Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, the holiday season should be a joyous time for all as we celebrate with our loved ones and count our blessings.

Unfortunately, many families have been hit hard by the downturn and are feeling the pinch during this special time. Far too many people in my district are out of work and even more are making due with less. It will be a challenge for them to make sure their children have a memorable holiday. I am confident they will make do and remind their families what's really important: faith, family, and health.

But this should remind us how important it is for Congress to help create jobs. Partisan bickering cannot stand in the way of creating jobs and helping these families.

There is much we can do to create new opportunities in Arizona and across the country, and we can't just wish for things to get better. We must actively work to make things better, and that must be our top priority.

Thank you for the opportunity to consider my legislation, the Native American Business Development Enhancement Act. The resources in this bill will greatly assist tribal communities develop their economic potential.

I was born and grew up in the White Mountain Apache communities where my father ran a small business. I have seen our Native communities make due with less even when times are good. And in these tough economic times, we can do more to help build communities and bolster local economies on tribal lands.

Like most entrepreneurs, Native small business owners require help with planning, capitalizing, and turning their businesses into thriving businesses. This bill will strengthen economies and create new jobs by expanding the assistance available to Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian small business entrepreneurs under the Small Business Act.

By providing essential training and assistance and helping to capitalize small businesses in Indian Country, Native communities will benefit as their businesses prosper, opportunities for economic development multiply, and new jobs are created. This legislation was included in a House-passed package of policies to encourage entrepreneurship.

Thank you to Chairwoman Velazquez and to Ranking Member Luetkemeyer for working with me on this important issue. I am very pleased this legislation is moving forward, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Chairman, this spring my office was approached by two fire chiefs with the same problem. Chief Casson of the Cottonwood Fire Department and Chief Moore of the Clarkdale Fire Department both explained that for their small departments, SAFER grants can make all the difference in whether they have the number of firefighters on staff required to keep their communities safe.

With the economic downturn, SAFER has become more important than ever, but falling tax revenues make meeting the matching requirement difficult. This has happened to small fire departments across the Nation. Many have even returned the grants they were awarded.

This is why I introduced H.R. 2759, which would waive the cost- sharing requirement for the most recent grant cycle, helping departments hire the staff they need during this tough time. While my legislation is not specifically contained within this act, I am glad that this bill significantly improves the SAFER program to help departments with these conditions.

This act reduces the overall cost-share requirement for departments and, more importantly, allows the director to waive this requirement in the case of economic hardship. Therefore, in the future, the departments with the greatest need should be able to take advantage of this program.

Mr. Chairman, will you work with me to ensure that the SAFER works as intended, helps the departments most in need, and addresses the concerns of small, rural fire departments?

I yield to the chairman.

Mr. Speaker, on November 5, Embry Riddle University held their annual symposium dedicated to issues in homeland security on its Prescott, Arizona, campus. Unfortunately, the House held votes that day and I could not attend, but I heard that it was a fantastic event.

This year's theme was ``Challenges for Homeland Security in the 21st Century,'' and panelists came from the FBI, the CIA, and TSA, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, and from the world of academia, among other places. Topics covered a wide range of issues, such as cybersecurity, public-private partnerships, and coordination between Federal, State, and local law enforcement.

I congratulate the faculty and administration of the Embry Riddle Prescott campus for putting together the event and working to develop a new generation of homeland security professionals.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to mourn the loss of Willard V. Oliver, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers. The Code Talkers saved the lives of countless Americans in World War II and the Korean War by using Dine to communicate sensitive military intelligence without risk of interception by the enemy. Mr. Oliver spent more than 2 years fighting his way across the South Pacific as one of those esteemed marines.

Willard Oliver passed away on October 14th after a life marked by heroic service to his people and to his country.

In speaking of his service, Mr. Oliver said, ``I am proud to be a Code Talker, and I know we counted for something great.''

Today, I am proud to honor him and all Navajo Code Talkers for their bravery and sacrifice on behalf of this country. His and their contributions to our great Nation must never be forgotten.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I offer this amendment today because, while I speak about securing our borders to stop the illegal crossings of drugs, weapons, and people, it is important to remember that our physical border is just one line of defense.

Our fight against the drug cartels--which operate the smuggling routes--actually begins in the jungles of South America. Much of the cocaine that enters the United States today originates in South America before working its way north. For years, the United States, Colombian, and Mexican governments have increasingly cracked down on the major smuggling routes.

As these paths have been squeezed, the cartels have found new and innovative ways to move their product. Recently, the traffickers have begun resorting to semi-submersibles, which are submarine-like boats that skim just below the surface of the water.

