Austin Scott

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank Mr. Moolenaar. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank Mr. Conaway. Mr. Speaker, again, I thank all of my colleagues for taking the time to come down here and recognize all of the great things that Farm Credit has done in the past 100 years. I thank all of the people who have been a part of the Farm Credit System over the past 100 years. I thank the men and women who are out there, working every day on the farm, to make sure that Americans have the food and fiber that they need. May God continue to bless them. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank Mr. Rouzer. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Moolenaar).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank Ms. Graham. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Graham).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, again, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Scott, for being here. It has been a wonderful partnership to work with him on our subcommittee. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Abraham).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Farm Credit's 100th anniversary of supporting our rural communities and providing reliable credit to those in the agricultural industry throughout our country. Throughout this Congress, as the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee's Subcommittee on Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit, I have worked with Farm Credit extensively. These interactions have reaffirmed what I already knew: the Farm Credit system is made up of dedicated Americans who understand the needs and champion the values of rural America. I am honored to represent Georgia's Eighth Congressional District, most of which is farmland. A good portion of my constituents are farmers themselves or have family and friends who farm. Georgia's Eighth District is home to roughly 15 percent of Farm Credit borrowers in the State of Georgia. I myself come from an agricultural background, as both sets of my grandparents were farmers. Farm Credit has met the credit needs of many of my constituents and maintains an active presence in south and middle Georgia, where we are leaders in Georgia's agricultural production. For a century, Farm Credit has been providing our farmers, ranchers, and rural communities with the capital they need to build and grow successfully. The centennial anniversary coincides with a time when our agricultural industry is facing significant economic challenges. In the past few years, our farmers and rural communities have been faced with lower commodity prices, increased input costs, and unstable and inconsistent international markets, all of which are placing strains on our food producers and those who provide essential services to our agricultural industry. This not only affects the producers and manufacturers, but it also has a tremendous effect on the communities in which they live and work. A strong agricultural economy is essential to the health and vitality of the communities I represent in 24 counties across south and middle Georgia. During times like this, farmers in rural communities depend on Farm Credit, whose mission is focused on helping rural communities and agriculture grow and thrive. For example, in my home State of Georgia, young, beginning, and small farmers make up 72 percent of AgFirst Farm Credit's customers. While these customers represent the future of the agricultural industry, they have entered into the industry at a difficult economic time. Our Nation's farmers, young and old, embody the American ideals of hard work and dedication, and their commitment to providing the food and fiber for a growing nation and needy world remain steadfast. Alongside them, Farm Credit's commitment to our agricultural future remains just as important as it was 100 years ago. Farm Credit is a critical provider of credit, not only to producers but also to the communities they live in. They are dedicated to supporting rural communities' critical infrastructure needs such as access to clean water, efficient energy, sufficient healthcare facilities, and modern telecommunication services. Access to these essential services is critical to a thriving rural America. The future of our rural communities and the agricultural industry depends on a modern infrastructure, which requires access to affordable and reliable financing. Additionally, I want to thank my colleagues who are here today to offer a few words and to celebrate Farm Credit's centennial. Rural communities in Georgia's Eighth Congressional District as well as the districts across this country are stronger when their infrastructure needs are efficiently and effectively met, and Farm Credit is providing the capital with which this can be achieved. I want to say a special thank-you to my cohost for tonight's Special Order, the ranking member of the Commodity Exchange, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee, my friend from Georgia (Mr. David Scott). With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott).

