Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I was absent on November 12 and 13, 2013, due to the birth of my first child. If I were present, I would have voted on the following:

Tuesday, November 12, 2013:

Rollcall No. 571: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2871, ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 572: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 2922, ``yea.''

Wednesday, November 13, 2013:

Rollcall No. 573: On Ordering the Previous Question, providing for consideration of H.R. 982 and H.R. 2655, ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 574: On Agreeing to the Resolution providing for consideration of H.R. 982 and H.R. 2655, ``yea.''

Rollcall No. 575: Cohen of Tennessee Amendment No. 1, ``no.''

Rollcall No. 576: Nadler of New York Amendment No. 2, ``no.''

Rollcall No. 577: Jackson Lee of Texas Amendment No. 3. ``no.''

Rollcall No. 578: On Motion to Recommit with Instructions, ``no.''

Rollcall No. 579: On Passage of H.R. 982, ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise to give voice to my constituents. While I would expect that ObamaCare's thousands of pages would help at least a handful of people, a sampling of mail coming into any office lets me know that help by the Affordable Care Act is rare.

Steve from Greenfield says he and his wife are in good health with current insurance costing $485 a month. Under ObamaCare, that goes to roughly $1,150 a month, a 237 percent increase.

June from Batavia received a letter from UnitedHealthcare. They are discontinuing coverage for most of her family's doctors. And while she says she can handle it, it will be a problem for her husband. He has stage 4 kidney disease and is on dialysis and will soon not have his doctors.

Don from Loveland says:

If the Affordable Care Act is allowed to stand, my family

will have to come up with an extra $6,600 next year. We can't

afford that.

Mr. Speaker, from what I am seeing, stress and anxiety are becoming an increasingly common diagnosis, all due to ObamaCare. The Web site isn't the only problem, Mr. Speaker, the law is the problem.

Mr. Speaker, today I recognize the members of Hillsboro VFW Post 9094 for their patriotism and volunteerism.

This week, Post 9094 celebrates their 75th anniversary, which is a testament to the lasting commitment these veterans have to helping fellow veterans and non-veterans in Highland County.

The Korean War Memorial is inscribed ``Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.''

In conflicts around the globe, the members of VFW Post 9094 answered this call.

Southern Ohio and our nation are eternally grateful to them for their service, and deeply grateful that these dedicated veterans continue to answer the call to support and protect all veterans and families in need in Highland County, as Post 9094 has now done for 75 years.

Mr. Speaker, during World War II, man, woman, young, old, rich, poor, everyone in this Nation pulled together to bring our country through a difficult time. It was a bipartisan effort, for sure. After the war, we cut spending and we were a Nation that went to work.

But I ask my colleagues today, as we continue to increase our spending and run up our debt: What is the limit? At what point do you finally say it is dangerous, it is dangerous for the future of America? Is there a limit? We can't keep going in this direction.

No one in this body wants America to default--that is not good for this country--but we need to be serious about

what we plan for the future of this country. People are always saying, ``Do it for the kids; do it for the kids.'' We do a lot for kids, and we can always do more for kids, but what about when those kids today are grown up and they are stuck with all this debt? What are we doing to them?

The Temptations, in the 1970s, had a song that said:

Papa was a rolling stone. And when he died, all he left us

was ``a loan.''

It was not a compliment. And if it was irresponsible in the 1970s, it is irresponsible today.

I spoke earlier about the Greatest Generation and the legacy they left. What is going to be our legacy? A legacy of nothing but debt?

Can you imagine the potential for opportunity in this country, for investment and for jobs, if we are serious and we are on a solvent course for the United States of America? And the sooner we go in that direction, the more we can do to help Americans that are in need.

It is about stability. It is about certainty for the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, tonight we are here 2 weeks before Veterans Day to take some time to pay tribute to so many of our outstanding veterans and for the great things that they have done. Arthur Ashe, a world-class tennis player, a hero to many, was once asked about heroism. He said:

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is

not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the

urge to serve others at whatever cost.

This describes our veterans so well--serving others at whatever cost.

