Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, COL Richard J. Mason, Jr. demonstrated exceptional meritorious service from 30 June 2005 to 10 July 2008 as Commander of Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), a 15,000 acre depot in Richmond, Kentucky. He was responsible for the production, receipt, storage, issue, maintenance and demilitarization of conventional munitions.

Serving as the consummate depot commander, Colonel Mason oversaw an organization that supported the troops with ammunition and Chemical Defense Equipment. He safeguarded and ensured the operational readiness of a munitions stockpile while executing the shipping and receiving of over 250,000 short tons of munitions.

As the sole provider chemical personnel equipment, Colonel Mason's untiring efforts to improve support to the troops were superb. By eliminating erroneous shipments to incorrect locations, the cost of transportation was reduced by over 30 percent and ability to provide equipment to soldiers on the battlefield increased significantly without requiring additional manpower. Specifically, Colonel Mason's efforts to support the fielding of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armor kits to the troops were commendable.

He contributed to the future of the BGAD by developing its first Strategic Business Plan which integrated all aspects of logistics and business processes while providing a clear vision for the Depot's future. He also initiated a continuous business improvement culture across the Depot by improving processes, reducing costs, eliminating waste and improving ergonomics and safety.

A native of Oldtown, Maryland, Colonel Mason arrived at Blue Grass Army Depot in July 2005 as a highly regarded and decorated leader in the Army. Prior to arriving at BGAD, Colonel Mason served as the Chief of Support for Task Force Sinai in El Gora, Egypt among other leadership positions in the United States and Germany. Colonel Mason's Change of Command will take place July 10, 2008.

Madam Speaker, it is my distinct privilege to recognize and celebrate the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras' (CKYO) 60 years of excellence. I am honored that the oldest independently chartered youth orchestra in the United States is located right in the heart of the 6th Congressional District of Kentucky.

CKYO consists of 4 orchestras including the Symphony, Concert, Preparatory and Jazz Orchestras, with plans to add a fifth orchestra in the near future due to high demand. Over 255 students come to CKYO from 14 counties and 65 area schools throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Under the direction of Mr. William Prinzing Briggs, the CKYO have performed not only throughout the Commonwealth of Kentucky, but also around the world in countries such as Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic. This cultural and musical exchange can build strong ties that can last a lifetime and allow youth from all over the world to be ambassadors of the arts.

Madam Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestras on 60 years of beautiful music.

Madam Chairman, I am very proud to be here today to introduce the 21st Century Green High-Performing Public School Facilities Act, authorizing almost $7 billion for our struggling schools.

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to our cosponsors on this bill, in particular Mr. Kildee and Mr. Loebsack, but especially Chairman Miller who has done an incredible job as chairman of the Education and Labor Committee and I very much appreciate what the gentleman from California has done on this bill.

Where children learn has a large impact on what they learn, and the evidence is undeniable. The U.S. Department of Education tells us that modern, functional school facilities are truly important for effective student learning. Consequently, it is unacceptable that some of our children spend their days in buildings with faulty wiring, leaking roofs, lead paint, and asbestos.

In 1995, the GAO found that schools were in desperate need of repairs totaling $112 billion. Over a decade later, the need is even greater. Each day we are competing on a global stage and not always winning that competition, and investing in the education of our children at home is the key to staying in the game. We are spending hundreds of billions of dollars in Iraq. Surely, surely we can invest less than $7 billion in the future of our children and the future of our country.

This bill is a home run. It will give much needed money to our schools struggling with huge budget deficits, while encouraging energy efficiency and creating jobs for Americans that cannot be shipped overseas. Today, I urge you, Democrats and Republicans alike, make this important investment in our schools, in our children, and in our future.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

This motion to recommit has absolutely nothing to do with this bill, nothing at all to do with this bill. This bill is about school construction. This bill allows our children to compete in a global economy. It helps them to compete. It is about energy efficiency. But it's about energy efficiency in our schools. It's about ``green'' schools. It's a very, very good bill. Plus, in addition to that, it creates at least 100,000 jobs, and they are jobs that will not and cannot be exported, like so many of our jobs have seen happen.

