Each member other than the majority and minority leaders and minority whip shall be limited to five minutes. The chair will now recognize the gentleman from mississippi, mr. Kelly, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Kelly mr. Speaker, im humbled to rise today in the memory of Army National guard Sergeant Kyle Clayton Thomas who was killed on may 29, 2017, in a rollover incident at the National Training center in california. Sergeant thomas and three other combat were conducting maneuvers in an m1a2 abrams main battle tank. A 2011 aimry High School Graduate was assigned to alpha company, second battalion, 198th armored, 155 armored brigade, headquartered out of tupelo, mississippi. He has been described as a compassionate person who loved life and spending time with his family. When his daughter was born, an incredible bond was formed between Sergeant Thomas and his daughter. Sergeant thomas father, eddie, says the whole family is proud of his sons commitment to his family and to the defense of this great nation. He divided his team between his job at nattic star boats manufacturing plant and service in the mississippi Army National guard. His mother says her son was always interested in the military. As a young boy Sergeant Thomas would say he wanted to be a tank driver. The family says he excelled in soccer at high school where he learned a scholarship to play at a Community College but his patriotism led him down a different path and he turned down the scholarship and joined the mississippi National Guard. She says her son was able to fulfill his dream and serve in the military. Shes proud of her sons willingness to sacrifice his life for the safety of his family and this nation. Prior to the incident, several olleagues and i went to fort orwin to orwin to discuss our defense readiness cape inters and we received the tackicle operatings Tactical Operations being carried out. My brigade, the pray gade i deployed twice with. Whiledy not meet him while i was there i did meet several other soldiers just like him and dedicated to serving and preserving the way of life we have in this great nation. Sergeant thomas died on memorial day. The day our nation has setaside to honor those service men and women who have fought and died to protect the freedoms we enjoy. We cannot forget what this National Holiday means to the families like Sergeant Thomas, who have experienced this loss. We can never forget those who safe all for the greatness of this nation. Dixie thunder Sergeant Thomas. Dixie thunder. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from south carolina, mr. Uncan, for five minutes. Im sorry, the chair recognizes the gentleman from maryland, mr. Brown, for five minutes. Are brown thank you, mr. Speaker. I ask unanimous consent to revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Speaker, i take to the floor of the house today in opposition to h. R. 10, the socalled financial choice act, which is more appropriately called the wrongful choice act. Nearly a decade since the beginning of the financial crisis, my district is still dealing with the consequences of irresponsible, underregulated Financial Institutions targeting toxic subline of scrimmage loans to unsuspected borrowers. In prince georges county, 1 4 of all mortgages were subprime. Nationally, black homeowners were disproportionately affected by the foreclosure crisis. 80 more likely to lose their homes compared to other families with similar incomes and lifestyles. We later learned that several big banks had deliberately given people of color subprime mortgages. One such scandal ridden bank, wells fargo, offered Cash Incentives for loans, officers Loan Officers to pedal what they peddle what they call ghetto loans to mud people, in other words black customers, often single mothers. For families in my district, it wasnt just about losing your home, an entire generation of wealth was wiped out. The Financial Foundation for future generations collapsed and may never be rebuilt. Families cant start a family. Save for college, or setaside for their own retirement. In the wake of the crisis, democrats in Congress Said never again. And we took needed action to ensure that this sort of abusive behavior would never be repeated. We passed the doddfrank wall street reform and Consumer Protection act and created the Consumer Protection bureau. To protect American Consumers were from the types of practices that led to this crisis. Now even as the big banks, the creators of the financial crisis are making record profits. The financial choice act would once again give wall street permission to swindle working families and destroy the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. This would be extremely harmful for hardworking americans across the country. Since its founding, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been a powerful ally of the little guy. Its delivered nearly is 12 billion 12 billion in relief to more than 29 Million Consumers harmed by predatory lenders, big banks, abusive debt collectors, and outright scammers. Our nations veterans and military families have been some of the major beneficiaries of the agencys work. The agency worked with states attorney general to secure debt relief for 17,000 Service Members tricked into taking out highcost loans. It ordered Navy Federal Credit union to pay 28. 