Devin Nunes

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart).

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those kind words, and I am pleased that we have overcome numerous delays and are finally passing a North American trade deal for the 21st century. USMCA will create jobs, boost the economy, and strengthen our relationship with our neighbors in Canada and Mexico. I want to express my gratitude to Ambassador Robert Lighthizer and his team, and Gregg Doud and his staff, for the hard work they have done on this agreement. I also commend the President for delivering, yet again, for American farmers and workers under USMCA. Under this agreement, ag products that had zero tariffs under NAFTA will continue to be tariff-free. Our farmers and ranchers will gain additional access to the remaining protected sectors. Enforcement will be enhanced to ensure the agreement is implemented correctly. Updated dispute mechanisms will ensure the United States has prompt access to a dispute settlement panel, when needed, to allow U.S. businesses to compete on a level playing field. This is a great bipartisan agreement that will bring huge benefits to millions of Americans, and I urge my colleagues to support USMCA. Finally, I thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady for all of their great work on this. I know it was not easy, but you guys did a really great work. I think the American people owe you a debt of gratitude.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, as the Democrats now admit, their attempt to remove the President began on Trump's Inauguration Day. When the Democrats' semi-official mouthpiece, The Washington Post, declared: ``The campaign to impeach President Trump has begun.'' For years, the Democrats tried to expel the President with the preposterous accusation that he was a Russian agent. As detailed by Inspector General Horowitz, dishonest intelligence officials used fake allegations spread by the Democrats to gain approval of a spying operation against the Trump campaign. As they falsely accused the Trump campaign of colluding with Russians, the Democrats, themselves, colluded with Russians to manufacture these allegations in the infamous Steele dossier. They even tried to get nude pictures of Trump from Russian pranksters. With the Russian collusion hoax, the Democrats had everything going for them: Federal investigations run by Trump haters; an endless supply of media cheerleaders; and a galaxy of leftwing interest groups amplifying their ridiculous messages. Yet, even with all those messages at their disposal, the Russia conspiracy theory collapsed, so they quickly concocted plan B. The Ukraine hoax was based on a supposed whistleblower who colluded beforehand with the Democrats. The Democrats then prevented Congress from interviewing the whistleblower while conducting bizarre secret depositions and selectively leaking testimony to discredited media hacks. The Democrats showcased the most useful witnesses in public hearings that somehow reduced support for impeachment. It is not easy to make a coup attempt boring, but the Democrats found a way. As it turns out, the American people don't think a routine phone call with a foreign leader is a good basis for ousting a U.S. President. The Democrats also put forth ever-changing accusations against the President, including campaign finance violations, quid pro quos, election interference, bribery, and extortion. Eventually, they ended up with the ridiculous charges we consider today, abuse of power, an utterly meaningless term, and obstruction of Congress. One Democrat has pronounced the President guilty simply because he won't cooperate with their plan to railroad him. But the only thing President Trump is guilty of is beating Hillary Clinton. The Democrats refuse to accept that loss, and now they are indicating they will continue their impeachment efforts even after this one fails in the U.S. Senate. Madam Speaker, after all their deceit, phony investigations, ginned- up crises, and manufactured outrage, the Democrats need a long period of rehabilitation. They must learn how to do something productive for the American people instead of ripping the country apart in their lust for power.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chair, I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding to me. I want to speak in opposition to H.R. 3. Saying that drug costs are too high for many Americans, Republicans and Democrats can agree on that. That is why we spent the better part of a year working toward a bipartisan solution to lower out-of-pocket prescription drug costs and crack down on overpriced drugs. Sadly, Democrats abandoned that effort in favor of the socialist policies in H.R. 3. For Democrats, the answer is always more government, and H.R. 3 is no exception. The bill gives the government sweeping new powers to allow government bureaucrats to arbitrarily set drug prices. Democrats keep calling it negotiation. Here is how negotiation works under H.R. 3. The Federal Government will tell a drug company what the drug price is going to be. If the drug company doesn't like it, they have two options: pay a 95 percent tax on their revenue or leave the U.S. market. That doesn't sound like negotiation to me. The Congressional Budget Office claims this will result in such low drug prices that some of the lifesaving cures won't even come to market. Under this arrangement, there is very little incentive for drug companies to invest the time and money it takes to create new cures and treatments. We know it takes $2.6 billion and 10 to 15 years, on average, to bring one drug to market. This bill's arbitrary action against drug companies carries a steep cost to the American people in the form of fewer future cures. What cures will those be? Alzheimer's? Cancer? Schizophrenia? Killing drug innovation and ending the development of lifesaving cures is unacceptable. We can't take that risk. We have to do better for sick Americans hoping and praying for a cure for themselves or their loved ones. We can solve this problem, but not with the Democrats' fewer cures act. We have to do this in a bipartisan way. Fortunately, there is an alternative to the Democrats' proposal. This week, Republicans have introduced H.R. 19.

