Opening Statement as Prepared for Delivery of the Honorable Jeff Miller Chairman, Committee on Veterans’ Affairs U.S. House of Representatives Full Committee Hearing “A Matter of Life and Death: Examining Preventable Deaths, Patient Safety Issues and Bonuses for VA Execs Who Oversaw Them.” Sept. 9, 2013 9:00 A.M. Good morning, and welcome to today’s full committee hearing “A Matter of Life and Death: Examining Preventable Deaths, Patient Safety Issues and Bonuses for VA Execs Who Oversaw Them.” ... Read more

Good morning. It is aprivilege to speak with you this morning as part of the National DefenseUniversity Foundation Capitol Hill Breakfast Seminar Series. It is my first time speaking to your group,and I want to thank Peter Huessy and NDU for inviting me to share some of my experiencesand perspectives on U.S. National Security.As Peter mentioned, I represent the First District of Florida whichstretches from the very west coast of the Florida panhandle eastward across sixcounties. Our largest citi... Read more

Madam Speaker, the constituents of the First District ofFlorida and the people across this country have said it loud and clear:We DO. NOT. WANT. government-run health care.Yet the majority party leaders have turned a deaf ear to theAmerican people and CONTINUE to insist on a public option. Whether it be an exchange, a co-op, or single payer, whetherstates opt-in or opt-out, the fact is the majority party leaders – behindclosed doors – are crafting a final health care bill that would force a publ... Read more

I’d like to welcome all of you here today. It is a privilege to speak to the NATO Defense College Senior Course.Along with Mr. Boozman, I had the opportunity to visit the NDC last November as part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. We had a wonderful visit, and I’m happy we could bring you here to the U.S. House of Representatives and speak with you about some of the issues facing the NATO Allies.Before I get to the topic at hand, I want to give you a brief background on the role of Congress in... Read more

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is with great disappointment that I risein opposition to this bill. As rankingmember on the Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee,I believe the underlying bill carries very important provisions for our ArmedForces – provisions that would help our warfighters to better face today’ssecurity challenges. For example, we extended theSecretary of Defense’s authority to offer rewards to those individuals whoprovide information and non-lethal assista... Read more

Madam Speaker, there’s trouble brewing in the little town of Pace, Florida. In this city of less than 8,000, just south of my hometown, and full of hard-working Americans, a federal judge has gone well outside the bounds of the Constitution to declare that prayer offered among adults is illegal. That’s right. The judicial branch is once again trying to act like the legislative branch, and in doing so it is hindering the First Amendment rights of Americans. Madam Speaker, I am not a lawyer and th... Read more

Distinguished guests and friends, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to speak to you this morning and give you a brief Congressional update. I apologize that I can’t be there in person, but I still haven’t finished reading the ONE THOUSAND AND EIGHTEN PAGE health care bill that Speaker Pelosi has put together. In all seriousness, we’ve seen some major changes in this country over the last year. I was honored to be in attendance when we inaugurated Barack Obama as President of the United ... Read more

It’s great to speak to the Escambia County Medical Society because your group is such a positive influence in our local community. As physicians, YOU are on the front lines in the health care debate, and I am honored to talk with you about how the proposed health care legislation will affect us here in Northwest Florida. All of us in this room know that the United States health care system needs to be reformed. Costs are rising, millions of American families are uninsured, malpractice lawsuits ... Read more

America is a country founded on faith in an Almighty God. We must never forget that. For all the politics and partisanship and acrimony found in Washington, DC and across the country, we must always remember that our faith in God is the foundation upon which this country was built. Many people point to the words of the Declaration of Independence, our country’s founding document, which states that not only do Americans have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, b... Read more

Madam Speaker, over the last few weeks my office has been flooded with letters, faxes, phone calls and emails. These messages all say the same thing….. STOP THE GOVERNMENT TAKEOVER OF OUR HEALTH CARE! The majority party's proposed legislation costs over $1 trillion, would increase the deficit by $240 billion, and would actually raise the cost of health care for American families. Madam Speaker this is not the way to reform the American health care system. Americans want more choices for health ... Read more