Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I just returned from a trip to Arizona's border, and I thank the men and women at Customs and Border Protection for allowing me an inside look into their operations.

One the most striking things I saw is the toll that violence has taken on our border communities, and tensions are high. As the cartels become desperate to keep smuggling routes open, our border agents and their vehicles are hit with rocks, shot at, and assaulted on a nightly basis.

I am convinced that our border personnel need more equipment and manpower to prevent the violence and keep Americans safe. There is no silver bullet for fixing our border. A solution will require a comprehensive approach to security. We must put every option on the table, including the use of the National Guard.

Mr. Speaker, for too many years, the southern border has been a gateway for the illegal trafficking of drugs, weapons, money, and people. It is a challenge we, in Arizona, have to live with every day.

On Tuesday, Secretaries Clinton, Gates, and Napolitano led a high- level delegation of defense, law enforcement, and intelligence officials to Mexico City to discuss a new border security plan that builds on the work of the Merida Initiative. This is an important step forward.

I call on them to expand current efforts and to develop a new initiative that takes full advantage of the civilian and military resources of both governments to provide a comprehensive solution that addresses the challenges at the border. We must do whatever it takes to take this fight off our streets and straight to the doorsteps of the cartel leaders.

I'm pleased to have the opportunity to discuss the bill I introduced with Mr. Peters, the Sensible Steps Toward a Balanced Budget Act, legislation that requires that money left over in a Member's Representational Allowance, or MRA, at the end of the fiscal year be deposited in the Treasury and used to reduce the budget deficit or national debt.

As a lifelong resident of greater Arizona, I grew up around hardworking families who knew that, when times get tough, you tighten up your belt and make every dollar count. I brought this sort of thinking with me when I came to Washington last year to represent those same hardworking families. By emphasizing efficiency in my office and focusing on the most critical items, I managed to spend over $100,000 less than what was authorized of my MRA. I was proud to save the taxpayers money and looked forward to seeing that money used to lower the national debt in this year and for years to come.

Every year, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee includes language in its appropriations bill to require that unspent allowances are used toward the national debt. Given these times, it is important that we make this requirement permanent.

The Sensible Steps Toward a Balanced Budget Act would do three important things. First, it would make the requirement to use unspent MRA funds toward the national debt automatic so that congressional action would no longer be necessary for this important provision to be put into place. Second, it would make the requirement permanent so that Congress does not have to pass another provision year after year. Finally, it would put the power of Federal statute behind this requirement rather than depending upon appropriations language.

In these tough times, we must get on a path of finding every opportunity, big and small, to put our fiscal house in order, and I believe that this bill is a concrete first step the Congress can take in that direction.

Thank you again, Chairman Brady, for the opportunity to discuss the Sensible Steps Toward a Balanced Budget, and I urge its passage.

Madam Speaker, on Saturday, three people connected to the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juarez were brutally murdered by drug cartels in front of their young children.

What more must happen to focus our attention on the serious threat along 2,000 miles of our southern border? For the safety of Americans living in border States and traveling or working in Mexico, we must take this danger seriously and crack down on the cartels. U.S. citizens are increasingly at risk of being innocent victims of this brutal violence, but the administration budget would cut resources intended to crack down on cartels and to secure our border.

I call on the White House to provide necessary support for law enforcement, at all levels, to track down these criminals and their networks. This is a fight we cannot lose. It is too close to home. My thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives in these attacks.

Madam Speaker, for too many years the Mexican drug cartels have taken advantage of our unsecured borders, smuggling drugs and people into our country in exchange for the illegal weapons and cash they use to keep their supply routes open.

For too many years, failed policies from the Federal Government allowed these violent gangs to grow and thrive. Politicians in Washington fought each other rather than dealing with the problem. As a result, crime is spilling over into Arizona and throughout the entire Southwest.

While our State, local, and tribal law enforcement do a great job with the resources they have, they cannot do this job alone. Securing our borders is the responsibility of the Federal Government, and the Federal Government has to live up to that responsibility. This government has begun to give this danger the attention it deserves, but there is so much more that has to be done to make up for years of neglect.

I am fighting for the folks in my district who have to live with the consequences of Washington's mistakes, and I am continuing to push for the support that our border agents need. I will not let up. As a part of my efforts, I am happy to announce that I will be touring the Arizona-Mexico border

later this week. I will be visiting with our border agents on duty, accompanying them on the job and hearing directly from them about how I can help to address the challenges they face. I am ready and eager for this opportunity to make sure that the voice of our law enforcement on the front lines is heard and not the voice of politicians playing games in Washington.

Madam Speaker, every day this country is falling deeper in debt. Today we owe more than $12.4 trillion, and by 2016 our debt could be as much as $20 trillion. After more than a decade of mistakes and neglect by both parties, Washington can no longer afford to ignore this issue.

