Floor Statements

Madam Chairman, I rise to engage Chairman Price of the Homeland Security Subcommittee in a colloquy.

Madam Chairman, Mr. Chairman, over the past several years we in the Southwest have witnessed a dramatic rise in illegal activity along our border. The new leadership at the Department of Homeland Security is committed to cracking down on this problem, and Federal law enforcement on the ground is doing an excellent job of putting the new plan into action.

One organization with a pivotal role in our border efforts is Customs and Border Protection, CBP, Air and Marine, which provides critical air support to CBP officers and Border Patrol agents. This air support is an unrivaled resource in our fight to keep our borders safe.

Unfortunately, I have repeatedly heard frustration from agents in my district that air resources are in short supply and are often not available to agents on the ground.

Mr. Chairman, it is important that we work to resolve this issue, whether by better management of existing resources or by increasing those resources. Therefore, as this bill heads toward conference, I ask your support in making sure these important questions are addressed and answered.

Reclaiming my time, I wish to thank the distinguished chairman and his staff for working with me on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2967, a bill I introduced to save 324 jobs in my district and save American taxpayers billions of dollars.

Kraft paper companies have abused a loophole in the alternative fuels mixture tax credit to claim billions of dollars of subsidies with no benefit to the taxpayer. Their gimmicks have not encouraged alternative fuel use, and they

are actually costing us jobs in recycled paper mills which should be growing our economy.

These mills, like the Catalyst paper mill in Snowflake, Arizona, cannot compete against rivals who claim Federal subsidies. Catalyst has been forced to let go more than a quarter of its workers, and is at risk of shutting down entirely.

This Congress has a duty to restore fiscal responsibility and help keep folks at work. This bill will help save jobs and eliminate waste. I urge my colleagues to give it their support.

Mr. Speaker, I'm glad to report to the House about another blow made against the drug cartels who smuggle narcotics into the United States from Mexico.

Recently, two women from Michigan were arrested for driving a van filled with $1 million dollars worth of marijuana down I-40 near Holbrook in my district. The Major Crimes Apprehension Team K-9 Unit pulled over the van for a traffic violation and discovered two occupants from Michigan carrying $1 million worth of marijuana.

This case further demonstrates the important role that local law enforcement in Arizona and throughout the Southwest are playing in combating a national problem.

I commend Navajo County Sheriff K.C. Clark and his department for yet another successful operation.

Mr. Chairman, before coming to Congress, I was a prosecutor in Coconino County, home to five Native American tribes. Many people do not realize that for many classes of serious crimes committed on tribal land, prosecution can only be initiated by the Federal Government.

Today, I represent 11 federally recognized tribes in my congressional district. I hear frequently from these communities who have seen major crimes going unprosecuted because the Federal Government is not providing enough help. This is why I have advocated for more Federal support for tribal law enforcement. These areas have always been vastly underserved by the government, and it is time we begin closing the gap.

Therefore, I am very happy to see that this bill directs $6 million to hire new assistant U.S. Attorneys who will be devoted to handling cases coming from tribal areas. This should provide dozens more prosecutors and will result in a huge increase in prosecuting major crimes in Native American communities all across the country.

Increasing the number of prosecutions will also reduce the level of narcotics flowing through many Southwestern tribal lands, providing an important step in closing a jurisdictional loophole that cartels have been using to their advantage.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the great town of Williams, Arizona. Widely known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon, Williams celebrated the 128th anniversary of its founding on Sunday, June 14th.

Named for William ``Old Bill'' Williams, the town has grown from a rough-and-rowdy frontier outpost to a thriving 21st-century community, already listed on the National Register of Historic Places and striving to make even more history.

In the words of Williams Main Street Association Manager Jean-Ellen Kegler, ``I get to witness the daily, continuous 'founding' of our town. Every day I observe so many people choosing to put their small concerns aside in favor of a better quality of life for the greater community.''

I congratulate Williams, Arizona on its 128 years of prosperity, and on behalf of this Congress wish the town 128 more.

Madam Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Dr. Robert L. Millis who is retiring as director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. During his tenure, Dr. Millis oversaw the Lowell Observatory--one of only a handful of private, independent research observatories in the United States--quadruple its staff, increase visitation tenfold, and construct major new facilities including the Steele Visitor Center, the McAllister Public Observatory, the John M. Wolff instrument facility, and, most recently, the 4.2- meter Discovery Channel Telescope now under construction in Northern Arizona.

As a researcher at Lowell, Dr. Millis concentrated on smaller bodies of the Solar System: asteroids, comets, planetary satellites, Pluto, and objects orbiting on the edges of our Solar System. Dr. Millis was a member of several two-person teams that discovered the rings of Uranus, noted periodic variation in the activity of Comet Halley, and proved the existence of an extended atmosphere on Pluto. He also led a multi- institutional team--the Deep Ecliptic Survey--in an eight-year endeavor to explore the region of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune. That venture resulted in

the discovery of approximately half the currently known objects in the area known as the Kuiper Belt.

