Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kim Tierney on being

selected as the Iowa Elementary Principal of the year. Kim serves as the principal at Denver Elementary School which is in my district. Kim was selected because of her leadership in implementing professional learning communities.

Mrs. Tierney began her career as a teacher in the Waukee Community School District. She has been the Principal at Denver Elementary for six years. She received her bachelor's degree in elementary and middle school education from the University of Northern Iowa, and her master's degree in educational leadership from Iowa State University.

Mrs. Tierney was selected for this award by a committee of Iowa elementary school principals. The National Association of Elementary School Principals will also honor her as a National Distinguished Principal this fall in Washington, D.C. Kim has proven that she is a leader at her school and throughout the Denver community. I'm proud to call her a constituent, and congratulate her on all of her success.

Mr. Speaker, the following in individuals indicated that they do not support the Pentagon making cuts to the National Guard to reduce spending:

doug betts--albion, IA

I am not in favor of cutting funding for our military at

all. I believe we should keep a strong defense, but also keep

that defense close to home and only on foreign soils when

needed to protect US citizens and strategic interests.

Specifically, I'm not in favor of deploying large numbers of

our Iowa Guard troops overseas, as then they are not here to

help in case of an emergency like a natural disaster.

If defense must be cut, down-sizing bases in foreign

countries and other foreign aid should be the first

consideration.

Ken Willoughby--Melcher Dallas, IA

No way! With climatic events etc., etc. it's the last place

they should cut. There are dozens of areas to make cuts other

than the guard.

After using the guard for overseas wartime service then

making cuts after all they've sacrificed is ridiculous!!

John Irwin--Grinnell, IA

I don't think we should cut any defense spending other than

the gaft industries charge for items purchased by the govt.

Franklin Curtis--Iowa Falls, IA

The guard is needed as a backup to local emergency and

national disaster assistance to law enforcement and first

responders. Reduction in some active duty and equipment

storage of un-needed aircraft is a better plan.

Betty Reynolds--Le Grand, IA

This country has been depending on the National Guard to

fight in the war. My son has been over twice. Some families

may depend on the extra income from the Guard also. Thank you

for sticking up for them.

Debra Downs--Marshalltown, IA

Cut the waste--not the people.

Sandra Patterson--Marshalltown, IA

How about cutting government corruption instead?

Roger Lakey--Marshalltown, IA

States needs the Guard for natural disasters and state

functions. Like the floods of 2008 in Iowa; who would be

called up for duty if we were to cut the Guard? Iowa has no

active duty base or fort in the state so the Guard is our

only state military asset.

Pedro Aquero--Marshalltown, IA

We need the troops to keep our DEMOCRACY safe. If you need

more comments and exact comments I can explain.

Steven Aikin--Rhodes, IA

I was in the Guard and Guard units are essential in

deployments.

Dianna Butcher--State Center, IA

I do believe it is wrong to cut funding for the National

Guard. I would rather see our troops brought home and the

money used to keep our national borders secured. We need the

young men and women to assist in times of disaster within our

own State... Maybe it is time that monetary support for the

Iowa National Guard comes from the Iowa state budget to keep

them available. In any event we need to maintain our National

defenses, not lessen them.

Phyllis Stadtlander--Waukee, IA

Please use my tax dollars to preserve the National Guard.

It is a safety net for the safety for my family. Thank you

very much for your work on our behalf.

Mike Vandelune--Urbandale, IA

The military needs to be treated as a business. You have a

workforce (active duty) for your basic manufacturing or

business needs. Then when you have a unexpected need, you

bring on the part-time (National Guard) workforce. The last

thing you want is to not have what you need for a workforce

when there is an emergency.

Jim Mayland--Buffalo Center, IA

I am commander of the local VFW Post. I have seen some

waste in the military and I think that is where the cuts

should come not in reducing the National Guard.

Ross Kuper--Osage, IA

Do not make cuts to the military in any way shape. They

need to have the best care provided to the service person and

their families. We need the best military in the world.

Randy Martin--Rockwell City, IA

I do not want to see the country go back to the era where

our military was cut so low that we were open to terrorist

attacks. Remind them of 911.