It is time for Congress to get serious about getting Federal spending under control. We should start with our own salaries. Today I am introducing the Taking Responsibility for Congressional Pay Act, which will cut pay for Members of the House and the Senate by 5 percent. This would be the first salary reduction for Members since April 1, 1933, in the heart of the Great Depression.

Restoring fiscal discipline in Washington will require some difficult decisions, and every agency has to do their part. Congress needs to lead by example to get the job done by taking action, and not just by making speeches. With this change we are fighting to change the culture in Washington and beginning to make the tough choices it takes to cut waste and find savings. It will be an important step toward bringing back real fiscal responsibility.

We are facing historic challenges. It will take historic action to address them. I urge my colleagues to join me in acknowledging the problem and taking responsibility for fixing it.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate and recognize the Prescott Fire Department in Prescott, Arizona. On March 6th, the City of Prescott will celebrate the 125th Anniversary of their Fire Department's founding. Over the past 125 years, the brave men and women to be honored next Saturday fought some of the most tenacious fires in one of the toughest fire districts in our Nation. Growing up in Arizona, I heard stories about the Prescott Fire Department fighting the fire that destroyed one block of historic ``Whiskey Row'' in the summer of 1900 and I remember the Indian Fire--a wildfire that nearly burned through town in the Spring of 2002. Events like these, gave me a deep respect for firefighters, especially those in Prescott. Since 1885 the citizens of Prescott have benefitted from the expert services provided by Arizona's oldest fire department and I look forward to joining the Prescott Fire Department for many future celebrations.

Mr. Speaker, this week Arizonans are celebrating our latest success in the fight to preserve our second amendment rights.

Yesterday, a new law took effect allowing law-abiding citizens to bring guns into national parks and wildlife refuges. I was proud to join members from both parties to pass this law which ensures we can now move freely throughout State and Federal land with our firearms.

Greater Arizona is home to the most beautiful sites in the country, including thousands of miles of parkland. National parks are not just places we visit on vacation. We live and work in and around them. It was unacceptable to leave our rights behind each time we left home.

Now folks can become confident that their freedoms are protected wherever they travel in Arizona. I look forward to working with my colleagues to continue fighting to protect our constitutional right to bear and keep arms with measures like this.

Madam Speaker, as we face the challenges of a stalled economy and a record debt, it is critically important that we find ways to create jobs without spending millions of dollars. I rise today in support of large scale job creating projects in greater Arizona that would require Federal action, not Federal money: the Copper Basin Jobs Project and the Four Forests Restoration Initiative.

The Copper Basin Jobs Project will create more than 1,000 well- paying, 21st century jobs in District 1, jump-starting our recovery and diversifying our economy. The Four Forests Restoration Initiative would create more than 600 jobs across greater Arizona, revitalizing key industries while preserving our environment and protecting our communities from wildfires.

These projects will produce new opportunities for our families, and serve as economic engines for my district and the entire State. They will attract new businesses and investment, creating jobs, not handouts. That is why they have both earned support from across the region, across the State, and across party lines.

Last week I had the opportunity to share the value of these projects with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. We traveled across greater Arizona to meet with stakeholders on each project and visit with folks in the communities that will benefit from these projects. It was a real milestone for our efforts. Arizonans were able to make their voices heard on the projects and let the Secretary know about the positive impact they could have on our economy.

Along with the communities, I would like to thank the Secretary for his time. I hope his trip helped him gain a better understanding of these projects and what they can do for Arizona. Efforts like these will help in the downturn and get folks back to work. Creating jobs has to be our top priority. And these projects are my top priority.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express outrage, outrage at the information that has recently come to light about the AIG bailout. Though it may not be clear yet who should be held accountable, one thing is clear: The American people will not tolerate the use of taxpayer dollars for use in backdoor bailouts where the details are treated as classified, using methods typically reserved for matters of national security.

Though some financial matters may require protection as a matter of national security, it does not appear that the AIG bailout rises to that standard. At a time when our Nation is actively engaged in wars on two fronts, and terrorists and traffickers are always looking for means to breach our defenses, such treatment should be reserved for documents pertaining to actual security threats.

I opposed the Troubled Asset Relief Program from the very beginning because it focused too much on Wall Street and its executives and not enough on the problems that face working Arizona families. It does too little to hold accountable the banks and corporations that have benefited from billions in taxpayer dollars. The House Oversight Committee and the GAO are now investigating the entire AIG bailout. They should complete their work as quickly as possible so the results can be released to the American taxpayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1065, the White Mountain Apache Water Rights Quantification Act.

Water is a precious resource to all of us in the Southwest. In my district, farmers have to fight to keep their crops growing, firefighters are constantly challenged by raging wildfires, and local officials consider the drinking water supply in every discussion of the community's future. We know we need to make each drop count. That is why I am proud to have worked with the White Mountain Apache and other stakeholders to introduce this bill.

The White Mountain Apache Water Rights Quantification Act finalizes a settling agreement that will end a long-running water rights dispute in greater Arizona and provides a path toward a reliable long-term water supply for the White Mountain Apache tribe and areas across the State.

