Keith Rothfus

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the residents of Cambria County, Pennsylvania, who celebrate the 210th anniversary of the County's founding on March 26, 2014. Cambria County is nestled in the Laurel Highlands of Western Pennsylvania and is home to many great hard working Americans. On March 26, 1804, the Pennsylvania Assembly formed a new county from portions of Huntingdon, Somerset, and Bedford Counties. They named it Cambria, an old name for Wales. To determine the location of the county seat, Cambria County held a census. Because Ebensburg had the largest population of 150 to Johnstown's 60, it became the new county seat. Over two centuries later, Ebensburg remains the county seat. Today, more than 140,000 Pennsylvanians call Cambria County home. It contains more than sixty-three municipalities including thirty-two boroughs, thirty townships, and the city of Johnstown. The county is home to leading hospitals, educational institutions, defense contractors, manufacturers, coal mines, and other businesses. From Northern Cambria to Nanty Glo to Portage, Cambria County is blessed with beautiful vistas. Visitors travel from all over to see the breathtaking view from the Johnstown Inclined Plane and the natural beauty of Prince Gallitzin State Forest and Laurel Ridge State Park. Cambria County is also fortunate to have plentiful natural resources. Our hardworking men and women drove the steel industry that built our Nation and developed its abundant coal and natural gas. Today, many Cambria County residents continue to work in the steel and energy industries. The county was the location of the Johnstown Flood, one of the worst natural disasters in our Nation's history. In the midst of great challenges, the people of Cambria have overcome and pressed on to build the vibrant community that we celebrate today. Mr. Speaker, and fellow Members, please join me in congratulating Cambria County on the 210th anniversary of its founding.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Chairman, in our exceptional system of government the House and Senate pass laws which the President must ``take care to faithfully execute.'' This is a bedrock principle of our Constitution. President Obama has repeatedly exceeded the boundaries of the executive powers allowed to him in the Constitution. We have worked to check this overreach in the House, but the President has unilaterally decided to ignore, waive, or change laws without authorization from Congress. Notably, President Obama has repeatedly created exemptions and delayed provisions to cover for the many broken promises of his health care law. The legislation under consideration today will grant the House and Senate the authority to file suit against the President to simply force him to carry out his constitutional duty and enforce the law. This should not be a partisan issue. The ENFORCE Act will protect all Americans and our system of government from overreach by Presidents of any political party.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Chairman, many families and businesses have had to spend more to heat their homes this cold and snowy winter. Unfortunately, regulations recently introduced by unelected elites in President Obama's EPA will increase their utility and electricity bills further. These regulations effectively ban new power plants by forcing them to meet an emissions standard that cannot be achieved with any commercially available technology. They are unworkable and unaffordable, and will result in more lost jobs. I stand in solidarity with the hardworking coal miners, power plant workers, steelworkers, boilermakers, carpenters, and truckdrivers, but the victims of the President's war on affordable energy are the families and businesses whose energy costs are skyrocketing, and the workers who are losing their jobs and incomes because of these regulations. I strongly support H.R. 3826, the Electricity Security and Affordability Act. The bill will direct the EPA to adopt new coal-fired power plant emission standards that make sense and subject any new regulations on existing power plants to congressional review, where the people's Representatives can be held accountable. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to approve this job- saving bill.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Chairman, much more accountability and transparency is needed in Washington, especially at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Bureau wields broad and unchecked power over our economy, from banks to businesses to anyone who uses credit or payment plans. Abuses of that power, enabled by a lack of accountability and transparency, harms families and businesses up and down Main Streets in Pennsylvania and across the Nation. That is why I rise today in strong support of the Consumer Financial Freedom and Washington Accountability Act. Importantly, this commonsense legislation better protects consumers by prohibiting the Bureau from using personal and private financial information without their knowledge and consent. It also makes the Bureau subject to the regular authorization and appropriations process. This increases the American people's ability to demand accountability through their elected representatives. The legislation will also replace a single and unaccountable director with a bipartisan five-member commission and establish more reasonable thresholds for reviewing and repealing regulations. These changes will help rein in the regulatory overreach coming from Washington, D.C., elites. It will ensure a diversity of viewpoints is represented whenever the Bureau makes decisions that will directly impact families and businesses across the Nation. These very reasonable reforms will protect consumers and our Nation's financial system by providing for more rigorous oversight of the powerful and unaccountable Bureau. I urge my colleagues to support this good-government legislation.