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the subject of this Special Order.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I thank Mr. LaMalfa. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 231 on ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 743, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5055) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 232 on agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 743, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 5055) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 233 on ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 742, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2576) to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 897) Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 234 on agreeing to the Resolution H. Res. 742, Providing for consideration of the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 2576) to modernize the Toxic Substances Control Act, and for other purposes, and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 897) Reducing Regulatory Burdens Act, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 235 on motion to suspend the rules and pass, as amended H.R. 5077, Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 236 on motion to recommit with instructions to H.R. 897, Zika Vector Control Act, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 237 on passage of H.R. 897, Zika Vector Control Act, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call No. 238 on concurring in the Senate Amendment with an Amendment to H.R. 2576, Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, today, I join my constituents in Middle Georgia in remembering Anthony ``TJ'' Freeman, who tragically passed away in the line of duty, protecting the people of Macon-Bibb County. TJ was an investigator who served with the Bibb County Sheriff's Office for seven years after joining the Macon Police Department in 2009. TJ has been described as a hardworking family man, a friend, and someone who was always striving to be better for his community. Police work and defending the innocent was in his blood. TJ even had a tattoo that read, ``Blessed are the peacekeepers'', a constant reminder of his daily work. TJ was a hero in the truest sense, bravely giving his life to serve and protect his community. TJ leaves behind his wife, Jessica, and their two children, Braden and Blaiklyn. Additionally, I want to take this time to thank all of our law enforcement officers in Georgia's Eighth Congressional District for your service. You are true public servants, and our communities can rest a little bit easier each night knowing you are protecting us. Thank you, TJ, and God Bless.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Chair, the world has become an increasingly unstable place due to conflicts in the Middle East and provocations by Russia, China, and North Korea. In order to maintain our national security in this environment, we must ensure that the United States military remains the best trained and most well-equipped fighting force in the world. My home State of Georgia plays an essential role in maintaining military readiness as we are the home to nine major military installations. As the only Republican from Georgia on the House Committee on Armed Services, it is an honor to serve as Georgia's primary voice in Congress on military issues. My top priority is to offer effective representation of Robins Air Force Base and Moody Air Force Base, in addition to all of Georgia's military installations. That is why I am proud to support the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, which came out of the House Committee on Armed Services with a bipartisan vote of 60-2. This legislation takes many important steps to rectify the damage to our military readiness done by President Obama's cuts to our defense budget over the last few years. We have got some big wins for Georgia in this NDAA. We, again, fought to make sure that two of the Air Force's most valuable platforms stay in the air: the A-10 flown out of Moody Air Force Base and E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, better known as JSTARS, flown out of Robins Air Force Base. Both of these fleets are taking the fight to the enemy right now. The A-10 is currently engaged in the fight against ISIS in the Middle East and supporting our Special Forces by carrying out precision strikes against these terrorists. Additionally, I am grateful that the committee adopted my amendment to delay retirement of the JSTARS through fiscal year 2018. This legislation also provides for the recapitalization of that fleet. During the committee process, we moved to protect the C-130 depot workload. Robins is an efficient and effective depot center and has the potential to become the C-130 center of excellence for our country. I believe the House version of the NDAA sets us on a course that sustains military readiness, makes appropriate investments for future threats, continues to reform the DOD's outdated acquisition strategy, and supports the significant contributions that Robins, Moody, and other Georgia military institutions make to our national defense. I urge my colleagues to support our troops, get our military readiness back on track, and pass H.R. 4909, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 482, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Act of 2016. I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Sanford Bishop of Georgia. We have had many meetings in Washington, as well as back in the district, on this particular issue. Certainly I have enjoyed working with him on it. Today's vote marks an important milestone in many years of effort to bring about increased recognition and enhance cultural preservation of the Ocmulgee National Monument. The Ocmulgee National Monument was originally authorized by Congress in 1934 to protect the Old Ocmulgee Fields, which includes a network of very well-preserved Indian mounds of great historical importance. The history of the fields can be traced back to Native Americans who first came to the site during the Paleo-Indian period to hunt Ice Age mammals. The park is unique in that it vividly displays the story of many stages of prehistoric cultural development, including