Kevin McCarthy

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. The gentleman brings up a very serious issue. This is something that should not be taken lightly. This should not be partisan in any way shape or form. This is something we should get ahead of. That is why the Energy and Commerce Committee has already scheduled and sent out letters for hearings. Susan Brooks has a bill that she has been working on dealing with this as well. So, yes, we want to get in front of this. I know we have been talking to the administration as well. I look forward to working with you in dealing with this issue because this is not something that should lay by the wayside. This is something we have to get in front of.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I think the gentleman is referring to an article that we both read. I am not sure that you were in the meeting. I was not in the meeting.

Mr. McCARTHY. One thing that Speaker Ryan has laid out for this body is that it is not top-down, it is bottom-up, and that we go through regular order. Committees are there to do their work. Look at the metrics of just this last year: If you take the 25-year average, it is usually a little over 300 bills come through committee to this floor. We are well over 500. So we've shown that we are taking that path and improving on having them come to the floor. I think what the Speaker said and what I read was that he may have a personal opinion, but he wants it to go through committee so that all voices are heard and we have the opportunity for amendments. When it gets out of committee, we can move it to the floor. I will keep you posted on when it is scheduled.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank the chairman for his work on this issue. Mr. Speaker, today the House is keeping its promise to the American people. We showed we can defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood and increase funding for thousands of women health centers across the country, and we showed we can send a bill repealing ObamaCare to the President's desk even when Democrats are trying to stop us. Now, this is big. That means that when a Republican President takes office next year, we know we can get this passed. We don't have to worry about the filibuster. We don't have to worry about a veto. With simple majorities and the stroke of a pen, ObamaCare can be gone once and for all. Democrats see that. They know that ObamaCare, in particular, is hanging by a thread. And do you know what? They are terrified. You are going to hear a lot of mocking on the other side of the aisle today. Mr. Speaker, they are saying that Republicans are at it again trying to repeal ObamaCare. They are trying to make it seem like this vote doesn't matter. They tried to stop us at first with arguments and debate, but they have lost that debate. The people aren't happy with what the Democrats sold them, as few are enrolling, premiums are skyrocketing, and deductibles are so high it can make insurance practically worthless. So, the Democrats, they have given up on debate. They have seen that they have lost, and they have tried their next tactic. They have tried to tell us that there is nothing we can do, that ObamaCare is the law of the land, and that we had better just give up. But then they realized we didn't give up. Year after year, we listened to the American people, and the people voted for Representatives to repeal ObamaCare; and year after year, the American people saw the healthcare promises that Democrats in Congress and President Obama made were just exactly what they were--empty: you can keep your doctor; you can keep your plan; your premiums will drop. Nobody--not even the President--believes that anymore. So we didn't give up. We fought for the American people, and we put a bill repealing this law on the President's desk. Now the Democrats have no more defenses. Their law is failing. The people aren't on their side. The end of ObamaCare is coming, and, in its place, we can create something that delivers so much more than just broken promises.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the proceedings by which the bill (H.R. 3662) to enhance congressional oversight over the administration of sanctions against certain terrorism financiers, and for other purposes, was passed and the motion to reconsider was laid on the table be vacated and that further proceedings on the question of passage of H.R. 3662 may be postponed through the legislative day of January 26, 2016, as though under clause 8 of rule XX.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the message of the President be referred to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union and ordered printed.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I appreciate the work that the chairman has done. I know he is chairman of the Budget Committee, but before he stood on this floor, he was a doctor. He is still a doctor today, and I know the passion that he brings to bring the right type of reform for a medical system that actually works in this country. That is why today is so important not just to him, but to all of us. We have worked hard--I would say relentlessly--to make that day happen. Yes, we fought to delay, defund, and actually repeal ObamaCare. This law is a failure. We know it, and I know all of you on the other side of the aisle know it as well. Twelve co-ops have failed. State exchanges are failing. No matter where you stood on this issue, you went home and you heard from your constituents. Now, if you voted for it, you are going to have to answer to the President's promises, because he just didn't promise a few in this room. He promised all Americans. Do you remember what he said? He said: ``If you like your healthcare plan, you'll be able to keep your health care plan, period.'' He also said, Mr. Speaker: ``If you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor, period.'' Mr. Speaker, he also said ObamaCare would ``lower premiums by up to $2,500 for a typical family per year.'' Those are direct quotes--it is just that not one of them came to fruition. Now, I know what I will hear on the other side of the aisle, and they probably won't mention this, but on this floor, Republicans and Democrats joined together to dismantle the employer and individual mandates. In a bipartisan fashion, we delayed the medical device tax. In a bipartisan fashion--a lot delivered from the other side--we delayed the Cadillac tax, cut funding to the healthcare rationing board, and stopped the taxpayer bailout of insurance companies. Many of our attempts have been successful in undoing key parts of this law. But today, for the very first time, we send a bill repealing ObamaCare to the President's desk. Also, after watching the horrific videos of Planned Parenthood employees casually discussing the sale of infants' organs, we knew something had to be done. Something had to be done to make sure taxpayers were not forced to support organizations that engage in such inhumane practices. Today we send a bill to the President's desk that ends taxpayer funding for abortion coverage and abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. No matter where you go in this country, no matter whom you talk to, no matter what party they belong to, they know things are wrong in this country. People are hurting under ObamaCare, human life is being disregarded, and now Congress will put it to the President and hold him accountable for the terrible policies this administration has pursued. Mr. Speaker, I don't have any delusions. For the sake of the American people and too many unborn children, I hope the President signs this bill. But the President has made his position very clear. No matter how wrong he is, he will veto any bill that repeals ObamaCare or defunds Planned Parenthood. If he does, we will vote to override. I, and I know many of my colleagues, have worked with colleagues on the other side of the aisle trying to persuade them to join with us. We asked them to join us and stand with the American people against ObamaCare and against taxpayer funding of the abortion industry. But no matter how the override vote ends up, what we are doing today is still important. When a Republican President takes office next year, Mr. Speaker, we can use reconciliation again. We won't have to worry about a veto from the White House, and we can overcome any attempts by the Democrats to filibuster and obstruct. You see, from the foundation of this bill and from the work of many colleagues in the medical community and doctors that serve as Members of Congress, we will create a patient-centered healthcare system that gives power to the people, not to bureaucrats in Washington. So, Mr. Speaker, that is why today is important, because with this bill we can do it--this year or the next, but we will.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the order of the House of January 6, 2015, providing for morning-hour debate be extended for the remainder of the 114th Congress, except that House Resolution 578 shall supplant House Resolution 9.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged resolution and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, there are a few certainties in life: death, taxes, and my good friend from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) asking for a colloquy about every week, but the schedule of this House in December is not one of those certainties. So I rise today to ensure that the Members of this body have the most up-to-date information on the floor schedule in the House. Currently, the House is scheduled to be in session and voting on Thursday and Friday of this week. Members are advised that we are expected to remain in session until we finish our business for the year. At this point, we expect to consider the tax extender package tomorrow, and the omnibus on Friday. Should there be any further changes to the schedule, I will be sure to notify the Members as soon as possible.