5 million for using illegal Debt Collection practices. And its suing naviant, the nations largest student loan company, against millions of borrowers, including severely injured veterans. The bureau has also addressed the discriminatory practices that Impact Communities of color in the Financial System headon. The agency acted against allied bank, honda, and toyota for charging higher Interest Rates for africanamericans, latino, and asian borrowers regardless of their credit scores. It strengthened protections for families who depend on prepaid debit cards for their wages and often fall into a spiral of debt from payday and auto title loans. The bureau continues to target banks or deny loans to qualified borrowers of color across the country. Lets be clear, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is truly living up to its name. Mr. Speaker, nobody should want to return to a system that failed us and produced the financial crisis that damaged so many lives. Too many families and communities still carry the devastating scars of 2008. But thats exactly what the financial choice act is trying to do. A rigged system is what led to the financial crisis. Big banks got bailouts. And sweetheart deals and ordinary people suffered. Thats yim determined to oppose the financial choice act im determined to oppose financial choice act which seeks to eliminate the Consumer Protection bureau. This is the right thing to do for my district antiright thing for america. I yield and the right thing for america. I yield back, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the chair now recognize the gentleman from south carolina, mr. Duncan, for five minutes. Mr. Duncan i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute. Revise and extend. The speaker pro tempore without objection. Mr. Duncan mr. Speaker, i rise today in honor of Anderson County master deputy devin hodges. Who tragically passed away june 1 in the line of duty while participating in a Training Exercise on lake hardwell. He pursued his childhood dream and started his Law Enforcement career out of high School Working as a dispatcher in Anderson County, then working for the lawrence county, abbyville county, before returning to anderson in january of this year. As Anderson County sheriff chad said, devin had a Big Personality and a big heart and its a big loss. Devin was a man of character, a man of faith who was known as a great father. My thoughts and prayers are his four s wife, children, his brother, his sister, and his parents. All of whom are constituents in my district, the Third District of south carolina. His four children i know devin is in a better place right now. Join in predeceased daughter, isabella. But the family he leaves behind will still acutely feel his loss as we always do with the loss of a loved one i i want the bhen and women in Anderson County Law Enforcement know that they continue to be in our prayers and this tragedy as always with First Responders and our thoughts, our prayers. So may god bless devins family. And may he continue to bless our country with stout hearted men and women like devin who are willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect us. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair now recognizes the gentleman from rhode island, mr. Cicilline, for five minutes. Mr. Cicilline thank you, mr. Speaker. Less than 10 years ago in 2008, bad actors on wall street brought the economy of our country to the brink of collapse. Because of their greed, recklessness, and deceit, millions of americans lost their jobs. Families were thrown out of their homes, seniors saw their life savings evaporate before their eyes. Washington bailed out the big banks and said they were too big to fail. But the American People never got a bailout. The American People were told you are on your own. In seven states, including my home state of rhode island, were still working to recover jobs that were lost in this great recession. Thats why it was so important two years later when Congress Passed and president obama signed into law the doddfrank and consumer form protection act of 2010. This law was a landmark victory for the American People, especially the American Consumer. Thats why its so disturbing that republicans now want to take us back to the days of too big to fail. A time when powerful wall street special interests exploited consumers and small investors and our entire economy was put at risk. The bill before us today, which i call the wrong choice act, will turn wall street into the wild west again and empower the big banks to do what they want at the expense of honest, hardworking families. This bill takes us back to an era when Financial Institutions could wipe out someones retirement and foreclose on innocent homeowners completely unchecked. This bill repeals commonsense requirements that require Financial Advisors to act in the best interest of their clients. It will allow bad actors to push bad products on working people and seniors in exchange for paybacks. This bill protects forced arbitration clauses and Companies Require their customers to waive their right to a jury trial and deny them their day in court when their rights are violated. By the way that includes Service Members. Brave men and women who have worn the uniform of the American Armed forces. Unfortunately, Service Members and veterans are often targeted for financial fraud and uncrew pew luss creditors because they are held to hire standard of Debt Repayment n addition their frequent time away from home makes it harder for Service Members to identify scams. The cfpb has already taken at least 12 major Enforcement Actions directly protecting Service Members and their families. In 2016, the cfpb fined the Navy Federal Credit union 28 million for illegal Debt Collection tactics. Two ook action against foreprofit colleges, i. T. T. And corinthian, both of which had been linked to predatory treatment of Service Members and veterans. The now defunth corinthian was to have 400 million in debt relief. In 2010 they ordered a high cost small doller cash