuing working with you to solve this issue.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Thursday, the House will meet at 9:00 a.m. for legislative business. On Friday, no votes are expected in the House. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business today. In addition, the House will consider H.R. 3043, the Hydropower Policy Modernization Act, sponsored by Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers. This bill will continue our efforts to improve America's energy infrastructure by streamlining the FERC licensing process for hydropower projects. The House will also consider two good jobs bills: first, H.R. 3441, the Save Local Business Act, sponsored by Representative Bradley Byrne. This bipartisan legislation will ensure small businesses and franchises across America receive fair government treatment rather than confusing regulations that harm workers. Second, the House will consider H.R. 2201, the Micro Offering Safe Harbor Act, sponsored by Representative Tom Emmer. As part of our Innovation Initiative, this bill creates a smarter way for entrepreneurs to start new ventures or grow existing businesses. Now, lastly, Mr. Speaker, additional legislative items are possible in the House. If anything is added to our schedule, I will be sure to inform my friend and all Members. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for yielding.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for the question, but, as the gentleman knows, for a bill to come to the floor here, it first has to get out of the Senate. The Senate has not voted on that bill. I know the gentleman quotes a certain number, but I would wait to see how many votes there are for the bill to see where it goes. As the gentleman knows, this House has passed a bill that repealed ObamaCare, reformed it, got us a new bill, but made those payments as it went forward. So there is a bill sitting in the Senate that they can take up and solve this problem at the same time.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. First, let me set the record straight. Yes, it did come out of committee, and, yes, we did hold it up three times because your side of the aisle asked us to. But the reason why we are bringing it up next week is not because next week was the date we wanted. We wanted to get this done long ago. But the reason why we are doing it next week is because Minnesota is about to run out of money. And my dear friend knows because I sat with him, even this week, trying to work something out. Now, we know of these health centers, and in this bill we doubled the money for them. Of course, this bill is offset. We do it in a fiscally responsible manner. But this is not something to play political games with because some leadership Member wants to hold it up and go into December. We believe committees should be able to do their work. Now, we started out, and Committee Chair Greg Walden, three times, was asked to delay by the ranking Democrat of the committee, even though we know the timeline is about to hit a number of States that cannot wait for a lack of action here. So, yes, I am upset by this, but I am more upset about the number of times we sat down to try to work something out. And it was only yesterday I was told, Democrats said, no, they don't want to do anything, so we should just go forward. That is not the way this place should work. If you look at this bill, I believe, if the committee had the freedom on the other side without the leadership telling them they had to vote ``no,'' it would have come out of the committee with a much different vote.

Mr. McCARTHY. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. McCARTHY. Nobody did on your side of the aisle in the committee. They all voted against that.

Mr. McCARTHY. If the gentleman's question is if IPAB is offset, it doesn't need to be.

Mr. McCARTHY. I appreciate the roundabout way of trying to get around why you are not involved in the CHIP program, but let me explain very easily.

Mr. McCARTHY. Right before your question, you said you had concerns with the offsets. The gentleman knows that I reached out to him, I don't know how many months ago, before a break, numerous times, right over on the floor on his side of the aisle, and I said: I am very concerned with what I am hearing on the Democratic side in the committee; I would like to get CHIP done early. And I asked for your assistance, and you helped. There is one higher position on your side of the aisle who called the Speaker numerous times and pretty much shut down your committee. So three times we were asked to delay, and we did. That is why, this week, I went back to all of you and said: Let's work out if you have a difference of opinion in pay-fors. It was not us who walked away from the table. It was the message I was delivered from the other side of the aisle. So I don't know why we are having this discussion. I don't know why you are asking these questions. It is you and your side of the aisle that have said no. It is us who said: Let's sit down and work this out. But let me walk through a few of the pay-fors so you understand them and so the American public can understand them, because I don't think they are controversial. We require health insurance companies to pay claims when they cover Medicaid enrollees while keeping Medicaid as the payor of last resort. Now, that saves $4 billion. We say that individuals can't skip on their premium for 90 days and get free coverage. That saves $5 billion. We say if somebody wins a high-dollar lottery, those winners should not be eligible for Medicaid. Now, your side of the aisle voted against that in committee. So the argument that you are making that it is not bipartisan is true. Your side of the aisle believes that if someone wins millions of dollars in the lottery, they should still be eligible for Medicaid. That will save $600 million that will actually go to the disabled, those who need this. And what is more important, these States should not have to wait. These States should not be put in this position. Colorado has just announced that it will freeze enrollment. It will freeze enrollment because you guys walked away from the table. It will freeze enrollment because you say high-dollar millionaire lottery winners should still stay on Medicaid. I don't think that is where the American public believes this debate should go. I believe that is common sense. I believe that is an area that we can get to. Let's care for the individuals, and let's stop playing politics with this. I am personally stunned you are even asking about this because you know what has gone on.

Mr. McCARTHY. I look forward to that. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. CHIP is in effect; IPAB is not. It hasn't even created a board yet. So what you are saying to me is let's offset something that hasn't even been created. What I am saying is the last time we had this bill on the floor, it was bipartisan votes. Democrats voted for it as well; 43 cosponsors on your side of the aisle. So I don't think this question is just to me; it is probably for the whole body. But I think the reason the majority of the body wants to get rid of it is it hasn't even been created, and the majority of the people think it is a bad idea. So let's get rid of it now. And do you know what? CHIP is already in effect. What is even worse on this process is it is in effect, but now people are freezing enrollments. So, if your argument why Democrats can't help us on CHIP and why they want to defend millionaire lottery winners is somewhere that something not created has to be offset, I don't think that is really a fair argument.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, no votes are expected in the House. On Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday and Thursday, the House will meet at 10 a.m. for morning hour and noon for legislative business. On Friday, the House will meet at 9 a.m. for legislative business. Last votes of the week are expected no later than 3 p.m. Mr. Speaker, the House will consider a number of suspensions next week, a complete list of which will be announced by close of business tomorrow. In addition, the House will consider H.R. 2936, the Resilient Federal Forests Act sponsored by Representative Bruce Westerman. We have all seen the devastating effects of wildfires, especially this year. Unfortunately, the U.S. Forest Service estimates there are still nearly 58 million acres of forest at high or very high risk of wildfire. The bipartisan legislation builds on our recovery efforts by giving the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management the tools necessary to better manage our public lands. The House will also consider H.R. 849, the Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act, sponsored by Representative Phil Roe. Supported by both Republicans and Democrats, this bill repeals ObamaCare's Independent Payment Advisory Board--or, as most know it as, IPAB--and gives patients more control over their healthcare and not Washington. Finally, Mr. Speaker, the House will consider legislation to extend funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program and other important public health priorities. Now, this was marked up earlier this month by the Energy and Commerce Committee. This package will help low-income children get health coverage, continue funding important health priorities like community health centers, and do so in a fiscally responsible manner. I look forward to the House passing these commonsense bills next week without delay.

Mr. McCARTHY. Will the gentleman yield?