Mr. NUNES. I have introduced H.R. 19, the Lower Cost, More Cures Act. This bill contains effective bipartisan policies that could become law right now. It cracks down on overpriced drugs and lowers costs for patients without crushing the hope of future lifesaving medicines. It is time to stop playing political games and start working toward solutions for the American people. H.R. 3 is a terrible idea that will drive drugs out of the U.S. market.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, we are not here to run a show trial in an effort to impeach the President of the United States. It is clear that, since the Democrats took control of the House of Representatives, they have always intended to transform the Intelligence Committee into the impeachment committee. Every one of their actions, from the staff they hire to the Trump conspiracy theories they investigate, their willful neglect of our basic oversight duties, demonstrate that this has been their plan from day one. And now this is further confirmed by the adoption of these rules, which simply give the House approval for the Intelligence Committee Democrats to continue pursuing their bizarre obsession with overturning the results of the last Presidential election. Nevertheless, after spending 3 years trying to manufacture a crime they can attribute to President Trump, they have come up empty. First, they insisted that the President is a Russian agent. Then they claimed he is a money launderer and a tax cheat and a fraudulent businessman. And now they have decided they don't like the way he talks to foreign leaders. But they have no evidence and no argument to support impeachment. All they have is the unconditional cooperation of the media to advance their preposterous narrative. If they had a real case, they wouldn't be wasting time spoon-feeding ridiculous attacks that include defamation and slander on both current and former Republican staff of the Intelligence Committee. What we are seeing among Democrats on the Intelligence Committee down in the SCIF right now is like a cult. These are a group of people loyally following their leader as he bounces from one outlandish conspiracy theory to another. And the media are the cult followers, permanently stationed outside the committee spaces, pretending to take everything seriously, because they, too, support the goal of removing the President from office.