This bill is supported by almost every education body in the country. It's supported by the National School Board Association, it's supported by the PTA, it's supported by the NEA, the Principals' Associations throughout this country, it's supported by the

American Federation of Teachers, and the National School Administrators.

If the minority were really serious about this motion to recommit and about improving this bill, if they were serious about the cost of gasoline, if they were serious about doing something for the American people, and if they wanted to help the kids of this country, they wouldn't have made it a bill that would be reported back promptly. That is what they have done. They intend to kill the bill.

Please vote against the motion to recommit.

Madam Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I recognize the 125th anniversary of the National Crittenton Foundation, an organization that supports empowerment and self-sufficiency for young women at risk. In particular, I want to celebrate the work of a leading member of the Crittenton Family of Agencies: The Florence Crittenton Home in Lexington, Kentucky.

Established in 1894, The Florence Crittenton Home in Lexington is a private non-profit residential treatment facility that provides comprehensive services to girls who have been abused, neglected, abandoned or are experiencing pregnancy and parenting in the face of mental health and behavioral challenges. Every day, this dedicated organization strives to provide a stable, safe and nurturing atmosphere to help its clients achieve the personal growth and family stability necessary to thrive as adults.

Originally known as the Lexington House of Mercy, the Florence Crittenton Home opened its doors on September 3, 1894 in response to community concern about the lack of support for the city's girls. Over the years, with help from community partners including the Fayette County Board of Education, the University of Kentucky, the Keeneland Foundation, the Junior League of Lexington, numerous churches and dedicated volunteers, the Florence Crittenton Home has provided important social services to thousands of Kentucky's young women.

The National Crittenton Foundation and Lexington's own Florence Crittenton Home are to be commended as organizations that allow Kentucky's young women to believe in and empower themselves. It is with this ongoing contribution in mind that I recognize them both on this special occasion.

Madam Speaker, today I would like to recognize the South Lexington 12-year-old All-Star team of Lexington, Kentucky, who recently won the 2007 Cal Ripken/Major 60 World Series in Van Buren, Arizona. This phenomenal group of young people went undefeated this season, securing the World Series title in the final round against Scottsdale, Arizona.

Demonstrating admirable determination and teamwork, the 2007 South Lexington team indisputably rose to the occasion. This year's exciting win is no surprise but merely represents the hard work the players put in all season. The team was no doubt inspired by years of success by previous South Lexington Youth Baseball teams. Ten different South Lexington teams have gone to the Ripken World Series, and in the past 15 years, three of these teams returned home with the title.

I would like to congratulate Coach Kevin Payne, others who supported the team, and, in particular, the players on their success. It is an honor to have such an inspiring group of individuals represent Kentucky's youth, and I very much look forward to seeing the continued achievements of these remarkable young men in the future.

Mr. Speaker, while I am pleased to stand here today and support the RESTORE Act of 2007 because I believe it is critical as part of our nation's defense, I urge us to work together in the coming weeks to end the uncertainty facing some of our corporate citizens in dealing with the threat posed by Islamic fundamentalists.

Particularly, I am referring to our nation's telecommunications carriers, companies that historically have been a critical piece of our successful national security apparatus. These U.S. companies, who combined employ well over half a million Americans, should be treated with appreciation for the cooperation they display in the effort to keep our people safe.

In the confusion and muddied backdrop of the debate, what has clearly been left aside is the longstanding and consistent policy of Congress and the courts that governs the way these companies may lawfully provide assistance to law enforcement and intelligence agencies. This policy is that telecommunications carriers are authorized to assist government agencies in a wide variety of circumstances; public policy encourages such cooperation; and, consistent with that policy, when a carrier cooperates in good faith with a duly authorized request for assistance, the carrier is immune from liability to third-parties. In the interest of our nation's security, these carriers should continue to have immunity when cooperating in good faith.

We must work together over the coming weeks to clarify the role of carriers in this debate, and specifically offer the appropriate path to immunity when such highly sensitive matters are involved. Telecommunications carriers are nothing less than patriotic citizens fulfilling their role in our global struggle against terrorism.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman, the gentleman from Minnesota, for all his good work on this bill. We think it is an excellent bill. And I thank the chairman of the subcommittee, the gentleman from Illinois, for all of his good work.

