Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Let the record reflect that's a small trophy that you just held up. But I certainly want to congratulate the Democratic team. It was a great day to make some friends among the serving Members. It was great to see some of the former Members come back and visit with them. As has been pointed out, the real winners were the wounded warriors and the organizations that work every day to help them rebuild their lives.

I want to again congratulate the Democratic team members and thank everybody for their involvement. It was a wonderful day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Centennial Celebration of the Town of Callahan in Nassau County, Florida, which received its Charter on May 23, 1911. It is my privilege to represent the warm, friendly people in this small municipality. Although it is only 1.3 square miles in size, Callahan stands at the crossroads of major transportation links to Jacksonville and Georgia. For the surrounding rural, isolated farms, Callahan is town.

As with much of Northeast Florida, the railroad brought development and people to what had been wild, wet timber lands and home to the Timucuan Indians. Callahan was no exception. More than 150 years ago, David Yulee, owner of the Florida Railroad Company and Florida's first U.S. Senator, hired a seasoned railroad man named Daniel Callahan to prepare the land for the laying of railroad tracks across the middle of Nassau County. Many of Florida's pioneer family members worked on the rail for 23 cents a day. At that time, the economy mostly centered on the logging business although herds of cattle, horses and hogs roamed the still unfenced countryside as farmers and ranchers worked hard under the Florida sun.

During construction, a railroad station was built where the tracks cross Kings Road, now called U.S. 1. A post office soon followed. The Sharon Baptist Church was already there surrounded by farms. The railroad turned the sleepy settlement into a bustling rail camp, and a town was born. Years after Daniel Callahan had moved on to build other railroads, the people officially named the town in his honor.

Today, the historic train depot is home to the Greater Nassau County Chamber of Commerce and the West Nassau Historical Society. For the past several years it has hosted the Railroad Days Festival, where hundreds of folks come to enjoy small-town activities like parades, clowns, American flags, face painting, and ax throwing contests, and of course, model train displays in the lovingly restored old wood building. Also on site is a restored rail segment and caboose, a favorite of the children.

Although a significant retail district grew nearby the depot and a block of beautiful brick stores replete with balconies remains, Callahan's town center has moved slightly north from the railroad track to the intersection of A1A, Lem Turner Highway, and U.S. 1. Here several red brick government buildings, along with small shops--some national franchises but many local longtime businesses, continue to serve the folks surrounding the Town. Two restaurants have large local followings--The Pig and the Chicken House. If you want good barbeque and a cold glass of sweet tea, you can't find a better place than in Callahan.

Almost everyone in Callahan attends church, and church activities are the backbone of most weekly social events. But Callahan also boasts annual events, like the Blueberry Festival, the Northeast Florida Fair, the Rodeo, and the Christmas Parade that draw hundreds of visitors.

As we celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of this charming rural community in West Nassau County, I congratulate my good friend, Mayor Shirley Graham, the Town Council, and all who have made this occasion special. But I especially laud the townspeople and those who live just outside the town limits on their neighborliness, their can-do spirit, and small-town warmth. When I think of what makes up the heart and soul of America, I need look no farther than Callahan, Florida.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, let me just remind my colleagues that when we vote ``yes''

on this resolution, we will be able to say that we have led by example.

We were told that we should take the budget-cutting knife and look at every agency and make them do more with less, to be more efficient, and we thought we should lead by example. And the best way to lead by example is to take that budget-cutting knife and turn it on ourselves. And that is exactly what we did.

Over one-half of the cuts that were made by the Legislative Branch Subcommittee, which I chair, were made to this House itself. We cut the office account of every Member of this House by 5 percent. We cut the budget of all the leadership offices by 5 percent. We cut the budget of all the committees by 5 percent, except the Appropriations Committee, which we cut by 9 percent. So we have led by example. We have taken that budget-cutting knife and we've directed it at ourselves.

Now, some people will say we cut too much. Some people will say we didn't cut enough. But, frankly, when this is all over, people are not going to remember the numbers. But what they will long remember is this is the day that we changed the direction of this country. This is the day we turned the ship of state in the right direction. They'll remember that this is the day that we stopped this culture of spending and we started a culture of savings. They'll remember that, the day that we stopped spending our future and we started saving our future.

