Luke Messer

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a young constituent, Samantha Rae Hansen of Holton, Indiana. Samantha attended South Ripley High School and actively participated in a number of school clubs, including science, Spanish, and band. She was a school leader on the student council and served as president of the FFA and Country Critters 4-H club. Along with her family, she also was a member of the First Southern Baptist Church in Versailles, participating in the church choir. We mourn a life that ended too soon and pray for understanding and comfort for family members and those in our community who knew and loved Samantha. While in times of turmoil we struggle to understand the unexplainable, may we find peace and joy in our religious faith and the memories of time shared with those we love. Samantha will be forever remembered as a friend of her community. I ask the citizens of the 6th Congressional District to join me in keeping her parents, Matthew and Jenny Wahl Hansen, sisters, Amanda and Nikki, and the entire extended Hansen family in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a young constituent, Jacob Russell Vogel of Versailles, Indiana. Jacob attended South Ripley High School and actively participated in the FFA and as a member of the St. Charles Catholic Church in Milan. He also attended the Southeastern Career Center for emergency services and served as a cadet with the Friendship Fire Department. We mourn a life that ended too soon and pray for understanding and comfort for family members and those in our community who knew and loved Jacob. While in times of turmoil we struggle to understand the unexplainable, may we find peace and joy in our religious faith and the memories of time shared with those we love. Jacob will be forever remembered as a friend of his community. I ask the citizens of the 6th Congressional District to join me in keeping his parents, Brian and Ann Sieverding Vogel, siblings, Matthew, Luke, and Jessica, and the entire extended Vogel family in our thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. I thank the gentlelady from North Carolina. Thank you for your hard work on this very important bill. I rise today in support of the rule to H.R. 803, the SKILLS Act. This critically important legislation, introduced by Dr. Foxx, will reform and strengthen our Nation's workforce investment system. Back where I come from in Indiana's Sixth Congressional District, the number one issue is jobs. Though there are 12 million Americans looking for work, most folks would be surprised to know that 3.6 million jobs are unfilled simply because prospective employees lack the necessary knowledge and training needed for that job. The SKILLS Act works to address this problem. Folks in my district are tired of the failed Obama economy. Too many times parents have had to come home and tell their children that they've lost their job and they don't know how they're going to pay their bills, or send them to college, or get their car fixed. Too many times in recent years young people have been unable to find a job--or at least find a good-paying job that lets them start their journey of life. Unfortunately, our Nation's job-training system has been failing these hardworking taxpayers. The more than 50 separate programs offered under the current system costs taxpayers $18 billion annually. Most of these programs are duplicative and not as effective as they should be. This has led to taxpayer dollars being wasted, employers being unable to hire adequately trained workers, and workers not getting the skills they need to succeed. We must do better. The SKILLS Act will eliminate and streamline 35 ineffective and redundant programs to ensure workers are getting the skills they need to fill available jobs. The SKILLS Act will eliminate wasteful duplication and empower State leaders, local elected officials, and job creators to make the necessary decisions to ensure workers receive training for jobs in high demand. This bill will guarantee job creators a stronger role in workforce development decisions and ensure taxpayer dollars aren't wasted on broken bureaucracies. Most importantly, these changes will help workers find good-paying jobs. Mr. Speaker, the SKILLS Act strengthens our workforce investment system, provides smart stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and gives us the opportunity to do better right now. I urge my colleagues to support this rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of a constituent and friend, Karl Sharp of Centerville, Indiana. Karl was actively involved in Wayne County political life, serving as an election official in Hagerstown and later in numerous posts in the City of Richmond, including as a member of the Richmond City Council from 1999 to 2007. A life-long Republican, Karl also served as Chairman of the Wayne County Republicans from 1989 to 1993 and as a delegate to the 1992 Republican National Convention. Outside of politics, Karl was a man of faith and forty-year active member of the Central United Methodist Church of Richmond. In addition, Karl was a leader in the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce, the Yokefellows at Earlham College, and the local United Way Board. Karl and his family's dedication to the people of Indiana will be forever appreciated. I will forever appreciate his friendship and ask the citizens of the 6th Congressional District to join me in keeping Karl's wife, Marjorie, children, Terry, Gail, and Karen, and the entire extended Sharp family in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Rokita).

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlelady from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. MESSER. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, let me make three quick points: first, as to the underlying merits of the bill, transparency matters. It matters that we let the American people know what is happening here. This calculation called for under the bill shows that in recent years we've been racking up $6,800 in debt for every American taxpayer each year. That's a lot of money; secondly, we've heard from folks on the other side of the aisle about the need to close loopholes. I would submit that there is broad consensus that we need major tax reform. There is broad consensus that the loopholes that our Tax Code is riddled with should go away. The question is: Then what do you do with the money that comes from those reductions? Do you put it back in the American economy to help grow the economy? The best way to balance our budget and get this House back in fiscal order is to have a growing economy with more taxpayers who can therefore pay additional tax revenue because they have a job, There has been a lot of talk on the other side of the aisle about the need for a balanced approach, but that balanced approach seems to ignore the fact that we had a $600 billion tax increase that passed this body on January 1. The President promised in his campaign 4-1 spending reductions to tax increases. We're not yet even to 1-1, and we talk in this Chamber about balance. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis).