america to pay up to 14 million in restitution and 5 million penalty for violations of the military len lending act. Just two months ago the cfpb sanctioned an auto lender that harassed and preyed on Service Members. They threatened that they contact Commanding Officers about threats and lied to our brave men and women in uniform about their obligations. They have been held accountable because of the cfpb. The cfpb was created to protect families and Small Businesses. Since 1010, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has returned nearly 12 billion to 29 Million Consumers and all 50 states. More than a Million Consumers have used the cfpbs complaint database and nearly all of them have received a timely resolution to their issues. The cfpb held wells fargo 100 table to the tune of million after they 100 million after they opened millions of fraudulent accounts for customers without telling them. Wells fargo surreptitiously collected fees from these victims and every dime was returned because they were on the job. The sole purpose of their existence is to ensure bank loans, mortgages, and credit cards are fair, affordable, understandable, and transparent. Thats what its doing. Republicans want nothing more than to kill it. No honest hardworking american should be exploited when they are taking out a mortgage, trying to pay off their college debt, buying a car, or opening a bank account. But that is whats going to happen if the republicans get their way today, passage of this bill will confirm what so Many Americans believe, that washington works for big business, the very rich, and powerful special interests, but not for them. The American People sent us to washington to work for them. They didnt send us to fight for the big banks and Credit Card Companies that already have too much power here in washington. Reject this bad bill. Vote for the American People. Protect consumers and very strongly vote no. With that i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Mcclintock, for five minutes. Mcclintock i thank you, mr. Speaker. When obamacare was imposed on the nation, we were promised lower premiums, increased choices and improved care. But exactly the opposite has happened. Last year, premiums increased an average of 25 and this year were warned theyll increase another 40 . Last year only one provider remained in a third of american counties. This year entire regions have no providers at all. In 2015, American Life expectancies actually declined. The senate now has before it the American Health care act. It goes a long way toward eplacing obamacares compulsary onesizefitsall mess with a patientcentered system. It repeals the employer mandate which trapped Many Americans in parttime jobs and repeals the individual mandate which forces americans to buy plans they dont want, dont need and cant afford. It changes the premium structure that forced young. Amilies to subsidize it repeals trillions of taxes on the american economy. It repeals the mandates that force an older couple to maintain pediatric coverage. And it maintains the safety net for those with preexisting conditions, and it ensures these plans are within the financial reach of every family. Despite the obvious failure of obamacare and the urgent need to rescue our Health Care System, opponents have gone into overdrive to frighten people and to distort the facts. The most lurid claims come from the congressional budget office, that 23 million americans will lose their Health Insurance. Now, we should first remember this is the same office that predicted that Obamacare Exchanges would cover 26 million americans by 2017, the actual number was 10 million. It predicted that obamacare would result in slight premium increases between 10 and 13 by 2016. The actual figure was 105 . So how did the c. B. O. Come up with its latest claim . Well, much is based on assuming that people wont buy Health Insurance unless we force them. In reality more people are already choosing not to purchase obamacare policies. Theyre paying a steep tax penalty to boot. The c. B. O. Ignored provisions that allow people to tailor plans to best meet their own needs which is a powerful market incentive for them to purchase plans. Second, the c. B. O. Predicts that in future years, medicaid recipients will leave due to changes that restrain the growth in this program. Yet, it is precisely these changes that focus resources on services and not on waste and fraud. Third, the c. B. O. Predicts that lowincome Older Americans in the individual market will lose nearly 13,000 of subsidies and be priced out of that market. Yet, it ignores the 90 billion that was freed up in the final house version with the expressed understanding that the senate would redistrict these funds to replace these redirect these funds to replace these obamacare subsidies. Fourth, the c. B. O. Predicts that some people will choose less expensive plans without all the bells and whistles required under obamacare. Well, this is, of course, what change in choice is all about, people making their own decisions based on their own needs and wants. Yet, the c. B. O. Classifies them as uninsured. The other major and false claim is that people with preexisting conditions will lose coverage despite explicit language in the ahca that nothing in this act shall be construed as permitting Health Insurers to limit access to Health Coverage for individuals with preexisting conditions. Theres one exception. If you are one of the 7 of patients in the individual market and if you have a preexisting condition and if you live in the state thats requested and received a waiver based on having an alternative program to assure your coverage and if youve let your insurance lapse for more than 62 days in the past year, then and only then can you be charged a higher rate than the general population for your health plan and then only for the first year. This year entire regions of the country will be unable to obtain policies on Obamacare Exchanges. Premiums are spiraling out of reach for families that dont qualify for subsidies and taxpayer costs are skyrocketing. The ahca offers a way out of this nightmare, restoring a healthy, competitive market where patients will have the widest range of choices and the freedom to choose the plan that best meets their own needs, along with the supportive tax system to ensure these plans are within their financial reach. If the senate can come up with a better plan, lets see it. But one thing should be clear, inaction is not an option. