Apparently you guys knew about it earlier in the week, because obviously this is a team out of austin that has come to cover it. Fantastic. Im tickled to death they could it is taped. The idea, i think, is they will send a tape back to d. C. And it will be run unedited, unfiltered, which is the way i prefer it. So whoever runs it, whoever is responsible for that, thank you for letting us have access to the facility again. It is terrific. I will talk about some things in d. C. , then get going. The only thing congress has to do year in and year out is fund the government. We do that through the appropriations process. Today is october 7, today is the seventh day of the new fiscal year. We should have gotten all the appropriations work done at least before the end of september, and we didnt. Which is not unusual. Congress usual doesnt get that work done. Fiscal 19, we did get about 70 of the spending plan done before the end of september, which meant that the department of defense, the largest block of spending on the discretionary side, had a full year in order to execute that 700 billionplus budget that theyve got. So this year, because we had well, mechanically the spending process starts with a budget, which is simply an agreement between the house and senate. Its not law. Its an agreement on how much total we spent on Discretionary Spending in the next fiscal year. Not the entitlement spending or mandatory spending, that is on autopilot, but a third of the budget is what we work on in that process. This year, we had democrats in charge of the house, republicans in charge of the senate and the two bodies were unable to come to an agreement most of the year as to what that would be. So i was worried that we would get into september and be in a jam. Late in july, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the president and Chuck Schumer and Kevin Mccarthy and Mitch Mcconnell got an agreement, a twoyear budget agreement which is for 220 2020 and 2021 for the total amounts we spent. When that was done, we voted it and got it passed. So now appropriators could go to work in a real way. The house had been working on a makebelieve number. We passed all 12 of those bills. They adjusted them for the agreement. But the house got work done before the end of the year. The senate had basically not done much because we did not have the number, they did not want to work without that number and so they cranked it up in september, but nothing got done by the end of the month. So now were operating under whats referred to as a c. R. , a ontinued resolution. It basically says agencies can spend in the new fiscal year exactly what they spent in the old fiscal year in exactly the same way. They cannot do away with a program, they cannot start new programs they want to start, they are stuck in autopilot until the Congress Gets its work done and the president signs the bill. So we have until november 21 to get this done and get the government funded for 2020. Then start the process for 2021 with a number, so that in 2021 we should do better at getting that done in terms of in the regular order without this awful tool that weve gotten too used to using called a c. R. That is in the mix going on right now as well. The other highprofile issue, obviously, is certainly the National Media is whether to impeach the president or not. You have seen the whistleblower complaint that triggered the latest in relation of why my democrat colleagues think they should impeach the president. I am on the intelligence committee. I went back to d. C. I spent all day friday with the inspector general, listening to what he had to say about the aspects of it. We met with him before, before we could do anything. He couldnt tell us what it was or what the issue was, so we needed to meet with him now the president released the transcripts of the call but also the whistleblowers hearsay allegations about what the whistleblower believes was done wrong by the president. Like a lot of the issues out there, you know, there is classified information or information you do not have youve got it. You have as much information as i do. I do not know the whistleblowers identity. I just know what he or she wrong in the complaint. You have the complaint, the transcript from the president. And each of us gets to make up our mind whether or not the president did something wrong or not. Right now its breaking down pretty much on party lines. I was on a Conference Call a bit ago with a National Republican congressional committee. They had done some pulling. Its not going to surprise you but the hardcore democrats want to impeach him. The hardcore republicans do not. And the independents dont either. But we will see now that a second whistleblower has announced that he or she has firsthand information. Well, well see what that is, but if its about this phone call we have the transcript from the phone call in that regard. The last thing i will talk about then it is your turn. I announcinged in july that i am not running for reelection. This is my eighth term, 15th year, and i will not run for reelection in 2020. I love this job. I really love this job still, so that is not the issue. I would do it forever, but frankly nobody should, and nobody gets to. And we have term limits on the republican side and leadership roles. Im finishing my third term leading the Agricultural Committee on the republican side. And in order to compete for another leadership role like in armed services, i would need to commit to another three terms and i cannot ask my family to do that. So nobody gets to serve forever. Everybody comes to a certain point where it is time for them to come home and let somebody else begin to love the job and build a reputation, begin to get in a position of influence and hopefully get in a position of leadership, so they can be more effective than just an individual member. Ly not endorse anybody in the campaign. You