Tonight, we give credit where credit is due. In honor of Veterans Day, we willingly say thank you, thank you to the 1 percent. Only 1 percent of Americans have worn the uniform. Over that time, they have produced exceptional results on behalf of freedom time and time again.

Army Chaplain Father Tim Vakoc was hit by an IED in Mosul, Iraq, in May of 2004. He suffered severe head wounds from the explosion and from shrapnel. He came home, but over time he succumbed to these wounds. The troops often asked Father Vakoc, Why did you go out so often with us when you could have stayed back on the base where it was safer? But, no, you came out with us into the fight, into the combat. He was quoted as saying:

The safest place for me to be is in the center of God's

will; and if that is in the line of fire, then that is where

I will be.

As I served as a surgeon in Iraq, it was part of my job to talk to troops whose comrade just was being taken back to the operating room, to talk to them before and after surgery when they were wounded. There are things you never forget from that.

I will never forget going into a room full of marines to tell them about the condition of their buddy before we operated, and sitting in that room hunched over was a marine praying his rosary. I will never forget how I felt when I went back an hour later to have to tell them that he didn't make it. They fight for their country, but they die for each other.

Tonight, we are honored to have several Members here, Members that very served, to tell their stories, to tell their stories about a hero that they have served with, to let America know about these great people, and to pay respect to our veterans.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Arkansas, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Griffin, who is a colonel in the United States Army Reserve JAG Corps. He served in Iraq in 2006. He had been assigned to the Southeast Medical Area Readiness Support Group as a command judge advocate. When he went to Iraq, he was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division.

I thank the gentleman from Arkansas.

At this time, I would like to recognized the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Young). Mr. Young is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy. He was a rifle platoon commander as well as an intelligence officer, serving a decade in the military as a Marine Corps captain.

I thank the gentleman from Indiana, and thank you for sharing that story of heroism. So often we don't get to hear about our heroes today. They go unnoticed.

What you just spoke on reminds me of a gentleman named Mike Spann. Very few people know who Mike Spann is. Mike Spann was a marine, and he joined the CIA. After 9/11, 2001, he was the first American killed in Afghanistan. What is even more impressive about Mike Spann is what he wrote on his CIA application. He said:

I believe in the meaning of honesty and integrity. I am an

action person who feels personally responsible for making

changes in this world that are within my power, because if I

don't, no one else will.

These are the type of people that we are here to honor tonight.

Next, it is my privilege to yield to the gentleman from Utah, Chris Stewart, an Air Force pilot for 14 years, flying both rescue helicopters and B-1 bombers. He holds three world speed records, including the world's record for the fastest nonstop flight around the world.

I thank the gentleman from Utah for his profound words and for sharing such a nice tribute.

Next, I yield to the gentleman from Nevada, Dr. Joe Heck. Dr. Heck is a colonel in the United States Army Reserve and commands the Medical Readiness Support Group. He was recently selected for general, and he continues to serve. Over time he has served us in Operation Joint Endeavor, Operation Noble Eagle, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

I yield to the gentleman from Nevada.

Thank you very much, Dr. Heck, Colonel Heck. Thank you for sharing that story. As a surgeon who served in Iraq, that was very moving to me and very familiar.

I think about how my experience in war has changed the national anthem for me. When I hear the ``rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air,'' I think of those that we didn't save. When I think of ``home of the brave, land of the free,'' I think of those that have saved us time and time again throughout our history.

At this time, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio). He is retired as a sergeant first class in the Army National Guard. He had service in Iraq in 2007 and served in Vietnam as an infantry rifleman from '70 to '71.

I yield to the gentleman from Michigan.

I thank the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio) for his words.

I would like to take a moment to tell you about James McNaughton, Staff Sergeant James McNaughton, Army Reservist, an MP, New York City policeman.

We served on the same base in Iraq; and one day he and some other sergeants were being tasked with a mission that was going to be dangerous, and one of them had to go. James McNaughton volunteered over the other two. He did that because the other two had children.

On that mission, Staff Sergeant James McNaughton was killed by a sniper; and today there are two families that have their father because of James McNaughton. This is the type of selfless service that we see from our troops day in and day out.

