Henry Waxman

Mr. WAXMAN

Mr. WAXMAN. Yes. The bill ensures the commissioner will work with the Small Business Administration.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor), a member of our committee.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Patrick J. Murphy), who has been a leader in our efforts to lower growth in premiums through measures such as immediate review and justification of insurance rate increases.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman an additional 10 seconds. If the gentleman would permit, I want to thank you for your leadership, and assure you we are going to continue to work in conference to do everything we can to make coverage affordable for the American people.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar).

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Ohio, Betty Sutton, a member of our committee.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, for a unanimous consent request, I yield to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Boswell). (Mr. BOSWELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Perriello) for the purpose of a colloquy.

Mr. WAXMAN. If the gentleman will yield, yes, it is. That is a correct statement.

Mr. WAXMAN. The gentleman is correct in that statement.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, that was a remarkable child and a great ventriloquist. I would like to yield for a unanimous consent request to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Boucher). (Mr. BOUCHER asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WAXMAN. At this time, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from the State of Maryland (Mr. Sarbanes), a member of our committee.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute. Before I yield to another very important member of our committee, I just want to set the record straight. We keep faith with the veterans in this bill. We allow them to keep their veterans benefits. We allow them to keep their benefits. They may, if they choose to, go into the exchange; but if they don't, they keep their benefits.

Mr. WAXMAN. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley), a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from the State of California (Mrs. Davis) for the purposes of a colloquy.

Mr. WAXMAN. If the gentlewoman would yield, I thank you and I'm encouraged you and your staff have committed to further working on these provisions and not allowing health insurers to find loopholes in State laws.

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

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings).

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Parliamentary Inquiry

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, 37 million Americans do not have health insurance because they can't afford it, their employers do not offer it to them, or they have a preexisting condition and the insurance companies deny it to them. We want them to buy the same policies that our Republican Members have talked about in such glowing terms, available to them and their families. Don't say ``no'' to 37 million Americans and tell them they have freedom. They don't have freedom to go without. In a country where people should not be forced into bankruptcy when they get sick, let's let people buy private insurance or a public option and get coverage.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I seek to control the time in opposition, and I ask unanimous consent that the time for opposition speakers on the substitute amendment be divided such that the first 10 minutes is controlled by Chairman Miller of the Committee on Education and Labor; the second 10 minutes is controlled by Chairman Rangel of the Committee on Ways and Means; and the final 10 minutes is controlled by Chairman Waxman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Vermont (Mr. Welch).

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to yield 2 minutes to a very distinguished member of our committee, the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee, previously chairman of the Telecommunications Subcommittee, and a very highly respected Member of this body, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Markey).

Mr. WAXMAN. Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased at this time to yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gonzalez).