Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to join so many of our colleagues, not just from the great State of Michigan but from the great, great Nation of America to honor our colleague here--truly a giant, a giant of this House and a legendary leader in Michigan as well--Congressman John Dingell, as he becomes the longest serving Member of this House in the history of this body.

Every Member of this House is addressed by the term ``the honorable,'' but perhaps no other Member of this House deserves that title more than the Honorable John Dingell.

For the last 19,420 days--an amazing number--more than 53 years, John Dingell has served the people of Michigan and of our Nation with honor and with distinction. He has been a vocal fighter for our State, a champion for working men and women across this great Nation. He is a man whose word is his bond, and I know that personally from so many experiences. His word is his bond. If he gives you his word, Mr. Speaker, take it to the bank.

None of us can ever doubt the sincerity with which he approaches his cause nor his ability to work with Members across the aisle in different Chambers to find solutions to the enormous challenges that have been facing our Nation during his long tenure here, and there is no better ally to have when fighting an issue than John Dingell. Again, I know this from personal experience because he is a zealous advocate for his cause and an incredible leader and, again, has that rare ability to bring people together.

As my colleague from Michigan said, there is simply no better person with whom to share a foxhole than John Dingell, and while I will respect and honor John Dingell for his service to the people of his district, Michigan and this Nation, the thing that gives me the greatest pleasure is to be able to call John Dingell ``friend.'' I say that with the greatest sincerity, Mr. Dingell.

Congratulations, Mr. Chairman, and my sincere best wishes for another 19,000 days of service here in this establishment.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 559, the FAST Redress Act of 2009. This bill requires the Homeland Security Secretary to create a timely and fair process for individuals who believe they were delayed or prohibited from boarding a commercial aircraft, or entering the country because they were wrongly identified as a threat when screened against any terrorist watch list or database used by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Customs and Border Protection, or any other component of the Department of Homeland Security.

We have heard many news reports of people whose names are similar to those on the watch list, detained for hours at border crossings and airports, all because their name is the same or similar to a person with suspected terrorist ties.

The Fast Redress Act would set up a dedicated office within Department of Homeland

Security to coordinate and streamline the process of appeal for individuals who believe they have been wrongly placed on a government watch list and consequently remanded to secondary screening.

This office would then create and share a ``Cleared List'' of individuals who have gone through the redress process and that list would be disseminated to all components of DHS--preventing the same individuals from being stopped by multiple government agencies.

My home state of Michigan is home to the first and second busiest border crossings on the northern tier of the nation, where thousands of people cross the border into Canada every single day.

Detroit Metropolitan Airport is also a hub for Northwest Airlines and is one of the busiest airports in the nation.

When you combine the fact that southeast Michigan is home to one of the largest Arabic populations in America, the vast majority of whom are law abiding and patriotic Americans, with the important international travel corridors that exist in our community, far too many of my constituents have been needlessly inconvenienced without the goal of security being advanced.

Unfortunately, my office has been contacted by numerous people who were mistakenly detained, often at gunpoint, because their name mistakenly appeared on the terrorist watch list.

Now, American citizens will have a process to permanently clear their names, and spread that information throughout the DHS and others who use the watch list. And that will make it a more effective tool to keep our nation safe.

We must ensure that our CBP officers and TSA agents spend their limited time, manpower and resources on genuine threats to our security; scrubbing the watch list is an important first step to making sure that happens.

Madam Speaker, I believe that there is broad bipartisan consensus in this House that we must act to stimulate our economy. And actually, the vote last week indicated that there is a bipartisan belief that we can do better.

I have talked to my constituents, to local school districts, and local government and business leaders, and the consensus is that we must do better.

Too many programs were included in that bill that will not stimulate our economy. When we are borrowing money from our children and grandchildren, we have a responsibility to make certain that the plan will work, that it will create jobs, and that it will help get our economy moving.

President Obama has reached out his hand asking for bipartisan cooperation, and many of us are ready to answer his call. I believe that we can create a bill along the broad outlines put forward by the President and pass such a bill with strong bipartisan support. All it will take is the majority including good ideas and putting aside other nonstimulative policy goals for another day. We can get this done, and for the sake of our economy and the American people, I hope that we will get it done.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to remember the life of Almont Township Fire Chief Paul Wilcox who sadly passed away on Thursday, January 8th after a hard fought battle with cancer. I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to all his family members and friends and hope they can find comfort and ease during this very difficult time.