Anna Fremont--Cedar Falls, IA

Besides we all know we will need the guard in active duty

when all this snow melts and we are flooded again. Then what?

Diane Siebel--Cedar Falls, IA

Absolutely not!

Kathy Doyle--Cedar Falls, IA

My husband is active duty National Guard/Army. He would

lose his position and now he's currently at the Arizona

border patrol as a pilot. If we lose that we lose our careers

our income and insurance and that would mean that the

unemployment rate will go sky high. I am totally against this

and not happy about it either.

Ralph Prunty--Cedar Falls, IA

Redefine and reduce the scope of the NSC and Keep the

National Guard.

Carl Meyer--Cedar Falls, IA

The National Guard is not only capable of being deployed to

places like Afghanistan but also is used for all kinds of

national disasters. The Guard numbers are right where we need

them.

Robert Yuska--Hudson, IA

They protect our state in disasters as well as protecting

our nation in emergencies.

Debra Noesen--Independence, IA

I'm sick & tired of hearing about cuts to our military when

the cuts should be made in our Congress & Senate, that's

where the waste is. By the time Congress gets done with this,

we will have no security in this country. I served in the US

Women's Army Corp and am still extremely proud of my service

but I'm fed up with the way the military and veterans are

treated in this country.

Dan Callahan--Independence, IA

Our aviation assets are better than the Army's. Our

soldiers bring a wealth of experience from their civilian

jobs that make our units far more flexible than active units.

Paying so much for weapons systems that don't work and being

unable to retain and train our soldiers is silly. Active duty

generals and lobbyists are frightened by how effective our

Guard units are at a much lower cost than a similar active

unit. They worry about protecting their jobs, not the

effectiveness of the fighting force.

Ted Lanske--Waverly, IA

The last time we had troop cuts this low was right after

WWII and for the same reason. Guess what, Korean conflict

came along. We are about to make the same stupid political

mistake and history will repeat itself. Drones cannot fight

hill to hill, valley to valley, nor door to door.

Kathleen Schuhmacher--Waverly, IA

We are weakening our defense system in the United States.

Please do what you can to maintain (at least) what we already

have in place.

Joseph Seitz--Waterloo, IA

As you say, they could make cuts to military weapon

development and to cut waste. It's nice that the Secretary of

Defense wants to make cuts but maybe the cuts need to be

toward that first before reducing our National Guard.

Chip Wood--Waterloo, IA

Much more savings achieved cutting regular forces.

Angie Gilbert--Waterloo, IA

My husband is in the Iowa National Guard and was deployed

to Afghanistan in 2010. He works very hard to do a great job

at any task he is appointed to and is always ready to do

whatever he is asked to serve our state and our country.

These men and women do a great service and deserve great

respect. I believe budget cuts could be made elsewhere.

Brenda Douglass--Waterloo, IA

My son is a member of the Iowa National Guard. He takes his

job as an Army National Guard soldier very seriously and has

great pride in being ready to serve his country when needed.

Nancy Stirm--Waterloo, IA

Our National Guard does so much more than protect our

country. Let's keep them available to all needs of the state

and country.

Cindy Bengston--Waterloo, IA

Thank you Rep. Braley!

Sandie Deahl--Waterloo, IA

I believe funding within the Iowa National Guard should be

redistributed. Outdated or mostly vacant posts should be

closed or sold. Funding previously spent on maintenance

should be used for recruitment/training of recruits. Please

give Tim Orr a call, he represents the National Guard well

and has quite a few good ideas about future direction(s) of

the guard.

Tiona Johnston--Waterloo, IA

I do not believe that we should cut any of our military. My

oldest son is in the Reserves. I also believe that someone

should be FIGHTING for our Veterans' rights.

Madam Speaker, last month, after proposed cuts to the Iowa National Guard, I asked Iowans for their comments and stories about the impact the Guard has had on their lives. Today, I will be turning those responses in to Secretary Hagel and the Pentagon to make sure that the Pentagon hears, not just from me, but from the Iowans who have seen the tremendous good done by the Iowa National Guard. I want to share several of the responses I will be turning in.

