H.R.1954 -- To implement the President's request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt TEXT FULL PDF

H.R.1954 -- To implement the President's request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt.

Floor Situation: On Tuesday, May 31, 2011, the House is scheduled to consider H.R. 1954, a bill to implement the President's request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt, under a suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds Majority vote. H.R. 1954 was introduced by Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) on May 24, 2011, and was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, which took no official action.

H.R.1954 -- To implement the President's request to increase the statutory limit on the public debt FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT

Bill Summary & Status 112th Congress (2011 - 2012) H.R.1954

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 24, 2011 Mr. CAMP introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

A BILL To implement the President’s request to increase the
statutory limit on the public debt.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa
2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. FINDING.
4 The Congress finds that the President’s budget pro
5 posal, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
6 Year 2012, necessitates an increase in the statutory debt
7 limit of $2,406,000,000,000.

2

1 SEC. 2. INCREASE IN STATUTORY LIMIT ON THE PUBLIC
2 DEBT.
3 Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United
4 States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limita
5 tion contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu
6 thereof ‘‘$16,700,000,000,000’’.

•HR 1954 IH

Background from Chairman Dave Camp:

Camp: No Debt Limit Increase Without Spending Cuts. Introduction of “Clean” Debt Limit Legislation Sets Up Test Vote in House to Prove Reforms Must be Part of Any Deal to Raise the Debt Limit.

Dave Camp Ways and Means Chairman

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Washington, D.C. - Today, Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) introduced the necessary legislation that allows the U.S. House of Representatives to reject a so-called clean increase in the nation's debt limit. The legislation, which Chairman Camp strongly opposes and is expected to be voted on as early as next week, would increase the debt limit by $2.4 trillion - the amount necessary under the President's budget to get through the end of 2012.

Chairman Camp, whose committee has jurisdiction over the debt limit, issued the following statement:

“Let me be clear: I do not support and will not vote for a debt limit increase that does not contain significant spending cuts and budgetary reforms. Our current path is unsustainable and unacceptable. We must force Washington to live within its means, and any deal on the debt limit should include real reforms including entitlement programs like Medicare.

“The President's budget calls for a $2.4 trillion increase in the debt limit through the end of next year. The legislation I filed today will allow the House to reject a clean increase in the debt limit proving to the American people, the financial markets and the Administration that we are serious about tackling our debt and deficit problems.

“Increasing the debt limit without showing that we can achieve real spending restraint would likely lead to very similar results as default: a lower credit rating, higher borrowing costs and more expensive imports. Such irresponsibility would most certainly increase the cost of oil and gas, making the pain at the pump that much worse. All of that is bad for the economy, bad for job creation and bad for American families.

“The ‘borrow now and pay later’ attitude that has prevailed for too long in Washington is threatening the American Dream. We simply aren't going to continue on that same reckless path any longer.”

Floor Situation TEXT CREDIT: GOP.gov - The Website of the Republican Majority in Congress

Chairman Camp statement TEXT and IMAGE CREDIT: House Committee on Ways & Means Contact: Jim Billimoria, Michelle Dimarob, or Sarah Swinehart (202) 226-4774 Main Office: Ways and Means Committee Office 1102 Longworth House Office Building Washington D.C. 20515 P: 202-225-3625 F: 202-225-2610

Press Office: Ways and Means Press Office 1101 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 P: 202-226-4774 F: 202-225-2610

Postponement of Ways and Means Organizational Meeting

ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING POSTPONED Washington, DC- The Ways and Means Organizational meeting scheduled for January 12, 2011 has been postponed. Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following statement: "All business activity of the House Ways and Means Committee for January 12, 2011 has been postponed. This will allow Congress to conduct the necessary work with respect to the tragic events in Arizona and provide the opportunity for each of us to take time to reflect and pray for the victims of this senseless act." ###

CONTACT: Jim Billimoria or Sage Eastman (202) 226-4774 Jim Billimoria, Michelle Dimarob, or Sarah Swinehart (202) 225-8399

TEXT CREDIT: House Committee on Ways & Means

IMAGE GREDIT: This United States Congress image is in the public domain. This may be because it is an official Congressional portrait, because it was taken by an official employee of the Congress, or because it has been released into the public domain and posted on the official websites of a member of Congress. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

Dave Camp Floor Statement Against Bill Taxing Half of All Small Businesses In America VIDEO

Washington, D.C., Dec 2 - Half of America's small businesses face a tax hike under H.R. 4853.