As a former township and State elected official, I had the pleasure and opportunity to meet and work with Chief Wilcox on several issues. I know his leadership, integrity and community service will be greatly missed throughout Lapeer County and the entire State of Michigan. He truly was a great person.

Chief Wilcox amazingly fought fires in the Almont area for over 40 years and served as chief for 23 years. But he took his call of public duty beyond the walls of the fire station by serving in numerous roles such as an instructor at the Lapeer County Fire Academy during the 1970s, Almont and Imlay Township building inspector, member of the 9-1- 1 Committee, Lapeer County EMS Committee, National Volunteer Fire Council and as President of the Michigan Fire Chief's Association just to name a few.

Again, I cannot stress enough how great of a loss this is for not only Almont but both Lapeer County and Michigan. Chief Wilcox was an innovative leader and faced any challenge head on. I can remember recently visiting the station and meeting with him and fellow firefighters about a year and a half ago to present a FEMA grant. There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to help the community. He always sought to improve the departments' services and resources for the residents he so proudly served. He was a tireless advocate for the volunteer fire service and took his message and mission to the national level. He raised the bar and set high standards which all future chiefs and firefighters will now need to live up to.

I am extremely grateful to have known Chief Wilcox and for the chance to have called him a friend. Chief Wilcox had announced his intention to retire this spring but unfortunately wasn't afforded that opportunity. Without question, he will be greatly missed but rest assured certainly not forgotten. I offer my sincere gratitude and thanks for his lifetime of dedicated work and service. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who knew Chief Wilcox and may he receive eternal rest.

Madam Speaker, yesterday we once again witnessed the greatest of American traditions, the peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected President and leader of our Nation to another.

Whether in times of peace or prosperity or war and economic difficulty, this great Nation has never wavered from its commitment to democracy and to the power of the American people to choose our leaders. This model of how a free people govern themselves is truly America's greatest gift to the world.

At a time of great challenges facing our Nation, our new President was met with a sense of hope and an outpouring of support from the ever optimistic American people. And whether you consider yourself a Republican or a Democrat, Barack Obama today is a President for every American.

It is now time for us, in this Congress, to work together to help our new President govern through these troubled times. Throughout our Nation's history, Madam Speaker, we have proven that united we can overcome any hardship and defeat any foe.

I extend best wishes to our new President and my colleagues as we work together to do our best on behalf of the American people.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this rule, but to reluctantly support the underlying legislation because it provides very important steps forward to providing a helping hand to our Nation's automotive industry.

And I certainly want to thank Chairman Frank for his advocacy over the last few months on behalf of the auto industry. I also want to thank him for codifying in the legislation that the domestic auto industry is vital to our economy and national security. And providing the assistance that allows the industry to thrive in the future is in the national interest.

This bill says clearly that the auto companies and their financing arms are eligible for support under the TARP. And one only needs to look at the support already given to GMAC, whose immediate move was to free up credit. This provision is absolutely vital.

It also puts all of the stakeholders in the auto companies--workers, suppliers, dealers, bond holders, and others--on equal footing in making concessions to ensure the future prosperity of these companies.

It does not single out workers or any other group. And this is important to bring everyone to the table equally. And on that basis, I would support this legislation, although I wish it had gone further to place similar mandates on the financial industry to those being asked of the automotive industry. Mr. Speaker, we have seen the CEOs of the auto companies dragged here to Capitol Hill and ridiculed by Members of Congress. We have not seen the same treatment of Wall Street executives receiving these funds.

We have seen leaders of the auto companies asking for help being asked to work for $1 a year. We have not seen one leader on Wall Street asked to do the same. In fact, we have seen many of those executives at companies who have already received large sums under the TARP be given huge bonuses.