and i between now and the first tuesday of march have an important job to do, that is figure out who the replacement should be. And as i said, i will not endorse anybody. I have shamelessly used the power of incumbency to seek reelection. [laughter] at least somebody was listening. But i dont think it is appropriate to help anybody else get elected. I will vote. I will evaluate the candidates. But we are in this together and we have to decide. One of the reasons i announced this as early as i did is we have 29 counties in district 11. There are five counties where the population consideration, including hood county, brown county, all the candidates are going there for sure. But they ought to come to the other 24 counties as well. Those folks have just as much right to have the wannabes come and look you in the eye, here is who i am and why you should vote for me, as anybody who lives in the bigger population areas. So i will try to get those folks to make sure they come to all 29 counties, because it is important that they look you in the eye, you get a chance to see who they are. Ill help any of them that have asked. Ive talked to most of them and i will help in any way i can, but i will not endorse them. This is a second this is the second most republican district in all the u. S. , the second is amarillo, wichita falls. So it is important we get this primary deal right. In all likelihood, therell be the primary on the second tuesday of march, then a runoff if nobody gets 50 plus one, that will be in the middle of me. So it is pretty well may. So by that time it will be pretty well set. So we have some good work to be done. Important work to be done between now and march so figure last thing, thank you for electing me eight times. Whew. Love the job. But it is now time for someone else to do it. I will finish the term. You elected me for two years. I have 14. 5 months to go i still love the job so im going to finish it up. Some of my buddies found out i was doing town halls and he asked me are you still doing town halls . I said, i am still a member of congress, why would i not . Anyway, with those comments, the floor is yours. I have to be at brownwood at a certain time, so i will need to leave, but we have time between now and then to answer questions and respond to whatever comments youve got. Again, lets be on our best behavior, because it is being recorded and we want to do santa anna proud. He has it written down. You get to be the first bite at the apple. Ok. My question is not a criticism of either party or people involved. Rep. Conaway make sure everybody gets heard. Congressman, we have a Massive National debt. We have a large yearly budget deficit. We have a large yearly trade deficit. I would ask you to please give e a guess or estimate when the will these problems crush our currency and end the dollar status as the reserve currency, because the chinese and russians are working toward that end. Rep. Conaway i would not worry much about the russian ruble. But china does want to replace the u. S. Dollar as the reserve currency. Our National Debt is a strategic threat to our country. Obviously, the president is trying to fix the trade deficit. We need to sell more overseas than what we buy, and that is ot the case. The only thing weve seen as a result of whats going on is a subpoenagood step every single day, because we are exporting and selling oil in that regard. Let me speak to the National Debt. The santa Anna City Council and the county here have to, by law, operate on a balanced budget. It is hard. They have to make tough decisions. They have to say yes and no to good stuff. No to the silly stuff, but no to some really good things. Because they have. To we do not have that at the federal level. Now, theoretically, were intelligent human beings and we should be able to make those decisions on her own, but so far we have not been able to. Back in the late 1990s, the federal government ran a Budget Surplus for two years. Certain previous president wannabes said it was four, but for two years we used Social Security surpluses to augment and it get there. And im a c. P. A. So thats not up for discussion. So there would never be an easier time to implement a balanced Budget Amendment to the constitution, which would force congress to have the same fiscal discipline that the School District does here in santa anna do every single year, that when you when you have a surplus point, you hold it going forward. In 1997 and 1998, the house representatives passed an amendment with a requisite number. It failed in the senate by one vote. The record shows two votes, but bob dole voted no in order to have a chance to bring it back up and it never did come back up. One republican senator could have made the difference, it was a fellow in oregon who i am told that a High School Teacher told him that a balanced budgets was a bad thing so he voted no. If he had voted yes, i think the state wouldve adopted it quickly. And i do not know what our tax rates would look like today, but we would not have 22 trillion in debt today had that one vote gone the other direction in the late 1990s. We wouldve had the fiscal discipline to make that happen. If you ask of all the things you think we need to amend the constitution over, the single most important one, held and shoulders above Everything Else would be a balanced Budget Amendment to the constitution. Now, both parties are at fault, both president s, all president s, whatever, because weve all contributed to it. Now, republicans, when we do a budget the budget includes the amount of money to be spent on Discretionary Spending, but it also shows a 10year vision for what the country should look like. We did not get one adopted this year because the two sides could not get together. But when the republicans were in charge, we would have not only an amount but a budget that showed that amount and a division for the next 10 