Tom Price

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I appreciate the gentlelady yielding. The gentlelady from Tennessee (Mrs. Black) controls our time, and we do have another speaker or two. But as soon as your time expires and if we have time remaining, then we will be happy to yield some time to the CBC.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chair, I want to commend our friends in the CBC for coming forward with a budget. It is not an easy thing to do, having worked these last 10 or 11 weeks to try to fashion a budget that could be dealt with on the floor of the House. I also want to just point out that this is one of the few opportunities that we have, as Congress, to look at a comparison of apples to apples, of similar work products with each other. There are three budgets that will be offered by our friends on the other side. We have talked just now about the Progressive Caucus. In the middle is the CBC budget, the one that we are discussing right now. I just want to highlight the differences between this budget, from a numerical standpoint, with the budget that has been offered by the Republican majority, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. In the area of taxes, what does the CBC budget do? Increases taxes by over $3.2 trillion over the next 10 years. Spending? Increases spending by over $7 trillion over the next 10 years, compared to the Republican budgets. Deficits? Increases deficits by over $4 trillion over the next 10 years. Debt? Same, $4 trillion added to the debt. What do they spend on the defense of our Nation at these perilous times? Decreased spending on defense by $314 billion. The big question is: When does their budget ever get to balance? Because a balanced budget is what we need to get this economy rolling again. When does it ever get to balance? The answer is never. It is a worthy endeavor that our friends in the CBC have undertaken; however, it is not right for the country and certainly doesn't stand up to the scrutiny of A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. Mr. Chairman, I yield my remaining time to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Black), and I ask unanimous consent that she be allowed to control the time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my colleagues for their participation yesterday. We had extensive debate on the committee mark yesterday; so I will review, very briefly, the committee mark and then touch on the differences between this and the next substitute amendment. This amendment is the committee mark. It is A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. As we have talked about, this balances the budget in less than 10 years. It does so without raising taxes, which is absolutely vital. All of the other alternatives that were brought from our friends on the other side of the aisle to the floor today, every one of them, raised significant taxes on the American people. We set out a path to be able to provide for a fairer, simpler, a more appropriate tax code where Washington isn't picking winners and losers. Our underlying resolution repeals all of ObamaCare. It eliminates the Independent Payment Advisory Board. It lays out a path for patient- centered health care, where patients and families and doctors are making medical decisions, not Washington, D.C. We ensure a strong national defense. Our numbers, when you combine the base budget with the global war on terror budget, are above the President's numbers required for making certain that our men and women who stand in harm's way have the resources available to make certain they can protect not just us, but protect themselves. We secure our future by laying out a path to save and strengthen and secure Medicare and Medicaid. It is so incredibly important. Medicare, itself, has been estimated by the trustees to go insolvent--to go broke--in 2033. It is absolutely vital that this Congress recognize the challenge before us and lay out a path for saving and strengthening and securing Medicare, and we do just that. We restore federalism. We think it is important to increase choices and opportunities for the men and women back home. It is imperative that we have increased flexibility for States, not just in the area of health care and in the area of Medicaid, but also in the area of nutritional assistance and in the area of education. Folks in our States and in our local communities know better how to respond to the needs of their citizens; and we cut corporate waste, fraud, and abuse and corporate welfare. Positive solutions, Mr. Chairman, in a bill that we label ``A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America,'' solutions that will get us on track to revive this economy, get folks back to work, and make certain that we put a cap on the debt and begin to put us on a path to paying off the debt, we can only do that if we get to balance. This is A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. I encourage our colleagues to adopt and to support this substitute. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I claim the time in opposition.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Before I begin, I want to join with my colleague on the Committee on the Budget, the ranking member, in providing a letter for the Record commending Doug Elmendorf, Director of the Congressional Budget Office, whose time at the CBO is coming to a close. His final day is March 31. He has served this Nation for the last 6 years as the Director of the Congressional Budget Office, and the ranking member, Mr. Van Hollen, and I will be inserting a letter into the Record to commend him for his service. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland to say a few words about Director Elmendorf.