Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month. This national day of observance is celebrated September 15 through October 15 and commemorates the anniversary of independence for 7 Latin American countries--Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua on September 15th; Mexico on the 16th; and Chile on September 18th. It is also a tribute to the many achievements of the diverse peoples of Spanish-speaking backgrounds who have come to the United States from countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

In the United States, more than 35 million people identify themselves as Hispanic Americans. In Florida alone, 20 percent of the state population is of Latin American descent. In the next several years, the number of Hispanic-owned businesses in America is expected to reach 4.3 million--that's a 42 percent increase and three times faster than the national average! And according to the Latino Business Review, Central Florida is at the heart of this growth. The Florida Puerto Rican/ Hispanic Chamber of Commerce was founded in 2002 with just 8 members, and now has over 312 members! And the Hispanic Business Council of the Kissimmee/Osceola Chamber has over 150 Members. These very businesses, based here in the U.S. are playing and will play an ever increasing role in expanding U.S. exports to Latin American countries--creating jobs here in America to export our goods and services in this increasingly competitive global marketplace.

I have enjoyed a long relationship with this active community and recently had the privilege of visiting with this group of talented business owners. Their leadership and support for economic development is vital to our economy.

Our communities also benefit from the strong faith and family values engrained in the Hispanic culture. These values provide the foundation upon which Hispanic Americans build their families, producing citizens that often become pillars of their communities. Also, the strong ties that Hispanic Americans maintain with their ancestral homeland remind us that the United States must pursue robust relations with its neighbors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Let us all take a moment this month to celebrate the independence of these Latin American countries and to show our gratitude for the important contributions Hispanic Americans make in our communities.

Mr. Speaker, this is a sad day in the House of Representatives. The Majority chose to add to the defense bill a totally unrelated and highly controversial bill, commonly called the Thought Crimes Bill or the Hate Crimes bill. There are serious concerns that religious leaders promoting traditional morality may be subject to potential criminal liability under this bill as prosecutors blur the line between what constitutes a ``hate crime'' and what they deem hate speech. Last minute changes to the Thought Crimes bill stripped important religious freedom protections and constitute further abuse of power. While no one should condone acts of hatred toward others, this bill goes far beyond its stated purpose.

To airdrop this totally unrelated legislation onto a bill that authorizes our national defense budget is a travesty and abuse of power in the highest degree.

Adding vague unrelated provisions that are likely to be proven unconstitutional to the defense bill is more than inappropriate. I have joined many of my colleagues in sending a letter to the President expressing our concerns, stating ``Each of us takes very seriously the responsibility to ensure the men and women who volunteer to serve in our Armed Forces have the resources they need to defend this nation. Using our troops to pass divisive social policy does a profound disservice to them, this institution, and the constituents we serve.''

Fortunately, this bill is not the last word on national defense this year, and we will soon have before us the Defense Appropriations bill-- the bill that actually provides funding for our troops. Congressional leaders should resist the urge to again engage in such abuses of power.

I am introducing legislation today that will block the House from engaging in such behaviors in the future. My bill will bring some common sense to this place by ending the practice of merging totally unrelated bills in secret conference committees. Separate issues should be kept separate.

It is also troubling that once again, the Majority failed to give Members of Congress and the public at least 72 hours to understand how $680 billion in taxpayer dollars are being spent. What last minute earmarks were included in the 2,200 page bill? No one knows!

I am also disappointed with several shortcomings in the bill. The bill fails to include provisions to guarantee that Guantanamo Bay terrorist detainees will not be sent to the United States. At a time when Iran is advancing its nuclear and missile technology programs, the bill unwisely cuts over $1.2 billion from our national Missile Defense program. While there is also much good in this bill, I am glad that we will still have an opportunity to vote on the actual spending bill in the next few weeks. I would urge the Majority to resist the temptation to lard up that bill with last minute airdropped earmarks or play politics with our troops by adding extraneous liberal social policies.

As we face the risk of ceding our leadership in space to Russia, China, and other countries, I want to take a moment to review many of the benefits of space exploration that everyone enjoys, even though many of them may take it for granted.

The typical American home contains dozens and dozens of inventions from America's investment in space. That flat-screen TV was developed from NASA technology. The furniture or drapes that are fire-resistant material, that may be attributed to NASA's fire safety research. If your home security system uses a push-button panel and intrusion detectors in the windows, you benefited from space exploration.