I had the opportunity to tell that story on TV one time, national cable TV. A couple of days later I got a call from James McNaughton's father who said they were so shocked to hear their son's name and so honored that he was remembered in that way.

We need to honor and remember all of our veterans, especially those that have made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of us.

At this time, I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Rodney Davis. Mr. Davis is not a veteran, but he is a supporter of veterans, and he will be speaking on behalf of one of his staff members. Outside of his office he has a sign that says, I hire veterans.

I yield to you, Mr. Davis.

I thank the gentleman from Illinois for that fine tribute.

I would like to share a story about Major John Pryor, John Pryor, MD, trauma surgeon from Philadelphia. He joined the Army Reserve in 2004; but on September 11, 2001, seeing that his Nation was under attack, he got in his car and he drove to Ground Zero, hitchhiked all the way in after he drove as far as he could. And after that, he took care of people.

After that, he started thinking that there is more that he could do for his country. He joined the Army Reserve. We served together in Iraq, became good friends; and after returning, we did a trauma conference together in Cincinnati.

John returned to Iraq in 2008; and on Christmas Day, after attending mass, he walked out and he was hit by a mortar and killed.

John was the type of person that did all for others. He left behind, unfortunately, a wife and three children.

Above his desk he had a quote by Albert Schweitzer that said:

Seek always to do something good, somewhere. Every man has

to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must

give some time to your fellow man. Even if it is a little

thing, do something for those who need help, something for

which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it. For

remember, you don't live in a world all your own. Your

brothers are here too.

It is now my privilege to yield to the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Doug Collins. He serves as the Air Force Reserve Chaplain with the 94th Airlift Wing.

Doug has ministered to members of our military as a chaplain in the Air Force Reserve since 2002. He served a combat tour, stationed at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq in 2008.

I yield to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins).

I thank the gentleman from Georgia, my dear friend, Chaplain Doug Collins, for those kind words.

We are honored to serve here with so many that have served--not all of them are here tonight--on both sides of the aisle.

I think of my colleague from Illinois, Tammy Duckworth, who suffered severe injuries in Iraq, has bilateral leg prosthesis. She had the courage to serve again and to continue to serve not only in the Guard but here as a Congresswoman from Illinois. It is an honor to serve with her here on Capitol Hill.

Teddy Roosevelt said it so well when he said, ``It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.''

Our veterans serve. They fight in wars, wars they didn't start, and those who serve in war are probably the greatest lovers of peace, the ones who appreciate it the most.

Our great American veterans, they may be best described in this way: they are what others care not to be. They go where others fear to go, and they do what others fail to do, and they ask nothing from those that gave nothing.

I want to thank everyone for being here tonight to honor those that felt that they should give of themselves for something greater than themselves.

You know, when I was a child, and we would go to bed at night, we would kiss my parents good night, and my father would come in one more time, and he would take his thumb, and he would make the sign of the cross on our forehead.

When you tuck your children in at night, when you go to bed and you close your eyes and you feel safe and secure and unafraid, remember why.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, Ernie Blankenship lived a life of service to his faith, his family, his country, and his community. It was a pleasure to help Ernie and Rita celebrate their 50th anniversary last year, as it was to see him on Sunday mornings at St. Mary Church.

Ernie passed away earlier this week--a loss that will be felt not only by his family but throughout southern Ohio.

Ernie served his country in the Army, played minor league baseball, and earned degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Xavier University. He coached youth sports teams and enjoyed a broadcasting career that spanned over 50 years.

Earlier this year, Ernie retired as the senior vice president of NCB Savings Bank in Hillsboro. He touched all of our lives in countless ways. He will continue to touch our lives and the lives of so many young men and women through the scholarship that bears his name.

Ernie Blankenship's legacy will continue through his children and grandchildren, who learned firsthand his lessons on a life of humble service, faith, and patriotism.