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from massachusetts, mr. Kennedy, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, amidst the breaking news alerts and tweets that have overwhelmed our nation over the past several in and as our nation tunes to a hearing taking place on the other side of the capitol as i speak, lies a simple question did the president of the United States put his own personal and political interest above the interests of the American People . Congress cannot allow itself to or to be nsitized deterred from an expeditious and fully independent investigation conducted in full view of the american public. Because the real victims of this investigations cloud are our constituents, americans who wake up every morning praying their Monthly Budget wont be compromised by the unexpected, who walk into their office hoping that today isnt the day that that layoff notice arrives, who tuck their son or daughter into bed at night knowing that despite working two jobs their kid wont be afforded the same luxuries as their friend down the street, who look to washington for a hand and instead see us forced to wrestle with an almost unbelievable question, whether the leader of the free world compromised the security of his itizens and our democracy to a foreign adversary. Mr. Speaker, theres been an awful lot of talk about loyalty in the past 24 hours. Lets be very, very clear. The American People should never have to be reassured of the loyalty of their commander in chief. Thank you and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. Carter, for five minutes. Mr. Carter mr. Speaker, i rise today to remember the life of mr. Greg allman, awardwinning rock n roll singer and songwriter who passed away in savannah, georgia, may 27, 2017, at the age of 69. Mr. Allman will be remembered as the keyboardist and distinctly soulful voice of the allman band who spawned generations of followers throughout the world. Born in nashville, tennessee, in 1947, he and his brother were skilled guitarists and keyboardists by the time they graduated from high school. They toured throughout the west coast in the 1960s moving between los angeles and jacksonville, florida, before establishing the allman brothers band in 1969. The bands most popular songs included midnight rider, n pping post and rambli man. These songs will span the test of time and continue to live on even as the Music Industry has drastically changed. In 1973, mr. Allman began his solo career and enjoyed a great deal of success as both a member of the allman brothers and a solo act. In 1995, allman and the other members of the band were inducted into the rock n roll hall of fame. Im proud that mr. Allman chose to call savannah home, and im honored to have the opportunity to represent such an utstanding artist. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to recognize the groundbreaking and altruistic live of a man ho passed away at the age of 75. Mr. Chappell always had a passion for serving others,. He grew up as an integral member of his church and he fought in the korean war. In the army he gained the motivation he needed to continue his education, enrolling in Savannah State university upon his return home from korea. He moved to savannah permanently after graduation and continued using his passion for service to make savannah a better place to live. In 1957, he joined the Savannah Police department. Group ppell was in the of second group of africanamerican Police Officers that the department ever hired. They were never allowed to arrest criminals. His personal pernable nature created a connection with neighbors and around savannah that before 1957 had felt underrepresented. He retired from the police force after 35 years but subsequently embarked on another Service Position as a ember of the city council in thunderbolt, georgia. He built a town hall and Senior Citizen center. I want to thank him and his family for their work in the savannah community. Mr. Speaker, i rise to recognize the outstanding career of judge alex atwood, who received the American Patriot award on may 29, 2017. Each year one individual has exhibited leadership that positively impacts glen county, receives this award. Mr. Atwood is certainly worthy of this title. He started his career as a local Law Enforcement officer before he transitioned his knowledge of the law into a career as a special agent with the federal Law Enforcement Training Center where he educated thousands on the role of public defenders. In glen county, judge atwood is wellknown for his extraordinary legal career, serving as magistrate judge for glen county and represented for georgias 179th district in the georgia general assembly. In this capacity, judge atwood has been a champion for georgians. He set parameters for illegal immigration, provides protections against Human Trafficking and generates structural legal reform. Judge atwood has found the time to devote himself to a number of glen county organizations, working with each to make glen county a better place. Judge atwood is an example of leadership and his career serves as an important lesson in fulfilling our civic duty as americans. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Ruiz, for five minutes. Honor z i rise to howard mar ghoul is, a tal margulis, a talented businessman and a blessing to those who knew him. He made a Tremendous Positive impact on so many lives, including my own. His list of contributions to our nation is long. Sadly, he passed away june 1, 2017. His spirit of service and leadership will live for generations to come. As a business leader, he took the produce industry by storm as the principal founder of sun World International. He brought many new products to American Consumer markets, like the delicious new seedless watermelon, various new types of grapes and the hawaiian pineapple. Sun World International became a powerhouse produce company under his watch, one of the largest in the nation. His Business Leadership was well recognized. He served on the california state board of agriculture as a key advisor to governor pat brown on issues important to the many farmers, ranchers and consumers in california. He was named as one of the most influential produce leaders in the past 100 years by the packer. He was a genuinely good man. His incredible heart of gold was shown through his again rossity as a philanthropist. He championed health care, axis in education, issues near and dear to my own heart. He was vice chair at the university of california at riverside and served as a trustee at the Eisenhower Medical Center for more than 15 years. He also helped found the cochella valley boys and girls club which had grown to five club houses serving thousands of children across the vally. This is just a small part of the incredible work he did as a philanthropist and Community Leader throughout his life. He was very special to me and my family in a very deeply personal way. My father, gilbert, the chance and life that transformed our entire family. , he gave my dad who didnt inish high school a good job. Rking at sun world packing and taken to the middle class a ticket to the middle class. He promoted my dad to eventually manage the plant that allowed my family to move from our trailer and into our home. In cochella. He used to give us angels and dodger baseball tickets and giant her she Hershey Chocolate bars for christmas. For a kid who loves chocolate, those giant bars were like a gift from god himself. What really moves me is that he paid for a full year of my undergrad studies at ucla when my dad couldnt afford it. Imagine that. He helped a boy from a trailer , son of farm workers achieve his dreams to be a doctor and serve the community. He did so without fanfare, headlines, or public recognition. He did it because he cared for my dad, my family, and for me. Without him. I without him i wouldnt be where i am today. He amazing thing is that im not the sole person he touched and transformed by his kindness. There are so many, many more. His again rossity and generosity and kindness are an inspiration and my thoughts and prayers are with his wife, his four children, and nine grandchildren. Know that howards legacy will live on and that his work touched so many across california and the nation. So on behalf of the people of californias 36th congressional district, my wife, monica, my girls, sky and sage, my mother, blanka planninga, my brother robin, sister star blanca, my brother robin, sister star, hank you, mr. Marguelas, you will marguleas, you will forever be in our hearts. Men. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from arizona, ms. Mcsally, for five minutes. Miss mack sally i mcsally mr. Speaker, rise today to honor the life of phillip d. Ledford. Navy veteran, dog lover, patriot, and husband to his wife of 41 years. I was blessed to be his next door neighbor in tucson for the last 20 years. Having lost my father at the age of 12, phil became a father figure to me and i loved him deeply. He was born in ohio and joined the navy in 1963. At the age of 17 requiring his father to approve his enlistment. After four years serving as a traveling the world, he transitioned to civilian ly. After working in ohio as a commercial refrigerator technician, phil traveling the their dog molly moved to two sovepblet phil and his best friend and brotherinlaw would go on adventures in the deserts and mountains, exploring old mines, and hiking the beautiful landscapes of arizona. After molly passed away, phil and helene couldnt imagine bringing another dog into their broken hearts for a while. Slowly my golden retriever started to melt his heart and soon they were spending their days together. Phil and helene cared for her when i was deployed to afghanistan, then drove across the country to help me move when i got orders to al avement phil came out to babysit and drove her all the way back to to be at home for a while with helene. Phil volunteered to be a foster for the local Golden Retriever Rescue organizations. He to be at home for a while took this responsibility seriously, caring for many goldens coming out of difficult circumstances. One golden had cancer and phil agreed to care for him until he passed. Rudy was deathly afraid of thunder, but phil discovered rudys fears were cured if he was riding in car. Every time the monsoon storms came, phil would lower rudy up, borrowing mikes van and drive him around so he wasnt afraid during the storm. Even if the storm lasted all night. No complaints, no questions asked. When i return home to tucson, we cut a hole in the wall between the two houses and doggy doors, food bowls, toys