If your home is equipped with carbon monoxide sensors and fire detectors, then you've benefited from America's space program. If you enjoy using scratch-resistant lenses in your glasses, then--you've guessed it--you've benefited from the space program.

Chances are you enjoy using batteries, cell phones, laptops, calculators, even Velcro. If so, you've benefited from our space exploration. If you appreciate the clean, crisp water in your glass, you may be interested to know that every home water filter came about thanks to America's space program.

That cooler used on a trip to the beach, a picnic, or a camping trip relies on space-based technology to keep your food and drinks cool. Solar technology used to power your hot water heaters and other home appliances owe their existence to America's space exploration. And if you're keeping an eye on time by looking at your quartz-based watch, you will want to credit the space program for that, too.

If you plan on enjoying some golf or other sports this weekend, remember that our space program gave rise to the plastics and the graphites used most commonly in sports and safety equipment.

These are but a few of the many contributions that have arisen from our Nation's space program. If we want to keep America strong economically and maintain the military high ground, we must not cede our leadership in space to our competitors.

As most of us know, the President promised that he would close the gap between our space shuttle program and our constellation program. We all need to be committed to helping the President of the United States keep his word.

He also promised that he would see that America remained first in space. And we must also do our level best to help the President keep that promise, too.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as may be necessary.

(Mr. POSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I thank the chairman and the ranking member for their work on this bill. Creating advanced vehicles is important if we are to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to reduce emissions.

I am pleased to be joined by my colleague from Florida (Ms. Kosmas) in offering this amendment. Our amendment makes sure that we explore all near-term options for increasing vehicle fuel efficiency. There are very near-term technologies that can be applied to develop and produce very high-mileage vehicles. Unfortunately, the possibility has not been a priority for the Department of Energy, and it has not been incorporated into the vehicle technologies program. The Department has been doing some very good work, but that work is focused on longer-term possibilities.

I think we need nearer-term solutions and interim advances. Our amendment would ask the Department to give full consideration to these nearer-term advances.

I am aware of companies that are close to demonstrating very high- mileage passenger vehicles. A partnership with the Department of Energy could be enough to make this a reality in a relatively short period. Our amendment asks the Department of Energy, within existing funds, to create a competitive program for demonstrating very high-mileage vehicles. These would be four-person vehicles that are affordable to the average family. We're talking about vehicles that would get 70, 80, 90, maybe 100 miles per gallon or more, which is clearly in excess of three times the current CAFE standards.

If there is a vehicle that could get that kind of performance and it could be made in America and could be on the market within 3 years, I think we definitely should explore that, and our amendment makes sure that the Department does explore that possibility.

I urge you to support the Posey-Kosmas amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield to my colleague, the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to recognize and extend my congratulations to two schools in the 15th Congressional District of Florida that have been designated as 2009 Blue Ribbon Schools: Cocoa Beach High School and Ralph M. Williams Elementary School. I am honored to represent a district that is home to these schools that have achieved so much. These schools will serve as models for other schools throughout the country.

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program commends public and private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either academically superior by scoring in the top 10 percent on state assessment tests or that demonstrate extraordinary gains in student achievement, specifically in students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Florida's success in the realm of education is nothing new. Florida's education system is frequently boasted as the best in the Nation. In a recent publication by the Heritage Foundation, Florida public education is described as ``remarkable.'' The paper goes on to say that, ``Over the past decade, National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) reading scores for Florida fourth graders have soared nine percentage points--more than twice the national gain. Florida's eighth-grade reading gains were also almost double the national average. Math scores also registered solid gains, exceeding the national average . . . Most impressive has been the success of minorities. Scores among Florida's low-income black and Hispanic students have risen much faster than the national average. Hispanic fourth-graders in the Sunshine State now boast reading scores higher than the all-student average in 15 states, including California.'' These achievements are truly remarkable.

I would also like to take a moment to thank the principals and teachers of these two fine schools. Your leadership and service have made these achievements possible. Most fundamentally, education is the province of parents, teachers, and local and state governments. This award demonstrates that the innovation and hard work of parents, teachers, local administrators, and the community as a whole can produce efficiency, accountability, and achievement in our Nation's schools. These two schools have served their students well and are effectively preparing them for the challenges awaiting them as adults through an effective education system.