I rise today to express the support of the Science Committee for this bill. I am especially pleased that this legislation includes the FAA Aviation Safety Research Assessment Act, which I introduced this past June. This bill is now section 913 of H.R. 2881.

Aviation safety is extremely important to me, particularly after the tragic Comair crash that occurred in my own district in Lexington, Kentucky last August, which saw 49 dearly loved people lose their lives.

The Comair crash made it clear that improved safety measures are needed to save lives. Section 913 calls for an independent assessment of the FAA's aviation safety-related research programs, in particular, those that focus on preventing runway incursions and lessening air traffic control workloads.

The NTSB's investigation of the Comair crash brought to light several safety advisories that were not being followed, including the FAA's recommendation that two controllers should have been in the tower instead of one.

Repeatedly, I have called for enhanced safety measures, better staffing, and improved working conditions for our air traffic controllers. Thankfully, this bill provides funding for air traffic control equipment and facility upgrades, and also includes language that would send the National Air Traffic Controllers Association and the FAA back to the negotiating table.

Furthermore, the bill provides $42 million for runway incursion reduction programs, $74 million for runway light improvements, and requires the FAA to implement systems to alert controllers and flight crews of potential runway incursions.

This is precisely the type of safety technology that we need to prevent these tragedies, and I thank the gentlemen for all of their good work.

Madam Speaker, today I would like to recognize one of my constituents, Miss Jordan Leigh Young of Salvisa, Kentucky, who will be performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee on Tuesday, September 18, 2007.

As a 15-year-old, this is an exciting chance for Miss Young to showcase her singing and banjo-playing abilities in front of Nashville's Music Row insiders. Her long list of accomplishments proves that she has no difficulty entertaining crowds ranging from three to thousands of people. In fact, she is already a member of the Kentucky Country Music Association and was awarded the 2005 and 2006 Female vocalist and Entertainer of the Year and the 2006 Duo of the Year.

Miss Young's opportunity to perform at the legendary Grand Ole Opry is the grand finale in a series of events that have helped to expand her musical talents beyond the borders of Kentucky. After being selected by CBS News' The Early Show for their ``Magic Moment'' series, she was invited by her life-long idol, Dolly Parton, to perform at the Opry.

In addition to Miss Young's gift of singing and playing the 5 string banjo, she also knows a thing or two about living on a family farm and has done her fair share of hard work. Part of this work includes raising and showing goats in regional competitions, where she has won several grand championship awards.

I would like to congratulate Miss Jordan Leigh Young for her unique contributions to Central Kentucky, and I wish her the best in her musical pursuits. I have no doubt that her determination will take her as far as she wants to go, and I imagine that many of us will soon be hearing her captivating voice broadcast across national air-waves.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about problems that have arisen on the border between Egypt and Gaza.

Since the Hamas military took over all power in Gaza there has been massive smuggling of arms into Gaza along the border with Egypt, often by the use of tunnels that are proliferating along the border.

The Egyptian government has made efforts to curb the smuggling by closing the border between their country and Gaza and by assigning more security personnel to patrol the border. However, the border remains porous in many areas and weapons continue to find their way across the border and into the hands of Hamas fighters.

With fears of refugees pouring into Egypt from Gaza and fears that Hamas will escalate its attack on Israel, this situation has become both a security and a humanitarian concern. Egypt has vowed to partner with Israel, the United States, and the European Union to work toward a solution.

While part of the solution will be immediate increases in security forces at the border, a long-term solution is also needed. Egypt must take responsibility for the actions of its own people, and Israel must support Egypt's good-faith efforts.

I hope we can come to some resolution of this problem.

Mr. Chairman, it is a pleasure today to rise to my feet to support what I think is a wonderful Interior, Environment Appropriations Act, and it has been a tremendous pleasure to work with Chairman Dicks who, after 30 years of waiting, is now the chairman of this subcommittee and has done a first-rate job on this bill. And the staff, I can't say enough about the staff. They are, as Mr. Tiahrt said, amongst the best on Capitol Hill.

