House Rushes to Judgment on Health Care Reform
Congress is expected to vote on Speaker Pelosi’s 2,000-page health care reform bill this week. It is a trillion-dollar, budget-busting, government takeover of our health care system. It will put bureaucrats between people and their health care. It will lead to rationed care, hurting the most vulnerable amongst us first. It will break the bank, leaving our children to pay the bill with diminished freedoms and dwindling prosperity.
I urge the American people to read the bill and know what is in it.
Cap-and-Trade is Bad for Minnesota's Agriculture Economy
As you know, the House narrowly passed a cap-and-trade national energy tax bill in June. The Senate is still considering this legislation. Cap and trade would increase the cost of energy for all Americans, would decimate our manufacturing industries, and would raise the costs of just about every good and service available. And, it would bring our farming economy to a standstill. The Hill, a Washington, D.C. newspaper, last week published a column I wrote about how cap and trade would hurt our farmers. The text is below:
Cap-and-trade hurts farmers
By Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) – 27 October 2009
We have already had snowfall in Minnesota — a reminder that energy bills will soon increase. However, if Democrats have their way, families could be hit harder and all year-round with higher energy bills. And, some families — particularly those that farm and live in rural America — would be hit harder than others under the proposed cap-and-trade national energy tax that remains at the top of the majority’s agenda.
Agriculture is simply an energy intensive industry. It relies on energy for tractor fuel, fertilizer, livestock feed, and more. Any increase in petroleum and natural gas would have a direct effect on the cost of production. A new analysis of the cap-and-trade bill narrowly passed by the House in June (H.R. 2454), by Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) and Kit Bond (R-Mo.), estimates that it amounts to a $3.6 trillion gas tax increase, which translates into higher fuel costs for farmers and ranchers of $550 million in 2020 and $1.65 billion in 2050.
According to a Heritage Foundation economic analysis of H.R. 2454, farm income would decrease by 94 percent in the next 25 years, which begs the question: Will America’s agricultural heritage survive cap-and-trade? But, even if you can get past this threshold issue for rural America, any cost increase inflicted upon farmers will surely trickle down to consumers, ultimately increasing the cost of food for all families.
And, farmers have families, too. As they’re watching their income plummet, their expenses will be skyrocketing along with other grocery-buying Americans. Plus, rural families tend to have higher fuel costs simply because they have to drive farther for routine errands. According to the Federal Highway Administration, rural households drive 25 percent more miles than urban households. And, they spend more on fuel as a percentage of their income than urban residents. Also, it’s more expensive to provide electricity where the population is more spread out. Rural Electric Cooperatives serve 40 million Americans averaging around seven consumers per mile, whereas other utilities average 35 customers per mile. So, rural Americans will be hit coming and going.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa Jackson recently admitted that unless other nations, like China and India, follow our lead, cap-and-trade would not even impact global temperatures. And, most economists and foreign policy experts are skeptical that these other nations would follow our lead. With 25 to 58 percent of farm cash receipts coming from agriculture exports, U.S. farmers would be at a severe disadvantage. And, this at a time when our trade deficit has reached $840 billion and economists are calling the outlook for American trade “cloudy.” Again, rural Americans get hit with a double-whammy.
Furthermore, the House bill provides allowances to offset energy prices, with definite states and regions as clear winners while others are obvious losers. California and New England states like Massachusetts — both represented by the co-authors of the House bill — would receive nearly or, in some cases, more than enough of an allowance to offset the additional costs inflicted by this bill. On the other hand, Midwestern states, like Minnesota, would receive a maximum of 75 percent of the allowances required to fill the gap. Once again, rural America pays the price.
Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf recently testified before a Senate committee that cap-and-trade would slow our already sluggish economy.
And, all evidence seems to indicate that the farming economy would come to a virtual standstill. With so much at risk and so little expected to be gained, why are Democrats pushing such harmful legislation?
Bachmann is a member of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade and Technology.
Bachmann Office Coming to a Town Near You
My staff regularly holds Mobile Office Hours at locations all across the district. These are opportunities for you to come meet one on one with someone from my office who is trained to be your liaison with federal agencies. Please bring copies of any paperwork that you might have with you when you visit. Particularly, if you are having a problem with a federal benefit or program and have letters or documents that might help my staff get answers for you quickly.
Should you have any questions or concerns, however, you can always stop by one of my district offices between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm to talk to my staff as well.
Woodbury Waite Park
6043 Hudson Road 110 2nd Street South
Suite 330 Suite 232
Woodbury, MN 55125 Waite Park, MN 56387
651-731-5400 320-253-5931
You can find a complete schedule of my Mobile Office Hours on my website at: http://www.bachmann.house.gov/ConstituentServices/mobileofficehours.htm.
Next week, my staff will be in the following locations:
Tuesday, November 10th
10:00 am to noon
Washington County Library: Hardwood Creek Branch
19955 Forest Road N, Forest Lake
Tuesday, November 10th
1:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Andover City Hall
1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW
Thursday, November 12th
9:00 am to 10:30 am
Howard Lake City Hall
625 8th Avenue
Thursday, November 12th
11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Annandale City Hall
30 Cedar Street E
Thursday, November 12th
1:30 pm to 3:00 pm
Clear Lake City Hall
7684 1st Avenue W
Thursday, November 12th
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
St. Michael City Hall
3150 Lander Avenue NE
And, please take a moment to visit my website (www.bachmann.house.gov)and sign up for my regular telephone town halls as well. That technology allows you to speak with me from the comfort of your own home. You’ll get an update on what Congress is doing that might impact you and have the opportunity to ask me a question about what’s on your mind.
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