It has been a true honor to know Ernie and to represent him in Congress.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

This slowdown, shutdown has taken on many particular angles and a lot of accusation and a lot of discussion; but as we get to this point, although ObamaCare isn't driving the shutdown, it isn't merely about the millions who will still be uninsured, and its not merely about the 50 percent or more of this country who will be on Medicaid where access to care is extremely limited, and it's not only about rates going up. It is about that health care is going backwards in America, not forward. The government shutdown is not only about the fact that in Ohio we passed a constitutional amendment that made the mandate in Ohio, only to be overturned by the Supreme Court. Sixty-six percent of the people in Ohio did not want this law, and I'm from Ohio and I'm here to continue to fight for that.

I'm bothered as we go through this and I hear the arguments and I hear people referred to ``terrorism,'' ``jihad'' and ``bombs strapped to their chest.'' Well, as someone who served in Iraq as a combat surgeon during the bloodiest time of the war, 2005-2006, I guarantee you what's taking place here is not that, and it's shameful when people use those types of references. And I bet those who have served in war understand that's not appropriate.

We are here to negotiate, we're here to discuss, and we're here to represent the American people. Really, I thought when I came here, I'm new, I'm a freshman--I thought that fair treatment for all Americans would be something that's common ground for all of us. I thought that having special subsidies for Members of Congress would be something that we would all disagree with, and that would be another area of common ground.

Those are the basic premises that are driving this shutdown right now, because we have passed continuing resolutions that would fund the government completely if we would just sit down and agree that these portions of this law are wrong and they go against what we as Americans believe in, that we're to be treated fairly, that there is no special premise for one group over the other. I thought those would be areas of common ground, and I'm surprised that this still goes on.

We'll continue to fight over things we disagree with within ObamaCare and try to improve our health care system as we go along; but it interests me when people say it's the law, get over it. Well, it's not the law that was passed when you're changing things, and that's the problem.

I wonder sometimes if the Presidential election was different. Say, for example, Mitt Romney had won and he went into the Presidency and said, I'm going to exempt this group and I'm going to exempt that group. I'm going to change the law and provide a subsidy for those it's not written into the law for. What would the outcry be? The outcry would come from me because I believe in the rule of law, and I believe in fairness under the law.

We need to sit down and figure this out. The President is the President, and he has the seat at the head of the table; but he was not the only one elected. We've all been elected to represent the people, and we all have a seat at the table, and that's what needs to take place.

I hear arguments from the other side talking about while we're passing these resolutions, you're picking and choosing now. That's exactly what ObamaCare has done. Throughout that law, there is picking and choosing. So when I hear the other side say we're picking and choosing, I say thank you for making our argument because that's what we're having problems with.

I pray for a better day. And Lord willing, we'll all sit down at the table and get these things figured out on behalf of the American people. That's what we were sent here to do, and I hope we can get that done, and I urge those who will not come forward to think about it and to come forward and sit and talk with us.

With that, I appreciate the gentlelady putting this Special Order together for us to have a chance to discuss these issues.

Mr. Speaker, we have heard much debate over the last week, arguments and accusations being made from both sides. I have heard references to being terrorists, to jihad, and to having bombs strapped to our chests.

Mr. Speaker, I spent 1 year, 2005-2006, perhaps the bloodiest time of the war, as an Army combat surgeon in Iraq. In this Chamber I have seen no terrorists, no jihad, nor any bombs strapped to chests. And if you have been to war, you would not use such rhetoric here.

Mr. Speaker, colleagues, we have engaged in so much debate concerning the Affordable Care Act. We have addressed it from every angle, the affordability, the methods of implementation, those that may benefit and those that will not. I have contended that as a Nation we should have focused on who is uncared for in our Nation and how we provide care. Addressing the uninsured would certainly fall under this framework. And I have contended that a form, a mere piece of paper that says you have insurance or a plan, does not mean that you have access to care, nor does it mean that you have coverage for treatment.

Many from one side of the aisle have said, ``You lost the election, get over it.'' Indeed, the Republicans lost the Presidential election. And I am over it. However, all of us in this body won elections. Each of us was elected to serve the American people as well. And while the President has a seat at the head of the table, he does not have the only seat at the table. And we all need to take our seats at the table.

