Patrick J. Tiberi: “It is a pleasure for me to be here in my role as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee. I am also pleased to have a…”

“It is a pleasure for me to be here in my role as chairman of the Joint Economic Committee. I am also pleased to have a couple of our new Members here today. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), a new member of the Joint Economic Committee. Mr. LaHOOD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this budget resolution as a first step in the process to repeal and replace ObamaCare. It is undeniable that ObamaCare has failed. It has broken promise after promise to the American people. Constituents in my district in central Illinois are watching their premiums skyrocket by an average of 15 percent. This chart next to me here shows, all across the country in State after State, premiums have skyrocketed. Citizens also face deductibles that are so high that they try to get by without going to a doctor. One constituent from Roseville, Illinois, whose insurance costs have gone up 75 percent, stated to me recently: ``This is crazy. Almost half of my paycheck goes to insurance. How do they expect us to afford this?'' These burdensome costs stifle families and our small businesses' ability to participate in and help grow our economy. We have a mandate from the American people to fix this broken system and to rescue citizens from escalating healthcare costs. {time} 1300 The goal is not to pull the rug out from underneath anyone. In fact, we are working to provide a stable transition to better, more affordable health care.…”