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chairman, Americans face a regulatory burden with staggering costs to our economy and with substantial impacts on family budgets. A recent paper by the Competitive Enterprise Institute estimates that the cost of Federal regulations to the economy exceeds $1.8 trillion. The American Action Forum predicts that $143 billion in new regulations may be finalized this year. These figures are very troubling. That is why the bill we are considering is so important. H.R. 2804 reforms the regulatory process and will help promote the economic growth we so desperately need to get our economy booming again and add jobs. The amendment that I offer today with my friend, Mr. Barr, is simple and one that I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will support. If a regulation decreases employment or wages by 1 percent or more in an industry, it will be subject to heightened review and additional transparency requirements. The amendment also requires agency heads to certify that they knowingly approved a rule that will result in lost jobs or reduced wages. The principle is simple: If Federal bureaucrats are going to implement rules that take wages or jobs from Americans, they should take responsibility for their decisions. It is important that Washington bureaucrats think through the impacts, the costs, and the burdens that red tape imposes on American families and communities. Bureaucratic elites are regulating solid, good-paying jobs right out of existence. At a time when wages are stagnant for many American workers and when we so desperately need to grow the economy and add jobs, this is unbelievable. On February 7, with my hardhat secured and my headlamp on, I had the privilege of traveling underground to learn more about the work and operations of the Madison mine in Nanty Glo, Pennsylvania. Miners like these work hard every day to power our electric grid and to supply our steel mills. But their way of life is being purposefully regulated out of existence. Dan, the mine electrician, recently asked me what is going to be done to curb the President's war on coal. He wrote: As a mine electrician in your district, my men are asking me questions like: Is this ever going to end, or are we all going to be looking for new jobs? My friends, this problem extends well beyond the coalfields of Pennsylvania or Kentucky. Regulations cost each household almost $14,700. That is almost 30 percent of an average Pennsylvania family's annual income. Complying with this mountain of paperwork will also cost families and businesses almost 10.4 billion hours this year. Who thinks that this is the most productive use of their time? Madam Chairman, the American people cannot afford more lost jobs and further reduced wages. Every lost job means one less person helping with the taxes needed to support Social Security, Medicare, and other critical programs for veterans, health care, education, and national defense. I urge my colleagues to support the Rothfus-Barr amendment and the underlying bill. Madam Chairman, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), my friend.

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chair, I urge my colleagues to pass this amendment. It is a good amendment. It will shine a light on the process of the regulatory elites here in Washington, D.C., and the impact it is having on our jobs and on our wages. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chairman, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the chairman.

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. ROTHFUS. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to wish Mr. Frederick W. Anton III a happy eightieth birthday and to congratulate him on a long and distinguished career as an innovator, leader, and faithful public servant. Mr. Anton joined the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association over five decades ago in 1962 and became its President and Chief Executive Officer in 1975. Today, Mr. Anton continues to lead the organization that is the leading advocate for manufacturers and workers throughout the Commonwealth. The Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association continues to be a vibrant organization with a strong voice thanks in large part to his efforts. Mr. Anton's public service extends far beyond his work at the Pennsylvania Manufacturers' Association. He has long served as a strong voice for fiscal policies that will grow the economy, add jobs, and leave a better Pennsylvania for future generations. In the late 1980s, as President Ronald Reagan was preparing to return to life as a private citizen, Mr. Anton observed that there was no policy infrastructure in place in Harrisburg to continue to advocate for the fiscal policies President Reagan championed while in office. To fill that void, Mr. Anton set about the work of co-founding the Commonwealth Foundation and the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference. Today, both continue to serve as important beacons of conservative fiscal policy in our Commonwealth. In fact, the Pennsylvania Leadership Conference is celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary of its founding this year. Mr. Speaker, fellow Members, please join me in wishing Mr. Frederick W. Anton III a happy eightieth birthday and thanking him for his more than fifty years of service to manufacturers, workers, and all citizens