We have seen autoworkers vilified and told they make too much money, and we have not seen the same treatment of workers in the financial industry. And we have seen car companies forced to submit to Congress viability plans as a condition of support. Financial companies have not been held to the same standard. It's been a double standard. And it is long past time that those who caused our financial problems be treated at least in an equal way by this Congress as the auto companies who are, in large measure, victims of the failure of Wall Street.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the inspiring and truly remarkable football season displayed both on and off the field by the Ubly High School Bearcats from Huron County.

The Bearcats took an undefeated record of 13 wins and 0 losses in to the Division 7 State Championship at Ford Field in Detroit against perennial powerhouse Traverse City St. Francis. Although at the end of the contest St. Francis had prevailed on the scoreboard, Ubly can stand proud with their heads held high. I think former Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi said it best, ``We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time.''

The 2008 season was comprised of more than just film sessions, chalk talks and wind sprints but something beyond the parameters of just football. Sadly in early October, the entire Ubly community experienced a tremendous loss when former teammate and classmate, David Ostenski, passed away from cancer at age 17. David was diagnosed while a member of the JV team but courageously continued his support of the football team despite his ailing physical condition. Less than 2 weeks before his passing, David was recognized during a special ceremony at the homecoming game and even took pictures with the homecoming court proudly wearing his #44 black and orange jersey.

This small rural town sought comfort in each other, rallied together as family and used football as a form of therapy to ease the pain of this devastating loss. To commemorate his life, each player wore David's name on his helmet and broke each huddle saying his name.

Led by Head Coach Bill Sweeny, these 24 young men conveyed the true meaning of the human spirit, in what was a historic run to the school's first finals appearance, and that through tragedy you can find triumph.

When you reflect upon the entire season, everyone can agree that these young men are ``real'' champions and they should be proud of all their accomplishments. They persevered when confronted with adversity and matured quickly beyond their years. They learned that life is not always fair but instead of giving up they stepped up to meet each challenge head-on and will forever have those experiences to help them grow in the future.

Thank you to the 2008 Ubly Football Team for providing coaches, school officials, students, and parents with an outstanding season. I commend you all! Way to go Bearcats.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this rule, because we do need to act to support our domestic auto industry, and failure to act by Congress on bridge loans to our domestic auto industry will have catastrophic effects on our workers, on our economy, as well as our national security. Inaction is simply not an option.

In recent years, the domestic auto industry has been undergoing significant restructuring in an effort to become more competitive with foreign automakers. More needs to be done certainly, but to suggest that nothing has been done is inaccurate and does not recognize the significant sacrifices made by workers and the tough decisions made by the Big Three.

They are also changing their product mix to better reflect the current marketplace demand for more fuel efficient vehicles. It is not Toyota that offers the most models that get over 30 miles per gallon. It is General Motors. It is not Honda that makes the highest mileage SUV in the world. It is Ford with the Ford Escape.

We cannot forget the domestic auto industry and what they have meant to America. In fact, during World War II, southeast Michigan was known as the ``arsenal of democracy'' because we literally had the manufacturing capability that led the world to peace by building those armaments, and we expanded freedom across the globe.

Then on September 11, 2001, that horrific day when the terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 of our fellow Americans, they had an additional goal, and that was to destroy our economy. At that time, while the Federal Government was properly providing bailout support to the devastated airlines, it was the domestic auto industry, led by General Motors and their Keep America Rolling Program, which kept customers in the showrooms, workers on the factory floors, and did indeed keep America rolling.

The cost to our economy of failure of one or more of these companies will be stark. Experts have indicated that this would cause a cascade of bankruptcies across the economy and lead to the loss of as many as 3 million jobs. The cost of this calamity to the taxpayers would be multiple times greater than the cost of these bridge loans.

Madam Speaker, I ask my colleagues to look beyond the super-heated rhetoric here and support me in joining this rule and this vital industry.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, first I would like to associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from Michigan (Mr. Levin) and Macomb County. We share a county together.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this rule and in very, very strong support of the underlying legislation. Today this House is beginning to take action to provide our domestic auto industry with a bridge loan to help them through these very difficult times.

Some of my colleagues engaged in this debate have described this as a bridge loan to nowhere. Well, it is my opinion that those Members have a very bad map, a very, very bad map. In fact, these are bridge loans to better times, to a stronger auto industry that will build the high- tech vehicles of the future and will protect millions of good jobs in America.