There's a lot of work to be done. But let's clean up this mess. Let's move ahead, and let's get ourselves on the path to permanent prosperity.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that when the House adjourns today, it adjourn to meet at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

I thank the chairman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to encourage my colleagues to vote in favor of this continuing resolution, for two reasons.

Number one, it keeps us on the path to put the brakes on this runaway spending that has gone around this place too long. It continues us to get to the place where we start a culture of savings instead of this culture of spending.

The second reason to vote for this, of course, is to make sure that we don't shut down the government, to give us a little more time to try to have a final negotiation on the spending levels for next year.

Somebody asked the question, is this the best way to fund the government? Of course it is not. There is no way. It would have been a whole lot better if last year under the Democratic leadership in this House we had a budget before this House that would pass. But that didn't happen.

It would have been better last year during the session if the Democratic leadership had gone through regular order. We would have passed the appropriations bill, and then the government would be funded for 2011. But they didn't do that.

It would have been a whole lot better after this House got together and made some tough choices, set some priorities, made difficult decisions, and passed a spending bill that cut $100 billion out of this year's spending and sent it down to the Senate. It would have been better if they would have taken that up and passed it, or at least done something. But they didn't do that.

So here we are. We find ourselves with another CR, 3 more weeks. But let me tell you, these are difficult times, and in difficult times leaders have to lead. We have got to sit down together and establish the priorities we have for spending. We have to make tough choices. That is what every American family does, that is what every American business does. If we are going to get this economy moving again, we need to settle this once and for all.

So I just hope that we will pass this continuing resolution and that this

will indeed be the last time we do this; that in 3 weeks we sit down, have that other body sit down and negotiate with us. It takes two to tango, as they say.

We sent the whole ball of wax down there and they didn't like it, so now we are sending them a little at a time. But we are honoring that pledge to cut $100 billion. When you cut $2 billion every week, that all adds up to $100 billion. So this is $6 billion more we are cutting on top of the $4 billion we cut. But, again, that is no way to settle the year.

Let's settle it once and for all. Let's pass this, move ahead, and get this thing done.

Mr. Speaker, Captain George Mason Walker, 82, of Fort McCoy, Florida died Saturday, January 22, 2011. A native of Jacksonville, he lived most of his life in Putnam and Marion Counties.

George M. Walker served his country in both the U.S. Navy during World War II and the U.S. Merchant Marines during peacetime and the Vietnam War. He also served for 15 years as a ship pilot in the Panama Canal.

Captain Walker was a member of First Baptist Church of Orange Springs, Florida. Before his health became frail, he twice weekly could be found walking the Right to Life Abortion Line in Ocala, Florida.

Captain Walker was a Mason, a Shriner and a member of the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots Association.

I commend Captain George M. Walker for his patriotism to his country, devoted service to his church, impressive career history, and life of love and caring concern for his family and fellow man.

Madam Chair, I move to strike the last word.

In the interest of time, Madam Chair, I just want to rise in support of the amendment by the gentleman from Kentucky. I think it's a good amendment, and I encourage my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman for all the work that he has done in helping to put this continuing resolution together.

This is a giant step forward in stopping the culture of spending that has gone on here in this town for a long time and begins a culture of savings.

In the subcommittee which I have been asked to chair, the Legislative Branch only deals with maybe one-half of 1 percent of all the money that we're talking about, but we didn't think that we ought to be immune to all the pain that goes on as well. In fact, I think, when times are tough, leaders ought to lead. And so we can help save taxpayers dollars by spending less money on ourselves, and that's what we do in this bill.

We cut the accounts of the leadership offices. We cut the accounts of all the Members' offices. We cut the accounts of the committee staff and their offices. In fact, the Appropriations Committee, which Mr. Rogers chairs, will reduce their spending by 9 percent. So certainly Congress is taking the budget axe to its own spending and leading by example, and I think that's important.

So as we move forward, Mr. Chairman, I think that we can do a whole lot more with a whole lot less around this place. We want to lead by example. That's what we're trying to do, and I think we are taking a giant step forward.

I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his great leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I plan to vote to repeal this health care law and replace it with some commonsense, workable solutions. Why? Because I've been listening to my constituents--listening to what they have to say, what they ask for.