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I think in this debate today, you're seeing two very different philosophies of how we move forward as a country: one side of the aisle, who believes that the key to America's future is raising taxes and growing government; and our side, who believes that the key to America's future is controlling spending and giving families tax relief now. Let's use tax reform to put more money in the pocket of the American taxpayer so they can spend it out in the economy. The gentleman mentions the CBO many, many times over and over again and fails to mention that the leadership of CBO has said that a balanced budget in the long term will help grow our economy by as much as 1.7 percent each year annually if we balance this budget. He cites Majority Leader Cantor's statements on the sequester. We have virtual unanimity in this caucus that we need to replace the structure of those $85 billion in cuts, but our side of the aisle believes we need to replace them with other, more sensible budget reductions that get this government under control. Mr. Speaker, with those comments, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Duffy).

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young).

Mr. MESSER. I think we've got one more.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman), another very good friend of mine, the third Hoosier speaking on this bill today.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's help and comments on this bill. It's a good government bill. It's transparency. It makes sure that taxpayers know how much the Federal Government is racking up on their dime, and I'm hopeful that it will pass. The gentleman makes a very important point, that this bill is not the cure-all of the world, and we have lots of work to do. Far too many families in this economy have had to come home and deal with a job loss. I remind everybody in this Chamber that the $85 billion that we're talking about in this sequester, while a lot of money, is 2 percent of our total Federal Government $3.6 trillion budget. It's two pennies on every dollar. We agree that this sequester should be replaced; we disagree on how. Surely we can find two pennies to save instead of raising taxes and taking more money out of the pocket of the American taxpayer. With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 668) to amend section 1105(a) of title 31, United States Code, to require that annual budget submissions of the President to Congress provide an estimate of the cost per taxpayer of the deficit, and for other purposes.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 668, currently under consideration.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Representative Van Hollen and his comments. As he well knows, this Chamber has twice considered sequester replacement bills put forward by the House Republican leadership, voted on and passed out of this Chamber. The alternatives are clear. I appreciate his recognition that this simple little calculation, while admittedly not going to change the planet Earth, it is important in providing budget transparency and helping the American taxpayer understand how much money we're spending here. We often hear, as you're out in townhall meetings, How much is $1 trillion? And what this bill simply shows is that if you take $1 trillion, if that's the deficit in a given year, and divide it by 145 million taxpayers we have, it adds up to about $6,800 per taxpayer that we are adding to our debt every year. Back where I come from in Indiana's Sixth Congressional District, that's a lot of money. He cited the number 750,000, and I would concede that $85 billion is a lot of money; but it represents about 2 percent of what we spend as a Nation every year in our $3.6 billion budget. I came to the House floor yesterday and held up two pennies representing the two cents--the two percent--the two cents out of every dollar that we're asking Congress to trim out of our Federal budget. Does anybody in America really believe that our Federal Government is so efficient and so effective that we can't afford to trim two cents out of every dollar? Now, clearly, we can do this in a more sensible way. I know of no one in either Chamber who is not arguing that we ought to find a more sensible way to bring these reductions forward, but bring them forward we must. Now, with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. First, I want to thank Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan and Ranking Member Chris Van Hollen for allowing the House to consider this measure, which will require the President's annual budget submission to Congress to include the cost per taxpayer of the deficit for each year the budget is projected to result in a deficit. This bill is based on one simple principle: that each hardworking American taxpayer deserves to know how much the deficit costs them each year. This requirement would be a powerful reminder to the President and Congress that our decisions have real-world consequences for hardworking taxpayers. It's long past time to hold Washington accountable for its wasteful spending. The massive national debt has ballooned to an unsustainable level because Washington has refused to make tough choices, instead, simply spending money we don't have and ignoring the explosive growth of entitlements. This abdication of responsibility is delaying the inevitable until there may not be any good choices left. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black).