of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of our Nation's veterans and the legislation currently under consideration. This legislation makes much-needed reforms that would bring accountability and transparency to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Over the past year, I have worked with Chairman Miller and Chairman Coffman, my western Pennsylvania colleagues--Congressmen Doyle, Murphy, Kelly, and Shuster--and local veterans' families to investigate the outbreak of Legionnaires' disease at the Pittsburgh VA. The VA Office of the Inspector General determined systemic failures surrounding the outbreak led to tragic and preventable deaths of local veterans. We must do all we can to ensure that this does not happen again. Chairman Coffman's Infectious Disease Reporting Act, which I strongly support, has been included in today's legislation. This commonsense reform will increase transparency and save lives by improving infectious disease reporting requirements and requiring the VA to follow the same rules as the rest of our world-class health care institutions in western Pennsylvania. Today's legislation also builds on an amendment I offered last year that prohibits bonuses for senior VA executives. This money would be better spent resolving the VA disability claims backlog and ensuring that our veterans are receiving the first-rate care they have earned. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this legislation, and I look forward to continuing to working with my colleagues in Congress to serve our Nation's veterans.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. I would like to thank my good friend and fellow Pennsylvanian (Mr. Perry) for hosting this important discussion. As my colleague Congressman Dent noted, it is Colonel Perry who in 2008 left the comforts of our country to serve in Iraq. His chief, Lauren Muglia, also is with the National Guard and went overseas for our country. I rise today in support of the Pennsylvania National Guard and, in particular, the brave soldiers who serve in the 1-104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, based in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Their future, like that of many other National Guard units across the Commonwealth, is being placed in serious jeopardy as part of the Army's most recent force structure plan. Major General Wesley Craig, the adjutant general for the Pennsylvania National Guard, put it best when he wrote in a letter to the editor that recently appeared in one of our local newspapers, the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat, that the 1-104th is ``under attack.'' In fact, Major General Craig's letter encapsulates this issue so well that I would like to read it into the Record now. Major General Craig writes: Johnstown battalion is under attack. The more than 250 members of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard's 1-104th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, based in Johnstown, may lose their Apache helicopters and a number of them could be furloughed if the Army has its way. These are the same highly trained soldiers who recently returned from a year-long deployment in Afghanistan, where they provided aerial support using AH-64 Apache helicopters fighting side-by-side with their active component counterparts. The Army wants to restructure its aviation fleet by divesting itself from Kiowa helicopters and replacing them with Apache helicopters taken from the Army National Guard. Consequentially, the removal of 24 Apaches from our inventory in Johnstown will render the 1-104th a nonmission- capable force when it comes to defending our Nation at home and abroad. In turn, the Army proposes to replace the Apaches with only 12 other aircraft--a 50 percent reduction in the number of aircraft that we have in Johnstown. Detrimental actions like this prove that the National Guard is still considered ``second-rate'' by the Active component despite us demonstrating our competence and effectiveness over the last 11 years of war. Taking away highly trained personnel and equipment from the Reserve component--which cost a fraction of what it does in the Active component to operate--does not make sense for our community, Commonwealth or country. Major General Craig concludes: Having worn the uniform for more than 40 years, I, too, have been trained to fight; and fight I will for the skilled and courageous troops of our Nation's reserve forces. Signed, Major General Wesley E. Craig, Adjutant General, Pennsylvania National Guard. Mr. Speaker, there are better options than this. Let us commit to working together to ensure that the National Guard units like the 1- 104th continue to receive the support they have earned and deserve.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today because, like many of my 700,000 bosses back home, I am frustrated with a broken Washington. Prior to joining this House just over 1 year ago, in my work in the private sector and in my personal life deadlines mattered. If a client needed to start a contract by January 1, that contract had to be negotiated and signed by that date. Every April 15, my western Pennsylvania bosses and I have to make sure that all of our tax forms are filed on time. And on the first day of school, my neighbors and I make sure our kids are ready to start the year. And every year on May 27, I better remember that that is the anniversary that the best girl in the world and I exchanged wedding rings. Getting things done on time is important. It is a value we teach our children. Mr. Speaker, there is an annual deadline that the House and Senate have failed to meet with embarrassing frequency. The United States of America operates on fiscal