U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, spoke on the House Floor today against the bill which targets, as Camp said, “the very employers we need hiring more workers and buying more equipment – not paying more taxes.”

More than 30 House Democrats recently signed a letter agreeing, saying “raising any taxes right now could negatively impact economic growth.”

For more, please click the video to watch his statement, or read text below of Camp’s Floor Statement.

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

The unemployment rate in October, the latest data available, was 9.6 percent.

That marked 15 consecutive months we were at or above 9.5 percent unemployment in this country – the longest period since the Great Depression.

All told, 48 out of 50 states have lost jobs since the so-called $1 trillion stimulus bill and nearly 15 million Americans remain unemployed.

What is the Democrats’ answer to the Great Recession? Increase taxes. But not just any taxes. Democrats, in the bill before us today, are targeting half of all small business income in the country. Democrats are targeting the very employers we need hiring more workers and buying more equipment – not paying more taxes.

Let’s face it – this bill is as misguided as it is futile. This is the wrong policy at the wrong time and the Majority is wrong to bring it to the floor today. In fact, many of their own members agree with me. I have here in my hand a letter signed by over 30 Democrat members of the House. Let me read what they wrote: “In recent weeks, we have heard from a diverse spectrum of economists, small business owners, and families who have voiced their concerns that raising any taxes right now could negatively impact economic growth. Given the continued fragility of our economy and slow pace of our recovery, we share their concerns.”

I want to repeat that: “…raising any taxes right now could negatively impact economic growth.”

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that this letter be submitted into the record.

Set aside for a minute the economists and the political rhetoric and let’s look at what small businesses say about the impact of this tax-hiking legislation. According to
the National Federation of Small Business, “the businesses most likely to face a tax increase by raising the top two rates are businesses employing between 20 and 250 employees. According to U.S. Census data, businesses with between 20 and 299 workers employ more than 25 percent of the total workforce.”

Those who are most likely to be hit by these tax increases employ 1 out of every 4 workers in this nation. This Democrat tax hike is putting a target on the back of every worker in every small business in America.

As for the futility of this exercise, it would be comical if it weren’t so irresponsible. Democrats can barely muster the votes for this bill in the House. I’m told they had to whip the bill and hold a special caucus this morning just to move forward. Their position is so precarious they won’t even allow Republicans to offer amendments or any alternative. Why? Because Democrats know the Republican bill to extend the current tax rates for all taxpayers would pass with broad bipartisan support.

So, once again House Democrats have closed down the amendment process in order to pass a bill that will never see the light of day in the Senate. Just yesterday, 42 Senators sent a letter to Majority Leader Reid and stated in no uncertain terms that they “will not agree to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to any legislative item until the Senate has acted to fund the government and we have prevented the tax increase that is currently awaiting all American taxpayers.”

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that this letter be entered into the record.

Clearly, this bill is going nowhere. Democrats are wasting time, while Americans look for work. Democrats are playing games, while Americans struggle to make ends meet. The American people did not send us here to posture; they sent us here to provide solutions.

I had hoped that after the election we would get down to working together to solve the serious problems Americans are facing. That is why I was encouraged by the President agreeing to have Republicans and Democrats, House and Senate members sit down with his Administration to hammer out a deal on these expiring tax rates. I thought: maybe we have turned a corner.

Instead of letting that process work itself out, instead of working with Republicans to prevent job-killing tax increases, House Democrats are back at it again – putting politics ahead of everything else. This is a time for serious negotiations and solutions, not political stunts. Far too much is a stake, far too many families are out of work and far too many families will soon see real and sizeable amounts of money taken out of their paychecks if the Democrats continue with these games.

I urge my colleagues to reject this Democrat tax hike, this job-killing tax hike.

I reserve the balance of my time.” ###

TEXT CREDIT: Rep. Dave Camp. Contact: Lauren Phillips or Sage Eastman (202) 225-3561 Washington D.C. Office: 341 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3561 Fax: (202) 225-9679

Dave Camp incoming Ways and Means Chairman longer tax extension for some than for others a total non-starter FULL TEXT

Washington, D.C., Nov 16 - U.S. Rep. Dave Camp, R-MI, today outlined his priorities for tax policy and reform in a tax speech to the Tax Council. Camp is in line to become the next Chairman of Ways and Means, the House’s tax-writing committee. Today’s speech is Camp’s first after the election that lays out his views on tax policy and reform. Below are key excerpts.