I can tell you they are not asking for a bill that weakens our economy and causes jobs to disappear. They are not asking for a brand new entitlement and then pretending only partly to pay for it. They are not asking for a bill that takes away the rights of seniors to have a choice in the Medicare program, and they are certainly not asking for new taxes--but that's what they're getting under this health care bill unless it's replaced.

What they are asking for is the right to choose their own doctors and the right to get the treatment they need when they need it. That's what they're asking for. They're asking that we bring down the cost, to make some commonsense reforms, to make it more affordable, more accessible.

That's what we should focus on.

I want to thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

I rise in strong support of this resolution. What does it do? You have heard quite simply that it saves the American taxpayers millions of dollars. How does it do it? Quite simply, it says we are going to spend less money in this House.

These are difficult times, and we can't just keep on doing things like we have always done them. We have got to change things. No more perks, no more privileges, no more waste. We have a chance with this resolution to, in the House, look at ourselves in the mirror and say we are going to lead by example.

The American people have been making these tough choices all along. I think it's time that this House put its own house in order. But we have to remember that actions speak louder than words. Difficult times mean leaders have to lead. We have a chance to take a bold step to say that we're going to try to stop this culture of spending that we've all gotten used to and say, Let's start a culture of savings.

Now, that's not going to be easy. It's going to be hard. It's going to be painful. It's going to be difficult. It's going to be tough. But we must do it. And that's where we begin to start. That's what this resolution does. It says that we're going to take the first step. We're going to cut our own spending. We're going to do more with less. And I think right now we can do a whole lot more with a whole lot less. I know that, you know that, and I think the American people know that. But we all know that we need money to provide services.

Right now, it seems to me that government needs something more. We need discipline to rein in spending. We need courage to make the right decisions, even when they're hard. And we need to seize the challenge to provide services in these difficult times. We've got to make sure that every task of government is accomplished more efficiently and more effectively than it ever has been before, because if life is going to change in America, life has to change here in Washington. And this is the first step.

So I urge the adoption of this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an American hero, United States Marine Corps (USMC) Corporal Tyler Southern of Jacksonville, Florida. CPL Southern was born in Anderson, South Carolina and moved to Jacksonville in 1991. After graduating from Mandarin High School in 2007, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps. CPL Southern chose the Marines because they are ``First to Fight.'' He turned 18 in USMC basic training and celebrated his next birthday deployed in Iraq. He was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for his outstanding performance. For his 20th birthday, he was training for his next combat deployment at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twenty-nine Palms. Before CPL Southern could celebrate his 21st birthday, he made a sacrifice for our nation that we will never be able to repay. While on patrol in Afghanistan on May 5, 2010, he stepped on an IED. He lost both his legs, his right arm and severely damaged part of his left arm and hand. However even with these catastrophic injuries, he clung to life! He has been awarded the Purple Heart for his valor and combat injuries by the Commandant of the United States Marine Corps. He comes from a long line of family members who have served our nation. His father was in the Navy, and his brothers are currently serving. With the help of his family and the men and women of Bethesda Naval Hospital and Walter Reed Army Medical Center, he continues to make incredible progress. Each day, he teaches us with his courage, faith and can do attitude! On August 22, 2010, he turns 21 and in celebration of his birthday I ask that this poem penned in honor of Corporal Tyler Southern, his family, his incredible courage and the United States Marine Corps by Albert Caswell be placed in the Congressional Record.

First To Fight

First . . .

First To Fight!

Brilliant men who bring their light!

Who go out on point, who evil must fight!

All with hearts of courage full, oh so very bright!

To win that day, to win that night! All out there in the

night!

Magnificent Men in green, who upon battlefields of honor . .

.

all of those wrongs so right!

As all throughout our Country Tis of Thee,

have but come such fine sons indeed . . . so bright!

Who for all of us, so die and bleed . . .

to give to this our nation, all of what she so needs! To Be

Free . . .

Yes, you Tyler our fine Southern Son . . . all in your short

life, so much you have done! One of Florida's

Brightest Son!

As on that morning when you awoke,

and saw all of the heartache that which this war had invoked

. . .

You had a choice, give up . . . or listen to your fine soul .

. . your most inner voice!

And as the tears rolled down your fine face, you did not so

hesitate . . . all in what your heart, would create!

Watching your courage, The Angels began to cry and sing!

For you Marine, are but the most splendid of all things!

