Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the repeal of the medical device tax, but in opposition to this partisan effort to repeal the device tax without fully paying for it.

As lead Democratic sponsor on the Protect Medical Innovation Act that repeals the device tax, I have been, and continue to be, strongly supportive of repealing the medical device tax. There are over 8,000 medical device firms in the United States that employ over 420,000 people, including thousands of high paying manufacturing and research and development jobs in Wisconsin. The medical device industry is one of the most innovative and creative in the U.S. economy today. Their innovation is the key to providing cutting edge, life-saving technology to patients. Some of the greatest cost savings we've seen in the health care system have come through technological breakthroughs in the medical device and biotechnology industries. The device tax will limit the innovation that has extended lives and help cut health care costs due to the squeeze that the tax creates on R&D budgets. Innovative start-up companies that typically lose money in their early years are especially threatened since the tax is based on revenue, regardless of profit. It is important to protect American manufacturing and research jobs in this vital industry by repealing the medical device tax. However, the proper and responsible method of repeal is to fully pay for it without adding to the deficit. What we are doing today is nothing more than political theater.

After years of listening to Republicans berate Democrats for ``out of control government spending'', the House is voting today to repeal the device tax without any measure to pay for it. The President and House Democrats were committed to ensuring that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was fully paid for, and in fact, the ACA reduces the deficit, saving more than $200 billion over 10 years and more than $1 trillion over its first 20 years. I fought against including the medical device tax during debate on the ACA and remain opposed to it now, but I am also committed to fiscal responsibility. I've been consistent in pushing for major legislation to be paid for so that we don't leave our debts to our children and grandchildren. In 2003, I opposed the Republican Part D Prescription Plan because the legislation wasn't paid for. That legislation added hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit. I'm disappointed that the House Republican majority is again trying to take the easy way out by increasing the deficit.

I reluctantly vote no on this amendment to repeal the device tax because it fails to pay for what is an important policy objective--repeal of the medical device tax. I will continue working with my Republican colleagues and our friends in the Senate to repeal the device tax but we need to do so in a fiscally responsible way. I stand ready to work with my colleagues to find a bipartisan way to accomplish that objective.

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