REMARKS AS PREPARED BEFORE THE TAX COUNCIL

On pending tax increases:

“I could easily list every single one of the nearly $700 billion in tax increases that have been signed into law in the last two years alone, but, frankly, you know what they are…and, to be honest, I’d run out of ways to say ‘higher’ and ‘larger’ and ‘job killing’ if I had to list all of them. And, that pales in comparison to the $3.8 trillion tax increase that is in store for the economy on December 31st of this year – just 45 days from now – if the current Majority fails to extend the lower rates on income, dividends and capital gains for all taxpayers.”

On dealing with expired and expiring tax provisions:

“Frankly, it is ridiculous and irresponsible for this problem to have lingered this long. The continued practice of dealing with expired and expiring tax policies after the leaves have begun to fall isn’t fair to taxpayers and doesn’t inspire much confidence in Washington.”

On the 2001/2003 tax rates:

“If the 2001 and 2003 rates expire – and if the new health care law takes full effect – the top individual tax rate will rise above 40 percent, capital gains taxes will surpass 25 percent and the effective tax rate on dividends will more than triple today’s 15 percent. The death tax next year will consume more than half of some estates.”

On extending rates for different time periods for those above and below $200,000/$250,000 in income:

“Their plan to do so by ‘decoupling’ the rates, providing a longer extension for some than for others, however, is a terrible idea and a total non-starter”

On tax reform:

“What we need is a comprehensive reform of the tax code that expands the tax base and lowers rates. The Co-Chairs of the President’s Fiscal Commission recently offered some suggestions. Tax reform is an important part of deficit reduction because while an efficient tax code can ensure the government has the money it needs with as little drag on the economy as possible, a broken tax code that impedes growth will fail to generate sufficient revenues even if spending is cut dramatically. As the Fiscal Commission continues its work, however, I want to make clear that I do not and will not support a higher level of taxation to sustain a permanent and higher level of spending.”

“Yes, I aim to launch and fight the tax reform battle once again. And, I am well aware that this might ruffle those who have used the tax code to benefit particular industries or activities at the expense of economic efficiency, simplicity, and fairness. The tax code should collect the revenue the government needs as efficiently as possible. It should not be a tool of industrial policy… Politics and politicians should not choose the industry of the day; that is the job of our private economy as driven by the spirit of the American people and a nimble free market.”

“Here are my principles of reform: fairer, simpler, and conducive to growth.”

“If families and employers are unimpeded by a cumbersome and excessively complex tax code, not only will we earn the trust of the American people, we will help restore the hope and promise of the American Dream.”

On the deficit:

“In fact, in most of the years we have run surpluses in this country, tax receipts have been below 19 percent of GDP. The notion that we must raise taxes to solve our debt and deficit problems is just wrong. The American people know it, I know it, and it is time Washington learns it.” ###

Camp Lays Out Views on Tax Policy and Reform in First Tax Speech After the Election FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT

TEXT CREDIT: Rep. Dave Camp Washington D.C. Office: 341 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: (202) 225-3561 Fax: (202) 225-9679

IMAGE CREDIT: DaveCampYT

Camp, Johnson, Herger Statements on Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports FULL TEXT

Washington, DC – Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI), Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member Sam Johnson (R-TX) and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Wally Herger (R-CA) today made the following statements on the release of the 2010 Social Security and Medicare Trustees Reports:

THE 2010 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE FEDERAL OLD-AGE AND SURVIVORS INSURANCE AND FEDERAL DISABILITY INSURANCE TRUST FUNDS FULL TEXT IN PDF FORMAT

Rep. Camp: “The reports of the Social Security and Medicare Trustees released today again sound the alarm that spending on Social Security and Medicare is on an unsustainable path. Without real solutions, the critical benefits so many Americans rely on, and future generations have been promised, are at risk.

"Unfortunately, many of the policies being pursued in Washington, including record levels of debt and deficit spending, are making matters worse, and we are fast losing the nation’s trust. While Washington Democrats are touting the report as evidence their Medicare cuts “protect” Medicare, the Obama Administration’s own Medicare actuaries warn these cuts could jeopardize seniors’ access to care.

"As a member of the President’s Commission tasked with proposing recommendations to address our nation’s long-term fiscal outlook, I am committed to putting us back on the right track. By working together we can find pro-growth, pro-job solutions to restore our nation’s fiscal future and strengthen Social Security and Medicare without endangering seniors’ health benefits. Americans are tired of empty promises and are counting on us to find answers that will make our country strong again. As this report shows, time is short and we cannot afford to fail.”

