Pete Sessions

Mr. SESSIONS

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. POE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Barrett) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. BARRETT of South Carolina asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Bonner) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. BONNER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Speaker, who is forthrightly following the procedures which he spoke about. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. CARTER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Bartlett) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. BARTLETT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to request the time that remains on both sides, please.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, we reserve our time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. COLE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller) for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. MILLER of Florida asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, we are here on the floor today to debate the government takeover of health care in America. We understand that this bill is about a massive tax increase, $740 billion. We understand it is about deep Medicare cuts, some $430 billion. We also understand that millions of jobs will be lost and that mandates for purchasing insurance will cost an incredible $1.2 trillion, and there will be 118 new Federal bureaucracies created by this legislation. The gentleman from Massachusetts came down and talked about the evil insurance companies. Well, the fact of the matter is that the largest six insurance companies in this country made about $6 billion 2 years ago, but the Federal Government in their mismanagement lost $90 billion. Mr. Speaker, we know who can best take care of the health care for our country. For the past 5 months, the American people have called out, written and taken part in town hall meetings, calling the Capitol and their Members of Congress to express their outrage to the Democrat health care proposal. But here we are today. Month after month, this country has bled jobs. We are now at a record 10.2 percent unemployment rate, and over 15 million Americans are currently unemployed. And what do we do? We stick it to them again. Mr. Speaker, last night I offered an amendment in the Rules Committee that would have prohibited any provisions of this bill to take place if the Office of Management and Budget, working with the Department of Labor, found that this bill would result in 4 million jobs or more being lost, but my Democrat opponents defeated that. That means that they really could care less how many jobs are lost in America as a result of this legislation. They want a government-controlled and -run health care system. Chairman Rangel, the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, was up before Rules last night. He admitted to the Rules Committee that he had not asked the CBO or any other independent source for employment implications of this bill. Yet Republicans, using the same economic forecasts and economic models that the White House uses, we find that there would be between 4 and 5 million free enterprise-system jobs that would be lost. During a time of recession where every single American is trying to make ends meet, what do we find? We find $730 billion in new taxes that are on this bill. Taxes on small businesses, taxes on health savings accounts, and the worst part is is that this will surely lead to a double dip in the recession. This is a problem not only for employers, but it will be a problem for people who want to find jobs. Mr. Speaker, this is a hard mandate on business, and it means that the free enterprise system will simply not employ more Americans. We're concerned about this. We Republicans are on the floor today, and we're going to stand and say ``no'' to what is happening. Mr. Speaker, the bottom line is that this legislation for health care will do about for health care what the stimulus did for jobs, the diminishment of employment in America. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Minnesota for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. PAULSEN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentleman from Texas for a unanimous consent request. (Mr. OLSON asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina for a unanimous consent agreement. (Mr. COBLE asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Miami, Mr. Diaz-Balart, a member of the Rules Committee.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentlewoman's story. The other side of the story is that it will be $730 billion worth of taxes, that we will have a health care system where you will not be able to choose your own physician, where you will have to call someone to then find out which doctor you go to, and perhaps worst of all, the gentlewoman also needs to know--because we heard in the Rules Committee last night--if you willingly make the decision that you do not want to participate and you do not pay the tax to the IRS, there is a penalty and a fine that is a criminal penalty of up to 5 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. That is not freedom. Criminalizing this issue is a bad way. Mr. Speaker, the Democrats have it on the floor today. It is not in the Senate bill. It is in this bill. So to glorify this bill which has criminal felony penalties is a difficult way to have enforcement. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Miami Township, Mrs. Schmidt.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from Fullerton, California (Mr. Royce).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tarkio, Missouri, the senior Republican member of the Small Business Committee.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 1 minute to a favorite son from Sarasota, Florida (Mr. Buchanan).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I know that Republicans in our districts are also telling seniors and other people that there will be a $730 billion tax increase to pay for this massive government takeover of health care. Mr. Speaker, at this time I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Marietta, Georgia (Dr. Gingrey).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the star of the Texas delegation from Dallas, Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman of the Rules Committee asking about our further speakers. We have several speakers left before I would close.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, if I may inquire upon the time that remains.

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Roanoke, Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).

Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I would like to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Savannah, Georgia (Mr. Kingston).