Each year Congress considers anew the needs of many Federal agencies that carry out essential work on behalf of our citizens. This year our subcommittee, under Chairman Dicks' leadership, held extensive hearings on virtually every budget item under the subcommittee's jurisdiction. What we found were serious budget shortcomings that require our immediate attention.

In the area of conservation, this bill does wonderful things for our environment. It protects habitats through a 14 percent increase in funding for national wildlife refuges, and a 10 percent increase in funding for the Forest Legacy Program which enables our private forest owners to have an economically feasible alternative to selling their land for development.

In addition, the committee's bill also directly protects endangered species and migratory birds.

In the area of environmental protection, Mr. Chairman, in this legislation we make strong investments in programs that protect our environment. The Superfund program cleans up our Nation's most contaminated sites.

The increasing frequency and cost of wildfires is consuming more and more of the Federal budget. We take steps in this bill to prevent fires from ever occurring.

This Congress has paid a lot of attention to the issue of climate change, and our subcommittee is no exception. We take steps to advance research concerning this critical issue.

In the area of human health, deteriorating water infrastructure across the country endangers the health of our citizens and that of our environment. This bill will begin to address the problems in our communities by funding the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund. Funding these programs will allow States and localities to upgrade their drinking water and wastewater facilities.

In the area of cultural identity, this bill takes steps to preserve our cultural heritage and educate our citizens about our history. The National Park Service sees historic funding increases in advance of its centennial celebration in 2016. The funding levels of the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities have each been raised by 28 percent to help these programs recover from deep cuts over the last decade.

The fund for historic preservation is provided with $82 million, including $45

million for State historic preservation offices, the highest amount in that account since 2001.

In many ways each of these efforts add significantly to our understanding of who we are as Americans. I believe it is incredibly important to preserve and to celebrate our heritage, and this is a wise investment of the taxpayers' dollars.

Fiscal responsibility. Being good stewards of the taxpayers' money is at the heart of our duty as representatives of the American people. After years of fiscal mismanagement, we have restored pay-as-you-go rules while investing in critical priorities. Investing in critical priorities. Reinvesting our money now, whether through cleaning up a town's drinking water or keeping our ecosystems in balance will save us money in the long run and will make our country a better place to live. That is what being a good steward is all about.

This is a good bill, and every Member should vote for it. Mr. Chairman, I believe that this legislation is a responsible investment in our future. It protects our environment, it protects our health, and it celebrates our heritage.

Chairman Dicks and the excellent staff led by Michael Stephens ought to be commended for working so diligently to produce this bill. It is a tremendous bill. It is, in my view, true stewardship of the resources we have been given, and I am very proud to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Iowa for his help on this legislation, something that is near and dear to my heart. I also thank the gentleman from Missouri for his nice words.

This courthouse and the naming of this courthouse is very special to many people in Kentucky because Scott Reed was a special man.

H.R. 478 is a bill to designate the Federal building and United States courthouse located at 101 Barr Street in Lexington, Kentucky as the ``Scott Reed Federal Building and United States Courthouse.'' I can think of no other individual more deserving, no other public servant more worthy, and no other action more appropriate than naming the Federal courthouse in Lexington after the Honorable Scott Reed.

Prominent central Kentucky attorney, first Chief Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court, and Federal judge, Scott Reed exemplifies the definition of honor and integrity.

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, on July 3, 1921, Scott Reed graduated with distinction from the University of Kentucky. While in college, he was editor-in-chief of the Kentucky Law Journal and awarded the order of the Coif, the highest academic award that can be given to a law graduate. He was also a member of the Phi Delta Phi Fraternity.

He achieved many honors at the University of Kentucky, culminating upon graduation as the recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Medallion, a prestigious award recognizing outstanding character and humanitarian service.

Prior to his time on the bench, Scott Reed was County Attorney. He was retained as counsel for the Fayette County School Board and distinguished himself as a trial lawyer of great integrity. He served from 1948 through 1956 as an associate professor at the University of Kentucky College of Law. From 1964 until 1969, he was judge of the First Division of the Fayette Circuit Court, the top trial court in Kentucky's second largest county. He then was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, at that time the highest court in the Commonwealth.