I look forward, not backward, except to learn from history. I am over the Presidential election. What I am not over is what we are becoming. What we are becoming is of great concern to me, as much concern to me as the Affordable Care Act itself. I have a concern about who we are, and what we consider to be right, and what we think is wrong. And I hope that everyone has taken the opportunity to look at our past. Our glorious history is all around us.

As you look around and you review our great history, you see the legacies left from previous generations. What is our legacy? What will this generation, this Congress leave behind? Will it be that we have a disregard for the law, a disregard for laws that we voted on and signed? Waivers, exemptions, special subsidies, all of which show a disregard for applying laws equally, as well as a disregard for the rule of law.

Applying laws equally, the rule of law, the very ideals that Americans have proudly touted for over two centuries. Are we deciding to abandon these core values? Is this the way we want to carve out our chapter in American history? The history of a great

Nation? A Nation that was formed to be of the people, by the people, and for the people. This concept and the freedom that comes with it requires a level of responsibility in order to sustain it.

Pope John Paul II, when visiting America in 1995, spoke of the freedom that we enjoy and the responsibility that comes with it. And he summed it up by saying, ``Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.'' I pray that the rule of law, and equality for all Americans, our fundamental principles that are etched in all of our hearts, with the foundation of these principles and the civility that accompanies such, we are obligated to come together to find common ground and to talk to one another. And, Lord willing, we will.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1961, which would allow America's iconic wooden paddle-wheel steamboat, the Delta Queen, to return to traveling America's rivers.

For over 60 years, the Delta Queen has traveled up and down America's waterways, carrying passengers, entertaining Presidents and foreign dignitaries, and even serving our troops in times of war. She's a true American treasure.

However, due to Federal safety regulations implemented in the 1960s, wooden ships were banned from carrying 50 or more passengers overnight. While this regulation was originally intended for oceangoing cruise ships, the Delta Queen, due to her size and structure, is a riverboat that is unfairly trapped by this regulation, even though she is never more than a mile from shore.

Understanding the unique situation of the Delta Queen, and the fact that she was built and safely operating before this law was put in place, Congress has granted her exemptions for the past 40 years from this regulation, allowing the steamboat to continue to safely carry passengers along America's waterways.

However, since 2008, Congress has failed to continue the Delta Queen exemption. As a result, the Delta Queen is currently moored in Tennessee and is unable to fully provide the experiences and services that she was built for.

Today, the Delta Queen is under new management and continues to undergo rigorous safety inspections and tests administered by the Coast Guard. She has operated safely for over 80 years.

Like many of my constituents, I have fond memories of the Delta Queen, which has called Cincinnati her home for 37 years. With the passage of H.R. 1961, we can return this historic landmark back to Cincinnati, preserving America's cultural heritage, and bringing jobs and economic growth to the greater Cincinnati area.

I commend my colleague, Steve Chabot, for taking the lead on this issue for Cincinnati, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1961.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Specialist Fourth Class Gary George Wetzel of the United States Army.

Specialist Fourth Class Wetzel served in the 173rd Assault Helicopter Company and was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extreme heroism in action in Vietnam on January 8, 1968.

While going to the aid of his aircraft commander, Specialist Fourth Class Wetzel became critically wounded. Although his left arm was severed, Specialist Fourth Class Wetzel held his position and engaged the enemy. After eliminating three, he refused treatment and attempted to assist his aircraft commander. Due to the severity of his wounds, Specialist Fourth Class Wetzel lost consciousness. Once he regained consciousness, he persisted in his efforts to drag himself to the aid of his fellow crewman and assisted in bringing the commander to safety.

Because of his valiant efforts towards his fellow crewmen, I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Specialist Fourth Class Gary George Wetzel.

Mr. Speaker, we are at a point where an unannounced, unplanned, and largely unconstitutional fourth branch of government has taken root. Dominated by unelected bureaucrats, these Federal departments and agencies are churning out rules and regulations at an unprecedented pace.

According to one study, Federal agencies finalized nearly 3,000 rules and over 60 major regulations in 2007. That same year, Congress enacted 138 public laws.