To further avoid detection, these boats incorporate advanced technology, including a design that reduces their ability to be detected by radar and utilizing water-cooled exhaust mufflers to reduce their heat signal. They can travel up to 3,000 miles without stopping for refueling, allowing crews to move cocaine from secret shipyards along the Colombian coast to safe harbors in Mexico where they join the land trafficking routes that take the drugs across the land border and into the United States.

With these advances, semi-submersibles are extremely difficult for authorities to track or even locate once they take to sea.

With an estimated 70 boats being deployed this year alone with the sustaining cargo capabilities of up to 10 tons, it is not surprising that over one-third of the cocaine reaching the United States is shipped this way. Even worse, these boats can just as easily be used to smuggle weapons or potential terrorists into the country.

Although the Coast Guard does an excellent job with the resources available to stop these vessels, the fact remains that it is a tough task, and only a small percentage of semi-submersibles are captured.

My amendment calls on the Coast Guard to establish a comprehensive strategy to combat the illegal flow of narcotics, weapons, bulk cash, and other contraband through the use of semi-submersible and submersible vessels.

Yes, I'll yield.

Thank you.

As part of this plan, the Coast Guard will address what additional resources they need to get the job done so we can make sure they get the help they need. Our fight against the cartels is constantly evolving, and we must continue to support those on the front line in adapting new strategies.

Therefore, I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Yes, I'll yield.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Resolution 1327, the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act of 2009.

This commonsense bill would empower State and local governments and educational institutions to divest from those foreign companies supporting Iran's energy sector if they so choose. I support the efforts of our diplomats both to engage Iran and to work with Iran's key trading partners to impose meaningful, multilateral sanctions.

However, if Iran still refuses to take meaningful steps towards transparency in halting its nuclear ambitions and if China and Russia refuse to go along with multilateral sanctions, then I believe it is critical that the President be prepared to act, including imposing crippling sanctions.

This bill will provide the President with the authority he needs.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud to have been an early co- sponsor of the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act--a landmark piece of legislation which would require Congress to approve the Department of Veterans Affairs health care budget one year in advance.

Imagine being the sole breadwinner in your house and not knowing your annual salary until well after that year started. As you are forced each year to guess, you might alternate between underspending and overspending, between scrimping and splurging.

Now imagine that rather than the head of a small family, you were the VA.

The VA--despite its size and its undeniably important mission to fulfill our Nation's most sacred promise--has received its appropriation after the start of the fiscal year in 18 out of the last 21 years, including, now, this fiscal year.

The VA employs well over 250,000 staff nationwide, with more than 222,000 of those employees directly supporting the VA's health care system serving 5.6 million unique patients. Last year, the Veterans Health Administration spent approximately $43.5 billion on medical care and research. These numbers make the VA the second largest agency in the federal government after the Department of Defense, and make the VHA both the Nation's largest health care delivery system as well as its largest provider of health care education and training.

The late appropriations and insufficient budgets have meant restricted access for many Veterans. When funding is short, late, or unpredictable, it is our Veterans who pay the price.

Veterans in Greater Arizona are keenly aware that we need more medical facilities and the claims backlog is keeping many Veterans from the benefits they have earned. But once inside the VHA, there is no denying that the quality of service is very good. Numerous third party sources, including both the New England Journal of Medicine and Annals of Medicine, have concluded that the quality of care in the VA health care system is among the best available publicly or privately in the Nation.

However, its sheer size has amplified the problems stemming from late appropriations, which lead to rationed care, waiting lists and Veterans being turned away from service.

As Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans return and Veterans from prior conflicts continue to age, the number of those who need care will only increase, and the situation will become more critical.

It is heartening, then, that those who support the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act are also increasing in number. General Eric Shinseki, voiced his support for advance appropriations shortly after becoming the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents many of the federal employees who work for the VA, also supports the bill, as does the Partnership for Veterans Health Care Budget Reform--a coalition of eleven Veterans service organizations representing millions of Veterans, servicemembers, spouses and survivors.

In my short time on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, we have made great strides toward a budget that lives up to the sacrifices of our Veterans. We voted to increase the budget for the VA by $5.6 billion--an increase of 11.7% for Veterans health care and other programs. We ensured that Veterans are given their fair share of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, providing $1.4 billion for maintenance at VA medical facilities, construction of Veterans' extended care facilities, and Veteran cemetery repairs, as well as providing one-time payments of $250 to disabled veterans.

However, we still struggle to provide sufficient, timely, and predictable funding for our Veterans. When the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act arrives at the floor of the House, I would urge all Members of the Arizona delegation and from all across the Nation to support it to ensure Veterans can get the care they have earned.