Mr. NUNES. After today, The House Intelligence Committee ceases to exist. Oversight is not being done, and we now have a full-fledged impeachment committee in the basement of the Capitol. Think about that, America.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 576, as amended. This resolution, which mirrors a resolution passed by the Senate yesterday, expresses the sense of the House that the whistleblower complaint received by the intelligence community inspector general should be immediately transmitted to the congressional intelligence committees. Madam Speaker, this complaint has given rise to fevered speculation and frenzied media reporting, much of which is based on a transcript of the President's phone call released today. It appears to be exaggerated, misleading, or outright false. It is also serving as a linchpin of a longstanding attempt by the Democrats to impeach President Trump and finally achieve their goal of overturning the results of the 2016 election. The media coverage and the Democrats' hysterical and politicized response to it is reminiscent of countless episodes during the course of the Russia collusion hoax. Thus, Republicans look forward to actually reading the material on which the Democrats, from a position of ignorance, are basing their unrestrained accusations. I should make the House aware that it is roughly 3 o'clock in the afternoon here in Washington, D.C., and at 4 o'clock this afternoon, in fact, the DNI is going to transmit the complaint to the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence spaces where all the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence members will have an opportunity to read it. So, therefore, we have to ask ourselves: Why are we voting on a resolution that is asking for the very documents that are being sent over? They are probably on their way right now, if they are not already here. So, with that, I guess it gives an opportunity for the Democrats to come down and bash the President, which I know they enjoy doing, but in the meantime, we have no problem with this H. Res. 576, as amended. We appreciate the majority's accepting our amendment so that it mirrors exactly what the Senate passed last night. Madam Speaker, in the meantime, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Wenstrup), and I ask unanimous consent that he control that time.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Kelly for giving me time to speak in support of H.R. 748, the Middle Class Health Benefits Tax Repeal Act of 2019. This bill will provide much-needed relief from one of the most burdensome and blunt taxes in ObamaCare. By repealing this tax, we will save employers from paying a 40 percent tax on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage. The bill will provide much-needed relief not only for employers but for employees, some of whom are low-income earners with high-cost health benefits who are forced to bear the repercussions of this tax. That said, I am disappointed that the majority chose not to repeal the medical device tax or the health insurance tax, both of which are harming hardworking Americans across the country. The medical device tax is a 2.3 percent excise tax on the value of medical devices sold domestically. Making lifesaving products more expensive is not good policy and should be included in this repeal bill. The health insurance tax, or HIT, is a more than $100 billion sales tax on private health insurance that affects every private plan in the country. At a time when we are all trying to lower the cost of healthcare, why are the Democrats in the majority preventing us from removing this unnecessary and burdensome tax? This bill could do so much more, but I am happy that the majority is finally admitting that the ObamaCare tax increases are bad for the country and that good tax policy doesn't need to be replaced with more bad tax hikes. At a time when much of our healthcare system is failing, when healthcare costs are still unaffordable for many, when Medicare will be insolvent within a decade, and when Medicaid's uncontrollable costs are bankrupting our States, it still leaves millions of low- and middle- income earners without access to doctors. We should be working harder to provide more access and choice to the American people in a fiscally responsible way. Madam Speaker, I support the repeal of this tax, and I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 3494, the Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020. Passing an annual intelligence authorization bill is the most important tool Congress has to conduct effective oversight of the intelligence activities of the United States. Today, Chairman Schiff and I are bringing the tenth consecutive intelligence authorization bill to the floor. I am pleased that, as in years past, this bill is a bipartisan product that reflects the contributions of all the committee's members. It was reported out of the committee by a unanimous voice vote. This legislation is the product of bipartisan work by the majority and the minority and provides the intelligence community the necessary resources and authorities to ensure the IC remains capable of protecting and defending the United States. The bill folds in many priorities from fiscal year 2018 and 2019, including the defense of elections from foreign threats, enhanced injury benefits to CIA employees, and bolsters intelligence oversight by improving the IC accountability to Congress. Additionally, the bill protects all CIA covert intelligence officers' identities, establishes a paid parental leave program for the IC, and it mandates counterintelligence briefings and notifications to the intelligence committees by the FBI on a quarterly basis and prompt notification when an investigation is carried out regarding a counterintelligence risk related to a Federal election or campaign. This bill supports critical national security programs, particularly those focused on countering threats from hard targets, such as China. Lastly, the bill continues to ensure that the dedicated men and women of our intelligence community have the funding, authorities, and support they need to carry out their mission and to keep us safe. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik).

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this year's IA is named after Damon Nelson and Matthew Pollard, two staffers who passed away unexpectedly last year. Matt Pollard was a staffer with the Senate Intelligence Committee, and he is remembered fondly by staff and members who had the pleasure of working with him. Damon Nelson was a former Republican staff director on the House Intelligence Committee and a personal friend. Damon would be happy with the bill today, and I am happy that this committee was able to produce a bipartisan product. In closing, I want to take a moment to thank the men and women who serve in our intelligence community. I am honored to get to know so many of them in the course of the committee's oversight work. I also thank my colleagues on the Intelligence Committee for their contributions to our oversight over the past year. I also thank all of the staff on the committee for their hard work on the bill and their daily oversight of the intelligence community. In particular, I thank the professional oversight staff from the minority, especially Nick Ciarlante, Laura Casulli, Meghan Green, Andrew House, Lisa Major, Bill Flanigan, Steve Keith, Marissa Skaggs, Betsy Hulme, Jack Langer, and Allen Souza. I would also like to take just a moment to thank our fellow from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Scott Miller. Scott joined the committee in 2016 and, in a few weeks, will be finishing up his midcareer educational program with the House and will be returning to New Mexico. Mr. Chairman, I wish Scott all the best as he, his wife, Rebecca, and daughter, Sarah, return home. All the staff members spent long hours working on the legislative text and its classified annex, and the bill is stronger for it. Mr. Chairman, I thank Chairman Schiff and all of his staff for the bipartisan work product. Mr. Chairman, I urge passage of H.R. 3494, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Madam Speaker, I am struggling to understand what we are doing here today. We already know that the Democrats go to great lengths to defend the unconstitutional Affordable Care Act. They really believe that Congress can and should force the American people to buy something, whether they want it or not. We know this because they made everyone vote on this same provision in title I of the rules package last week. Now we are here voting on the same thing this week. ``Why?'' some Americans may ask. Because Democrats are trying to sell this farce as a vote to protect people with preexisting conditions. But this is not a healthcare vote. This is a vote to give cover because the law they passed was unconstitutional, and the individual mandate was deeply unpopular. They could put an end to this by passing a law that abides by the Constitution, but they are not willing to do that. Instead, we are wasting time here today voting on something for the second time. Republicans know that we can protect the people with preexisting health conditions without infringing on basic freedoms. This is why, last week, we voted on an amendment to the rules package to guarantee no American citizen can be denied health insurance coverage as a result of a preexisting condition. I voted to ensure that no American citizen can be charged a higher premium or cost sharing as a result of a preexisting condition. But the majority would rather spend time and taxpayer money defending the constitutionality of the ACA's individual mandate. They seem to have forgotten that the Supreme Court told them, back in 2012, that Congress does not have the power to make the American people purchase a product. The Democrats should not spend more taxpayer money defending the indefensible. Congress should focus its energy on making healthcare more affordable and giving people meaningful choice in healthcare again.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, on the legislative day of Wednesday, December 19, 2018, I was unable to cast a vote on a number of Roll Call Votes. Had I been present, I would have voted: Roll Call No. 436--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 437--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 438--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 439--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 440-- ``YEA'', Roll Call No. 441--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 442--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 443--``YEA'', Roll Call No. 444--``YEA'', and Roll Call No. 445--``YEA''.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank my colleagues who are here to pay tribute to the staff director of the House Intelligence Committee, Damon Nelson, who passed away on Saturday. As you see from the tributes that have already poured in and those to come today, Damon worked closely with many Members of Congress for a long time. He served 12 years in my personal office as my legislative director, later as deputy chief of staff, and then almost 4 years on the House Intelligence Committee as senior adviser, deputy staff director, and, finally, staff director. These testimonies reflect Damon's hard work and his enthusiasm for helping others. He showed immense respect for the institution of Congress and felt deeply honored to assist the people's Representatives and to participate in the legislative process. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for coming today to speak on the House floor about Damon. He will be deeply missed both inside and outside these halls, and especially by his wife, Dana. At this time, I am honored to yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert), my great friend and chairman of the Republican delegation from California.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. Valadao).