What Members should know is that the road of inaction is a road to economic abyss; the road to the loss of as many as 3 million jobs; the road to the destruction of the domestic manufacturing base which has formed the arsenal of democracy; a road to a deeper and more protracted recession that will negatively impact every community across this Nation. As was said, this is not just a Detroit problem, a Michigan problem; this is an American problem. And a detour from the bridge loan of assistance to the domestic auto industry to the road of inaction, that is a dead end.

I will choose the bridge to more jobs, the bridge to advanced technology, the bridge to a vital industry base and to a brighter future, and I urge my colleagues to join me on that trip. I urge them to support this rule, to support the underlying bill, and to demonstrate that this Congress does care about Main Street, not just Wall Street.

Mr. Speaker, you know, after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, this Congress passed well over $133 billion of assistance to that region, and we did so because Americans were hurting and they needed assistance. And we also did it because that region was vital to our energy industry that plays such a critical role in our national economy.

And I will also note that Americans, those taxpayers from my home State of Michigan and across this great Nation, contributed to that effort.

Now our industrial economy has been hit by a Category 5 economic hurricane brought on by the meltdown in the financial industry. And this has been a disaster which has hit my State hard, and people are hurting all across America. Credit is simply not available to enough consumers to keep the cash flow our automakers need and, because of this, millions of jobs across this Nation are at risk. And I cannot believe that this Congress will allow the backbone of our manufacturing and industrial sector to be swept away, because

I believe that most Members will agree that America cannot be a great Nation without a strong industrial base.

Think about the millions of Americans who are asking us to do the right thing, and support this vital legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this legislation to provide some additional help to workers across this Nation who have been hard hit by our difficult economy.

Just today it was announced that our national unemployment rate is 6.1 percent, terrible rate that unfortunately we would be ecstatic within my district.

People are hurting and they need help.

This bill will provide an additional 7 weeks of unemployment benefits for workers across the Nation and an additional 13 weeks for high unemployment states like my home State of Michigan.

Earlier today we passed a $700 billion bailout for Wall Street companies whose bad business decisions have wreaked havoc on our economy.

If we can hand over $700 billion to Wall Street we can certainly provide this minimum level of support to the workers who are among the victims of the bad actors on Wall Street.

Let us all join together and pass this legislation that will provide real support for those who need it most, hard working people having a terribly difficult time finding work in our struggling economy.

Madam Speaker, consistent with House Republican Earmark Standards, I am submitting the following earmark disclosure and certification information for two individual project authorization requests that I made and which were included within the text of H.R. 2638--The Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2009 Bill Number H.R. 2638.

1. Requesting Member: Congresswoman Candice Miller.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Project Amount: $1.6 Million.

Account: Operations and Maintenance, Army PE# 423012.

Receiving Entity: Army Manufacturing Technical Assistance Production Program (MTAPP).

Address: US Army TACOM, Industrial Base Office, AMSTA-LC-IO, 6501 E Eleven Mile Rd, Warren, MI 48397.

Description of Request: MTAPP focuses on solving supply chain problems that impact the Army and Department of Defense. MTAPP solves the above-mentioned problems using small manufacturing businesses. The problems that are solved by MTAPP lead to improvement in mission capability and availability rates of Army/DoD combat and tactical vehicles. In addition, the small manufacturing businesses provide a sustainable industrial base of suppliers to support the maintenance of weapons platforms. The small businesses also provide the Defense commercial sector with a viable pool of small businesses to meet the Federal Government mandated socio-economic goals.

Matching Funds: Not applicable (Federal entity).

2. Requesting Member: Congresswoman Candice Miller.

Bill Number: H.R. 2638.

Project Amount: $2.4 Million.

Account: Research, Development, Test & Evaluation, Army.

Receiving Entity: Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages Case Resolution Program.

Address: U.S. Army TARDEC Assoc. Director for Engineering 6501 East 11 Mile Road Warren, MI 48397.

Description of Request: The program is expected to significantly reduce the Tank-Automotive and Armaments Life Cycle Management Command's (TACOM LCMC) total ownership costs for weapons systems sustainment by using a center for directing the researching of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) cases affecting TACOM LCMC designing engineering solutions for cases, and testing alternatives for obsolete pars and higher-level assemblies.