Madam Speaker and my colleagues, I ask that you join me in honoring the students, teachers, and administrators at Cocoa Beach High School and Ralph M. Williams Elementary School for their extraordinary accomplishments. They have made Florida's 15th Congressional District proud.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3326 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey and Congresswoman Corrine Brown

Project Funding Amount: $3,000,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: OM,A

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Address of Requesting Entity: Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership located at 1180 Celebration Boulevard, Celebration, Florida 34747.

Description of Request: The funding will be used by the Florida Manufacturing Extension Partnership for the Defense Job Creation and Supply Chain Initiative. This project will create or retain defense manufacturing jobs in Florida while providing Department of Defense response capability to demand surges and reduced risk of supply-chain disruptions.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $935,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: OM,A

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Institute of Technology

Address of Requesting Entity: Florida Institute of Technology, located at 150 West University Boulevard, Melbourne, Florida 32901.

Description of Request: The funding will be used to provide new, upgraded training space for Army and Army National Guard Reserve Officers Training Cadet Corps.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $4,000,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3326, Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: RDTE,DW

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Soneticom, Inc.

Address of Requesting Entity: Soneticom, Inc., located at 1045 South John Rodes Boulevard, West Melbourne, Florida 32904

Description of Request: The funding will be used to enhance currently installed systems for continued operations.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2)

is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Requesting Member: The Administration and Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $4,600,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Corps of Engineers, O&M

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Corps of Engineers.

Address of Requesting Entity: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Office, 701 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, Florida 32207-8175

Description of Request: This funding will be used by the US Army Corps of Engineers to provide annual operation and maintenance of the channel at Port Canaveral, Florida.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $900,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Corps of Engineers, Investigations

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Canaveral Port Authority.

Address of Requesting Entity: Canaveral Port Authority, 445 Challenger Road, P.O. Box 267, Cape Canaveral, Florida, 32920.

Description of Request: This funding will be used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Port Canaveral has completed a Section 203 report, which has been submitted to the Corps for consideration. The Corps can then start Preconstruction, Engineering, and Design (PED), which is cost-shared with the non-Federal sponsor 75/25. The non-federal sponsor is prepared to provide their 25% match. The recommended improvements to the channel are urgently required to provide adequate channel capacity and safety.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $600,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3183, Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Corps of Engineers, Construction

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Brevard County, Florida.

Address of Requesting Entity: Brevard County, Florida, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, Building A-219, Viera, Florida, 32940.

Description of Request: This funding is will be used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin construction of the first phase of renourishing the Mid-Reach section of the Brevard County Storm Damage Protection Project. The federal, state, and county governments have already completed the Northern and Southern section of this project. This funding will help provide the federal portion of funding toward this authorized federal project. This funding will enable the Corps to dredge sand to be placed in the Mid-reach the following year. The County has funding set aside and available for this project, and this is a top priority for the state.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my concerns about H.R. 3269, the Corporate and Financial Institution Compensation Fairness Act of 2009, as drafted.

It should not come as a surprise that the American public is outraged at those executives who would benefit from lavish compensation packages while failing to produce results. Worse still are those executives who would deliberately place their own interests above those for whom they are accountable. As the land of opportunity, America is a very forgiving place for risk and failure, but Americans also believe that those who fail should take responsibility for their failures.

Executives of public companies should have the fiduciary responsibility to put the long-term best interests of shareholders foremost in all their dealings, and executive compensation committees should have the same responsibility.

The bill before the House, however, goes too far. Section 4 of the bill is most troubling. As written and amended, this bill is a significant expansion of the power of the federal government to micromanage the compensation practices for executives and employees in all financial institutions over $1 billion. The bill also has a loosely defined definition of financial institutions, potentially opening the door to controlling even more companies.

Despite two requests from me and many of my colleagues on the House Financial Services Committee, the Chairman did not even hold a hearing on this legislation to address some of these questions. We were unable to inquire with federal regulators on how they would interpret their newfound duties to judge if compensation is commensurate with the vague criteria of ``sound risk management.'' It is thus left to the imagination how the federal government would approve or disapprove the compensation packages and what other ``unreasonable incentives'' would be banned by unelected bureaucrats. It is bewildering, but the United States Congress is punting enormous, arbitrary power to the unelected bureaucrats to decide how much money people can earn and whether any risk they take is ``unreasonable.''