the Mound Builder period, and highlights the important role of agriculture in the region. I am proud to represent this area of middle Georgia, along with Congressman Sanford Bishop. Our offices have worked, along with many regional community partners, to advance this goal. By expanding the current Ocmulgee National Monument from 700 acres to over 2,000 acres and redesignating the area as a National Historic Park, this legislation will provide significant economic, educational, and cultural benefits to middle Georgia. Additionally, H.R. 482 will reauthorize a study for future expansions and include increased opportunities for hunting, fishing, camping, and other recreational activities. The expansion of the Ocmulgee National Monument area provides for critical preservation of additional archeological locations through the Old Ocmulgee Fields. Because of its significant historical and archeological importance, the future Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park must be preserved. The expanded park also will generate additional tourism in middle Georgia, while educating visitors on the fascinating history of the many civilizations that have thrived in the region. However, it should be noted that the property in the proposed expansion area would be acquired only from willing donors or sellers using private funds, and that no Federal dollars will be used to achieve expansion. I want to take this time to thank Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva, as well as all the members of the House Committee on Natural Resources, for their work to bring this legislation to the floor today. I want to close by noting that this legislation is a true example of what can be achieved when local, State, and Federal leaders work together towards a common goal. The Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Act was created from the ground up with many letters of support from the Macon-Bibb area and well over 3,000 comments from individuals and community groups in support of the expansion. Without this collaboration at every level, none of this would be possible. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 482, the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park Boundary Act of 2016.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Number 46 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 2187 the Fair Investment Opportunities for Professional Experts Act, I am not recorded because I was detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Number 47 on suspending the rules and passing H.R. 4168 the Small Business Capital Formation Enhancement Act, I am not recorded because I was detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yea. Mr. Speaker, on Roll Call Number 48 on ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 594--the rule providing for consideration of H.R. 3700-- Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015, I am not recorded because I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yea.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Chris, I too want to thank you for your work on this issue. You are certainly one of the most passionate people I have seen on this issue in my years. I was thinking about what I might say, and my wife sent me a text. To follow up on what Mr. Roskam was saying, she asked me if I could FaceTime. So I stepped into the room, and I FaceTimed with my wife and our beautiful little 10-month-old daughter. In 1973, the state-of-the-art technology was the walkie-talkie. I can't help but believe that the Court ruling would be totally different if a 3-D ultrasound picture like I got to see of my baby when she was 20 weeks old were put on the screen and a judge got the opportunity to say, ``What do you call that?'' Five fingers, five toes, eyes, ears, lips, nose--you can see them. You can see the hair. The technology is continuing to prove what many of us in this country have known all along, and that is that life begins at conception and that God has given value to each and every single life. I just want to take 1 more minute to say thank you to the men and women that get up every morning and that work at our pregnancy care centers and help encourage those young mothers and those young families to have the child, to love that child, and to understand that it is a gift from God. There is no telling how many men and women have been saved because of those volunteers at our pregnancy care centers throughout this country. So I want to say thank you to them. I want to say thank you to the people at the National Right to Life and, in my State, Georgia Right to Life and Georgia Life Alliance for the work that they have done to continue to educate people on that. I want you to know this fight continues. This is a stain on our country. It is a sin that God is not going to allow us to get away with. We as a nation need to accept that life begins at conception, and we as Congress have a responsibility to do everything that we can to protect it.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1317. This bill makes targeted reforms that narrowly expand end user clearing relief to preserve the ability of end users to utilize necessary risk management tools in line with congressional intent. This House most recently passed similar language as part of the Agriculture Committee's comprehensive reauthorization of the CFTC. Today's suspension is another step forward in a bipartisan effort to protect end users from the unintended regulatory consequences that have begun to occur. The derivatives market provides an efficient place for commercial end users to manage and hedge the diverse risks associated with the day-to- day operations of the businesses in this country. These essential risk- management practices allow businesses like our agricultural producers or utility companies to protect themselves against unfavorable market fluctuations and to invest their resources to grow and create jobs. As someone who has a degree in risk management, I can't stress enough that effective policy in the derivative space must take into account these efficient and proven business strategies. That is why Congress clearly sought to exempt the end users from the law's costly and burdensome clearing requirements in the drafting of the Dodd-Frank