Speeches

Two weeks ago, President Obama visited the drought-stricken Central Valley of California. He announced his administration's response: he wants to spend another billion dollars to study climate change.

It is well established that Jessie Benton Fremont was one of the earliest and most influential advocates for establishing the Yosemite National Park, in which Mammoth Peak is located.

The House Judiciary Committee yesterday raised the overarching question of our generation: will the American Constitution stand?

A great tragedy is now unfolding across America as we prepare for the New Year. Millions of Americans are losing their health plans; millions more are facing staggering price increases; millions more are having hours cut or seeing their salaries pared back at work because of Obamacare. Sadly, this is just the beginning. In coming days, millions of employer-provided plans face cancellation, multiplying this disaster many fold.

We are now seven weeks into the implementation of Obamacare. We know in the first four weeks, 106,000 Americans placed health plans in their shopping baskets, though it is not clear how many of them actually purchased plans. Meanwhile, it is now estimated that some FIVE AND A HALF MILLION Americans have lost the health insurance that they had, that they liked, and that they were promised they could keep. The inconvenient truth is that this law has dramatically INCREASED the ranks of the uninsured. Yesterday came word that college students are seeing their low-cost student plans cancelled - with replacement costs as much as 1,800 percent higher under Obamacare.

Yesterday, we heard yet another empty promise from the President: that by fiat he can delay provisions of law under Obamacare that have already cost a staggering FIVE MILLION Americans their health insurance. Notice that he didn't say the law has changed. He simply said that he will ignore the law, and he invites health insurers to do the same. This is a constitutional abomination.

This summer, the biggest fire in the history of the Sierra Nevada Mountains burned 400 square miles of forest land. The fire left behind an unprecedented swath of environmental devastation that threatens the loss not only of the affected forestland for generations, but sets events in motion that could threaten the surrounding forests for many years to come.

The oath of the uniformed services, taken by every living veteran in this country, including each and every one that we honor today, is clear and to the point: "To preserve, protect and defend THE CONSTITUTION of the United States." Think about that. The oath is not to "preserve, protect and defend the United States of America." It is not to "preserve, protect and defend the United States Government." The oath is specifically to "preserve, protect and defend THE CONSTITUTION of the United States."