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I do want to commend my Democratic colleagues for coming forward with a budget. It is important to have contrasting visions that are able to be debated here on the floor of the House. I am not surprised, but I am oftentimes amused by the misinformation and the distortion that comes from our colleagues on the other side. Mr. Chairman, we have had now three separate budgets that have been offered by our friends on the other side: first, the Progressive Caucus budget, then the CBC budget, now the Democratic Caucus budget. I want to have our colleagues focus on the comparison, side by side, of this budget that is being offered to that of the Republican budget, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. These numbers on the far column there of the Democratic budget identify specific areas in their budget and how they compare to the Republican budget. In taxes, how do they compare in taxes? You hear our friends talking about taxes all the time. $1.9 trillion in new taxes--$1.9 trillion. Spending, what do they do on spending? $6.3 trillion in spending over the Republican budget, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. What about deficits? $4.6 trillion in increased deficits. Debt? $4.7 trillion in increased debt over a 10-year period of time. What do they do to defense in these perilous times in our Nation and in our world? Decrease spending on defense compared to the Republican budget by $314 billion. You would think with all of those taxes and all of that spending that you would get to balance, you would get to a point where the revenue that is coming into the Federal Government would equal the spending that is going out, but their budget never, ever, ever, ever balances. I guess they take their lead from the President. So let's take a little closer look at a couple of these issues. Tax increases. Taxes, taxes, taxes, taxes; that is what we hear from the folks on the other side. After raising over a trillion dollars in taxes for ObamaCare and forcing through over $600 billion in new taxes during the fiscal cliff discussion and debate, now they are calling for another massive tax increase of $1.9 trillion. Even with these huge tax increases already enacted into law, the Democrat budget never balances--ever, ever, ever--because it refuses to reduce spending, and it refuses to address the biggest drivers of our debt. Their substitute calls for more taxes on families, more taxes on small businesses. Even though, Mr. Chairman, the Congressional Budget Office tells us that the Federal revenue collection will exceed, will be greater than the 40-year average level--about 17.4 percent of gross domestic product, every year greater than that number, every year for the next decade--that is not enough for our friends on the other side. In other words, Washington is on track to collect more taxes from the American people than it ever has in the past, but Democrats want Washington to take even more. As has been said so many times, Washington doesn't have a revenue problem; we have got a spending problem--and there is no doubt about it that the American people understand that. The Democratic budget rhetoric claims to raise an additional $1.9 trillion by ``rejecting tax breaks for the wealthy and closing special interest loopholes.'' Look out, ladies and gentlemen. What that clever rhetoric really means is that they are going to hit small businesses with even more taxes. Why? Why is that? Because the majority of small businesses, non- C corp businesses, the majority of those businesses that create jobs around this country pay taxes under the individual income system. That is how they do it. That is who those folks want to punish--the job creators. These tax hike ideas end up impacting successful small businesses all across this country. As I mentioned, they represent the job creation engine of our economy, over 60 percent of the jobs being created--two- thirds of the jobs being created--for all private sector jobs generated by small businesses. So, despite the facts that we present, the Democrat budget would continue the failed policy of Washington picking winners and losers, rewarding their friends, punishing their political enemies, distorting the free market, further distorting an already overly complex Tax Code, all of which would have disastrous results of subsidizing private investors' profits and socializing what should be private investors' losses. So, more taxes. What about spending cuts? Any spending cuts? Despite their call for a balanced approach, the Democrat budget never, ever balances. In fact, it doesn't even come close to passing the Democrats' prior test of balance, which they defined as having equal parts tax increases and spending reductions. Interestingly, the Democrats continue to be moving away from their previously described balanced approach. Under this approach, their latest budget, a balanced approach appears to be requiring both tax increases and spending increases. In fact, the Democratic substitute would increase spending by $855 billion more than just staying on our current path. In other words, their substitute contains zero spending reductions and contains $1.9 trillion in tax increases and $855 billion in spending increases. It is not the direction the American people desire, clearly; not the direction that gets on a path to balance; not the direction that get us on a positive solution to addressing the challenges that we face. A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America is the direction in which we need to go, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. My friend from Maryland will be pleased to know that our vision for tax reform is positive, robust, and makes certain that all Americans benefit. That is what our budget does. It lifts up all Americans. We don't pick winners and losers. We are not interested in dividing the country. What our friends on the other side seem to have as their stock in trade is dividing, pitting one American against another. That is not America. Good gracious almighty. Let's talk about taxes. They want to increase taxes as far as the eye can see. They don't want to bring about any spending reductions, understanding that what is happening right now in terms of the debt in this country, what we have got is a level of debt that was only surpassed during World War II. This is a chart that demonstrates the debt of this country from 1940 through 2040, projections from 2015 on. Our debt right now is at a level that was only surpassed at the end of World War II. And where does current law take it? Where does the budget that our friends on the other side of the aisle propose take the debt? Higher than ever before--ever in the history of the country. What does that red line mean? It means fewer jobs, fewer opportunity choices for individuals, fewer dreams realized, Mr. Chairman. This red line is the destruction of the American Dream. That is what it is. That is why our Balanced Budget for a Stronger America is the way to go. It gets our economy under control, gets the economy rolling again, gets the debt under control, gets us to balance, and puts us on a path to paying off the debt. What do they want to do with spending? It follows the same tried and failed plan of more spending, with the promise of deficit reduction and economic growth later, which never occurs. We have tried it before. We know the results. What did we achieve for all the spending that our friends on the other side of the aisle have brought about? The lowest labor force participation rates in decades. What does that mean? Fewer people working, Mr. Chairman. Poverty