Dr. Millis will remain an active pillar of the Flagstaff community. He will work with Flagstaff-area business leaders committed to improving the greater Flagstaff area and the State of Arizona by bringing together talent and resources to provide leadership on economic and quality of life issues in the region. I wish Dr. Millis the best of luck and look forward to seeing the greater Flagstaff community benefit from the energy and leadership that Dr. Millis provided to the Lowell Observatory for the past 40 years.

Madam Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to Dr. Robert L. Millis who is retiring as director of the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona. During his tenure, Dr. Millis oversaw the Lowell Observatory--one of only a handful of private, independent research observatories in the United States--quadruple its staff, increase visitation tenfold, and construct major new facilities including the Steele Visitor Center, the McAllister Public Observatory, the John M. Wolff instrument facility, and, most recently, the 4.2- meter Discovery Channel Telescope now under construction in Northern Arizona.

As a researcher at Lowell, Dr. Millis concentrated on smaller bodies of the Solar System: asteroids, comets, planetary satellites, Pluto, and objects orbiting on the edges of our Solar System. Dr. Millis was a member of several two-person teams that discovered the rings of Uranus, noted periodic variation in the activity of Comet Halley, and proved the existence of an extended atmosphere on Pluto. He also led a multi- institutional team--the Deep Ecliptic Survey--in an eight-year endeavor to explore the region of the Solar System beyond the orbit of Neptune. That venture resulted in the discovery of approximately half the currently known objects in the area known as the Kuiper Belt.

Dr. Millis will remain an active pillar of the Flagstaff community. He will work with Flagstaff-area business leaders committed to improving the greater Flagstaff area and the State of Arizona by bringing together talent and resources to provide leadership on economic and quality of life issues in the region. I wish Dr. Millis the best of luck and look forward to seeing the greater Flagstaff community benefit from the energy and leadership that Dr. Millis provided to the Lowell Observatory for the past 40 years.

I have an amendment at the desk and ask for its consideration.

Madam Chair, over the past 1\1/2\ years, we have witnessed record levels of violence along the southwest border. Since the beginning of 2008, over 7,500 people have died as drug cartels have fought over trafficking routes between Mexico and the United States.

As the fighting has continued in Mexico, those of us who live in border States have seen our communities threatened. Many communities in my home State of Arizona have seen gang violence on the rise, and the State now leads the Nation in both kidnapping and identity theft, an increase that is directly linked to illegal activity along the border.

Our local law enforcement is doing a great job combating crime, but they cannot take on the cartels alone. They need the Federal Government to do its job.

The criminal organizations that smuggle people and drugs into the United States bringing this high level of crime into our homes are fueled by the southbound flow of illegal arms and cash. Arms illegally carried to Mexico are the weapons of choice for cartels, while it is money streaming in from the United States that funds their massive armies.

This bill calls on the President to report to Congress on the activities of the Merida Initiative. Among the matters covered by this report is the assessment of United States efforts to prevent the southbound flow of illegal arms. However, it does not currently include any assessment of our efforts to prevent the movement of cash. The illegal movement of people, drugs, weapons, and money are entirely linked together, and it is impossible to address one of those issues without tackling the rest.

Therefore, I offer this amendment to include an assessment of United States efforts to stem the stream of cash heading south into Mexico. The cartels are continually finding new and innovative ways to transport funds, and our government needs to be at least as creative if these organizations are going to be stopped.

Madam Chairwoman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairwoman, I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their help with this amendment.

I ask my colleagues to support this amendment, which addresses a key part of the fight against drug trafficking organizations.

Madam Chairwoman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of a bill I have introduced to help our brave firefighters continue to protect us in these tough times. The SAFER Grant Program helps our fire departments hire the staff they need by funding some of the salaries of new firefighters.

In a district like mine, where we are fighting five wildfires as we speak, this program is crucial to ensuring our firefighters are well- staffed. With tight budgets, the cost-sharing requirement in SAFER has become too tough for our fire departments to meet. Congress waived that requirement in the Recovery Act, but did not include grants from fiscal year 2008, which are still being distributed.

My bill would extend the cost-sharing waiver to fiscal year 2008, allowing our fire departments the flexibility they need to keep us safe, especially during our fire season.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to speak in support of this rule and in support of the underlying bill, which has been the product of lengthy, bipartisan negotiations. It contains contributions from stakeholders throughout the private sector and government.

Before I continue, I want to take a moment to recognize the hard work and dedication of the TSA leadership and of their employees who work day in and day out to help keep our country safe. Thank you.

This bill is important because it allows us to take a look at TSA and to

address any problems that have arisen over the past 8 years. One of the concerns this bill addresses is the matter of whole-body imaging, or

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the lives of two American heroes. In May, we lost two of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, John Brown, Jr., of Crystal, New Mexico, and Thomas Claw of Chinle, Arizona.