While, all in such a short time . . .

somehow your great heart has found the strength to find!

To find your way back home, To Teach Us . . . all in what

your strong soul now so owns!

To Beseech Us All, showing us what courage can now so conquer

. . . can so own!

Because, Marine's Do! Marine's Lead! HOORAH JAR HEAD in what

your life's said!

Are First To Fight!

Whether, on battlefields of honor . . . or against all odds

to death so cheat!

For some men are but put upon this earth . . . to inspire us

all, in their fine worth!

Who live by a code, of Strength in Honor

So . . .

Who go out into that night, all in their most brilliant

shades green to fight!

So our children may awake, all in a world of freedom that

they for us so make!

For as long as we have such Strong Sons . . .

Southern Men as you Tyler, who for us so do what must be

done!

Then, this our Nation's Flag of Freedom . . . shall forever

wave against the sun!

And if I ever had a Son, I but hope and pray that he could

but be as fine as you the one!

Who against all odds, all in the darkest of sun's!

Will Always Be First To Fight! As Thy Will Be Done!

For you see in Heaven, you need not arms or legs . . .

And where, I pray to join you one day!

Amen!

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I rise today to urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this rule.

I want to make it clear that I'm very much in favor of the underlying legislation, but this legislation is being brought to us today under a rule that will restrict our Members, both Democrats and Republicans, from offering amendments, having them considered.

I thought I would give you a little perspective because this bill has come to us this day through the regular order, a very open and fair process. Sixteen hearings took place. All the members of the subcommittee had an opportunity to ask questions and feel like they were being treated fairly, listened to their input. At the subcommittee level, six amendments were offered: four by the minority, two by the majority. They were all adopted unanimously in a bipartisan way. Then we went to the full committee, the full Appropriations Committee. At that point, eight amendments were offered, discussed, and they were adopted as well, in a bipartisan way, four from the Democrats, four from the Republicans.

Yet, when we got to the Rules Committee, that's where the fair and open process ran into a roadblock, the graveyard, if you will, because now we come to the floor with no longer a process where Members can stand up, offer amendments, maybe make a good bill even better, because this rule does not allow that.

I would think that at this time, when deficits are at record levels, when spending is more important to be looked at with a wise and efficient look, that we would allow Members to come to the floor and offer their input, but no, that's not the case.

So while the underlying legislation is very important and very good, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' and bring this back under an open rule and allow their participation.

Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

First let me just say that I rise in support of this appropriations bill. It's the first appropriations bill that we will bring to the floor today, and I think it's an excellent bill.

I would like to start by thanking Chairman Edwards, not only for his leadership, but for the example that he sets to make every member of the subcommittee feel like they are valued. He has treated everyone with a sense of fairness. It has been an open process, bipartisan process, and we appreciate that very much. I think because of that atmosphere that everything we do in this subcommittee is really geared to make sure that we put the best interests of the men and women in uniform first, and put their families first, the veterans, and those fallen heroes.

I want to say a word about Ranking Member Zach Wamp. I am here in his stead. He is back home in Tennessee trying to represent the people of Tennessee in a different way, as the Governor of that State. But I can tell you that even though he is not here, as Mr. Edwards mentioned, he has been very much a part of this process. I think this bill is a reflection of his dedication, his commitment to the men and women in uniform. And I know that I've heard Mr. Wamp say on occasion that serving as the ranking member of this subcommittee has been the highest achievement of his career here in the House of Representatives, and so we wish him well as he leaves.

I want to also say a word about Mr. Young. He's not here today, but he has been a long-time member of this subcommittee. I think Chairman Edwards agrees that he has been a great champion of the men and women in uniform. He and his wife, Beverly, are often visitors at our military hospitals to see the folks that have come back, the wounded warriors. If he were here, I'm sure he would stand up and say that he believes this is a very good bipartisan bill. He is recovering from some surgery himself, so I know we all wish him well in this committee.

Mr. Edwards has done a great job of talking about kind of an overview of what goes on here, and so I don't want to repeat that. I certainly want to echo his words of congratulations to the staff; we thank everyone for their hard work. But I want to mention a couple of items that were brought up that were concerns that, because of the open process, because of the bipartisan nature in our subcommittee markup, members had a chance to talk about some issues of concern.