As Chief Judge of the Kentucky Court of Appeals, Judge Reed oversaw the passage of a constitutional amendment that unified and modernized Kentucky's court system. As part of the modernization, the Court of Appeals became the Kentucky Supreme Court. Reed was elected by his fellow justices at that time to be the first Chief Justice of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As Chief Justice, he oversaw the implementation of a constitutional amendment that led to Kentucky's having one of the most efficient court systems in the country. The Chief Justice of the Commonwealth holds equal rank with the Governor, the latter being the head of the Executive Branch and Chief Justice serving as the head of the Judiciary and its myriad of administrative offices throughout the State. Judge Reed was elected as a Fellow in the National College of the Judiciary in 1965 and was a voting member of the American Law Institute, a body of scholarly people who shape the laws of our Nation.

The opinions written by Scott Reed during his time on the Supreme Court of Kentucky have received national acclaim. Judge Reed was a frequent lecturer to the National College of Trial Judges and has achieved the highest honors that can be bestowed on a member of his profession.

In 1979 he was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to be U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. He served as a U.S. district judge until he retired in 1990, rounding out his judicial career having served on the local, State, and Federal benches. Scott Reed was named to the University of Kentucky College of Law Hall of Distinguished Alumni on April 11, 1980.

Judge Reed passed away on February 17, 1994, but his legacy will always be a part of Kentucky's rich history. He richly deserves this honor, one that is indeed long overdue.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague Mr. Rogers of Kentucky for being a cosponsor of this legislation. Again, I thank my colleagues from Iowa and Missouri for their help on bringing this to the floor, and I urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight to honor the memory of one of our former colleagues who passed away on February 16th of this year. He was a former Member from my home State of Kentucky, and, among other things, had the unusual distinction of representing two different congressional districts in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Former Congressman Gene Snyder was a man of steadfast conviction. He could always be counted on to fight for his constituents, and you always knew where he stood on the issues. Congressman Snyder had a way with people and a memorable sense of humor. He loved to tell stories and he used those stories to foster close relationships with Republicans and Democrats alike.

We often talk about a different time in Congress, when Members discussed policy over dinner with their families, when Washington was more cordial, and when there was a sense of kinship among fellow legislators. Gene Snyder was one of those Members committed to fostering that kinship, which is far too rare in these halls today.

Most Kentuckians will remember Gene Snyder by the freeway that bears his name. And while one road certainly doesn't sum up a man, in many ways, it is appropriate. While Gene Snyder was never afraid to vote against what he thought was a wasteful appropriations bill, few Members have fought harder to provide the seeds of economic growth for their home region.

Before Gene Snyder got to Congress, his district faced numerous age- old problems; transportation deficits, traffic issues and flooding from the Ohio River to name a few. I can remember hearing stories about people floating through the streets of Louisville in boats during the historic flood of 1937.

These problems, and many more, were tackled by Gene Snyder. He helped complete the Jefferson County floodwall. He showed great leadership in the construction of a new terminal at Standiford Field in Louisville. And he helped secure funding for the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge in Northern Kentucky, better connecting Covington and Cincinnati and helping to drive economic growth in that region.

There were countless other projects that Congressman Snyder developed, and all the bridges he built, the highways he paved and the buildings he raised have helped provide jobs to thousands of our fellow Kentuckians.

These jobs, and the opportunities that resulted from his efforts, will be Gene Snyder's lasting contribution to the constituents who he took such pride in serving. It is my honor this evening to celebrate Gene Snyder's life and his legacy.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to be here with Mr. Scott tonight, to be a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, and to hear the wonderful presentation by Mr. Cooper of Tennessee who does a tremendous job in this Congress, and who is one of the real consciences of the people here in Washington. Even though some of the news he has to relate to us is not the best of news, the people of this country need to hear the truth, and that is what Mr. Cooper so eloquently gives us on a regular basis.

I very much enjoyed the opportunity to travel this past week with my fellow members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and there are several Blue Dogs who are represented on that very important task force that we have to try to foster cooperation in a very important alliance we have. The alliance that United States has with NATO and

the other 25 countries in NATO is extremely important to our national security. I don't think people realize how important it is.