Rep. Johnson: "On the eve of Social Security’s 75th anniversary, the Trustees Report serves as a sobering call for action. Now more than ever the American people deserve a bipartisan effort that responsibly fixes Social Security for good. While current and near retirees deserve the peace of mind of knowing that they will get their promised retirement benefits, we also have a responsibility to ensure that Social Security will be there for younger workers. For the good of the American people, we need to put politics aside and work together. As the Social Security Subcommittee Ranking Member, I am ready, willing and able to do just that.‪‪"

Rep. Herger: “The Trustees Report makes it clear that the Obama administration can’t have it both ways. The half-a-trillion dollars of Medicare cuts in the Democrats’ health care overhaul cannot simultaneously strengthen Medicare’s fiscal position and offset the cost of a brand-new entitlement program. A private business owner who tried to use this kind of double-counting would be prosecuted for fraud. To balance the federal budget and ensure that programs like Medicare and Social Security will be solvent in the future, we must repeal the Democrats’ reckless health care plan and replace it with reforms that will truly reduce the cost of health care.” ###

House Committee on Ways & Means - Republican: 1139E Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515 | Phone (202) 225-4021 | Fax (202) 225-5680

Ways and Means Republicans Seek Documents from UnitedHealth Group as Part of Congressional Oversight Investigation

Washington D.C- Ways and Means Republicans today sent a letter to UnitedHealth Group (United) inquiring as to its financial relationship with AARP in regard to the marketing of Medicare Medigap and Medicare Advantage policies. United-AARP insurance plans cover more Medicare beneficiaries than any other insurer, and in 2008 AARP received $652,701,000 from insurance companies with 63 percent ($411,201,630) coming from United. The letter was signed by Ways and Means Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Wally Herger (R-CA), and Reps. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) and Dave Reichert (R-WA).

In the letter, the Members requested details of the United-AARP financial relationship in the interest of taxpayers who fund the Medicare program and the millions of seniors who rely on Medicare Advantage and Medigap policies. While AARP has previously denied informal requests for documents on this topic, the Republicans noted that United has a long history of turning over contractual and proprietary information similar to what has been requested in order for Congress to fulfill oversight duties.

CAMP: “I urge United to comply with our Congressional investigation so we may conduct the necessary oversight to ensure taxpayers and seniors are being served well. There are hundreds of millions of dollars at stake and the well being of not only the Medicare program but the nation’s seniors who rely on it for medical care.”

HERGER: “The special-interest deals that helped grease the passage of the recent health care legislation served as a reminder that we need far more transparency in Washington. Our goal here is simple - to take an honest look at the relationship between AARP and the health insurance industry and ensure that AARP is acting as an appropriate advocate for seniors.”

BROWN-WAITE: “It is very apparent to me that AARP is more concerned about their bottom line than the well being of their membership. I represent more Medicare recipients than any Member of Congress—these questions need to be asked and it’s my responsibility to ask them.”

REICHERT: “Seniors deserve a straight answer from United and AARP on their financial relationship. Is there a financial benefit to AARP as the government takes over health care in America? They owe an answer to seniors: those losing their benefits and those paying more in additional fees and taxes. There’s a lot at stake for America’s seniors and their future health care benefits. I urge United and AARP to be transparent and honest in this inquiry.” ###

Press Releases Monday, April 19, 2010 Jim Billimoria or Sage Eastman (202) 226-4774

Congressman Dave Camp Weekly Republican Address 02/20/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Congressman Dave Camp Weekly Republican Address 02/20/10 VIDEO FULL TEXT TRANSCRIPT

Remarks by Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), as provided by the House Republican leader's office

Hello, I’m Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan, and I serve as the lead Republican on the House Ways & Means Committee.

This is a time of economic uncertainty. Tens of millions of Americans are either looking for work or have just given up entirely. They’re looking to Washington for solutions. But instead it seems Washington keeps adding to their problems.

That’s why Americans are demanding that President Obama and the Democrats in control of Congress scrap their misguided plan of a government takeover of health care. They don’t want a 2,000-page bill that threatens jobs and drives up health premiums; they already have enough challenges to deal with in their daily lives.

They want Washington to start over with a step-by-step approach to health care reform that begins with reducing costs and ensures they can keep their current plan if they like it.

