Brad Ellsworth

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay honor and tribute to the late Commander Donald Gaither, a founder of the elite Navy SEALs, for his 27 years of service in the U.S. Navy.

Commander Gaither was a native Hoosier and one we are all proud of. Commander Gaither was born in Daviess County, Indiana and graduated from Washington High School in 1937. While serving on his first submarine, the USS Swordfish, the submarine engine room was damaged during battle. In performance of his duties as chief motor machinist, he was awarded the Silver Star medal for distinguished submarine service.

Commander Gaither's U.S. Navy career continued to be characterized by strong leadership and consistent work. As he rose through the ranks from apprentice seaman to commander, he was highly regarded by those who worked under him. During his time in the Navy, Commander Gaither served as an executive officer in Underwater Demolitions, a precursor to the Navy SEALs. After the Korean War, Congress considered eliminating the Underwater Demolitions Program. Commander Gaither came to Congress and persuaded Congress to keep the program. The Underwater Demolitions Program was later expanded into the Navy SEALs, making Commander Gaither one of the founding fathers of the Navy SEALs.

Commander Gaither's success in the Navy is a tribute to what hard work and determination can accomplish. Commander Gaither spent countless hours studying and preparing for each Navy promotion he received. His work ethic was only matched by his strong leadership skills. Although Commander Gaither died of natural causes post- retirement, his 27 years of service through three wars represent a lifetime commitment to serving our country.

Today, I ask all members of Congress to join me as we honor the life of Commander Donald Gaither of the U.S. Navy, an accomplished war veteran who courageously served to better the lives of all American citizens.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my friend Sheriff Reichert, and it's appropriate today to call him by the original title at this time, for yielding me that time. I would echo his comments. Everyone in this room interacts with the Capitol Police every day. I know I made a friend in one. He gave me a t-shirt that on the back says, ``You Elect Them, We Protect Them.'' And I wear that shirt proudly at home.

But on this serious day during National Police Week, it's important to know in this House we talk a lot about our brave men and women in uniform that protect our country, and we normally talk about the members of the armed services, and that's absolutely appropriate. But during this week I think we need to also think about the men and women in uniform who are out patrolling our streets, not just the Capitol Police, but at home in all of our districts that are working right now directing traffic, taking drug dealers off the streets, protecting our wives, protecting our families, protecting our husbands, protecting our citizens, the people we represent. We should never forget them for their constant service, 24-7 service to us and all of our constituents.

So today if we could honor them with a moment of silence, for those who did pay the ultimate price, that did give their lives in the line of duty, I would ask for that moment of silence from the House of Representatives.

Madam Chair, I rise today in objection to ineffective and wasteful government spending, and to thank my Colleagues for accepting my common-sense proposal to the Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010.

As I traveled throughout Indiana's 8th Congressional District over the last few months, I came across many community leaders who expressed concern to me about the wasteful government spending they were witnessing firsthand. In particular, they were alarmed by the numerous boxes full of so called ``promotional items'' they received from the Census Bureau. Although the local leaders and I both acknowledged the critical importance of the Census count, we could hardly see how government spending on embroidered shirts, coffee mugs, CD cases, and lunch bags was an effective use of taxpayer dollars--all items that were received in large quantities by the communities throughout Indiana's 8th Congressional District.

As a result of this experience, I demanded detailed information on the promotional budgets of several federal departments, including the Census Bureau, in order to raise awareness of this kind of government spending. The results I found were startling on many fronts. For example, I was outraged when I learned the Chicago Region of the Census Bureau alone spent $3,841,317 on ``promotional items.''

And I made it a priority to ensure this type of wasteful and ineffective spending never again gets through this Congress.

So today, I had the opportunity to fulfill my commitment through the Home Star bill. I support the overall bill. It will help thousands of my constituents significantly reduce their home energy bills, and it will create many jobs in the home construction and manufacturing sector. However, I was deeply concerned when I found a section of the bill that provided funding for an ``Educational Campaign.'' To me, this section of the bill left open the very real possibility of more wasteful government spending on things like embroidered t-shirts and coffee mugs.

That's why I offered language to ensure this bill will not allow for spending on promotional items, and I want to thank Chairman Henry Waxman and the Energy and Commerce Committee staff for working with me on this important taxpayer protection.

Madam Chair, as we seek to address the many challenges facing our nation, we must be vigilant about putting a stop to ineffective and wasteful spending. Finding new ways--large and small--to trim government spending will play a large part in moving our government in the right direction. I pledge to continue to do my part here in Washington, and I will continue to depend on my constituents to inform me of the wasteful government spending they experience in everyday life. We must all work together to restore fiscal sanity to our budget and get our country back on track.