years that begin on October 1 and end on September 30. Congress and the President are responsible for enacting the annual appropriations bills before each new fiscal year starts. That is how it is supposed to work. Unfortunately, Congress, led by both parties, has only finished its work on all regular appropriations bills before this deadline four times since 1977. That is simply unacceptable. Twenty-six years ago, the President of the United States delivered a State of the Union address from the podium just over my right shoulder. During that address, Ronald Reagan noted that the government had just completed another broken and inefficient appropriations season: In 7 years of 91 appropriations bills scheduled to arrive on my desk by a certain date, only 10 made it on time. Last year, of the 13 appropriations bills due by October, none of them made it. Instead, we had four continuing resolutions lasting 41 days, then 36 days, and 2 days, and 3 days. President Reagan then held up three stacks of paper totaling 45 pounds which authorized the spending of hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars and reminded the Congress that it had only 3 hours to review the documents. After recounting this dysfunctional history, President Reagan pleaded: Congress shouldn't send another one of these. Some may argue that the process is not important; it is the policy that matters. Mr. Speaker, process is important because it is inside the process that policy happens. Our Constitution gives Congress the power to tax and spend. Exercising this spending power requires due deliberation and should allow for individual Members, on both sides of the aisle, to challenge expenditures, including whether any particular expenditure is too much, too little, or should be made at all. Those challenges should come in the form of amendments that would be debated on this House floor. It is the process by which the people of this country have the opportunity to have a say in how their hard-earned tax dollars are spent. More than 3 months into the fiscal year, we are now heading toward the vote on what is known as an omnibus. This bill collapses all 12 regular appropriations bills into a single behemoth. We are at this point today because the House and Senate did not complete the regular appropriations process on time. Instead of voting 12 times on individual appropriations bills and hundreds of times on amendments to those bills, Members of this House will only vote once. Under this arrangement, important and necessary spending is held hostage to questionable and wasteful spending. Last year, the House only passed four spending bills on time, and the Senate passed none. This must stop. Congress must get its work done on time. Today, I am introducing the Congressional Pay for Performance Act of 2014. This simple bill would hold Congress accountable and force us to comply with deadlines, just like people in the real world do outside of Washington, D.C. This is how it would work: each House of Congress must pass a budget resolution by April 15 or have its pay withheld. Then, each House of Congress must pass all 12 appropriations bills by July 31 or have its pay withheld. It would then have 2 months to reconcile the bills between the two Houses. If Congress is not performing its core constitutional duties in a timely manner, it should not get paid until its work is done. Let this year's omnibus be the last one, for Congress shouldn't send another one of these to the President.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, Friday's jobs report was discouraging: 347,000 people stopped looking for work. One commentator said people ``simply gave up.'' This has been the worst recovery since the Great Depression. The President's policies, massive spending, a destructive health care law, a promise to bankrupt the coal industry, and a refusal to build Keystone XL have not produced jobs. They have, however, helped Wall Street and Washington elites. This is not fair. One of my bosses in Pennsylvania 12, Laurie, emailed about her husband, who lost his job as a result of the war on coal. He took care of his family with that job. She writes: Many other industries besides the miner are affected. It trickles down to the truck driver, the blasting companies, and even down to our restaurants and retail stores. To help families like Laurie's, this House has passed dozens of bills to promote job growth. Unfortunately, the Senate has failed to act. This must change so that more people do not simply give up.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the accomplishments of Darren Miller of Murrysville, Pennsylvania. On August 29, 2013, Darren became the first American man and only the fourth person in history to complete the seven grueling open-water swims known as the Ocean's Seven challenge. He spent over seventy-five hours braving frigid waters, treacherous weather conditions, and dangerous wildlife while swimming across bodies of water including the English Channel, the North Channel between Scotland and Northern Ireland, and the Strait of Gibraltar. Darren is the only person to ever complete all of the swims on the first attempt. A graduate of Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville and Pennsylvania State University, Darren is a product of the first-class educational institutions in our Commonwealth. Darren used our beautiful lakes and rivers in Western Pennsylvania to train for his historic feat, a reminder that the tools for success are within reach. Darren also swims to benefit and raise awareness for the Forever Fund, an organization he cofounded, to help families pay for the costs of treatment in the infant cardiothoracic unit at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He has raised more than $65,000 to date. Darren named the Forever Fund in remembrance of his grandmother. ``She taught me that success has nothing to do with your pocketbook, but by how you treat someone who can do you absolutely no good,'' he recently said. Darren's personal motto is ``Every breath a gift,'' meant to inspire today's youth to overcome personal challenges and persevere in accomplishing one's personal goals. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to honor Darren Miller's outstanding athletic achievements and service to our community and his fellow man.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, Medicare Advantage provides quality coverage to many seniors in western Pennsylvania. It is popular because it provides more options and increased care coordination. Until 2011, seniors were able to take advantage of an annual open enrollment period from January through March and make adjustments if the plan they chose did not meet their needs. Unfortunately, the Affordable Care Act eliminated this option. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that one of the Nation's largest Medicare Advantage providers had dropped thousands of doctors from its network. As a result, seniors may be unsure about whether they need to switch plans to continue seeing their doctors when the current open enrollment period ends this Saturday. This uncertainty underscores the importance of the Medicare Beneficiary Preservation of Choice Act, H.R. 2453, which Congressman Kurt Schrader and I introduced earlier this year. This bill would restore seniors' freedom to try their plans and make changes. I thank my 13 Republican and Democrat colleagues for joining me in advocating for our seniors, and I encourage Members on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense and bipartisan legislation.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, November 22, we mark the 50th anniversary of one of the saddest days in American history. This anniversary affords us the opportunity to remember President John F. Kennedy, who also served in this House, and to reflect on his idealism and spirit of public service that he inspired in the American people. President Kennedy encouraged all Americans to dream big dreams, like putting a man on the Moon by the end of that decade. He reminded us that this country is capable of great feats when the American people come together with a defined mission. As President Kennedy said in 1961: It will not be one man going to the Moon; it will be an entire Nation. For all of us must work to put him there. President Kennedy's goal was achieved on July 20, 1969, when Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong was the first person to step on the Moon. It is good to remember how President Kennedy inspired a Nation. The torch of freedom President Kennedy described in his inaugural speech has now been passed to yet another generation. Let this generation celebrate President Kennedy's sense of idealism and public service every day.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, over 200,000 Pennsylvanians have been notified that they will lose their plans because of President Obama's health care law. What these numbers don't tell you are the stories of hardworking western Pennsylvanians like Don and Karen from Johnstown. Don is a Marine Corps veteran and former coal miner. He and Karen run a ministry that helps people in developing countries. Don recently let me know that he will lose his plan. He said: I specifically bought a health plan that met my needs. I liked my plan very much and it was something I could afford. When Don and Karen were able to get onto the Web site, the plan he was offered had a deductible of more than $6,000. In Don's words, this is ``ridiculous and unaffordable.'' Unfortunately, their story is not unique. We need health care reform that works for Don and Karen and the rest of the American people. The Empowering Patients First Act and the American Health Care Reform Act provide a good place to start and a better way on health care reform.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, over the past few months, I have come to the House floor to sound the alarm regarding the emptiness of the promises the President made when he sold his health care law, promises such as: if you like your health care plan, you can keep it, and that premiums would drop by $2,500. Those promises, Mr. Speaker, are now on the ash heap of history. Here is what I am hearing from my district: a woman from Allegheny County recently showed me the letter she got from her insurance company. The letter begins, ``This is to inform you that we will discontinue your health care plan on December 31, 2013.'' A father in the north hills of Pittsburgh tells me his family's coverage is also being terminated next year. Another woman from the north hills wrote to tell me that she gets insurance through her employer, a small business, but that her share of the premiums are tripling. When a product comes with a promise that is broken, you take it back and look for a new product. The Empowering Patients First Act and the American Health Care Reform Act are just some examples of possible new health care reform products that we can look at. There are solutions that empower consumers and not Washington elites, and they are a good place to start.