As we debate financial regulatory reform, it is important that we refrain from condemning the free enterprise system which has given us the greatest prosperity in the history of the world. The rise of the corporation is integral to free markets and the prosperity we enjoy. Congress should not pass legislation so sweeping as to micromanage the thousands of enterprises which create jobs in our communities and produce goods and services we want.

Unfortunately, the House has rushed a bill to the House floor that has not been fully vetted and is filled with vague language that no one fully understands. It is no wonder that so much that has passed the House has been found unacceptable by the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, first Congress passed a multimillion dollar bailout to reward bad behavior on Wall Street. Next Congress passed a trillion-dollar-plus stimulus plan which Members were not allowed to read. It was sold on the promise that unemployment would not exceed 8 percent, but unemployment is now at 9\1/2\ percent and rising.

Next the House passed a national energy tax. They called it cap-and- trade so Members wouldn't have to say they voted for a new tax. Members were not allowed to read that either. It will cost every American family and every American business lots of money and drive a lot more jobs overseas.

Now Congress wants to pass a bureaucratic-managed and rationed health care plan, again costing Americans trillions of dollars and, worse yet, their medical freedoms. No doubt Members will not be allowed to read the final version of that either. Where is the logic? Where is the common sense? When will Congress think about the working folks, the seniors, and the savers who made this country great? Congress needs to look past the special interests and start listening to the people back home.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3293--Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act.

Requesting Member: Rep. Bill Posey and Rep. Suzanne Kosmas

Project Funding Amount: $1,000,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3293

Account: Employment and Training Administration

Legal. Name of Requesting Entity: Brevard Workforce Development Board

Address of Requesting Entity: Brevard Workforce Development Board, 597 Havarti Court, Suite 40, Rockledge, Florida 32955.

Description of Request: This funding will be used for the Brevard Workforce Development Board's Aerospace Workforce Transition initiative. The project will focus on safety of the remaining shuttle missions while preparing the workers for new jobs upon completion of the shuttle missions. This issue deserves national attention due to the sensitive nature of the space program with regards to defense, research and U.S. prominence in future space initiatives.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3288, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $600,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3288, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Interstate Maintenance Discretionary

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Melbourne, Florida.

Address of Requesting Entity: City of Melbourne, Florida, 900 E. Strawbridge Avenue, Melbourne, Florida 32901.

Description of Request: This funding will be used by the City of Melbourne, FL for construction associated with the northern 1-95 interchange at the Palm Bay Parkway in Melbourne, FL. The parkway is a major new arterial roadway that will provide congestion relief to other crowded federal, state, and local roads, including 1-95. The northern section of the Parkway will allow Melbourne International Airport (MIA) to connect directly with 1-95. Lack of direct access to 1-95 limits the use of MIA, a facility in which millions of federal dollars have been invested. The road will provide interregional connectivity to the rapidly growing Brevard, Indian River, and Osceola County areas. This project is the top priority for the Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization and the City of Melbourne.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $600,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3288, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Interstate Maintenance Discretionary

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Palm Bay, Florida

Address of Requesting Entity: City of Palm Bay, Florida, 120 Malabar Rd., Palm Bay, Florida 32907.

Description of Request: This funding will be used by the City of Palm Bay for construction associated with the Southern 1-95 interchange at the Palm Bay Parkway in Palm Bay, FL. The Parkway is a major new arterial roadway that will provide congestion relief to other crowded federal, state, and local roads, including 1-95. The road will provide additional hurricane evacuation capacity for more than 100,000 residents of Palm Bay. The road will provide inter-regional connectivity to the rapidly growing Brevard, Indian River, and Osceola County area. This project is the top priority for the Brevard Metropolitan Planning Organization and the City of Palm Bay.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3170, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey

Project Funding Amount: $100,000

Bill Number: H.R. 3170, Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Small Business Administration

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Florida Institute of Technology (FIT).

Address of Requesting Entity: Florida Institute of Technology, 150 West University Blvd., Melbourne, Florida 23901.

