Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

Floor Speech

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Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for
yielding me this time.

This week, I was honored and grateful to be able to vote for and help
pass several bills that will improve the lives of so many hardworking
Americans.

Earlier today, I was proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 3, the
Keystone XL Pipeline Act. I am grateful to be pushing this bill across
the finish line because the Keystone runs through the Fourth
Congressional District that I am privileged to represent. It is a long
overdue, commonsense piece of legislation which will create good-paying
jobs, will grow our economy, and will support more manufacturing and
trade in this country.

During its construction, it is estimated that 42,000 jobs will be
created by the Keystone, and it will put more than $2 billion in the
pockets of American workers.

To put this impact in perspective, those 42,000 jobs are 12,000 more
than the unemployed population in the Fourth Congressional District of
Texas.

Unfortunately, President Obama has indicated that he will veto the
Keystone if it passes both Houses. I hope that this is just an idle
political threat because, if it is not, then the President is
intentionally harming the middle class Americans that this great job
creation bill is going to help.

I hope and pray that our President won't play politics with
legislation that will provide opportunities to create jobs for tens of
thousands of Americans to support their families.

This week, I was also proud to be able to support H.R. 30, which
changes the definition of a full-time employee from 30 hours a week to
40 hours a week under the perversely named Affordable Care Act.

ObamaCare's 30-hour rule places an impossible burden on individuals
and small businesses in my district and across this country, and I am
glad to be able to help pass a bill which repeals a terrible provision
from a terrible law.

But I say we haven't gone far enough. I know the people that I
represent in east and north Texas won't be satisfied until we repeal
every provision of the Affordable Care Act.

I was sent here to Washington to deliver results for the hardworking
people of north and east Texas, and these bills show that I am doing
that, and it is what I intend to keep doing because, while these are
great bills and I am proud that we passed them this week, it is just a
start.

We need more good bills to combat the President's executive
overreach; to restore fiscal sanity; to secure our borders; to repeal
all of ObamaCare; and, most importantly, to defend our great
Constitution.

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