rates stuck at high levels. Twenty percent of the kids in this country are living in poverty right now. That is under the policies that these folks want to double down on. We have seen the Washington metropolitan area is the home of 6 of the 10 richest counties in all of America. That is a Federal Government that has grown beyond all proportion. And we have seen, as I mentioned, levels of debt that haven't been seen since the end of World War II. So, if more government spending led to higher growth in job creation, we would be experiencing an economic boom the likes of which we have never seen. But the economic track record of recent years clearly has been abysmal. Real GDP growth over the past 4 years averaged just over 2 percent, where the average of the last 40 years is over 30 percent. Those are real jobs, Mr. Chairman, that have been lost by this administration and by our friends who want to double down. It is the slowest recovery that we have ever had coming out of an economic downturn. The labor force participation rate is at 62.8 percent, the lowest level in over 35 years. Roughly 8.7 million Americans are currently unemployed, and those who are working have seen meager, meager real wage growth. So more taxes, no spending reductions, more spending, more debt, more destruction of jobs, more destruction of dreams. Sadly, that is what our friends on the other side of the aisle are proposing. A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America is the way to go, Mr. Chairman. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Rokita), the vice chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an extra 1 minute.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I am prepared to close. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time. I think it is important to recognize that the Congressional Budget Office actually says that our budget grows GDP at the end of the 10- year window that we talk about. In order to turn this battleship in a direction, it takes a little while, but we are prepared to do that. We are offering positive solutions. I want to revisit, though, the debt. Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked just a few years ago what the greatest security threat to the United States was. The highest ranking military officer in the land was asked what the greatest threat to the United States was, and he said the debt. This red line right here, this is what he was talking about, increasing debt beyond as far as the eye can see, more than we have ever had; and that is what the Democrat budget does. This is the current path that we are on right now, unless it has changed: fewer jobs, fewer dreams realized, fewer opportunities, fewer choices for the American people. What does a debt crisis look like? We haven't seen one here. What does it look like? Higher interest rates on everything from mortgages to credit cards to car loans, lower business investments and opportunities, lower wages for people struggling just to hold on to their jobs, fewer resources for critical government services, a crowding out of all the things that folks on both sides of the aisle say they want to use--in short, less opportunity, less hope, fewer dreams realized, a very sad future for America. That is not us. That is not America. That is not the people that we are. What we are is a balanced budget, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America, positive solutions. Our budget proposes that we balance in less than 10 years, reduce spending by $5.5 trillion over that period of time, strong support for our national defense, higher spending for national defense than the President or the Democrats proposed in these very dangerous times, repealing all of ObamaCare in its entirety--not just because it is harmful to the economy, it is harmful to the health of this Nation. As a formerly practicing physician, I can attest to that. All you have to do is listen to my former professional colleagues. We secure economic opportunity, fair and simple tax reform, ending the too-big-to-fail bank bailouts. We cut corporate welfare. We embrace federalism, including increasing opportunity and choices for folks, whether it is in the healthcare arena, whether it is in nutritional assistance, whether it is in education, getting those decisions back in the States and local communities where they belong. To hold Washington accountable, we cut waste and fraud and abuse, make certain that we support the rights of conscience for healthcare providers and physicians across this land. We push back on the incredible overreach of this administration. We stop the President's war on coal. We prevent his carbon tax increase. We hold the IRS accountable and make certain that they stop targeting the American taxpayers. There is a positive vision for our country, Mr. Chair, a positive vision. It will deliver real results for the American people, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. I urge a ``no'' vote on the substitute and a ``yes'' on Price 2 and the final passage of the budget at the end of all this. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.'' I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I ask the Chair how much time remains on each side.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I am prepared to close, so I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chairman, as I said yesterday, somewhere across this land somebody has turned to their wife at home and said: ``Hide the kids and pets, dear. They are talking about the budget.'' I really am amazed. Well, I shouldn't be amazed, but I really am amazed at the level of misinformation and hyperbole that goes on. The gentleman on the other side knows that the way that we treat the defense spending, $613 billion with base defense and global war on terror funding, is exactly the way it has to be treated until the law is changed. The gentleman on the other side didn't even recognize that, the Democrats don't recognize that, the President doesn't recognize that. He puts a phony number in his budget that will snap right back down to the sequester level of $523 billion unless the law is changed-- something that we actually support, something in our budget that we provide a path to be able to do. We provide the path to a solution. The other folks are just providing rhetoric. What about balance? Here are the deficits over the next 10 years, Mr. Chairman. The red line is current policy. What the President and our friends on the other side do actually mirrors, basically, that line. You will notice that at the end of this, this gets near to a trillion dollars of deficit in 1 year. These folks think you can just spend and spend and spend. This is our line. This gets us down to balance. This is how you begin to pay off the debt. This is how you begin to provide greater opportunities for the American people, a budget of real hope, real opportunity. Our friends on the other side say it is harder on seniors and students and workers and Medicaid--not true. What we actually do is propose solutions to the challenges that we face. We can't stick our head in the sand and expect these problems are going to get solved. I just wish that our friends on the other side would join us together and help solve these challenges. The challenges are huge. The American people know it. What our budget does, A Balanced Budget for a Stronger America actually lays out a path to be able to solve these challenges, positive solutions for the American people. They recognize that. We are standing up on behalf of all Americans to solve the challenges that we have. I urge a ``yes'' vote. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, this amendment labeled Price 2 is an important amendment, important substitute. It is important for our colleagues, it is important for the Members of this Chamber, and it is important for the American people to know the differences between this amendment and the substitute amendment that we just talked about. There are two changes in this amendment, two changes in this substitute. This is an important debate. The first change is that, in this substitute, we increase global war on terror spending from $94 billion in fiscal year 2016 to $96 billion in 2016, an increase of $2 billion in the global war on terror. The second change from the underlying resolution is that we remove the requirement for an offset of any of the funding in the global war on terror. Mr. Chairman, this is an absolutely vital substitute amendment so that the House can work its will, so that the Members of the conference are able to stipulate and say what they believe is to be most appropriate. Regardless, the level of spending for defense is north of the President's. The level of spending for defense when you look at base spending and global war on terror spending is where it needs to be to assist our men and women in accomplishing the mission. So, significant changes, yes, but changes in a positive direction to be able to make certain that this House is able to adopt a budget, work with the Senate to come forward with a unified budget. So I am pleased to offer what has become known as Price 2. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the Republican majority whip.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Again, Mr. Chairman, the misinformation and outright errors are phenomenal. The fact of the matter is the gentleman knows that it is the Ways and Means Committee that handles tax reform. It is not the Budget Committee. What we do is lay out a path to be able to allow the Ways and Means Committee to come up with a positive, pro-growth tax reform. That is the plan that is laid out in this budget. I would be so concerned about the gentleman's comments about getting to balance--I don't buy a thing that he is saying about our balance because we do get to balance within less than 10 years by reducing spending by $5.5 trillion. I would be concerned about his statements if I believed for one second that the other side thought that getting to balance was even important. The fact of the matter is that they don't. In fact, their budget never, ever, ever gets to balance, nor does the President's. So the crocodile tears that I see on the other side about us allegedly not getting to balance just is absolutely not credible. And what we request of Federal employees is that they be treated exactly like folks in the private sector. That is what the American people think is fair, appropriate treatment for all Americans, not favorite treatment, not picking winners and losers, like the other side enjoys doing. I am so proud now to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Thornberry), who is the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, a gentleman with whom I have worked closely over these last 10 or 11 weeks on this budget and for whom I have the utmost respect for his positive contributions to our Conference and to our Nation.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to what amount of time remains on each side?

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the great State of California (Mr. McCarthy), the majority leader.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. TOM PRICE of Georgia. I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Chair, my friend on the other side talks about the two budgets that we have before us, and I would remind him, as the majority leader did, about the debacle of 2010 when no budget came. So we would say that two budgets are better than none. I continue to be saddened, though, by the politics of division of our friends on the other side, dividing Americans, pitting Americans one against the other. In order for their vision to be true, one would have to believe that the government doesn't take enough of the American people's money and that the government isn't big enough. Those are the things you have to believe to believe that their vision is correct. Let me set the record straight on a couple of items that have just been brought up: One, our budget allows for over $300 billion in spending on innovation and research over the next 10 years. Our budget provides for a Medicare program that is guaranteed for all seniors, and with greater choices for those seniors. Our budget provides for a path in terms of infrastructure to actually find real money for transportation, not just painting a rosy picture for folks. And our budget believes that health care ought to be controlled by patients and families and doctors, not by Washington, D.C. What we do is responsibly lay out a plan for a healthy economy, an opportunity economy, one that opens doors for people, doesn't subject them to the dictates of Washington, D.C. You see, we believe in America, and we believe in Americans--all Americans. We understand our problems are significant. There is no doubt about it, Mr. Chairman. We hear the people of this Nation crying out, crying out for leadership here in Washington. This Balanced Budget for a Stronger America will result in a government that is more efficient and more effective and more accountable, one that frees up the American spirit, that of optimism and enthusiasm to do great things and to meet great challenges. I ask my colleagues for their strong support for this Balanced Budget for a Stronger America. I encourage a ``yes'' vote on the amendment and a ``yes'' vote on final passage. I yield back the balance of my time.