Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 2, 3, 4, and 5, I was not present. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall No. 2, ``yea'' on rollcall No. 3, ``yea'' rollcall No. 4, and ``yea'' on rollcall No. 5.

Madam Speaker, consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks received as part of H.R. 3288, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Shuster (PA-9)

Bill Number: H.R. 3288, Consolidated Appropriations Act, FY 2010

Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Projects

Project Name: Confluence Cellular Communication Tower Project

Account: DOJ/COPS Tech

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: County of Somerset

Address of Requesting Entity: 300 North Center Avenue, Somerset, PA 15501

Description of Request/Justification of Federal Funding: $100,000 for Confluence Cellular Communication Tower Project

It is my understanding that funding will be used to construct a cellular communications tower to provide mobile phone and radio communications along the Greater Allegheny Passage Trail.

This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the tower would make emergency communications available to law enforcement personnel, rangers, and trail users for critical incidents and emergencies.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and celebrate the Northern Cambria Lady Colts volleyball team for their remarkable season that ended with a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class A State Championship title.

The Lady Colts, who concluded their season with an impressive 26-1 record, swept the defending champions, Holy Name--25-14, 30-28, and 25- 22 in the championship match on November 14, 2009. The State Champions title capped off an extraordinary season, with the Lady Colts also winning their 100th consecutive conference match. Additionally, these young women also posted their sixth consecutive District VI title as the team completed their season without a single conference loss.

Led by Coach Mike Hogan, the new state champs will be graduating four outstanding seniors: Janae Dunchack, Breanna Kochinsky, and cousins Arie & Jess Rocco. However, this tight-knit team will have twenty-two girls returning next season to follow in the footsteps of their leaders.

I am extremely proud of the hard work and dedication that these young women from Northern Cambria have displayed. I would like to extend my most sincere congratulations to the team, the coaching staff, and their fans on a fantastic season. I wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, after weeks of closed-door meetings, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has brought her healthcare reform to the floor for a vote today on Saturday while the attention of the majority of Americans is diverted. The Pelosi plan clocks in at over 1,900 pages, which is 648 pages longer than Hillary-care and it costs over a trillion dollars, or about $2 million per word.

The sheer size and scope of the Pelosi plan is enormous. As we enter a time of 10.2 percent unemployment, the American people will

not accept a government takeover of healthcare that will kill even more jobs, hurt small businesses, increase the deficit now and drown future generations in stifling debt.

While the sheer size and scope of the Democrats' takeover of healthcare prevents me from pointing out every egregious part of the proposal, I would like to point out four areas that should give all Americans pause.

Taxes: The Pelosi plan would impose $730 billion in new taxes on businesses that can't afford to pay for their employees' health coverage. According to President Obama's own economic advisor, Christina Romer, these new taxes would put 5.5 million workers at serious risk of losing their jobs. Close to 32,500 small businesses in Pennsylvania would be at risk from this new healthcare surcharge.

Deficit Spending: The Pelosi plan contains $1.055 trillion in new federal spending over the next ten years. All of this spending will be used to take healthcare decisions out of the doctor's office and centralize them in Washington, DC, requiring the creation of over 100 new federal panels, commissions and unelected civil servants who will be charged with making decisions on your care.

Senior's Coverage: Earlier this year, President Obama pledged that ``the government is not going to make you change plans under health reform.'' Today, he and Nancy Pelosi are proposing $170 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage. These cuts would force close to 38,000 enrollees in the 9th district out of Medicare Advantage and into regular Medicare.

Personal Freedom: The Pelosi plan will bring the nationalization of one-sixth of our economy and the elimination of choice for a majority of Americans to extend coverage to a few.

Republicans have an alternative focused on simple principles that will lower the cost of quality healthcare for all Americans. Our plan would let families and businesses buy health insurance across state lines and pool together and buy health insurance at lower prices. We would give states the tools to create their own innovative reforms that lower health care costs. Finally our plan would end excessive and unnecessary tests doctors perform that contribute to higher health care costs to protect against junk lawsuits.

Real health care reform should foster a system where competition and patient choice drive quality care and success. I believe we can accomplish this and fix what is broken in our health care system without forcing another trillion-dollar government takeover on taxpayers. I urge all of the members of this House to vote no on this reckless reform package. Vote no on a government takeover of healthcare.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 858, H. Res. 868, I was not present because the vote was called unexpectedly when myself and other Republican members were attending the House Call rally. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on No. 858.