One was, and Mr. Edwards mentioned that, we found that while we were adding dollars to most of the programs in the VA, the Inspector General was kind of held to last year's level. We all felt like--it was a bipartisan agreement--that the Inspector General has so much to offer in terms of oversight, in terms of accountability, by doing audits, that they ought to have additional resources, and so we added $6 million there.

Another concern that was raised at the subcommittee level was the VA had decided that they wanted to reduce the number of claims processors they had in the new GI bill as part of the veterans affairs. You all remember when we passed that updated version of the GI bill and added benefits that are so important to our veterans as they come back, and yet we found out that last year there had been quite a bit of problems just because of the increased demand on those claims processors. We thought it would be a bad idea to reduce the number of folks that were processing those claims when last year this chaos was created--and my office got calls, I know other Members got calls because the tuition payments weren't being made in a timely fashion, the claims weren't being processed; in fact, sometimes the checks were written by hand and delivered without much accountability.

And so while we applaud the VA for saying we want to try to do more with less, we thought right now that would be penny wise and pound foolish. And so we added back those claims processors. We want to make sure that we get everything done on time. Next year, they're actually estimating the increase will be 31 percent. There will be over 2.2 million claims made under those new GI benefits, and we want to make sure that they are paid on time. So we added back those individuals.

And, finally, there was a concern about Arlington National Cemetery. I think a lot of people read about some of the horror stories that went on there. We found out that the management was really a little bit behind in terms of modern day. So the Secretary of the Army, John McHugh, acted very quickly and very forcefully. He set up some guidelines to improve what's going on at Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Young offered some report language to make sure that the members of this subcommittee will have a chance to exercise appropriate oversight.

So those were areas of concern that I think were addressed because of this open process, and those amendments were adopted unanimously on a bipartisan basis.

I would say from the big-picture standpoint, as Mr. Edwards has talked about, I came to Congress primarily because I believed that the number one responsibility of the Federal Government is to protect American lives, and I still believe that today. But what I found when I was assigned to this subcommittee was that we also have a sacred responsibility to make sure that the men and women who wear the uniform are treated with respect, that they have adequate housing, and that they have the quality of life they so richly deserve.

This bill continues the commitment that we've made there. Sometimes when you think about military construction projects, you think about a new hangar or a new dock or a ship or a landing strip or a wharf; but as Mr. Edwards pointed out, housing is so very vital. We've done a great job, and we continue that commitment. Whether it's a barracks or whether it's married housing, we want to have the housing we would want our sons and daughters to live in, and we're making great progress in that area.

I think we all agree we've got the best trained and the most equipped military in the world, and we've worked hard to do that. But we are also beginning to make sure that when people come back that have been under some stress, under unique situations, that they have adequate counseling, that they have those kinds of programs that are so very important; and I think this bill continues that commitment.

And just finally I would say there are a couple of important projects that are funded this year as part of the administration's budget deal with my district in northeast Florida. There is a naval station, Mayport, that the Navy has decided to make that home port for a nuclear carrier; and so last year there was money to begin dredging, to begin wharf upgrades. This year, there is $2 million for planning and design to continue that process. I worked with the chief of naval operations-- in fact, spoke with him just about a month ago--and the Navy is still very committed, because of national security, to make sure that we have the ability to disperse our assets, to make sure we have a backup nuclear maintenance facility, and I thank the subcommittee and the members for their support.

Also in northeast Florida, the Marines have a project called Blount Island, where a great deal of the materiel goes back and forth through that port to the Middle East. There is money to upgrade and make that more of a world-class facility.

So this is a great bill that I think we can all be proud of. And it really is the result of the leadership of Mr. Edwards and his hard work, the leadership of Mr. Wamp and his hard work and, actually, the hard work of every member of this subcommittee. And I think because of that, we have a bill that truly honors our American heroes. It speaks to the people that defend us today, it speaks to those who have returned as veterans, and also to those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. And so for those reasons, Madam Chair, I urge everyone to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself 1 minute.

I would ask Chairman Edwards if he would engage in a brief colloquy.

Mr. Edwards, it is my understanding that the committee authorized a study in March to review various portions of the Veterans Health Administration. As I understand it, the committee has just received the report. Once the report has been analyzed by the committee staff, I believe it would be important, as we move this veterans' appropriations bill forward, that we use the recommendations in the report, if feasible, to provide better oversight and better transparency to the health care spending at the VA.