Mr. Speaker, I first want to welcome two people from my district who are in the House gallery today, Ken and Teresa Lamont from Cottonwood, Arizona.

Welcome to the House.

The time is now to develop a plan for the United States to return to balanced budgets and pay down our national debt.

Yes, these are difficult decisions to make. However, the folks in my district and across the country are tightening their belts and doing more with less. It is time for Congress to work with the Federal Reserve and the Treasury to develop plans to do the same before it is too late.

We must take this work seriously and remain committed. Our country, our security, and our future depend on it.

I ask that my colleagues from both sides of the aisle join me in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, on August 28, Chief Tim McElwee of the Prescott Fire Department was named the 2009 Safety Officer of the Year by the International Association of Fire Chiefs. A 30-year PFD veteran, Chief McElwee heads his agency's training division. He literally wrote the book on safety and training requirements for the department.

Chief McElwee's accomplishments also extend beyond the Prescott Fire Department. He sits on the Arizona Wildfire Academy Board of Directors, helps oversee disaster response for his region, and has managed an organization that provides training to fire departments throughout the area.

Chief McElwee will be retiring in May 2010, but his many contributions to the Prescott Fire Department and to Arizona will help keep our communities safe for years to come.

I congratulate Chief McElwee for this much-deserved honor.

Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest threats to our national security is the vulnerability of our Nation's technology infrastructure.

In this age where everything is becoming wired, computers oversee our bank accounts, military system, electric grid, communication systems, dams and power plants, air traffic control systems, and countless other vital parts of our society. These systems are attacked every single day. The fact is one of these systems is likely being attacked right now.

The President has said that securing our Nation's networks is a priority for his administration. However, I am concerned that, while Congress was away in August, two of our government's top cybersecurity officials resigned, and we still have no cybersecurity coordinator within the White House.

We must regain focus, fill these vacant high-level positions and implement a plan to secure our networks before an attack does irreparable harm to our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Amy McBroom of Grand Canyon, Arizona, who has been named the 2009 Rural Teacher of the Year by the National Rural Education Association.

As the only art teacher at the Grand Canyon Unified School District, Amy teaches students from kindergarten to twelfth grade. She founded a juried art show for students and led efforts to bring new international baccalaureate programs to our schools.

Like so many of our teachers, Amy's work educating our kids does not stop when the school year ends. She spends her summers helping Native American children experience different cultures, and she has led field trips to Europe and Washington, D.C.

A quality education is more important than ever to succeeding in today's global economy, and getting a quality education takes great teachers like Amy McBroom. Northern Arizona is lucky to have her.

Congratulations to Amy for this recognition for her work.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of House Joint Resolution 47. This is the House joint resolution for the constitutional amendment to ban the burning of the American flag.

For 232 years, the Stars and Stripes have been a unique symbol of freedom and democracy across the world. It is the embodiment of all we are and of all we stand for as a Nation. Millions of our young men and women, including my father and uncles, bravely and selflessly defended their country under that flag. Every day, our servicemembers risk their lives in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the globe to protect the ideals it represents.

To burn or to desecrate our flag, even in political protest, is an affront to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and to the many others who have served.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution. I urge all of my colleagues, regardless of party, to join me.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act. This commonsense measure will help bring fiscal responsibility back to Washington. With the national debt at almost $11.6 trillion, Congress needs to start showing some discipline.

I launched my ``Do More With Less'' campaign to cut inefficient spending and reduce the debt. I have been proud to support billions of cuts in the fiscal year 2010 appropriations bills. And I have called on the Treasury Secretary to use returned bailout funds to pay back what we owe.

I am also pleased to be an original cosponsor of the PAYGO bill. By requiring that Congress offset spending dollar-for-dollar, this legislation will ensure that Washington makes the tough choices it takes to get our country back on track.

PAYGO helped produce the budget surpluses of the late 1990s, and it will help us restore the balance now.

I urge my colleagues to stand with me and support passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, wherever I go in my district, I hear the same thing. Folks feel like greater Arizona's values are not being represented in Washington.

In this historic and challenging time, it is more important than ever for someone to stand up for what is important to us. I am determined to give voice to our values.

Today, I am launching my ``Defending Arizona Values'' campaign to continue my fight for the ideals I was raised with in rural Arizona. I will take on big government to make it more accountable and responsive to our needs, instead of just offering handouts and weighing us down with bureaucracy. I will also work to preserve our tradition of self- reliance.

As part of this effort, I am proud to announce that I have signed on as a cosponsor to the Federal Reserve Transparency Act. We need more oversight and accountability in our government, and auditing the Fed is a valuable step in the right direction.