For those families and small businesses looking for a sign that Washington is ready to wake up and find common sense on this issue, next week’s White House health care summit may not be it.

In fact, right now, Democrats are continuing to work behind closed doors, putting the finishing touches on yet another massive health care bill Americans can’t afford and don’t want.

If it is like Democrats’ other health care bills, this one will drive up premiums, destroy jobs, raise taxes, slash Medicare benefits, and add to our already-skyrocketing debt.

But this won’t be just another bill written in secret and signed off on by special interests. Democrats have admitted they are working on an undemocratic plan to jam this bill through Congress and subvert the will of the American people.

Democrats themselves are describing this latest maneuver as a ‘trick.’ If the starting point for this summit is more of the same backroom deals and partisan bills, then this meeting will likely be a charade.

From the beginning, Republicans have listened to the American people and offered reforms that lower health care premiums for families and small businesses.

The bill I and House Republicans proposed last fall implements common sense solutions focused on lowering costs. Our bill ensures nobody will be denied coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition.

It gives states the tools to implement their own innovative reforms. And we put an end to the junk lawsuits that are forcing doctors to practice defensive medicine and drive up the cost of health insurance for all Americans.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projects that the Republican health care bill would actually lower health insurance premiums across the board by up to 10 percent – about $2,000 per year. The Democrat bills do just the opposite – they increase the cost of health care.

Just as important, Republicans get the job done without cutting Medicare, without raising taxes, and without piling more debt on our kids and grandkids. All the details of our plan are available at healthcare.gop.gov.
Republicans remain ready to discuss these ideas with President Obama and move forward in a bipartisan way to lower health care costs.

But Americans' health care is way too important to risk on a rushed backroom deal that puts federal bureaucrats in charge of your personal health care decisions.

Instead of hurting small businesses by forcing them to pay new taxes and meet new regulations, our focus should be on lowering their health care costs so that they can expand and hire more workers.

So in order to have a productive bipartisan conversation on health care, Democrats must first listen to the American people and scrap their massive government takeover of health care. We must go into the summit with a clean slate focused on making healthcare affordable.

That is what Americans are asking for, and that is what Republicans will continue to work for. Thanks for listening.

Congressman Dave Camp Weekly Republican Address 02/21/09 VIDEO PODCAST TEXT

PODCAST Congressman Dave Camp Republican weekly radio address download MP3 1.97 mb running time 2:48 min.

Full Text Transcript:

"Hello, I am Congressman Dave Camp from Michigan, and I serve as the lead Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee.

"American families and small businesses are hurting, and Republicans know that we must act to help get our economy back on track, but we also know that we can't borrow and spend our way back to prosperity.

"Last week, Democratic leaders in Congress railroaded through a $1.1 trillion spending bill. As soon as next week, they may bring up a bill that spends another half trillion dollars. And that is on top of the $700 billion in TARP money - and perhaps untold billions more - we're spending to help banks and homeowners.

"Congressional Democratic Leaders' track record on spending taxpayers' money wisely this year is already lousy. House Republicans offered a plan to help our economy using fast-acting tax relief that would have created 6.2 million jobs - twice the jobs at half the cost of the Democrats' trillion-dollar government spending bill. Instead, the Democrats' bill included money for electric golf carts, billions that could go to scandal-plagued groups like ACORN, and millions more just to renovate government office buildings. Despite promises of openness and transparency, it was written in a backroom and rushed through Congress so quickly that few - if any - Members of Congress read it.

"Next week, we have an opportunity to hit 'reset' and try again to work in a transparent and bipartisan way to address our nations' problems. On Monday, Members of Congress from both parties will join President Obama at the White House for a 'Fiscal Responsibility Summit.'

"Republicans and Democrats agree that the American people deserve a secure retirement, including affordable health care they can count on. But we all know that vital programs like Medicare and Social Security face serious financial challenges as Baby Boomers get older, people live longer lives and families have fewer children.

"Republicans genuinely want to work with the President to solve these problems - in a responsible way that does not burden our children and grandchildren with a mountain of debt. The summit next week is an important step, as is the budget outline the President will release at the end of the week. If he is serious about dealing with the tough issues and getting spending under control, his budget will show it.

"If we do not act, we doom the next generation to fewer and worse government services, drastic tax increases, and unprecedented debt. We must not leave that legacy to our children and our grandchildren.

"Thank you for listening."

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