Statements For the Record

[as prepared]

I rise in support of Mr. Moran’s amendment to strike the egregious policy riders from this appropriations bill.. There are many reasons to be disappointed in this bill, and removing the riders will not solve these fundamental problems. Nevertheless, I support this amendment because it will prevent additional damage to our precious natural resources.

During the Vietnam War another “secret war” was taking place in Laos with thousands of Hmong fighters assisting the U.S. The Hmong who risked their lives for the freedom of their country and in the aid of the U.S. suffered tremendously as they served with great courage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 683, expressing the regret of the House of Representatives for the passage of laws that adversely affected the Chinese in the United States, including the Chinese Exclusion Act.

In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act to prohibit people of Chinese descent from immigrating to the U.S. and becoming naturalized citizens. While the Chinese Exclusion Act was finally repealed in 1943, severe restrictions on Chinese immigration continued until the Immigration Act of 1965.

I want the Affordable Care Act to be fully implemented for the benefit of all Americans. I also support a healthy and growing medical device industry in Minnesota and across America. I support eliminating this medical device tax, which should never have been included in the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, I strongly oppose the offset in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5854, the FY13 Military Construction-VA Appropriations Act. This subcommittee has a strong record of bipartisan collaboration and I want to commend Subcommittee Chairman Culberson and Ranking Member Bishop for their leadership in advancing this important bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Food and Drug Administration Reform Act of 2012 (H.R. 5651), which will strengthen Minnesota’s health care system and economy.

Mister Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 205, the HEARTH Act.

Ms. McCollum. Mister Speaker, I rise today to speak in opposition to this bill. The Violence Against Women Act has never been a divisive piece of legislation until this Tea Party Majority came into power. Instead of bringing the bipartisan bill already passed by the Senate to this floor for a vote, House Republicans are attempting to pass a partisan and discriminatory bill that eliminates protections for violent crime victims.