Matching Funds: Not applicable. (Federal entity).

Madam Speaker, the Great Lakes are one of the great treasures of the world and are fully 20 percent of the world's freshwater supply. They are unique in our Nation and unique on this planet. But the Great Lakes are especially near and dear to those of us in Michigan, the Great Lakes State.

The Great Lakes are part of our identity as 4 of the 5 Lakes touch Michigan's shore. The Lakes are important to our State for commerce, for recreation, for drinking water, and for tourism. They are an invaluable part of the environment. The Great Lakes deserve every protection to ensure that they remain a healthy ecosystem for future generations.

One of the primary reasons I ran for Congress was to preserve and protect the Great Lakes. I have been proud to work with my colleagues on issues like invasive species, the Great Lakes Legacy Act, and the Water Resources Development Act. Today, the House will take a historic step towards protecting this treasure by ratifying the Great Lakes Compact.

The compact is a binding agreement among the Great Lakes States to implement a conservation standard for regulating water withdrawals from the Great Lakes Basin. This document will essentially ban new and increased diversions of water outside the Great Lakes Basin with only limited, highly regulated exceptions. It also establishes a framework for each State to enact laws protecting the basin.

There is no doubt that water is becoming an increasingly scarce resource, both around the world and here in the United States. Droughts in the Southeast and the West have demonstrated quite clearly that we cannot simply take abundant freshwater for granted. In fact, a recent issue of BusinessWeek screamed the headline: ``There Will Be Water: Why T. Boone Pickens Thinks It's the New Oil.'' Water shortages will undoubtedly lead to jurisdictional fights over access.

The Great Lakes Region has taken it upon themselves to work through these issues before areas outside the basin attempt to access water from the Great Lakes. I am proud of our region for coming together to decide the future of the Great Lakes before others have the opportunity to do that for us.

This measure will ensure the continued protection of the Great Lakes for generations to come, and I urge my colleagues to support the adoption of the Great Lakes Compact.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 1287--Commending the Honor Flight Network.

The Honor Flight's mission is to provide an all expenses paid trip for WWII veterans to Washington, DC, to visit the memorial that has been dedicated to honor their service and their sacrifices for our country.

Unfortunately, we are losing ``The Greatest Generation'' with every passing day, and many are not able to have the opportunity to

visit the World War II monument, which memorializes the sacrifice made by so many.

Thankfully, Honor Flight organizations from all over the Nation have taken it upon themselves to make sure WWII veterans who otherwise would be unable to make the trip to D.C., have an opportunity to do so.

This amazing group, made up entirely of unpaid volunteers, raises money and donates time to ensure these veterans of World War II see not only the WWII monument, but also the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery--all at no cost to the veteran.

These honor flights take veterans to Washington from April through November each year, and provide flights, deluxe tour bus service, t- shirts, scooters, wheelchairs, oxygen and meals--at a cost of $20,000 per flight. Many people say they are grateful for the sacrifices of our Nation's veterans, but this group puts it that idea into action.

In my home state of Michigan, over 414 veterans were flown to Washington, DC by Honor Flight of Michigan last year, and so far this year 346 veterans have been afforded the opportunity to see Washington,

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6849 and on behalf of Michigan's farmers and agricultural community.

When thinking of Michigan, most people automatically think of the automobile industry. However, many people don't realize that agriculture is the second largest industry in the state and in many ways defines us, our culture and our values.

Michigan's agriculture industry is made up of small and medium sized farms. However, the family farmer is alive and well in my district. And that is why this bill is so critical to Michigan producers and the rest of the country.

This legislation waives the 10 acre provision for farm program eligibility for the 2008 and 2009 crop years. This provision, which was included in the Farm Bill, prevents farmers with less than 10 base acres from receiving a program crop payment such as Direct, Counter- Cyclical, or ACRE payments.

There are many producers which are prohibited from receiving the benefits of the Farm Bill because of this provision. It is my sincere belief that farmers that work multiple plots of less than 10 acres were never intended to be denied access to this program. This legislation today will force the USDA to recognize that fact. I am proud to stand in support of this bill and urge all of my colleagues to vote in favor of this measure.