It was a pleasure to have an opportunity to travel with Mr. Scott, a newly appointed member to that commission, and Ms. Bean from Illinois who is also here with us tonight. I know she will have a few words to say in a little while. She was with us on that trip.

You know, when we go abroad like that and we talk with our allies, we talk about a lot of things. On this particular occasion, of course, the subject continually came up of Iraq and Afghanistan. NATO is helping us in Afghanistan. We of course in Iraq don't have as many allies as we do in Afghanistan. Some of the countries in NATO have a different view about Iraq than they do about Afghanistan, but we are proud to have their help in Afghanistan. It is very, very important to us because that is an engagement there I think that most of the American people are united, that we have to have success, certainly in Afghanistan.

But whatever anybody thinks about that war or about the war in Iraq, one thing I believe we can all agree upon is that the taxpayer money that is being used for those efforts needs to be used accountably. It needs to be accounted for. That certainly has not been the case.

We in the Blue Dog Coalition came out with a plan not too long ago, a resolution that would require essentially accountability for the use of that money, would make an effort to try to stop the war profiteering that we believe is going on, certainly in Iraq. I hope we can set up a commission in this government, very much like the Truman Commission of World War II, which would look at the expenditure, would actually hold this administration accountable for the expenditures in Iraq.

Now, the importance of that I think is pretty obvious for everybody. Every dollar that we misspend or waste in Iraq is a dollar that cannot be used efficiently to protect our troops, it cannot be used efficiently to get the job done over there, and it is also money taken away from needed programs and services right here in this country.

I don't need to mention all of those programs one by one. We all know what they are, from education, health care, right on down the line. We need those dollars, and those dollars need to be spent appropriately.

But we can even go so far, if you can believe this, to apply some of that wasted money on the national debt. That is what the Blue Dogs talk about all of the time, the national debt in this country.

Thank you, Mr. Scott. What those points bring to mind is it is the least we can do. As representatives of the people of the United States of America, I believe it is our job to spend their money efficiently. It is right at the top of the list of the important responsibilities that we have and that is what we are trying to do as Blue Dogs.

Now I don't know about you, but I grew up going to church.

I suspect you did, too.

And during some of those church services, I would hear time and time again about the notion of stewardship. Is that a word that is familiar to you?

And that is what we are talking about here. We are talking plain and simple about stewardship, are we going to be good stewards of our country. All we have got is our country and the money, the hard work that our citizens do and the money that they contribute to our national government. The least we can do is make sure that the Federal Government spends it properly.

I am concerned about this debt: $8.7 trillion. And what really is amazing is what Mr. Cooper told us a little earlier tonight, that not only is the debt $8.7 trillion, this is the debt that the government insiders are familiar with. The public I don't think is really aware of how dramatically large this debt is. But what Mr. Cooper told us was that this doesn't even warm it up. The real debt is more in the neighborhood of $50 trillion.

The $50 trillion figure comes directly from this administration. What is unfortunate is that this administration has been a large part of the reason that the debt is that high. It is terribly unfortunate. One figure that I saw not too long ago, and you talked about it a little earlier, about our interrelatedness to China, well, we have that connection with many countries all over the world in one way or another, but the number that troubles me is the fact that the Bush administration has borrowed more money from foreign governments in the 6 years that this administration has been in office than all 42 previous administrations combined.

Now, Mr. Scott, I don't know about you, but that is one of the more astonishing figures that I have been privy to since I have been in the United States Congress. I am shocked about that.

What I hope we can accomplish as we go forward, and certainly in the effort that we are making tonight, is bring to light a little bit to the American people what kind of financial situation we have in this country and that we have got to get our act together. It is high time that we behave accountably to the American people, that we hold this administration accountable for how they have spent the money. That is what the Blue Dogs want to do. That is why I am proud to be a Blue Dog and proud to be here tonight.

I am just going to say one more thing and then allow some of my other fine colleagues to have a word on this subject.