years. Every one of ours show a path to a balanced budget, so we could get to a balanced budget within the 10 year window. In order to reduce the deficit, obviously its like Everything Else, you have to quit digging he hole deeper and pay off the deficits. You have to run surpluses to make that happen. And in that vision, there is a some stunningly difficult legislation that has to get done. We have to reset, renegotiate we need to make changes to Social Security. It is not a deficit issue, but a cash flow issue. And medicare and medicaid. There are some really important programs, everything is on autopilot, that we will have to come to grips with. President bush was the last to try to address Social Security, but that died when Hurricane Katrina happened. Did not want to take on medicare. President obama did not want to take on medicare, Social Security. President trump, that is not in his agenda either. In order for us to get those addressed meaningfully, it will take leadership out of the white house in order to make that happen because no single house can make that happen. We can maybe lay lay the oundwork for that, but until its on the agenda of the president to make that happen, then i am not encouraged that we can do more than just have a conversation, try to build the case for why it is important. Yes . I am glad that you are going to be with us for two more years. Rep. Conaway 14 months. I was worried when the information came across my desk on october 3, an executive order on medicare, it may even be too new to have come across your desk. But i am a nurse practitioner, and i have been here for 25 years in private practice in santa anna. All this time i have had to fight bureaucracy to maintain my independent practice. One of those is having to pay a physician every month to supervise me. Rep. Conaway right. 22 other states do not have this. They have full Practice Authority for their Nurse Practitioners. That has got to change. What is really exciting is that this executive order that pr is possibly making or putting forth for a lot of those changes, so that Nurse Practitioners, chiropractors and everybody else will be paid on the level of their scope of practice rather than on who is supervising who. So i hope do you want this copy . I have it rep. Conaway i will be able to get one. That you will take the lead or take part of it or support it, so that Nurse Practitioners can indeed in texas meet the needs of the rural population, because that is where we will serve the best. Rep. Conaway a nurse practitioner, that scope of practice issue is a state issue, ate of texas. Hopefully in 2021, we will take that up and do that, because access to care in Rural America is getting tougher. We take it up every year. Rep. Conaway i know, and it has to be fixed. Coming from the federal level with this. Rep. Conaway my colleagues in austin are not interested in what i have to say on state issues. You have to work hard to make that happen. That includes your patients, who come see you because Nurse Practitioners are more accessible than physicians and others, they need to raise stink with the state legislature to get you in a position where you can do that. It is a couple factors. I do support with the president is trying to do to lead the way in that regard and address your conversation. Donald trump, the whole thing about medicare, that he was not wanting it, he was not wanting to take it on. Rep. Conaway he does not want to take on a payment system, he wants to take on the issue. But here is the harsh truth about medicare. For folks im looking around the room and most of us are there, but there are some folks here who have a harsh reality coming. For people under 55 years of age, they will as a senior, pay a greater proportion of their own Health Care Costs than their parents and grandparents. It will be unfair, but that is the reality. We have to renegotiate medicare and medicaid, because if you look at the projections, whether you are a democrat or republican or an independent, every one of those think tanks shows growth will outstrip our ability to pay for them within the next few decades. So we have a wreck coming that we have yet to address. Republicans have a plan, we call it a premium support plan. Democrats call voucher program. It is the exact same thing. But we have got to address that. The payment side is what nobody wants to address, the delivery side, we are tinkering with that and constantly trying to make it better. There is delivery of health care, the other part is who pays for it and how you get paid. That is the peace that the president has not been willing to take on. But we have to renegotiate medicare and we have to address Social Security so it cash flows itself over that horizon. Where we are right now, i was talking to somebody before this, about 2032, 2033, Social Security wouldve paid out all surpluses accumulated up to this point. Current law without change says the federal government can pay out in earned benefits surpluses. We have surpluses now, those will get paid out between now and 2033. At that point, we are limited to collections. The guess is that collections it will be about 75 or 77 of the earned benefits. In one month, you will get 100 of your check. The next month, 77 . So if that was next month, we would be moving heaven and earth to make sure it doesnt happen, but we think we have time to get it done and we really dont. Medicare is a little sooner, the problem with that that we will have to get addressed. That piece of it i am supportive of. Yes . All i want to say is thank you for all the years you gave us. My wife and my children have been to washington, and your office has been so supportive to help them get into see the different things. And you were kind enough to come out and a talk with them and that made a big impression on my children and the other kids that had gone up there. We appreciate that more than anything, b