Madam Speaker, consistent with the Republican Leadership's policy on earmarks, I submit this statement.

Requesting Member: Congressman Bill Shuster (PA-9)

Bill Number: H.R. 2997--Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, FY 2010

Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Projects

Project Name: Flight 93 National Memorial

Account: National Park Service, Construction

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: National Park Service

Address of Requesting Entity: 109 West Main Street, Suite 104, Somerset, PA 15501

Description of Request/Justification of Federal Funding: $725,000 for Flight 93 National Memorial

It is my understanding that funding for this project would be used for infrastructure costs at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

This project is a valuable use of taxpayer funds because the Flight 93 National Memorial honors the men and women who gave their lives in the first counterattack of the Global War on Terror to defend the Nation's Capitol on September 11, 2001.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 852 H. Res. 863, No. 853 H. Res. 641, No. 854 H. Res. 711, and No. 855 H. Res. 856 I was not present. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on No. 852; ``yea'' on No. 853; ``yea'' on No. 854, and ``yea'' on No. 855.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 832, H.R. 1168, rollcall No. 833, H. Res. 291, and rollcall No. 834, S. 509 I was not present. Had I been present I would have voted ``yea'' on No. 832, ``yea'' on No. 833, and ``yea'' on No. 834.

Mr. Speaker, we do need health reform in this country, but not this plan. We need a plan that uses common sense to fix what is broken and keep what is good. Eighty-five percent of Americans have health insurance, and 85 percent of those people are satisfied with what they have.

President Obama has said over and over that no one will lose their insurance if they are happy with it. And just a couple of weeks ago he said that seniors on Medicare Advantage will have to go on regular Medicare, and that means 38,000 seniors in my district will lose their current Medicare plan.

I have many small business owners who have come up to me and said they will be forced to abandon their current plans and go on the public option, not because they want to but because, if they don't, it will hurt their businesses.

Finally, on page 94, it will prohibit families and businesses from changing plans unless the plan has been approved by the health czar. That is not freedom. This is not the plan that America wants. Let's vote this bill down.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the troops of the Second of the 112th Infantry Battalion (Stryker), 56th Stryker Brigade, 28th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania Army National Guard that was deployed and participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The 56th Brigade (Stryker) and 2-112th Infantry Battalion (Stryker) is the only reserve component selected to be a Stryker unit. Headquartered out of Lewistown, Pennsylvania, and based at Camp Liberty in Iraq, the brave soldiers of this Stryker unit went into the hostile Abu Ghraib sector of Iraq with approximately 800 soldiers. Company A hails from the Huntingdon-Everett area, Company B is comprised of soldiers from Altoona, and the Tyrone-Bellefonte area makes up Company C. These brave American heroes were a part of the particularly successful Stryker Task Force Paxton that conducted lethal terrorist operations against Al Qaeda and the insurgent forces. The 2-112th Infantry Battalion (Stryker) accomplished the most active and successful time sensitive enemy targeting in the highly contested Baghdad region of Iraq while suppressing the instability.

Not only have these brave men and women put their lives on the line for the peace and prosperity of our nation, but they also contributed to the betterment of another. The 2-112th Infantry Battalion (Stryker) participated in operations which improved the human and physical infrastructure of Iraq to include its economic capacity and schools. Madam Speaker I would like to extend to these brave soldiers my most sincere personal thanks for their honorable service to our nation. They have helped maintain our security through some of our country's most trying times, as we adapt to unconventional threats. I know that my words reflect the feelings of all citizens of our Nation when I say that these men and women are true American heroes.

I thank the gentleman from North Carolina.

I want to rise also to congratulate all the participants in a game well-played last night. We had many Members of Congress. As the gentleman from North Carolina said, we had some former pro football players. It was a hard-fought battle. We won in overtime, 32-26, with a fantastic pass from Heath Shuler to John Booty. It was fabulous.

As Mr. Shuler said, it has been four tries. This is our first victory, being able to beat the Capitol Police. But the big winner was the Capitol Hill Police Memorial Fund and the Washington Literacy Council. We believe we raised about $50,000 to be split between those two groups.

I would also like to acknowledge our offensive and defensive players in the game.

