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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I want to compliment my two colleagues who have just spoken on the floor. I compliment Mr. Newhouse from the State of Washington for highlighting a very important event in his district involving a significant constituent of his.
I particularly would also like to recognize Mr. Westerman from Arkansas for getting H.R. 2647 passed, the Resilient Federal Forests Act of 2015. It is really a coup for a freshman to get such a significant bill passed so early in his or her career. It is a major bill, a significant bill, and I want to compliment him on bringing his expertise in forestry to the House of Representatives. We need people with all kinds of backgrounds here who can help get things that the American people need for us to do on their behalf, and certainly that bill is going to do a lot for American people all across this country.
Mr. Speaker, it has been said that no one hears about the plane that landed safely. What that very apt adage suggests is that we are often unaware of good work being done every day, and it isn't until something goes wrong that people take notice. So, Mr. Speaker, I want to just highlight for a few minutes this evening the great work that this Congress has been doing in the past 4 1/2 years, and particularly during the 114th Congress, which began in January.
Under the leadership of House Republicans, we have been doing very good work in tackling the difficult issues facing this Nation. We are advancing solutions that build a healthy economy, empowering every American to pursue his or her future, to reach his or her full potential and achieve a better life. Here, Mr. Speaker, are just a few specifics of what we have been accomplishing.
First, the House is more open. That may sound a little strange to people, but it is important that the American people understand that, under the majority leadership of Republicans, we have considered over 200 more amendments than the average over the last 25 years in the House of Representatives.
The House is more collaborative. House committees have passed 10.2 percent of bills out of committee compared to a 40-year average of only 6 percent of bills being passed.
The House is, overall, more productive. The House passed 193 bills in the first quarter, well above the 40-year average of 127. Of those, 32 have also passed the Senate--more than the 25-year average of 29.
The House is more effective. Over the last 30 years, only one other Republican-controlled House had more bills enacted in law to this point, and this Congress is above the 40-year average of 29 bills enacted with 32.
The American people want us to come to Washington, use our time well, and work on their behalf to get the things done that they see need to be done. We are working on our main focus, which are jobs and the economy.
Mr. Speaker, tomorrow's good-paying jobs will come from the freedom to innovate from the bottom up, with organic growth, not from top-down bureaucracies in Washington, D.C., looking out for themselves and attempting, always, to control the American people.
Mr. Speaker, we have passed many bills, as I have said before. One is the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act, H.R. 527, which was approved by the House by a vote of 260-163 in February of this year. That is a bipartisan vote, Mr. Speaker.
We passed the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act, H.R. 50, by a bipartisan vote of 250-173.
We passed the Death Tax Repeal Act, H.R. 1105, by a vote of 240-179; this is often called the death tax; it is sometimes called the estate tax, but it hits, Mr. Speaker, not just wealthy people, but average people with huge, unfair taxes.
This bill would provide certainty for families and allow small businesses to focus on growing new jobs and is the smart thing to do for our economy.
Mr. Speaker, much of the economic turmoil that has gripped this Nation is the result of the Federal Government spending beyond its means. In North Carolina, I hear often from constituents who are worried about our ballooning national debt, which threatens economic stability and jeopardizes the American dream for our families.
Irresponsible spending isn't fair to our kids, who must repay the debt, and it is not good for the economy.
Unknown to many Americans, the House Republican majority has cut Federal spending 2 years in a row for the first time since the Korean war. We banned earmarks and achieved the most significant spending reductions in modern history. We have protected tax cuts for 99 percent of individuals and families.
We passed a balanced budget conference agreement which balances the budget within 10 years, without raising taxes, and achieves more than $5 trillion in savings. It is the first joint 10-year balanced budget resolution since 2001.
We have passed the Student Success Act, which replaces No Child Left Behind, by reducing the Federal footprint in education, restoring local control, and empowering parents and education leaders to hold schools accountable for effectively teaching students. It stops the Federal Government from coercing states into adopting Common Core.
