Tom Reed

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Get things done. And we can do that. That's why I was so pleased that our colleague from Michigan joined us today. Even though we may disagree on many things, there is common ground there. He recognized that lower taxes creates a business climate upon which entrepreneurs can put people back to work. We're all trying to achieve the same goal. Now it's time to have the Senate and the President engage with the American people in an open and honest fashion and deal with these issues once and for all. Because if we continue to play the politics of yesterday, then America's brightest days are behind her. And to me, that is unacceptable. And I know to all my colleagues here today, that is also unacceptable to them.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I rise today, even though feeling a little bit under the weather with an obvious cold, to show my support for these free trade agreements, because we have worked hard from day one in this Congress to be a voice for what I believe to be true free and fair trade agreements that put us and America on an even playing field with other countries around the world. South Korea, Colombia, and Panama represent 250,000 jobs. It can't be any simpler than that. I listened to the President come up and present his jobs speech to us as we sat in this Chamber, and I heard my colleagues talk about the length of delay it took to get these agreements up to this House. But I'm not going to look to the past. I'm going to look to the future. And I'm going to look at the areas where we can find common ground to advance the cause of the great American economic recovery that could start and will start with the passage of these free trade agreements. I applaud the President for sending these agreements up here today. I'm very confident that after a thorough and loud debate on these issues, they will be passed, and we will move forward to a brighter day of an additional 250,000 jobs in America and $13 billion worth of enhanced economic activity for the American market. Back in the 29th Congressional District that I am proud to represent, that is real money, those are real jobs, and what we're going to talk about are improvements in our agricultural industry, be it our grape growers, be it our wine producers, be it our apple growers, be it our dairy industry. But we're also proud in the 29th Congressional District to represent some of the highest tech and manufacturing operations in the entire world. A little company in the city that I come from, Corning, Incorporated, in Corning, New York, has had a longstanding business relationship in South Korea, producing LCD glass and other high-tech materials and manufacturing components. To me, these free trade agreements are fair agreements and they lead to job creation. That's what we were sent here to Congress to do, is to put America in a better economic condition so that generations of tomorrow will have the prosperity to call this great Nation home for many generations to come. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for yielding.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak in support of two of today's scheduled bills, the Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Extension. The Child and Family Services Improvement and Innovation Act makes the necessary improvements to the Child Welfare Services and Promoting Safe and Stable Families programs to ensure accountability of the funds spent in the programs. Particularly, the waiver requirements and the required Government Accountability Office study will help reduce the duplication of funds for these programs. Regarding the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Extension, I feel that this three month extension will provide the proper time to discuss, debate and research the benefits of mandating drug-testing and substance abuse treatment programs as a requirement for individuals to receive funds under this program. Including such a provision will increase the accountability of means-tested cash recipients and send a message that substance abuse will not be tolerated or supported by the federal government. I see a direct link in the issue of substance abuse and child maltreatment; I feel that the inclusion of a drug-testing requirement would improve both programs and increase their efficiency. I look forward to working on this issue with my colleagues in the Subcommittee on Human Resources, the Ways and Means Committee and the House of Representatives at-large.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I also ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the subject of the bill under consideration.

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I truly appreciate the sentiments of my colleague from Michigan, and I truly appreciate the debate that we've had today on this resolution. It is time that we come together. As a member of the freshman class that's come to Washington, DC, I can tell you it is not a group of radical extremists, but men and women who have left their families, who have left their businesses, and have come down here to Washington, DC to accomplish what needs to be accomplished, that is, to get the fiscal house of Washington in order; it is to have the ability and skill to deal with the economy and put people back to work. We have the energy, we have the desire to reignite this country so that generations of our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy the benefits that we have all benefited from. We come here sincerely to reach across the aisle to have an open and honest dialogue with each and every one of the Members of this House, and that is why this debate is such a positive thing, in my mind. Because we are now starting down the path of recognizing that the debt has to be dealt with once and for all, but at the same time we must work together to heal our country, to reignite our country's economy so that people can afford the American Dream that they so deserve and as each and every one of us has always benefited from. So I come here this afternoon and offer this resolution to send a message to the President, to the world, to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that we cannot take our eye off the ball. We have to do all things. Because we are in a historic time when the issues we face can no longer be pushed down the road. It is now time to lead. It is now time to come together and act for this great Nation, the United States of America. In this vote, I urge all my colleagues to support the passage of this resolution to send that message that we will deal with the debt, we will deal with the economy, we will deal with the jobs, and we will create an environment upon which the private sector will blossom again and people will benefit for generations to come. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Lamborn).

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. REED. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gohmert).

Mr. REED. I have one additional speaker, and then I am prepared to close after that, I believe.

Mr. REED. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Huelskamp).

Mr. REED. I yield the gentleman an additional minute.

Mr. REED. I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to my colleague from Indiana (Mr. Stutzman).