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, $85 billion is a lot of money, yet it represents just 2 percent of the $3.6 trillion this Nation spends every year. I hold in my hand two pennies, two pennies to represent the 2 percent of budget reductions we are asking for in this $85 billion sequester. Does anybody in this country believe that our Federal Government is so efficient and so effective that we cannot afford to trim two pennies out of every dollar? Over the last 4 years, too many parents have had to come home and tell their children they're out of work, and too many young people have had to come home and tell their parents they can't find a job. We need leaders in this Nation that will go to work for the people who live here and trim the two cents off every dollar we need to restore a healthy economy and put folks back to work.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as part of the second in a series of Special Orders put on by the newly elected freshman Republican caucus. Our first was on spending; today we rise to speak on the Second Amendment. I have participated, in the first 50 days of my service here in this Chamber, in 19 public events throughout the Sixth District of Indiana-- coffees, meetings with constituents, the public, folks who vote to send us here--and I can tell you in every one of those events people have two topics top of mind: they're focused on spending; they're focused on the sequester. They're tired of the Federal Government that continues to spend money that we don't have, and they want the government to follow the principle that every American family does, which is, you don't spend money unless you have money to spend. But the second topic that I hear everywhere that I go is the Second Amendment and the importance of making sure that that bedrock principle of American liberty is protected. We all know of the tragic events that have occurred in recent months here in America--obviously the Connecticut tragedy being foremost on top of the mind. I want to make clear in my comments, as I do all throughout my district, that as a Nation we are heartbroken by tragedies like that when they occur. As a Nation, we mourn and weep with the families that had to deal with those tragedies. But as sad and tragic as those circumstances are, we cannot allow those events to be an excuse to undercut the Second Amendment and all that it means for liberty in this Nation. There are opportunities to make a difference for public safety in this debate. It is time for a national conversation about mental health because the common denominator in every one of these crimes is that the perpetrator is someone who is mentally ill. There are opportunities to do more on school security, and I'm hopeful that we will be able to work through those as we move forward. But this much must be made clear: gun bans don't work. They are only effective at preventing law-abiding citizens from having guns because the criminals and mentally deranged that commit these crimes don't care about the fact that there is a law that would have them not have a gun. To blame a gun for a crime is to blame a pen for a misspelled word. I look forward to the opportunity to dialogue with my colleagues today on this important topic. I appreciate Congressman Stockman and Congressman Williams for their comments just a few minutes ago. I yield to the gentleman from Utah to step forward and give comments on this important topic.

Mr. MESSER. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. MESSER. I appreciate the comments of the gentleman from Utah. As we consider the tragedy that occurred in Newtown, Connecticut, it is natural to want to do something to prevent that from ever happening again. The victims of such unthinkable crimes deserve our solemn prayers for their loss and our deepest sympathy for their pain. The perpetrators of such evil deserve justice for their crimes. The problem, however, is that the President and other opponents of the Second Amendment are seeking to limit our constitutional rights by pitching Americans a false sense of security: that by taking away rights, somehow those who intend to do harm will not do so. History shows that gun bans only keep guns away from law-abiding citizens, not criminals. Those who want to build, modify, or acquire weapons for violence will do so. I recognize the gentleman from Florida on this important topic.

Mr. MESSER. Thanks again to the gentleman from Florida. I appreciate your comments today. I thank my colleague from Utah and my colleagues from Texas who had the opportunity to speak earlier, and I appreciate your leadership on this important topic. Obviously, we face many challenges as a Nation. The Second Amendment is one of them, but an important one. Clearly, we all want to prevent horrible tragedies similar to the loss of those young lives in Newtown, Connecticut; but gun bans and many of the other proposals from this President are not the answer. For example, an internal memo from the Justice Department said that the universal background checks proposed by this President will only be effective if paired with required gun registration--a list of law- abiding citizens who simply exercise their constitutional right to own a firearm. This is a blatant intrusion of privacy, and it cannot be allowed. We need real solutions that aim to identify, treat or limit access to the evil few who perpetrate these horrible acts. I am unwilling to turn my back on the Constitution and sacrifice the liberty of the people I represent for a false sense of security. We need real solutions; and despite our disagreements, there are opportunities to work together. As I mentioned earlier, blaming a gun for violence is to blame a pen for a misspelled word. If we can come together and focus on the real causes of this violence, then there are opportunities to work together, and I stand ready to work with every Member of this Chamber, regardless of party, to move this country forward. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of one of my constituents, Gerald McKinsey of Greensburg, Indiana. Gerald was a life-long resident of Greensburg, working in manufacturing at the local Honda automotive facility and, before that, at Gecom. On a personal note, my brother Rich and I have very fond memories of summer days spent on sports, bikes, and video games with Gerald and his brother, Jeff. Their friendships, and the friendship of their entire family, were a very important part of our childhood. Those memories will never be forgotten. I ask the entire 6th District to keep Gerald's mother, Faye, his daughter, Kayla, and son, Keegan, along with the entire extended McKinsey family in your thoughts and prayers.

Mr. MESSER

Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of one of my constituents, Larry Dance of Greensburg, Indiana. Larry was a life-long resident of Greensburg and active member of the community. He served his country in Operation Desert Storm as a member of the Air Force, earning the Act of Bravery Medal. At home, he served as a decorated Lieutenant in the Greensburg Police Department, including being named Officer of the Year and President of the Fraternal Order of Police. Larry continued his love of sport as an assistant wrestling coach at Greensburg High School and as a team wrestler in the World Police and Fire Games. On a personal note, I have fond memories playing alongside Larry on the Greensburg High School football team. I ask the entire 6th District to keep his wife Shannon, three daughters Mallory, Megan, and Baili, and the entire extended Dance family in your thoughts and prayers.