I yield to the gentleman.

I yield myself 1 additional minute.

Mr. Edwards, please continue.

Madam Chair, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I continue to reserve.

Madam Chair, I continue to reserve my time.

Madam Chair, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I think we have heard today what a well-balanced bill this is, as we said at the beginning. And I think it demonstrates--it's an example of what happens when people come together in an open process, in a fair process, in a bipartisan process. I think this bill demonstrates the work that we can do when we work together. So again, I am honored to be part of this process, to work with the chairman and the ranking member.

I urge everyone to support this bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I would like to claim the time in opposition, although I'm not necessarily opposed to the amendment.

Madam Chair, I just want to also commend the gentleman for offering this amendment. I think so often we have resources that are available like this that sometimes our veterans are not aware of. I think we've made great strides in dealing with this. We have a suicide prevention hotline we're working every day, but I think he makes an excellent point that so often people are not aware of the services they might avail themselves of.

I commend him for this. I would certainly favor this amendment so that we can get the word out to know that we're trying to help folks.

I yield to the gentleman from Rhode Island.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition, although I'm not necessarily opposing this amendment.

I just wanted to say that I think this is a wonderful program. I'm a little bit aware of that because in my home district in Jacksonville, Florida, there's an organization called the Wounded Warriors, and they work in conjunction with this program, and I've had the chance to visit that program to see and meet some of these Wounded Warriors.

The thing that I hear over and over again is they say this is something that gives us our spirit back. We can compete. We can enjoy life. We can be with our families, and I think it is something that is very, very worthwhile and commend the gentleman for bringing it up.

I yield to the gentleman from Texas.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I claim time in opposition, though I am not opposed to the gentlewoman's amendment.

I have a couple of questions.

We have a process for building outpatient clinics. I just wondered: Does this amendment, in any way, try to circumvent the process? Does it direct where the money would be spent in any way?

I yield to the gentlewoman.

Reclaiming my time, the amendment allows the VA to use this funding at any location that it seeks?

Reclaiming my time, I would just point out to the gentlewoman that there is $1.166 billion for construction. That is $15 million above the request.

I can appreciate that the gentlewoman would like to spend even more and that she, apparently, is not trying to circumvent the process, because a lot of people would like to have clinics in their districts, and a lot of people have been waiting in line and have been watching this process work, but if it doesn't seek to spend it at any one location, then that is helpful to me.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Edwards, I appreciate the concerns that have been raised here, and I think, as you point out, this is a very important subject, very worthwhile. And to the question of where the money comes from, those minor construction projects, I think everyone has a concern about that.

But I think if Mr. Bilirakis is willing to work, there is probably a way to find an offset that doesn't impact the minor construction. There are some funds, as you know, that might be available. And I would encourage Mr. Bilirakis, with your commitment, to say let's try to figure out a way to do this, find a way to pay for it, find out what the real costs are. And it says up to four. Maybe there is a way just to begin that process, because we know, based on what Mr. Kennedy had said earlier, it's a very, very important issue.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor U.S. Air Force Major General Douglas Burnett, the Adjunct General of Florida, for 47 years of distinguished service to his country and the state of Florida. Major General Burnett exemplifies the values of a committed military officer.

General Burnett began his career with the Florida National Guard in 1963 as an electronics specialist. For the next six years, he was an aircraft radio repairman with the 125th Fighter Group stationed in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida. It was during this time that he decided he wanted to be a fighter pilot.

Following his graduation from the University of Mississippi and his commissioning as an Air Force officer, Second Lieutenant Burnett became a full-time alert pilot with the 125th, flying the F-102 Delta Dagger. He also flew commercially for Pan American World Airways and United Airlines. He remained an active member of the Guard and over the years

served as pilot, air operations officer, staff director, chief of staff, and commander of the Florida Air National Guard. In 1996, Brigadier General Burnett became the Assistant Adjunct General as well as Commander of the Florida Air National Guard.