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana, Dr. Boustany.

Mr. REED. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to my colleague from Tennessee (Mr. DesJarlais).

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mack).

Mr. REED. I am pleased to offer this resolution of disapproval of the request from the President of the United States to borrow an additional one-half trillion dollars. Dealing with this national debt is one of the primary reasons why I ran for Congress. It is to stop the endless borrowing of Washington, D.C. on the backs of our children and our grandchildren. I am also pleased to offer it in the House as the demonstration of a commitment to ending the decades-old borrow-and- spend practices and mentality that runs rampant here in Washington. Our national debt has reached its breaking point. The need to make serious decisions to get our spending under control has never been more urgent. We have all heard the words of Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When asked what is the most direct threat to our Nation, his immediate and clear response was that our national debt is the greatest threat to our national security. The recent downgrade of our national credit rating by S&P further demonstrates the necessity of making significant structural changes to the way we spend money in Washington, D.C. My focus here today, because we know the Senate has acted and this resolution did not pass the Senate--and is likely not to result in the borrowing of the President getting the additional half a trillion dollars of borrowing--but it's to send a message to the Nation that we need to act proactively in this Chamber and in both Chambers of this House. We need to recognize the national debt. And rather than deal with it in a crisis situation, we should be mindful of it in a proactive, strategic, open and honest manner so that we have good, sound policy responses to the issue that we face and finally tame this beast known as the national debt. We have spent over $15 trillion of money we did not have. That national debt is growing at the rate of $58,000 per second. That's $55,000 owed by every man, child and woman in America. That level of borrowing, that level of spending is just not acceptable because it jeopardizes our Nation and, more importantly, jeopardizes our Nation for the generations yet to come. The American people have made it clear. They spoke loudly in November 2010, and we are listening. More borrowing won't solve the problem. In fact, it will dig the hole even deeper. Borrowing even more before we can enact significant spending cuts to begin dealing with the root problem is a foolish errand. We have a responsibility to future generations to take immediate action. I will continue along the path of working on both sides of this Chamber to try to identify common ground to solve this crisis on the national debt. The continuing resolution last spring and the Budget Control Act, which requires this vote, are only the beginning. This war on our national debt is going to go on for many years to come; but we need to take those first steps because with every journey it takes the first step to get us on the path too success. I know the battles ahead will not be popular, and there will be tremendous political pressure on all of us to continue to borrow and spend as usual, but we must stand up to that political pressure. We must honor our oath to do our duty and do our job in this Chamber, and that means standing up and changing the path of Washington, D.C. Making difficult decisions now is the only way we can win this war on what is a common enemy we all face, our national debt. It is my hope this resolution continues to show the President how serious we are about this issue and at the same time that we are dealing with this issue we will focus on jobs, we will focus on the economy. We, in the United States Congress, have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. We are competent men and women in this Chamber who love our great Nation. We must come together on all fronts at all times, not only on the national debt but on our economy, on getting Americans back to work. And I think, with that bipartisan attitude, it will be amazing what we can accomplish in order to achieve all those goals, the national debt being one of the critical ones that we must face head on today. With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. REED. Madam Speaker, pursuant to section 3 of House Resolution 392 and as the designee of the majority leader, I have a motion at the desk.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, $14.4 trillion; $1.6 trillion every year added onto that national debt. The people in November, 2010, spoke loudly. We are listening. It is time that we in this Chamber accept the fact that D.C. has to and will change because the American people have spoken loudly. They want us to get our fiscal house in order. They want us to bring certainty to the American market so that we can invest in this great country again and put people back to work, not only for this generation, but for generations to come. I rise in support of this legislation. It is not the cure-all, it is not the one battle that will win this war on our national debt, but it opens us up on a path to where we need to be firmly dedicated and disciplined to carry on this battle and the battles to come. So I ask all my colleagues, let us govern responsibly, let us avoid default, but continue on this battle--and continue on we will, as a new class, as a freshman Member of this great Chamber.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this bill. As a proud member of the freshman class that came to Washington, D.C., in November 2010, I can tell you the culture of this city is changing. I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle put forth the argument that because we've raised the debt ceiling 102 times and seven times under President Bush that somehow it makes it right for us to raise the debt ceiling without dealing with the problem that's causing it to exist in the first place, and that is the uncontrolled spending that has gotten us to this point of $14.4 trillion of national debt. As a member of the freshmen class, we have changed the culture of this place because now the debate is happening on the floor of this House, and we're going to take it to the Senate so that they take it to the floor of the Senate and for once openly and honestly debate the issues of the day. Yet they still in the Senate have not heard that call, but through this process, they will. We wanted more, but we realize that this is just a step in the process. The battle will go on. We will act responsibly today by passing this out of the House and cure the risk that comes from the risk of default. But don't make any mistake about it: The battle will go on, and this is just the beginning.

Mr. REED

Mr. REED. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.