Donna from Ankeny, who has a nephew in the Guard, told me:

The National Guard is an investment in our safety and

security, but it is also an investment in many young people--

a huge employer.

Nancy from Dubuque, Iowa, wrote:

Not only do they fight for our country overseas, but they

do so much for our country, such as helping with the floods

in Iowa or with the aftermath of 9/11 in New York. The

National Guard is an important part of our safety at home and

abroad.

These are just some of the hundreds of responses I have received, and I am submitting many of these for the Record.

The Iowa National Guard served the longest deployment of any combat unit in Iraq. They came back and helped deal with the most powerful tornado in the United States that hit my district in 2008 and the worst flooding in our State's history, and that is why we shouldn't cut their funding.

The following individuals also indicated that they do not

support the Pentagon making cuts to the National Guard to

reduce spending:

Kevin Burke--Grimes, IA; John Moore--Grinnell, IA; Kathryn

Bly--Grinnell, IA; Jacob Knott--Liscomb, IA; Chris Brodin--

Marshalltown, IA; Bing McHone--Marshalltown, IA; Carolyn

Peters--Montour, IA; Rachael Johnson--Rhodes, IA; Bonnie

Coble--Rhodes, IA; Darlene Eckhart--State Center, IA; Nancy

Croy--Des Moines, IA; Deborah Mikelson--Des Moines, IA.

Julia Taylor--Urbandale, IA; Rob Maser--Urbandale, IA;

David Bryant--Mason City, IA; Stacy Baumgartner--Joice, IA;

Hope Hartwig--Manly, IA; Sloane Morrow--Fort Dodge, IA; Londa

Dawkins--Ackley, IA; Dawn Shepard--Aplington, IA; James

Meehan--Cedar Falls, IA; Emilee Leonard--Cedar Falls, IA;

Barb Hazen--Cedar Falls, IA; Kristine Grummitt--Cedar Falls,

Mr. Speaker, today I introduced the Temporary Assistance for Emergency Eradication (TREE) Act to provide communities in my home state of Iowa, and across the nation, with assistance to deal with the emerald ash borer. The emerald ash borer, first found in Michigan by way of shipping crates from China, is an invasive beetle that is thriving in America as it decimates our ash tree populations in more than twenty states. In my state alone, it will cost approximately $3 to remove these trees that now pose a public safety hazard.

The intent of the funding in this legislation is to address the emerald ash borer problem. The TREE Act will provide critical assistance to communities by restoring funding to the US Department of Agriculture's office of Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services (APHIS) back to its previous level of $37 million to continue to ramp up their work to find a means to control and eradicate the emerald ash borer. Further, it will increase funding for grant programs that directly assist local and state governments dealing with this issue as they coordinate with their communities and private property owners impacted by the infestation of the emerald ash borer.

To do so, the TREE Act would provide an additional $15 million to the Forest Health Management Cooperative Land program to be used to help communities address emerald ash borer infestations. As well, an additional $5 million would be provided to the Urban and Community Forestry program to increase grants available for combating the ash borer infestation, and ``re-greening'' efforts as communities diversify their tree populations and replenish shade where ash trees have been lost.

Mr. Speaker, while I support the effort to fix the cut to veterans' pensions included in S. 25, I am staunchly opposed to extending sequestration cuts to Medicare. Given that the cut to veterans' pensions is due to occur many years before the sequestration extension, I am supporting this bill, with the hope that Congress will undo this additional extension of sequestration cuts to Medicare. Again, let me state clearly: I oppose extending sequestration cuts to Medicare, and I will be working to convince the Senate to find an alternative way to fund the fix to veterans' pensions.

Mr. Speaker, due to being extremely sick, I was not present for tonight's rollcall vote No. 55, No. 56, and No. 57. Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcall votes 55, 56, and 57.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Willie Stevenson Glanton on her tireless efforts throughout her life to break down race and gender barriers and pave the way for many Americans. Willie Stevenson Glanton has been dedicated to the law, human services, and civil rights.