Description of Request: This funding is will be used at FIT's ABTA Institute to continue collecting data and creating a database to publish standards and tables of government activities so that comparisons can be made between different providers of services to find

out which ones are more cost effective. This initiative is aimed at providing accountability on how taxpayer dollars are spent with the goal of providing taxpayers with greater transparency of government expenditures.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks for my Congressional District as a part of H.R. 3082, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Posey--Expressing support for the President's funding level for the Orlando Veterans Hospital.

Project Funding Amount: The President's budget request of $371,300,000.

Bill Number: H.R. 3082, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2010

Account: Major Construction

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Department of Veterans Affairs

Address of Requesting Entity: Department of Veterans Affairs

Description of Request: This funding is equal to the amount proposed by the President in his FY 2010 budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs budget. This will enable the VA to complete the construction of the Veterans Hospital in the Orlando area.

Consistent with Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I hereby certify that to the best of my knowledge this request (1) is not directed to any entity or program that will be named after a sitting Member of Congress; (2) is not intended to be used by an entity to secure funds for entities unless the use of the funding is consistent with the specified purpose of the earmark; and (3) meets or exceeds all statutory requirements for matching funds where applicable.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of fiscal accountability and pay-go requirements. Unfortunately, the bill before us today misses the mark, will lead to higher taxes for all Americans, and it will allow federal spending and deficits to continue to grow unabated. Not only that, but this bill is totally unnecessary.

In 2007, House Democrats enacted a pay-go requirement in the House Rules. Their pay-go rules have been in place for more than two and a half years. Yet spending has grown out of control and taxes have been raised.

How could this be? Well, it's quite simple; all the majority has to do is include a provision that waives the House pay-go rules. It was done 14 times in the last Congress in order to approve $410 billion in increased spending. Not only that, but pay-go was used as the excuse for raising taxes 34 times. Somehow, pay-go has been waived time and again to increase spending, but when it comes to taxes it is the convenient excuse to raise them. Over this same period of time the federal deficit has increased from $162 billion to $1.7 trillion this year.

If Congress is really serious about pay-go all they have to do is to follow the House Rules. The House Rules already say that Congress must pay for legislation that passes the House. If they really want to have pay-go all they have to do is follow the rules they have in place and stop waiving the rules. Passing another law will not add discipline. It will simply be another law that can be waived with a one line sentence in future legislation, or they can designate the spending as ``emergency'' spending. That is what has been done in the past and there is no reason to believe it will be any different in the future.

Washington's problem is spending, yet H.R. 2920 exempts most government spending from the restrictions in this bill. The bill exempts from the pay-go requirements more than forty percent of the federal budget that is subject to annual appropriations bills, allowing discretionary spending to increase at levels exceeding the baseline level needed to simply keep up with inflation. Additionally, the bill exempts over 200 programs from the pay-go requirements including hundreds of billions of dollars in entitlement programs. When you add all these together there is very little to which pay-go applies.

So, what does this bill do? Not really much of anything. Already this year the Congress has passed a nearly $800 billion stimulus bill that even the Administration says is not working as expected, a $410 billion omnibus appropriation bill, a $350 billion TARP bailout, a $3.5 trillion federal budget, and nine appropriations bills that far exceed spending levels in last year's bills. And, somehow the American people are supposed to believe that the same ones who brought us this excessive spending are now getting serious about the budget deficit.

I am supportive of the substitute amendment that puts in place real spending discipline. Only with spending discipline will we lower the deficit. The alternative amendment sets a real cap on spending. Setting a spending cap is the only way to get spending under control. If H.R. 2920 is really about controlling the deficit, why does it not include a spending cap, at least curbing the rate of increase in spending? The alternative that I am voting for takes a serious step toward curbing spending by capping deficit spending at not more than 3 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)--far below the 11 percent for the current year. Absent a real cap spending will continue to grow unabated.

Mr. Speaker, the stimulus bill was advertised as a way to reduce unemployment and help put this economy back on track. The blue line on this chart represents the projected path of the unemployment rate. That was below 8 percent prior to the stimulus being passed. The red line shows, in fact, what actually happened since the stimulus bill was passed. It was well-intended, but surely it was misguided.

Now, the more Congress spends, the worse things always seem to turn out. So let's get out of the bailout business. Let's get out of the stimulus business. Let's get out of the national energy tax business, and let's not get into the health care business. Let's let the free enterprise system and the small businesses that made this economy great stay strong and create jobs.