To this end, one of the first bills I cosponsored upon being sworn in as a Member of Congress was the REINS Act, H.R. 367, and I'm pleased to have voted for it today. The bill increases accountability and creates transparency in the Federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations. With the REINS Act, no longer will bureaucrats in the fourth branch go unchecked, and the constitutional balance our Founders deliberately drafted would be restored.

I will continue to fight for a government that is smaller, more efficient, more streamlined, and more responsive to hardworking taxpayers.

I thank the gentleman from Texas for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, as a cosponsor, I rise in support of this important amendment to protect and promote job creation in both southern Ohio, where I'm from, and for this entire country.

Business owners and entrepreneurs currently live and work under an executive branch hostile to the free enterprise system and a President whose governing philosophy has been: You didn't build that.

Agencies like the EPA, Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education hand down new regulations with little regard for the real- world impacts. These bureaucrats do not care if jobs are lost, as long as their rules are enforced.

This amendment requires an analysis of how many jobs would be added or lost due to new regulations brought forth under this or any future administrations. This amendment also requires the distinction as to whether the jobs affected are government or private sector jobs.

This amendment further protects real-world businesses from bureaucrats who are often punitive rather than constructive and are often far removed from everyday economic realities.

I stand in support of this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, the unilateral decision by this administration to delay certain provisions of Federal legislation undermines the very rule of law. If President Obama can pick and choose what he wants to enforce within ObamaCare, what prevents him from doing the same with other legislation? That is my concern.

And while this administration is determined that their signature piece of legislation is too complicated for businesses, the individual mandate still stands. Businesses get a break, but individuals get no relief from the burdens of this law.

Why do hardworking individuals not deserve relief from the hardships of the Affordable Care Act? If the President and his allies in Congress stand by their decision to delay one mandate, is it not fair to delay the other?

Realistically, a permanent delay through the full repeal of ObamaCare and its mandates is the only workable solution.

Don't Americans deserve equality under the law and fairness for all?

Mr. Speaker, every coin and bill we use bears the phrase ``In God We Trust.'' Sadly, today, our trust tends to stop there. I don't recall hearing ``In Government We Trust'' very often.

President Reagan governed on the phrase ``Trust, but verify.'' This holds true to the Founders' original plan of three branches of government working to safeguard the people from overreach or abuse of power by any one. Current scandals fly in the face of the very principles and ethos we live our lives by and the values we were founded upon.

I can tell you that we in southern and southwest Ohio take pride not only in hard work but honest work. We now face an executive branch so vast that those who are in charge now claim that full accountability is impossible. They claim that government is too vast to be held accountable.

Mr. Speaker, I will not give up on the goodness of the American citizen and the possibility of responsibility and trust that we should be able to have in our government.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to this amendment.

This funding, which supports our Nation's domestic uranium enrichment capabilities, is vital for our national security and our energy security and independence. The RD&D program, located in the American Centrifuge Plant in Piketon, Ohio, is the cornerstone for a domestic source of enriched uranium.

American Centrifuge is necessary to support our national defense program needs, including supporting tritium production requirements for the U.S. nuclear stockpile. USEC has received no bailouts. It is inaccurate and misleading to use this politically-charged term in connection with an important national and energy security technology. I strongly believe that American Centrifuge is too important to our Nation's national and energy security to abandon now.

It is vital that the United States maintain a domestic technology to provide enriched uranium for national security purposes.

We must have a U.S.-owned domestic supply of enriched uranium. With the closure of the 1950s-era Paducah enrichment plant, American Centrifuge is the only available technology to meet the Nation's future national security needs for enriched uranium.

Thankfully, we don't have to rely on foreign sources. The RD&D program is within budget and on schedule for completion by December 2013. This funding is not an earmark, as it was included in the budget request and there is no direct funding in the bill for the project. The provision simply provides the authority to transfer existing funds from other DOE programs.

The Burgess amendment would remove the final piece of funding needed to complete the RD&D program, shutting down operations and essentially wasting the $200 million that has already been spent.

I urge you to support domestic uranium enrichment technology and oppose this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.