Congressional Record United States Th of America PROCEEDINGS and DEBATES of the 113 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION

E PL UR UM IB N U U S Congressional Record United States th of America PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF THE 113 CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION Vol. 159 WASHINGTON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013 No. 24 House of Representatives The House met at 10 a.m. and was Washington’s inability to take action whether it works—whether it helps families called to order by the Speaker pro tem- on today’s pressing problems. The fail- find jobs at a decent wage, care they can af- pore (Mr. COLLINS of New York). ure of uncertainty, with tax rates near ford, a retirement that is dignified. f chaos in the markets and a never-end- Unfortunately, all we have seen from ing stream of impractical regulations, this President is reckless spending and DESIGNATION OF SPEAKER PRO is a cloud of doubt that has been cast heavy-handed regulation. TEMPORE over the entire economy. For most At the time of the President’s first The SPEAKER pro tempore laid be- business owners, it is a daily struggle inauguration, the national unemploy- fore the House the following commu- just to keep the doors open in large ment rate was 7.8 percent. At the time nication from the Speaker: part because the government itself is a of his second inauguration, it was ex- WASHINGTON, DC, consistent obstacle. actly the same, and this month unem- February 14, 2013. The National Federation of Inde- ployment rose to 7.9 percent. While the I hereby appoint the Honorable CHRIS pendent Businesses recently released rate of unemployment has been mostly COLLINS to act as Speaker pro tempore figures from December indicating the stagnant, the national debt has not. In on this day. mood of businesses is at a recession the past 4 years of failed Obama poli- JOHN A. BOEHNER, level. Seventy percent of business own- cies, the Nation has added $6 trillion of Speaker of the House of Representatives. ers that were surveyed identified the new debt onto the backs of citizens and f current environment as a bad time to businesses. Today, our national debt expand, and political uncertainty stands at $16.4 trillion. Broken down by MORNING-HOUR DEBATE topped the list for the reasons not to American citizens, that’s $52,210 for The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursu- attempt economic growth. every man, woman, and child in this ant to the order of the House of Janu- Lee Buddrus, a resident of Muskogee, country. ary 3, 2013, the Chair will now recog- Oklahoma, and president of Acme En- We must get back on the right track nize Members from lists submitted by gineering & Manufacturing Corpora- and bring optimism into the business the majority and minority leaders for tion, told me that a lot of small busi- climate. First, we must pull back some morning-hour debate. nesses are struggling just because they of the regulations that bind the hands The Chair will alternate recognition had to go in debt to stay afloat during of our Nation’s job creators. Second, between the parties, with each party the recession. Mr. Buddrus went on to Congress must make the difficult deci- limited to 1 hour and each Member tell me, ‘‘Now they’re not able to make sions we were elected to make and re- other than the majority and minority the kind of money they need to to pay strain government spending. Busi- leaders and the minority whip limited down their debts,’’ due in large part to nesses cannot grow or expand in a cli- to 5 minutes each, but in no event shall the environment the government has mate of higher interest rates and high- debate continue beyond 11:50 a.m. created. er taxes. Third, we have to be about f As a freshman Member, I join a small creating a job-friendly environment. group of Members in Congress who I came to Congress as a businessman STRONG LEADERSHIP AND MEAN- have owned a business. I have felt the who simply got fed up with the govern- INGFUL REFORMS ARE NEEDED weight of the current hostile business ment hindering my ability to create The SPEAKER pro tempore. The climate and faced unprecedented dif- jobs. My mission every day is to make Chair recognizes the gentleman from ficulties in ensuring my business suc- it easier for businesses to start to ex- Oklahoma (Mr. MULLIN) for 5 minutes. ceeded. I step on the floor of the United pand and to be successful. Mr. MULLIN. I began running a busi- States House of Representatives with a In business, we know first you must ness when I was only 20 years old. Back firsthand understanding of how high face a problem honestly and then come then, if you worked hard and followed the hurdles are for a business to suc- up with real solutions that actually the rules, you had a pretty good shot at ceed and just simply jump over. solve the problem. The economic policy getting ahead. Today, it seems the Last month, when President Obama of government trying to spend its way deck is increasingly stacked against was sworn in to his second term, I was to prosperity has failed. Those of us in those who work hard and pursue their reminded of something he said 4 years business know it’s the private sector own dreams, especially if you’re a busi- ago, in his first inauguration. The that creates real jobs, not the govern- ness owner. President said: ment. More and more, businesses are faced The question we ask today is not whether Strong leadership and meaningful re- with consistent uncertainty caused by our government is too big or too small, but forms are needed to move the looming b This symbol represents the time of day during the House proceedings, e.g., b 1407 is 2:07 p.m. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. H505 . VerDate Mar 15 2010 23:41 Feb 14, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 7634 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A14FE7.000 H14FEPT1 smartinez on DSK6TPTVN1PROD with HOUSE H506 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE February 14, 2013 cloud of doubt from our economy. Add- the sequester. That is dead flat wrong. and without permission and despite ing more hurdles will not get this job Rob Nabors did mention the sequester being underage, enlisted in the Navy done. It is time we as elected leaders after the Republicans passed the se- during World War II. He served with lead. Sometimes it’s lonely, but it’s the quester in this House in July of 2011. distinction on gunships loading heavy right thing to do. They call it the Cut, Cap, and Balance ammunition into gun turrets. Julian f Legislation. Its fallback position was Davidson’s naval service gave him an ‘‘sequester.’’ It was a policy that all, I enduring respect and admiration for REPUBLICANS APPROVE OF think, but two Republicans voted for America’s warfighters who serve in HARMFUL SEQUESTER when it passed this House. It was a pol- harm’s way. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The icy that they promoted and supported. After the Navy, Julian Davidson at- Chair recognizes the gentleman from It is a bad policy. It’s an irrational pol- tended classes during the day and Maryland (Mr. HOYER) for 5 minutes. icy. It is a policy that will have great worked at a pool hall at night to ob- Mr. HOYER. The gentleman who pre- adverse consequences. tain an electrical engineering degree ceded me is new to the Congress of the At a town meeting, I said the seques- from Auburn University. After gradua- United States. I’ve been here for a lit- ter works like this: if you have a food tion, Julian Davidson joined the Ten- tle longer than that, some 32 years. budget and a movie budget and some- nessee Valley Authority where he rose This is the least confidence-building body loses their job, the sequester says to senior design engineer. Congress, last Congress and this Con- you cut food by 10 percent and movies In 1961, Julian Davidson began work gress, in which I have ever served. It is by 10 percent. No rational American for the United States Ballistic Missile taking us from fiscal crisis to fiscal family would do that. They’d say this Defense Organization as an aerospace crisis. It is creating cliffs where no month we’re not going to the movies or research engineer, thus beginning his cliffs ought to exist, and they under- this 6 months we’re not going to the life’s passion in a career in missile de- mine the confidence of business, Amer- movies, but we’re going to make sure fense that spanned half a century. ica, Americans, and indeed, the rest of we put food on our table. Sequester Julian Davidson once briefed Sec- the world that needs a stable and se- says, No, we cut food by 10 percent and retary of Defense Robert McNamara cure America to ensure that we keep movies by 10 percent. concerning using the Nike Zeus missile the kind of stability that Americans Sequester is an irrational response to system for a possible anti-satellite want here at home and around the our failure as a Congress, correct, to role. Army leadership didn’t believe world. get our finances on a sustainable path. McNamara would do it, so they sent in We will be dealing with a bill today We need to do that.

Load more