and streets in both places. Penelope happy lived in both her homes again. What a life, what love. Phil was with me when pen nellie passed in 2014. Within a few weeks phils best friend mike went to be with the lord after battling agent orange cause cancer for year. It was a rough spring for phil losing his best guy friend and furry friend so quickly. We welcome a rescue dog named boomer into our hearts. He was an energetic handful. Phil was a patriot who loved his country, god, and valued a hard days work. He was a skilled tradesman who was always eager to pull out his tools and try to fix literally anything that broke in the house or the car. Those of us who knew him best and loved him call him our favorite curmudgeon. He was stubborn and opinionated, but would literally give you the shirt off his back or last dollar in his wallet. He used to scold me on my lack of disciplines with the dogs. Boomer would get rambunctious with me and not listen but was well behaved as firl. I realized he saw me as a litter mate and phil as a pet parent. The last year and a half phil was diagnosed with cancer and he navigated a difficult journy. He channeled his stubbornness to his fight with cancer. His character traits of selflessness, faith, love, courage, and humility were tested and purified on this walk. He suffered adversity and the end of his physical life. In mid april the cancer came back and rapidly spread. The pain was unbearable at times and difficult for us to watch him suffer. Two weeks ago he took a turn for the worse. Flew home from d. C. To be with him. After a long night, helene, boomer, and i were by his side praying he would be willing to let go and flew home from d. C. With him. After a long be received in god holie grace. He was unconscious in 24 hours n that prayer he scrunged his eyes close twice, took his last breath, and went to be with the lord finally free of all suffering and fully restored. We could learn a lot from phil. He did not live a complicated life and found pure joy in simple and beautiful things. A walk with a beloved dog. Exploring with his best friend, mike, watching football with his adored bride, helene. Tinkering with the furnace or his jeep. A walk and casual dinner at our local favorite restaurant. Driving me to the airport or to events with constituents. Taking care of and protecting those whom he loved. He didnt seek glorry, fame, or riches, but humility, integrity, loyalty, and service. Phil was a good man with a large heart and a selfless spirit. I truly could not have served in my calling in uniform or in Congress Without his love and support. He directed us not to have a Memorial Service or a funeral, but he never said anything about a speech on the floor of the house of representatives. It is the least i could do to honor his impact on my life and all those blessed who know him and love him, human and furry. We love you and we miss you, phil. As the song says, go rest high on that mountain, son, your work on earth is done. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore amen. The chair recognizes the gentleman from california, mr. Khanna, for five minutes. Thank you, mr. Speaker. I rise today to express a simple principle. People who are working to bag groceries should not have to rely on government assistance and nutrition assistance to be able to buy groceries. And yet across this country there are thousands of workers who go, put in a full days work, and yet cant afford the basic necessaryities of food and clothing. And its the taxpayers, all of us, that bear the responsibility for the underpayment by large corporations. A berkeley study has said this underpayment by large corporations, low wages, is costing the american taxpayers 153 billion a year. M proud to introduce the Corporate Responsibility and Taxpayer Protection act with nine other colleagues that would require companies to be responsible for the underpayment of their employees. The idea is simple. If people are putting in a hard days work and a full weeks worth, they deserve wages that will allow them to be part of the middle class. And too often what happens is corporations, even if they are paying a 15 minimum wage. Will adjust an employees hours so that they dont get more takehome pay for the month. What this bill will do is say that a corporation that isnt paying a fair wage where employees are relying on government assistance, the corporation is responsible for that government assistance. Its not the taxpayers who should be paying for that, its the corporations who should be held responsible for the underpayment of wages. My hope is that none of the corporations will have to pay this tax. That they will do the right thing by working families in the middle class. That they will recognize that in a time of record corporate profits, they can afford to pay a decent wage. Im hopeful that this bill will receive bipartisan support because it is the very premise of this country, that if you work hard, if you play by the rules, you should be able to be part of the middle class. Thank you, mr. Speaker. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from nebraska, mr. Bacon, for five minutes. Mr. Bacon thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, i rise today to urge my colleagues and fellow citizens to elevate our political discourse in which to participate for the good of our country. Some of what i see in america grieves me. The partisan divide grows more volatile decency shrinking in our political dialogue. Many on the left continue to say, mr. Trump, is quote, not my president. In the past some on the right have said mr. Obama is not my president. Now we have people who think it is comical to be photographed with a dediction of the president s bloodied head. I can only think of real life intelligence photos i viewed of innocent men and women shortly after their decapitation at the hands of terrorists. Escalating americas political discussion to actions like what ms. Griffin is guilty of undermines our nations discourse and weakens the unity of our citizens and i dont know where it stops. I fear were pulling apart. The left and right should not hate each other. As dr. Martin luther king jr. Asserted, hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. We must be able to disagree, debate, and strive together for america. When we pull apart our nation weakens and or citizens become more vulnerable. If we continue down this path it will not be easily repaired. Since pulling apart that caused us not to pass a defense spending bill on time for almost a decade. Our military leaders have stated were back to the hollow force of the 1970s due to this congressional malpractice. Our navy is unable to fly half their aircraft. The army only has 358 combat brigades fully ready to deploy, and our air force pilots fly less hours today than they did during the hollow force years. In other words, the partisan rancor has undermined our Nations Defense and our service men and women are paying for this price in readiness, and if north korea, russia, or another threat tried to take advantage of our weakness, our great warriors will pay for it with their blood. I love our country and our represented democracy. At the beginning of our nations history there were very aggressive debates between adams and jefferson, for example. We saw strive during Andrew Jacksons presidency when many of his opponents feared he was going to be americas napoleon and we survived those times. But lets not forget the bitter acura moany when we saw physical assaults on the floor of congress. That debate was solved after 600,000 americansside died in the civil war. Let us debate the issues. Ive already held five town halls myself to engage in the essential debates to improve our country and will hold more. But when it comes to the vitriol and verbal assaults, let us all take a knee and reflect. Are we taking our nation to a potential precipice of a disaster if we keep turning up the volume of this partisanship . Earlier this year, the congressional freshman class signed a civility pledge. I pledge civility but i implore our nation to reflect on the tone and ugliness that we are seeing. Let us rein in the anger and disrespect. I implore our president , our senate, all of us in the peoples house, all of us citizens, let us raise the barf our debate and treat each other with respect. Lets not cross the line between criticizing the issues to criticizing the person. Ive served in the military next to many great americans for nearly 30 years and we all protect and defend every american with our lives regardless of our party affiliations. In fact, i rarely knew if a person was a republican or democrat during my time in the air force. Lets not forget, too, during our history 1. 2 million americans gave their life in defense of our country. They were democrats, republicans, independents, some had no party at all. Some were federalists, some were wigs. They paid the ultimate price so we could have the privilege of a free and open debate we have today. They fought and died so our citizens could be the sovereign of our nation. Let us turn away from the anger. Lets turn away from the utrage upon outrage, character assassination. Ts when we lose an election, regardless of the party, lets do so gracefully and respect the will of the voters and the constitution. Let us agree when we agree and respectfully disagree when we disagree, but to resist at all costs on every issue is damaging to our country. Today, some are calling for impeachment of our president. With the facts that we have, it is wrong and its putting politics over the wellbeing of our country and we are better than this. Lets turn down the volume. Mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from georgia, mr. Collins, for five minutes. Mr. Collins thank you, mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, its a joy today that i rise to congratulate North Hall High School on winning the state baseball championship in georgia in their class. This is especially happy for me because i am a trojan. I graduated from North Hall High School in 1984. Its amazing it seems that long ago, but its also looking back as the first one of the first sports championships in baseball they have received and it is a truly exciting time in our community. I watched these young men grow up, many with my son playing ball, and its exciting to see that fulfillment. At the start of the season, the team rallied around the promise of leave no doubt. It reminded north hall players and coaches to offer the best effort without exception and to prove wrong anyone who doubted their potential for success. Persevering in the 2017 season was no small task. The team opened the first round of the state playoffs with a 61 loss. Few people expected the tronalans to recover after trojans to recover after that game. North hall earned the title state champion and this is a testament to the teams determination and reminder to us all dedication even in the most unlikely circumstances. It does pay off. Whenever we give up we surrender our dreams. To the young men i watched grow up, the young men in our community who now hold the title state champion, i say congratulations. Mr. Speaker, i rise today in honor of retired Army Lieutenant colonel terry barron, georgias first female blackhawk helicopter pilot. My neighbors in the city of barron le has terri day. She served in the georgia National Guard for 30 years and in 2011 was deployed