legislation. Unfortunately, despite these efforts, current law does not adequately take into account the common risk-management practices of many companies who utilize separate legal entities known as centralized treasury units, or CTUs, to hedge the risk of their end user affiliates. CTUs are used by a variety of businesses to centralize the hedging activities of multiple affiliates into a single market-facing entity. While a CTU is appropriately classified as a ``financial entity,'' the transaction it enters into to hedge the commercial market risk of the end user affiliates should also be exempted from the clearing requirement as if the end user affiliate had hedged those risks itself. This allows firms to use CTUs to consolidate and reduce enterprisewide risk, as well as to centralize hedging expertise. While current law provides clearing exemptions for CTUs that act as an ``agent'' for affiliates, the exemption does not currently extend to CTUs that practice as a ``principal'' to the trades which manage the end user risks of commercial affiliates. As most CTUS act as principals to the transactions hedging the risks of end user affiliates, this glitch in the law effectively prohibits commercial end users who utilize CTUs from accessing the end user clearing exception. H.R. 1317 makes targeted but important statutory changes to clarify that the law's essential end user clearing exception remains available for all end users, regardless of their corporate structure. As policymakers, it is our responsibility to ensure that regulation does not pose an unnecessary detriment to legitimate business practices. H.R. 1317 is an opportunity for us to resolve one of those issues today. This bill provides needed reforms to ensure our regulatory framework protects the integrity of our markets while allowing end user access to the tools needed to conduct their businesses. A large bipartisan group of Members from all points of the ideological spectrum have worked diligently to produce this legislation which passed unanimously out of both the House Financial Services and the Agriculture Committees. Mr. Speaker, I would like to close by thanking each of them, and specifically Representatives Moore, Stivers, Fudge, and Gibson, for their hard work. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1317.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. I want to thank you, Mrs. Hartzler, for what you have done here. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity to discuss what has happened here today. As we talked earlier today, I honestly thought there was a chance that we wouldn't be here speaking about this. I thought that maybe this one time our Commander in Chief would do what was right. I hope you will take an opportunity to look at the news. I am looking at it right now. Obama to hold photo op to veto defense bill. Obama plans to hold a photo op in the Oval Office when he uses his veto pen on the National Defense Authorization Act, according to his public schedule. Ladies and gentlemen, when I am around the District, I hear a lot of complaints: Why can't Congress just work together? Why can't you get along? The National Defense Authorization Act came out of the Armed Services Committee 60-2, 60-2. There was one Democrat and one Republican that voted against the bill; 60-2. It came through the House. A significant majority voted for the National Defense Authorization bill on the floor. It passed out of the Senate with over 70 votes. When I am talking to Americans, I have used this as an example of how not everything you see in the press is true, that there are issues like national security that the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington, D.C., absolutely take very seriously, and when it comes to the well- being of our men and women that serve the country and their families and making sure that they have the training and the equipment that they need, that this is an example of how we are able to put partisanship aside and work in the best interest of everybody in the country, most especially those that serve so honorably. And the President held a photo op to veto the bill. I want to thank my fellow colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, for their work on this bill. Certainly I supported it. I continue to support it. I think one of the things that continues to be mentioned and needs to be mentioned over and over and over again is the President got the total of what he asked for with regard to the authorization of the funds for carrying out the fight against ISIL, for the operations of the military. There were a couple of things in it that he didn't like. One the them was the transfer of terrorists out of Guantanamo Bay. Now, I would just ask that you think about the fact that, since the first NDAA 50 years ago, it has only been vetoed four times. In each instance, there was an agreement effectively prior to the veto on how to resolve it. But not this guy, not this guy. He holds a photo op. He holds a photo op so that he can show off while he vetoes the National Defense Authorization Act. I just hope that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us as we work to override the President's veto in the House. I honestly believe that we will get the votes in the House to do that. I hope that the Members of the Senate who voted for the National Defense Authorization Act will vote for it again when they have the opportunity to do so after we send the bill over there, after we have overridden the President's veto with this piece of legislation in the House. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to apologize. If the President won't do it, I want to do it. What happened today I think will long be looked upon as one of the worst moments of American leadership. With that, Mrs. Hartzler, I thank you again for what you have done for the men and women who serve and your service in this House.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. They get to audit their competitors. Now, in what other scenario in the world could you say it is a free market when your competitor, who is the big box multi-billion-dollar operation, gets to audit their small business competitor?

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Can I repeat one thing you just said right there?