Willie has been a champion for women and minorities throughout her entire life. She was only the second African American woman admitted to practice law in the State of Iowa, along with becoming the first African American woman to be appointed as a city clerk, assistant county attorney, and the first African American female to be elected to the Iowa State Legislature. In addition to her many achievements, Willie is the first woman and first African American to be elected president of the Iowa Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She ``wanted to make an impact for black and women's rights, which are historically intertwined,'' and ``felt that our black children needed more black images in politics to stir their interests.''

With all of her achievements, another great success was her 50-year marriage to the love of her life, the late Luther T. Glanton Jr. who was also a pioneer for African Americans by becoming Iowa's first district judge. A thrilling day for my family was when Judge Glanton spoke at my sister's high school graduation in 1973.

As such an important symbol of justice, the Willie Stevenson Glanton Award was established to recognize a lawyer who exemplifies Willie's spirit to help others, reach back, and help his or her community. Recipients are honored for working toward the goal of improving their community, whether through a commitment to public service, legislative initiatives, professional activities, or community activities. They must demonstrate a commitment to advocacy and activism in the spirit of Willie's devotion to ``free up people.''

Willie is an example of a leader who has worked tirelessly to make her community, her state, and her country a better place to live. She is a true example of hard work, determination and a good heart, and shows us that we can achieve so much and improve the lives of so many individuals directly and indirectly. Willie, on behalf of Iowans and Americans, you make us proud.

Mr. Speaker, because of flight cancellations due to extreme weather I was not present for tonight's rollcall vote No. 1. Had I been present, I would have voted ``present.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 592, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Kevin Cohn on his retirement from the United States Navy. Kevin is one of the quiet, unsung heroes who makes life better for everyone he meets. I first met Kevin in the Office of the Attending Physician in the U.S. Capitol. Kevin helped me recover from a significant injury, but he became more than a health care provider, he became my friend.

Kevin has dedicated himself to improving the health and quality of life of countless patients, and brings passion and excellence to his work. Kevin and his colleagues often work long hours in stressful conditions and have to be prepared to deal with all types of medical emergencies on a moment's notice. Whether it's responding to the needs of a heat-stricken tourist, standing by on full-alert during the State of the Union address, or dealing with accidents and injuries that are commonplace when thousands of people crowd the Capitol grounds, Kevin always exudes confidence and grace under pressure.

Kevin also knows the value of public service. During his career in the Navy, he has cared for men and women in uniform of every rank and has taken care of members of Congress. He has seen the world and walked the halls of Congress. He has missed important events in the life of his family to serve his country. But Kevin doesn't just serve by treating. He serves by caring for the people he works with and making an effort to understand

what's going on in their lives, to make sure they heal.

Kevin is a stabilizing presence in an often-chaotic Capitol. Kevin, I don't just thank you for what you did for me, but I thank you on behalf of all Americans for your service to the Navy and our country. Good luck, and ``Anchors Aweigh'' as you embark on your next adventures.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor and celebrate the grand opening of the Iowa Veterans Welcome Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

In January 2013, three Vietnam veterans, Roger Wiest, Doug Adamson, and Richard Harvol, set out to establish the first independent veteran's social center in the Cedar Rapids area. Their vision was to create an environment for veterans of all ages to come together, share their experiences, and provide support for their brothers and sisters. These men contributed their own funds and resources to ensure that their idea came to fruition.

The center will provide a safe haven for men and women to interact with their fellow veterans through various activities. In addition, it creates a vital support system so necessary to combatting the various issues our brave veterans face every day. I applaud the efforts of these three men and the Iowa Veterans Welcome Center. They truly embody the notion that service to their fellow brothers and sisters in arms doesn't stop when the uniform comes off.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 475, had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I regret missing floor votes on Monday, July 22, 2013. Had I registered my vote, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall 375, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as amended, H.R. 1542--WMD Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2013; ``yea'' on rollcall 376, on Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, as amended, H. Con. Res. 44--Authorizing the use of the Capitol Ground for the District of Columbia Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 365, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 351, had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''