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2189. This legislation is an important step forward in addressing and resolving the VA's disability claims backlog. We owe our veterans a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Unfortunately, veterans in western Pennsylvania and around the Nation are forced to endure excessive wait times for their disability claims to be processed. That is unacceptable, and our veterans deserve better. Finding ways to better serve our veterans is one of my top priorities in Congress. The legislation we are considering today increases reporting and oversight, improves coordination between the VA and other Federal agencies, provides more training for VA claims processors, and establishes a task force to look for other ways to address the backlog. Together these actions will bring transparency and accountability to the VA all in an effort to improve customer service to our veterans and their families. I thank House Veterans' Affairs Committee Chairman Jeff Miller, Ranking Member Michaud, and Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy for their leadership; and I look forward to continuing to work with them to find ways to better serve our veterans.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. I thank the gentlelady for organizing this talk. Pennsylvania's 12th District in western Pennsylvania stretches from Beaver to Johnstown and to the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh. Last week we had a visit from HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who was in town to tout the benefits of the health care law. She also attempted to help enroll some western Pennsylvanians in the exchanges. According to press reports, however, those who showed up were not able to enroll, or even access the Web site. Apparently, glitches were to blame. As reported in yesterday's New York Times, however, one industry source said, ``These are not glitches. The extent of the problems is pretty enormous. It's awful.'' These problems took more than 2 years to build, and cost the American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. The health care law's troubles aren't limited, however, to the Web site issues. Many western Pennsylvanians have reached out to me to share stories about how they are seeing their hours reduced, or losing their jobs. Other western Pennsylvanians are seeing their health care premiums go up, or losing coverage altogether. A woman recently got in touch with me and told me that her family recently received a letter from their insurance company, and they will lose the health insurance they have had for more than 25 years on December 31. The alternatives they have been able to find will cost them three times what they pay today. Mr. Speaker, it is a time for solutions. We do have a new solution that we are proposing, The American Health Care Reform Act, which will actually lower costs, and I encourage our colleagues across the aisle and in our conference to take a look at that. I thank the gentlelady for the time.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, this morning, I rise in strong support of the Federal Employee Retroactive Pay Fairness Act. Federal workers from western Pennsylvania have reached out to my office. They are concerned about the impact of this shutdown on their families' budgets. These workers serve their fellow citizens. We recognize and thank them for that service. This bill will retroactively pay Federal employees furloughed during the government shutdown. Federal workers in western Pennsylvania and around the Nation should not be punished for the Senate's refusal to come to the table and negotiate an end to the shutdown. I urge my Republican and Democrat colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, it's day three of Senator Reid's government shutdown. The American people are frustrated, western Pennsylvanians are frustrated, and I am frustrated. Make no mistake: there is a choice here. The House's solution embraces fairness for all. The Senate's spending bill protects special deals for Washington, D.C. The House passed four reasonable compromises to keep the government open. Our latest solution ends the special deal that President Obama cut for Senators and Representatives. It also gives individuals and families the same break from the health care law that President Obama gave to Big Business. Senator Reid could reopen the government today. Unfortunately, he refuses to compromise. In fact, he said yesterday that he is ``locked in tight.'' Senator Reid is ``locked in tight'' on those special breaks for Big Business, Senators, and Representatives. This is an outrage. Mr. Speaker, as I answer the phones in my office, I hear from constituents who tell me that there should be no special deals; there should be fairness for all. The American people deserve better from their Senators. It is time for the Senate to end special deals, embrace fairness for all, and reopen this government.

Mr. ROTHFUS

Mr. ROTHFUS. Mr. Speaker, 10 months ago, I came to Washington, D.C., as the new employee of 705,000 people in western Pennsylvania. Before I came to Washington, I heard about inside deals that happened in this town. I saw some of these deals when President Obama cut special breaks for Big Business and Senators and Representatives. What the President left out was a break for the American people. It's just not fair. It's an outrage. Western Pennsylvanians are right frustrated with Washington, D.C. It seems that Harry Reid and the Senate are intent on keeping the government shut down so they can protect the special breaks they cut for themselves and for their friends and allies. Mr. Speaker, I'm here to deliver a message from my constituents to the Senate: no special deals. If Big Business and President Obama's friends get a break from the health care law, then so should individuals and families in western Pennsylvania and around the Nation. It's time for the Senate to embrace fairness for all. It's time to reopen the government.