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Thank you, Mr. Collins and Mr. Loebsack. I appreciate your being here. This is certainly a bipartisan issue and gets to the heart of some of the challenges in health care in our country right now. I certainly rise today in support of our Nation's community pharmacists and our pharmacies which play a critical role in our healthcare system. Many of these independent businesses operate in underserved areas like the ones that I represent in rural Georgia, 24 counties. In areas where a doctor may be many miles away, local pharmacists deliver flu shots, give advice on over-the-counter drugs, and help with late-night drugstore runs for sick kids. Many people see their pharmacists much more often than their doctor, and there is a very personal relationship between these community pharmacists, patients, and the physician. They are community pillars, and they contribute greatly to the economies. It is crucial that these pharmacies have a level playing field when trying to run a successful business in a challenging and complex environment. As you know, Mr. Collins, I was an insurance broker for many years. I thought I might tell a very personal story about one of my clients who, shortly after their contract was issued, the gentleman's child got sick and they needed a prescription filled. So they went to the local big box pharmacist or pharmacy, and they wouldn't fill it for them. Even when I, as the agent, could provide evidence that the person was insured without the card, they simply would not fill the gentleman's prescription. The local community pharmacist was the one that filled the script. Now, the irony of it and what we are talking about here and where the real problem comes in is that, when the person got their insurance card because of the PBMs, they could no longer use that community pharmacist that was the only one that would provide the service that they needed when they actually needed it. So it is extremely important that, when we have these business models, we keep those local community pharmacists where they are able to run a successful business and stay in business. During the August district work period, I stopped by another drugstore, a small drug store in Quitman that had been there many, many years. Generations of people have continued to rely on them for their services. While I was there, I watched one of our senior citizens, a lovely lady, come in. The owner called her by name. They caught up on family and friends and what was going on in life, and she had some questions about the medications. And let me tell you that pharmacist knew the answer to every single one. He knew her history with those medications and was able to answer those questions that she asked. She left there with a smile on her face knowing that she knew what she needed to take, when she needed to take it, and what she needed to take it with. As I stopped at these local community pharmacies like the ones I visited in August, I continued to hear concerns from them about what is happening in the pricing structure and that, if the price on a drug goes up, the insurance company has the ability and takes several months to change the rate when the price goes up. But if the price comes down, as happens in free market sometimes, they immediately reduce the price that they reimburse to the pharmacist. There should be no excuse for the difference in the timeframe in which the reimbursement occurs. If it can be done when the price is changing to the downside, it can certainly be done in the same time limit when the price is changing to the upside. A lot of things we have seen lately in pharmacy. We saw where a venture capitalist purchased a drug and raised the price of that drug several thousandfold overnight. That has been happening, and local community pharmacists have expressed concerns with this issue for many years. It has happened with nitroglycerine tablets, for example, that has been around for decades and decades. They have gone from 8 cents apiece to $8 apiece. Digoxin for a heart condition, doxycycline, the same thing has happened with these drugs. How is this happening? And who is going to help us fix this if not for the ability to get the information from their local community pharmacist? They are the ones that care the most, and they are the ones that are willing to help resolve the challenges with the higher drug costs in this country. So one would ask: How is it that, in many cases, our local pharmacists are kept from being able to participate in the networks? Well, in many cases, the networks that are blocking out the local community pharmacists are actually owned by the big box pharmacies. If you want to talk about a conflict of interest, that is about as conflicted as it gets when your big box pharmacists own the network that actually can determine who you can get your drugs from and they box out their own competition. Quite honestly, I think it would be a wonderful issue for the Federal Trade Commission to get involved in and to bring competition back into that area. One of the things that I think would help is H.R. 793, the Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2015. I want to thank my colleagues that are here that are also cosponsors for it. This bill allows community pharmacies that are located in medically underserved areas or areas that have health professional shortages the ability to participate in Medicare part D in the preferred pharmacy networks so long as they are willing to accept the contract terms and conditions that other in-network providers operate under. This is reasonable. This is patient choice. This keeps the small business owner out there. Let me ask you to make no mistake about it. This is big business versus small business. One of the other things that I want to talk about is MAC, the maximum allowable cost. Pharmacists