The agreement under consideration continues a long history of settlements of Indian water rights disputes in our State. We have found time and again that these settlements, as opposed to litigation, help the tribes and their neighbors achieve real certainty in their water supply. They are able to better plan for the years to come. The negotiating process also builds working relationships between the parties involved, allowing them to cooperate and more effectively manage their watersheds for the future. With this legislation, folks here will finally begin to see these benefits.

Along with approving the agreement, this bill authorizes construction of the Miner Flat dam and pipeline, which will provide a 100-year municipal drinking water supply to towns on the White Mountain Apache tribal lands. That is critically important because our need for drinking water is both immediate and serious. People in the area are being threatened with water shortages even now, in the winter of what was a great water year in the rest of the State.

Nearly 15,000 tribal members will be served by the project, and it cannot come a moment too soon for them. Furthermore, it lets us move forward with a number of projects that are crucial economic drivers for the region: fish hatcheries, irrigation projects, and infrastructure improvements to a local ski park. We will be able to create jobs and get folks back to work.

I was born and raised on White Mountain Apache tribal lands, and my hometown is one of those that would gain from this project. I have seen firsthand the challenges that these communities face, and I am confident that this legislation will make a real difference in addressing them.

At this point, I would like to address the cost issue that has been raised by my esteemed colleague from Washington. When I was a kid, we had to boil our water, and if we didn't, we got sick. We got real sick. That was over 50 years ago. We didn't have the convenience of purified water that comes delivered in big jugs that I've seen in most congressional offices here in Washington. That situation, where folks living in the United States today do not have access to running water that they can drink, is not acceptable.

My confidence that this legislation will make a real difference in addressing those critical needs is shared by many in Arizona where the bill has earned widespread support. Every single member of our State's delegation in

the House is cosponsoring H.R. 1065, and I want to point out that that includes my esteemed colleague Congressman Jeff Flake, who I think is the watchdog of the House on spending in Congress.

I have worked closely with Senator Kyl to move forward on this critical project in both Chambers. Folks on both sides of the aisle recognize the importance of securing our water supply. They also recognize the effort and care it has taken to get to this point. The settlement has taken 21 different stakeholder groups years of negotiation and compromise to reach. It is carefully crafted to best fit the needs and demands of all those involved. It is time for folks in my district to get the infrastructure and water supply they have been working toward for so long.

I urge my colleagues to pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, our national debt is setting new records each week, and Washington cannot ignore it any longer. Unless we take action, the debt could bring our recovery to a standstill, and raise interest rates for our families. Allowing excessive spending to continue is not an option.

In 2010, we must draw the line and put fiscal discipline at the top of our agenda. This Congress should develop and execute a plan to start paying down the debt and ensure sustainable spending levels for the long term. We can and should continue smart investments that create jobs, develop our critical infrastructure, and help new industries grow.

But at the same time, we have to start cutting waste and demanding efficiency. Government programs should be actively searching for ways to do more with less. And if they won't, Congress has to step up and do it for them.

Madam Speaker, 2010 may be a new year, but our top priorities remain the same: jobs, jobs, and jobs. We must stay focused on job creation to end this economic downturn.

With our national debt well over $12 trillion, we cannot just rely on more spending to achieve our goals. Washington has to find the right balance between investing in our future and doing more with less.

This year, I will continue to push for projects that require common sense, not millions of dollars; projects that help communities attract new industries that will create jobs, get folks back to work, and put the economy back on track. I will also work to remove barriers to success for small businesses and curb excessive regulations that can slow growth.

These low-cost job creation efforts will spur economic recovery without further increasing the debt. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting them.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I released a report outlining how the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has benefited greater Arizona and identifying where improvements can be made. I surveyed

communities receiving recovery funds across my district to bring more transparency and oversight into the process.

I found significant progress has been made in bringing jobs to greater Arizona with 1,098 jobs created or saved in District One. Support to our State also prevented deep cuts in Arizona's education and public safety funding.

However, delays were reported on more than 40 percent of projects, despite the hard work of local officials. Our rural communities are finding the bureaucracy to be an obstacle.

I will continue working with local officials and Federal agencies to allow greater Arizona to take full advantage of the Recovery Act so they can create more jobs and get folks back to work.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of Central Arizona College's women's cross-country team.

On November 14, the Vaqueras earned their second National Junior College Athletic Association Championship in 5 years. The squad had four runners in the top 12 at the Championship meet, with last year's national title winner, Rose Tanui, placing second. The team has shown an unwavering commitment to excellence. They have been practicing six mornings a week starting at 5:59 a.m. since the start of the school year, and now all their hard work and lost sleep has paid off. Winning the title was a perfect sendoff for Coach Mike Gray, the NJCAA coach of the year who is retiring after leading the Vaqueras for over a decade.

I would like to congratulate Coach Gray and the entire team on this amazing end to their tremendous season.