We expanded and strengthened 529 college savings plans by a vote of 401-20, a very strong bipartisan vote.
We have passed an energy policy, the Keystone XL Pipeline Approval Act, the Natural Gas Pipeline Permitting Reform Act. We have passed the LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act. We have passed Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015.
Mr. Speaker, we are working on the economy, on bringing down the cost of energy, on providing for national security.
We have passed the National Defense Authorization Act, H.R. 1735, and are in conference now with the Senate on this bill.
We have passed the National Cybersecurity Protection Advancement Act, again, by a very large bipartisan vote, 355-63.
We have passed the Protecting Cyber Networks Act by a large bipartisan vote of 307-116.
We have passed a bill signed into law by the President in June, the USA Freedom Act, which ends the bulk collection of data at the National Security Agency, prevents government overreach, strengthens protections for Americans' civil liberties, and increases the transparency of certain national security authorities.
As my colleague from Arkansas talked about previous to my coming on the floor, we have passed several bills to honor our veterans. They have earned our respect, and they shouldn't have to wait in line for months or years to see a doctor.
When our brave servicemembers come home, we have to keep our word to them by modernizing our VA system to deliver the best care in the world, and we have kept our promises to our veterans.
Mr. Speaker, we have focused also on the human side of what needs to be done in our society. We have passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. It was signed into law on May 29, 2015. Human trafficking is a major problem in our country, and we are doing all that we can to diminish it and eliminate it.
Mr. Speaker, we have passed the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act with a bipartisan vote, H.R. 36. We expect that bill to be passed in the Senate.
We have also passed the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act. It was approved by the House in January. This bill would permanently free taxpayers from subsidizing abortion or insurance coverage that includes abortion. Mr. Speaker, we care very much for the most vulnerable among us.
We are also doing everything we can through our hearings to hold President Obama and the executive branch accountable in conjunction with our constitutional duties. We continue to look for ways to improve what the Department of Veterans Affairs does.
We have witnessed the incompetence of the Office of Personnel Management, which allowed its records of Federal employees to be hacked.
We have held hearings on the Secret Service scandal.
We have done everything we can to stop the EPA from imposing its clean water rule, which is very tough on our farmers in particular, but on people all over this country.
We have challenged, again, ObamaCare in court with the U.S. House of Representatives vs. Burwell lawsuit; and we hope for a positive result from that.
We are also continuing our investigations into other scandals of this administration, including the situation in Benghazi. Last fall, House investigators learned that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton used a private email server located in her home, rather than an official email account, as required by administration policy. She also failed to preserve her official emails for government records as required by the Federal Records Act.
Without the diligent work of the Select Committee on Benghazi, this highly questionable email arrangement would have remained secret. Because of a select committee deposition of Sidney Blumenthal, a former aide to President Bill Clinton, the committee was able to demonstrate that, despite former Secretary Clinton's assertions to the contrary, she did not produce all of her official emails to the State Department.
The select committee is deposing senior State Department officials, including Clinton's closest aides, and will call former Secretary Clinton as a witness as soon as the State Department produces all of the records owed to the committee.
We are continuing our investigation of the IRS and its unlawful targeting of conservatives.
Mr. Speaker, this is the people's House, and we Republicans in the majority will continue to do the work of the American people by passing appropriate legislation and by holding this administration accountable for what it should be doing and what it has done that is inappropriate.
The Republican-led House, Mr. Speaker, in the past 7 months, has delivered real results that would solve many of the challenges that face our Nation, but there is still more to do to make the outdated models in Washington, D.C., more effective, efficient, and accountable.
As we go home to our districts for the August recess, not a vacation, but an opportunity for us to be in our districts, to be with our constituents, to hear from our constituents what their concerns are, we will be gathering more ideas for legislation and come back to Congress in September with a renewed commitment to do the people's business in the people's House.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
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