Mr. McCARTHY. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. McCARTHY. We will convene at 9 a.m. It is our anticipation as long as it goes as scheduled that we can be walking off the floor by noon.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of California City, a residential nexus for mining, aerospace and desert tourism in Eastern Kern County. California City began with a dream worthy of its namesake: the foundation of a suburban metropolis to rival Los Angeles. Sociologist and developer Nat Mendelsohn found in the wide spaces of Kern's High Desert the chance to build a completely planned community from scratch, free of parochial interests. He bought 80,000 acres of desert in 1958, carved out a gigantic Central Park featuring a 20 acre lake, and by 1965 had arranged for the incorporation of a massive, 203 square mile township. Overnight, California City became the third largest city in the state. For generations before Nat Mendelsohn ever gazed upon the High Desert, mule teams carted the bounty of stranded mines to the railheads at Mojave. This traffic expanded in the 20th century, as neighboring Boron grew to produce half the world's supply of borax. Meanwhile, huddled around ancient dry lakes just a dozen miles from town, America's premier jet aircraft test center--Edwards Air Force Base-- began to expand into a permanent institution, with hundreds of employees needing homes and services. Even tourism brought jobs to California City, as the surging popularity of dirt bikes and off- roading drew thrill-seekers through town on their way to the wonders of the interior: Jawbone, Death Valley, Red Rock Canyon, and the Trona Pinnacles. California City grew by leaps and bounds, fed by the steady currents of desert commerce. Today, as the city celebrates its Jubilee, we have a chance to draw lessons from its history. California City would never have existed without the vision and drive of one entrepreneur, willing to bet everything on a dream. In Kern County--as in America--we are dependent both on the enterprising spirit of our people, and on the power of our communities to persevere when they are united. I am proud today to congratulate the people of California City on this 50th anniversary, and look forward to California City's next 50 years.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a joint resolution (H.J. Res. 76) appointing the day for the convening of the second session of the One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, and ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I send to the desk a privileged concurrent resolution and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that, when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet on Tuesday, December 15, 2015, when it shall convene at noon for morning-hour debate and 2 p.m. for legislative business.

Mr. McCARTHY

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding. We are still looking at that, and I will let the gentleman know as soon as possible.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding again. It is our intention to get an omnibus done in a bipartisan manner. Those are the negotiations that are going on now. I'm hopeful that we can get that done and finished by next week.

Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker, no votes are expected in the House on Monday. On Tuesday, the House will meet at noon for morning hour and 2 p.m. for legislative business. Members are advised that first votes of the week are expected at 6:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Thursday, and the remainder of the week, 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 today. Mr. Speaker, the House may also consider a bill to extend certain provisions of the Tax Code. Additionally, I expect the House to consider an omnibus appropriations bill.

Mr. McCARTHY. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his kind words about Stip. Let me get to the schedule. (Mr. McCARTHY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)