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to Section 1051 of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232), I hereby appoint Safra Catz to serve as a member of the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence.

Mr. NUNES

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6138) to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for ambulatory surgical center representation during the review of hospital outpatient payment rates under part B of the Medicare program, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 6138, currently under consideration.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, ambulatory surgery centers provide patients with high- quality, same-day surgical and preventive care. H.R. 6138, the Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Transparency Act of 2018, makes two simple and straightforward ASC reforms. The bill adds an ASC representative to the advisory panel on hospital outpatient payment, which will allow ASCs proper representation and a seat at the table for future CMS payment policy changes. This bill also requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to disclose their criteria for inclusion or exclusion of procedures on the ASC approved list. Currently, CMS does not fully provide explanations for their decisions, leading to a lack of transparency in the process. These simple changes will continue to protect patient access to cost- effective and high-quality services performed in the ASC setting. I hope that this legislation marks the first of many steps in further bolstering ASC and patient access to these high-quality facilities. I thank Chairman Brady, Ranking Member Neal, and the Ways and Means staff for working to provide transparency in this space. I also thank Mr. Larson for his work and partnership on this important bill. Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, July 13, 2018. Hon. Greg Walden, Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Walden: I write to you regarding H.R. 6138, the ``Ambulatory Surgical Center (ACS) Payment Transparency Act of 2018'' the Committee on Ways and Means ordered favorably reported which was also referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I ask that the Committee on Energy and Commerce waive formal consideration of the bill so that it may proceed expeditiously to the House Floor. I acknowledge that by waiving formal consideration of the bill, the Committee on Energy and Commerce is in no way waiving its jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in those provisions of the bills that fall within your Rule X jurisdiction. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees on any House-Senate conference involving this legislation. I will include a copy of our letters in the Congressional Record during consideration of this legislation on the House floor. Sincerely, Kevin Brady, Chairman.

Mr. NUNES. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to reiterate the small but important step we are taking here today in passing this legislation. Ambulatory surgical centers provide excellent care at lower cost to patients and taxpayers. While there is a much longer conversation that needs to happen regarding parity in reimbursement in outpatient settings, what we are doing here is simple. ASCs are an integral part of the healthcare system, and we are saying that, as stakeholders, they deserve a seat at the table when changes to payment policies are being debated and when decisions are being made by CMS on the services they are able to provide patients. We believe they should get a transparent explanation as to why those decisions were made. Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense bill. I urge all my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.