[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 15] [House] [Page 22083] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]{time} 1020 VIRGINIA OBAMACARE RULING (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, earlier this week, a Federal judge in Virginia acted to defend the American people from an unconstitutional mandate to purchase health insurance. It really shouldn't be a surprise that a Federal judge recognized what many of us noted months ago: the Constitution does not give Congress and the President the right to force Americans to purchase a particular good or service. Instead of finding ways to bring down the cost of insurance so that anybody can afford at least basic coverage, ObamaCare puts the Federal Government squarely in charge of the health care industry and then makes every American participate. The government defines what insurance is, what it does, what it covers and doesn't cover, and then forces you to buy it. Even with this unconstitutional mandate, health care costs will rise faster because of ObamaCare. The next Congress will act to repeal this mandate and all the other bad ideas in ObamaCare because we, too, have a responsibility to protect the Constitution of the United States. ____________________