are often reimbursed for generics by this MAC list. You have heard Buddy Carter talk about this earlier. He certainly knows more about it than I do. This list is created by the PBMs, but nobody knows how they create this list. As patients, we have a right to determine how the costs are derived for the drugs that we are going to take. And understand this. It is not a manufacturer's cost. It is not a manufacturer's cost. It is a maximum allowable cost. When the lists are updated, certainly it should be done in a timely manner. I am happy to have cosponsored H.R. 244, and I certainly hope to see that bipartisan bill pass. With that, Mr. Collins, thank you for taking the lead on this issue. Our local community pharmacists are extremely important to our healthcare system. There is a way to create a scenario under which the patients have more choice and that requires keeping that local community pharmacist in business.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. George Aigen today for his ninetieth birthday. As a veteran of World War II, he has been a leader in his community, and revered for his service and sacrifice to our great nation. Seventy one years ago, Mr. Aigen was drafted into the Army as a corporal in the 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion. At the age of nineteen, he had experienced much fighting and witnessed horrible atrocities while serving in Europe. In 1945, as the war drew to a close, Mr. Aigen was among the first soldiers to liberate the prisoners of Dachau, one of the oldest Nazi concentration camps. In his community, Mr. Aigen has spoken to schools, universities, and countless organizations about the horrors committed by the Nazis and the importance of military service. His dedication to our country has been commemorated across Georgia from the Valdosta community to the state capitol. Mr. Aigen's story has been archived at the Library of Congress and televised by Georgia Public Broadcasting. Through his actions, service, and community involvement, Mr. Aigen has demonstrated that he is a leader, a mentor, and a hero. I am humbled to honor him and his legacy as our nation's servicemen and servicewomen secure our freedoms for future generations.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize Mr. George Aigen today for his ninetieth birthday. As a veteran of World War II, he has been a leader in his community, and revered for his service and sacrifice to our great nation. Seventy one years ago, Mr. Aigen was drafted into the Army as a corporal in the 1269th Engineer Combat Battalion. At the age of nineteen, he had experienced much fighting and witnessed horrible atrocities while serving in Europe. In 1945, as the war drew to a close, Mr. Aigen was among the first soldiers to liberate the prisoners of Dachau, one of the oldest Nazi concentration camps. In his community, Mr. Aigen has spoken to schools, universities, and countless organizations about the horrors committed by the Nazis and the importance of military service. His dedication to our country has been commemorated across Georgia from the Valdosta community to the state capitol. Mr. Aigen's story has been archived at the Library of Congress and televised by Georgia Public Broadcasting. Through his actions, service, and community involvement, Mr. Aigen has demonstrated that he is a leader, a mentor, and a hero. I am humbled to honor him and his legacy as our nation's servicemen and servicewomen secure our freedoms for future generations.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, we all saw this past week as the press reported on a drug that was raised from $13.50 a tablet to $750 a tablet. If you spend about 60 seconds with a physician or a pharmacist, you will find this has been going on for a couple of years now. Very common drugs, Narcan, that our first responders use, and digoxin and nitroglycerin that our heart patients use, nitroglycerin has gone from 8 cents a tablet to $8 a tablet over the last couple of years. The same thing has happened with doxycycline, a generic antibiotic that has been on the market for years. Mr. Speaker, I just want to ask the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission to work together to help stop this fleecing of America and what is happening in the generic drug market.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to voice my concerns over Senate Democrats standing in the way of funding our national security. Once again, we find ourselves in a position where Democrats in the Senate are attempting to extort higher Federal spending on their social agenda in return for adequately funding our troops. To be clear, this House passed a spending bill with the same proposed spending limits that the President of the United States asked for, but Senate Democrats are using the 60-vote rule to prohibit this appropriation measure from coming to the floor. General Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, recently said: Since 2011, global disorder has significantly increased while some of our comparative military advantage has begun to erode. We have seen this before, Mr. Speaker, where our security becomes a political bargaining chip. This is irresponsible, and I respectfully request my colleagues in the Senate to abandon these tactics. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to stop this dangerous game and support the Defense Appropriations bill.

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia

Mr. AUSTIN SCOTT of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to thank both the Democrats and the Republicans who have worked on this. The House has acted several times in a bipartisan manner on this legislation--420-2 on very similar legislation. We have passed this multiple times; so I would just encourage all Members to support this piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.