Offensive, it was easy. It was Heath Shuler, five touchdown passes. He played a fantastic game. I think the NFL is going to start looking at you again, Heath. We'd like that. Maybe that seat will come open in North Carolina if you went back to the NFL.

Also, on defense, there were two players that played the game, big surprises for our team: Jack Kingston, better known as Brett Favre of the congressional team, had an outstanding game. But the defensive player of the game went to Anthony ``Mad Dog'' Weiner, who had two key interceptions in the game and just played fantastic.

I want to thank Speaker Pelosi and Leader Boehner for their help and support in putting this game together. Also Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the NFL, was there last night to flip the coin. And John Booty and Ken Harvey, two former NFL players, did a fantastic job in setting this up.

And finally, again, just to thank the Capitol Police, who do a great job day in and day out, making sure the Capitol is safe, making sure the people who come here are safe. So thank you to them.

Mr. Speaker, health care reform should empower all Americans to choose a health care plan that offers them choice and affordability. However, the Democratic plan will only lead to higher taxes, cuts in benefits, and government's taking away our seniors' health care choices.

For seniors on fixed incomes, the prospect of being forced to pay more for health care could become a frightening reality. The Democrat plan would raise Medicare prescription drug premiums by 20 percent over the next decade and deny seniors the choice of keeping their current coverage. The Democrat plan includes $163 billion in cuts to Medicare Advantage. Up to 38,000 seniors in my district would be negatively affected by these cuts. Nothing should ever come between seniors and their doctors; yet this is exactly what the Democrat bill does.

The American people and our Nation's seniors deserve better than this reckless rush to reform.

Madam Speaker, on rollcall Nos. 775, 776, 777, 778, and 779, I was not present due to a family commitment in Pennsylvania. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on 775, ``yea'' on 776, ``yea'' on 777, ``yea'' on 778, and ``yea'' on 779.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of Mr. Frank G. Mills, Sr. Mr. Mills was elected and installed as the State Commander of the Pennsylvania Department of Veterans of Foreign Wars at the 90th State Convention.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization that has been serving the community as well as other veterans for over 100 years. The VFW is a model organization that exemplifies the principles that our Nation was founded upon.

Mr. Mills, a Life Member of Post #1754 in Huntington, Pennsylvania, has successfully served in all post chairs at the VFW. He served as the Post Commander four times and attained All State Post District Commander in 2006-2007. Frank also served on the national level on the Americanism and Community Activities Committee, Finance and Organization Committee, and Veterans Service Resolution Committee.

Frank Mills proudly served our country in the United States Navy as an Engineman 2nd Class on the USS Tang SS 563 submarine during the Vietnam war. His service medals include: National Defense Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with three bronze stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon.

Mr. Mills has led a life of service through the VFW and military service that instills a unique sense of pride in the hearts of every American citizen. For his commitment to the citizens of Pennsylvania, I am extremely grateful to Frank G. Mills Sr.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to rise today in support of resolution 408 and thank the author, Representative Davis of California, for putting this resolution forward.

This resolution commends a large group of selfless and dedicated people, the vast majority of whom are volunteers, in organizations that provide support to the families and children of deployed members of the Armed Forces as well as to the servicemembers themselves.

Because these organizations go by various names and work quietly and effectively behind the scenes, it's important today that we acknowledge them explicitly. They are the Army Readiness Volunteers, the Navy Ombudsmen, the Coast Guard Ombudsmen, the Air Force Key Spouse Volunteers, and the Marine Corps Key Volunteers.

Our military families face extraordinary demands, stresses and challenges related to the service of their loved ones. To ease these burdens, family readiness groups unselfishly step in to connect military families with the community and with local military installations.

Among the approximately 2.9 million family members of those serving in the Active and Reserve components, the needs are many, and supporting these needs is a matter of military readiness. The support challenge is made more complex because virtually all the families of National Guard troops and Reservists reside in civilian communities spread across this Nation. Yet the family readiness groups have taken on that challenge to provide help and support, particularly during extended periods of mobilization and deployment.

Our military forces could not have sustained the stress related to repeated deployments and combat without the assistance, dedication, and outstanding work over the years of these family readiness groups. Today's resolution is a fitting way to celebrate and thank such dedicated volunteers.

Again, I want to thank Representative Davis for putting this resolution forward, and I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 408.

I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.