On November 3, 2001, for the first time in the history of the Florida National Guard an Air National Guard officer was appointed The Adjunct General of Florida (TAG), overseeing 12,000 soldiers and airmen. As the new leader of all Guardsmen, MG Burnett, who was well versed in blue suit issues, immersed himself in soldier, or green suit, issues including the proper usage of the word hoorah. He studied basic infantry tactics, weaponry and other army equipment. His preparation paid off as he became a wartime TAG. General Burnett set the highest standards for excellence and then led by example to reach and surpass those goals. Using his personality, skill, resourcefulness and the ability to manage and juggle priorities to meet the support needs of the Guard and their families, General Burnett has upheld the highest traditions of the Florida National Guard. He became fluent in two languages--Army and Air Force--and understood that the crew chief on a flight line is as committed as the soldier crawling through the mud. His engaged leadership was the catalyst behind the Florida National Guard being positioned to not only respond to the Global War on Terror but maintain its state duties and react to 14 hurricanes, five firefighting seasons, major tornadoes, and border security missions. More than 11,000 Florida Guardsmen have served in combat zones around the world over the last nine years.

General Burnett worried that his Guardsmen, who were called to active duty, would not be as well equipped as the active duty military units. He worked with the Florida Congressional Delegation and as a result, his troops received both the training and the equipment they needed in battle. This ``hands-on'' General saw another problem--troops were being deployed not for six months but for longer periods of time. His citizen soldiers left jobs and higher paychecks for military compensation. Debts based on the higher pay still came due even when the service member was ``doing his duty.'' Families became frightened. So, General Burnett traveled the state explaining to families why their soldiers were serving and promising to support the families. He worked with the Florida Legislature to ensure that Florida offers the military, including Guardsmen, the best benefits of any state.

Under his watch, General Burnett made readiness the watch word of the Florida National Guard. He realized and stressed that you can't take a reserve force and put them on active duty capable of fulfilling the missions unless they are ready. His readiness mantra has served his soldiers and airmen well. The Florida National Guard has built a reputation that its members are not only ready to serve but capable of fulfilling its missions overseas as well as here in Florida.

This Saturday, June 26, 2010, Major General Douglas Burnett will retire after 47 years, four months and 12 days, setting a record as the longest serving Air Force officer. He will miss the people committed like he was to serving his country and state. Florida will miss his dedicated leadership and commitment to excellence.

And on behalf of the State of Florida and the 4th Congressional District, it is my privilege to recognize the dedication, caring and leadership that makes Major General Douglas Burnett a leader among men and an outstanding Floridian.

Madam Speaker, I would like to bring to my colleagues' attention the installation next month of one of my constituents, Dr. Judith C. Rodriguez, PhD, RD, FADA, a professor at the University of North Florida, as President of the American Dietetic Association for 2010-11.

Founded in 1917, ADA is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition health professionals, and is committed to improving the nation's health and advancing the dietetics profession through research, education and advocacy. Approximately three-fourths of ADA's nearly 70,000 members are registered dietitians. Other members include dietetic technicians registered, educators, researchers and students. Nearly half of the membership holds advanced academic degrees. ADA members serve throughout our nation's health-care system, in nonprofit organizations, schools, correctional facilities, and government and community organizations. They can also be found in the food industry, health clubs, weight management clinics, wellness centers and as consultants.

Dr. Rodriguez has had a rich academic career. Not only is she a professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of North Florida, she has also chaired the department of public health, and served as director of the undergraduate program in dietetics and the master of science in health nutrition and dietetic programs. She was also project coordinator at Florida Community College and taught courses in food, nutrition and health at several colleges and universities around the country.

Dr. Rodriguez is a prolific author with three food and nutrition books to her credit over the last six years. These include the Latino Food Lover's Glossary and The Diet Selector and Contemporary Nutrition for Latinos. She has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Women of Color Cultural Foundation Award, the 2003 Hispanics Achieving Community Excellence Award, and from her peers in the Florida Dietetic Association, the Distinguished Dietitian Award in 2001. She has also held numerous leadership positions within ADA and currently serves as a peer reviewer for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Dr. Rodriguez earned bachelor and master's degrees in nutrition and higher education from New York University, and a doctorate in cultural anthropology from Rutgers University.

I know the House will join me in extending congratulations to Dr. Judith Rodriguez as she assumes the leadership of the American Dietetic Association on June 1. Those of us who have worked with professionals in the nutrition and dietetics community look forward to the expertise she and her colleagues will provide during her year-long term on such issues as obesity, wellness and healthful eating habits.