When I get ready to tell some of my constituents the nature of this spending problem and particularly the point about this administration borrowing more in 6 years than our country has borrowed in the entirety of its history previous to these 6 years, I advise them to please sit down before they hear this information because they are not going to believe it. It is that extraordinary. I can't believe it. I still can't really get my arms around the fact that we are doing that.

I think one of the most important points is, when you borrow to that extent and when you get yourself in debt to that extent, it makes you less secure. We are looking for security in this country. That is what the American people want. When you are deeply in debt, I would submit to you that you are, in fact, less secure, and that is what we are getting in this country.

I thank you for the time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from New Jersey for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, as we debate this resolution on Iraq, we are reminded of the uncertain world in which we live. While the 5-year anniversary of 9/11 has passed, the memories of that day are still with us, as are the actions of this administration that led us into this war.

Following 9/11, our country missed an important opportunity that will forever change our history. Instead of building coalitions and using that support to maximize our strength, we alienated much of the world. We lost sight of the simple truth: A respected America is a more secure America.

But this administration insisted on going it alone in Iraq. They refused to let U.N. inspectors complete their work, and they launched an invasion without the support of the international community. We are now faced with lasting repercussions of that decision. And it appears the President still has not learned from that mistake.

Once again, the President is going it alone with his call for more than 20,000 additional troops in Iraq. He does not have the support of the international community, and he has lost the support of many in the military, the Congress, and, most importantly, the American people.

I fear, Mr. Speaker, the President is once again missing an important opportunity. He is missing his chance to send a strong message to the Iraqi people that we will no longer police their civil war, and that it is time for them to assume responsibility for their own country so that our troops can be removed from harm's way.

In my judgment, this war is beyond the scope of our men and women in uniform. The situation in Iraq is in dire need of a diplomatic solution. Sure, we need to be ready to take down al Qaeda training camps in the region, but we do not need to be refereeing age-old religious disputes.

This is an untenable situation and unfair to our brave troops who have become targets of insurgents. If we are going to support our troops in every way possible, it is vital that we not only support them with the supplies and armor that they need, we must also ensure that they are being deployed in such a way that they have a realistic chance of success. We must make certain that the funds we are sending to Iraq are going to our troops and not into the pockets of no-bid contractors and war profiteers.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution, because I support our men and women in uniform. I have heard speakers on the other side say that this debate will demoralize our troops. Well, I submit that nothing can demoralize our troops more than having them police a civil war. And that is what this administration is asking them to do.

All of us in this body believe in the spread of democracy and freedom. But that grand responsibility cannot solely rest on the shoulders of our troops. It must rest on the shoulders of free nations across this world. And it must rest on the shared sacrifice of all citizens of this country.

No doubt we have real enemies. They are the Islamist jihadists, and they must be opposed. These same enemies are shared by all free nations. But escalating the war in Iraq is not the right approach to defeat the jihadists. It is an approach that will cost more American lives and mire us even further in the Iraqi civil war.

We can win the long-term struggle if we are smart, if we focus on the real enemy, if we build our alliances properly, and if we do not let our own pride get in the way.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today in support of my

good friend and chairman, the fine gentleman from Tennessee, who is on a mission of mercy.

Mr. Speaker, this issue is extremely important to all people in this country, and truly it represents an epidemic. It is a problem that does affect every single State in our country, and unfortunately it has had a disproportionate effect on my home State of Kentucky, as I know it has also in Tennessee.

Law enforcement officials, in my view, have done an incredible job in fighting the meth epidemic. According to the Office of Drug Control Policy, in June of last year, there were almost 57 percent fewer methamphetamine lab seizures in Kentucky than in the previous years; however, our State still ended the year with well over 500 meth lab incidents.

Our law enforcement officials cannot do it alone. Fighting production of meth is not the last battle we face when dealing with this terrible drug. We have to take it a step further.

Meth is highly volatile, and because it is often produced in homes, apartments or hotel rooms, this drug can threaten the health of whomever may occupy that space later. We must ensure that the environments of our families are free of the remnants of meth production. We must take the necessary steps so that the authorities know how to best clean former sites and develop new technologies for detecting this harmful drug. And, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what this bill does.

I encourage my colleagues to support this fine piece of legislation and help our communities in their fight against this truly difficult epidemic.