Navajo Code Talkers saved the lives of countless Americans in World War II and Korea by using DINE to communicate without risk of interception.

Mr. Brown was among those who developed the original code. At the 2001 ceremony, where the original 29 Code Talkers received Congressional Gold Medals, he said, ``As Code Talkers, as Marines, we did our part to protect freedom and democracy. It is my hope that our young people will carry on this honorable tradition as long as the grass shall grow and the rivers flow.''

I hope for just as long, we remember to honor the memory of Mr. Brown, Mr. Claw and all those DINE who served our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my support for H.J. Res. 40, the Native American Heritage Day Act of 2009. Though I was unable to vote for this measure, I would like the record to reflect that I wholeheartedly support the establishment of a Native American Heritage Day whereby all Americans can pause to remember the numerous contributions Native Americans have made to our country.

Their commitment to family, to community and our country is noteworthy and substantial. They have played important roles in our society as artists, teachers, leaders, statesmen and stateswomen, soldiers and public servants. As Native American communities across Arizona and the country seek to empower and improve their community through self-governance and strengthen the bond of the government-to- government relationship between the United States and Native American governments, we should welcome the opportunity to reflect on their past and continued contributions to the United States' society and culture.

It is an honor to have 11 tribal communities in the First Congressional District of Arizona. My commitment to serving their communities and improving their lives by working together is a natural extension of my earliest memories living and growing up on White Mountain Apache tribal lands.

Establishing Native American Heritage Day is an important step to help celebrate and preserve the cultures of Native America, and I congratulate Rep. Baca and this House for their support and recognition of Native America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 377, which observes this Saturday's Armed Forces Day and celebrates the courageous service of our men and women in uniform.

Our fighting men and women in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard, whether on active duty, reserve, or serving in the National Guard, have been protecting our Nation bravely and honorably since before we were even a Nation. They continue to do so today. I have just recently returned from the combat zone in Afghanistan, where I had the chance to visit with our troops on the frontlines of the struggle against global terrorism. I was impressed and moved by their commitment as they continue to sacrifice so much to keep us safe and free.

This year, we celebrate Armed Forces Day on May 16. I encourage all Americans to take time out of this day to thank those who have risked and too often given their lives to preserve freedom and democracy. But one day is not nearly enough to recognize all that the members of our Armed Forces have done for this country. Every day should be an Armed Forces Day, a Memorial Day and a Veterans' Day. We have done great work in this Congress to better keep our promises to our service members and our Veterans, but we still have much more to do to make sure they receive the treatment and respect they have earned.

In the coming weeks, I will be working to increase access to quality physical and mental health care and to great educational opportunities for our Veterans. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution, but I also urge them to join in my efforts to try to pay the eternal debt of gratitude we owe to our fighting men and women.

Mr. Chair, I want to thank Chairman Miller for adopting my amendment in his Manager's amendment to the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act. My proposal will double the funding available to improve tribal and outlying school infrastructure.

With this bill, we recognize that our children need a modern, well- maintained learning environment to get the education it takes to compete in the global economy. We have allowed far too many of the schools that serve our Native American communities to fall short of that standard, and this is a great opportunity to get them on the right track.

My mother was a schoolteacher on tribal lands in eastern Arizona and my district is home to 11 tribes, so I have seen firsthand the challenges Indian Country's schools face. Less than half of Native American students graduate high school, and less than 14 percent get the college degree that is becoming more and more important to getting jobs in the

21st century. One in four Native Americans live in poverty, and our failure to provide educational resources they need is a major reason why.

We have been doing less and less for tribal education in recent years, letting funding for repairs and modernization decrease dramatically. As a result, there is a huge backlog of tribal schools and facilities that require major repairs or complete replacement. As long as we continue to allow funding levels for tribal school construction to fall, that number will keep growing.

It's time for us to do more, and this amendment is a great step in the right direction. By doubling the funding available for improving tribal school facilities, we will be putting our resources where they are needed most and can do the most good. This funding will go a long way towards addressing basic needs in my district and at schools across the Nation, helping ensure that kids living on tribal lands have the same opportunities as every other child in the country. I urge my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 14, which recognizes the critical contributions that the Border Patrol and the Justice Department are making in the fight against human smuggling. Human smuggling is a serious threat to greater Arizona where country roads are targeted by cartels and smugglers. Smuggling cannot be separated from the trafficking of drugs, guns, and money across our borders.

The people controlling the human smuggling trade are the same gangs and drug cartels who are spreading violence throughout northern Mexico and are now openly threatening our law enforcement. The increased efforts to target human smugglers by Border Patrol and the Justice Department are an important part of the plan to address violence along our border, and they should be praised for this crackdown. The department, along with the entire Federal Government, needs to commit to a sustained, comprehensive effort to secure our borders and keep our communities safe. And this is one valuable step in the right direction.