to iraq. She served as math professor and former chair of the University Math and science department. In this role she equipped students with the knowledge and skills that allowed them to pursue careers in math and science. As both a soldier and professor, Lieutenant Colonel barron has lived the life dedicated to serving and empowering others, making them more confident as they approach the challenges of each new day. Id like to commend Lieutenant Colonel barron for their service to georgia and on behalf her country. Mr. Speaker, as i rise today, it is a good day on the floor of the house. It is a good day for those of us who have went before the voters on occasion and said one of the issues we have to take up in washington, d. C. , is removing the barriers to letting everyday people get up and be able to access the financial markets, to access their business opportunities, to follow their hopes, dreams and ambitions and on the floor of the house today, we will fulfill that. We will take up and pass the choice act, which repeals the doddfrank, which takes the cfpb, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which many of us believe is unconstitutional. How could a body of Congress Actually empower an agency that we have no control over, no accountability to us, they do as they want to do and yet control so much of our economy . Today, we take a step forward. We take a step forward to putting people back in power, to letting our community and our credit unions, banks get back to doing what they do best and thats treating their community and their people with respect, finding loans, opening up possibilities, having that next dream of someone who says i just want to take this opportunity and being able to fund it. You see, a lot is being said and theres distractions everywhere, mr. Speaker. When we understand that many say nothing is getting done but i look back and say the republican majority is moving forward. We have a new Supreme Court justice. We have passed 14 c. R. A. s, rolling back almost 18 billion in compliance costs, of regulations promulgated by the former administration. We have began the process of doing what we said we are doing by replacing a failed Health Care System and which we have just found out in ohio, nebraska, iowa, georgia in which premiums have skyrocketed, where markets are no longer viable, where insurance is not there and even if it is there there are many places where they can buy but not use it. Thats Health Insurance, not health care. In fact, thats nothing for those who need it. You see, in congress we are moving forward. It is an agenda led by the administration with the house and Senate Working together to say we believe in the American People, we believe that the spirit of america is found in the individual hometowns and in the individual spirits that live there, not in a government thats controlled completely from washington, d. C. , where washington says we know best. It is time we unleash the spirit again. Through this house that process is starting today. The choice act is a fulfillment of a promise, and there are many more to come. With that, mr. Speaker, i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes mr. Rothfus from pennsylvania for five minutes. Mr. Rothfus thank you, mr. Speaker. For the past eight years we have been stuck in the slowest economic recovery in 70 years. With all the debate about the financial choice act today, a simple question gets to the heart of the matter. Do we want to grow again . I contend, mr. Speaker, the answer is, the answer has to be a resounding yes. It has to be yes because theres a moral imperative at play. The choice act is about ending a stagnant status quo thats crushing our economy and opportunity. Multiple studies show that the doddfrank act has hindered economic growth. One study estimates that because of the overregulations we have seen since the 2008 financial crisis, there are 650,000 fewer Small Businesses than there otherwise would be which would have provided 6 1 2 million new jobs, thats 6 1 2 Million People not utilizing their godgiven talents for the betterment of society, thats 6 1 2 Million People not paying the social security, medicare and income taxes that we need to fund critical programs. Some just want to raise taxes on the already burden taxpayers. I say lets get new taxpayers into the game. Having more taxpayers helps us to pay for programs for veterans, education, medical research to find cures for diseases like alzheimers and cancer, taxpayers to help fund the national defense. A couple weeks ago i visited a Senior Center in my district and had some very special conversations. Folks told me about the days when there were lots of jobs in the factory towns in western pennsylvania. One world war ii veteran showed me his bronze star. These individuals are counting on us to allow an economy to grow that will create the taxpayers who can help pay for the critical programs that support them, that pay for their care. We have a moral obligation, mr. Speaker, to restore healthy growth to this economy. Today, lets pass the choice act. Lets move from overregulation to rightsized regulation. Lets unclog the flow of capital to Small Businesses. Lets unclog consumers access to credit. Lets lower the cost of Financial Services for everyday consumers. Lets bring an end to the antigrowth policies of the last eight years and move into a much brighter, more prosperous future for everyone. I thank the speaker and i yield back. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to clause 12a of rule 1, the chair declares the house today. Circumstance. But that was thats how i conducted myself. I hope i never hav
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