Floor Statements

I thank my colleague for yielding time to me.

As a physician, I am deeply disappointed in the way we are legislating on health care. Here we are, on one hand, physicians are facing a 10 percent cut in reimbursement, which is going to deeply have an impact on access. Furthermore, a 5 percent cut coming up in January. On the other hand, we are going to cut $47 billion out of a Medicare program that is extremely valuable to rural America.

I have a substantial number of citizens, constituents in my district, who depend on this program for access, not just coverage. Coverage is something on paper. Coverage gets you, hopefully, into the door, but not necessarily into the door of a physician's office where they can have a physician-patient relationship, a meaningful relationship that focuses on prevention and screening and not just treating everybody as if they are just a cog or an animal.

We want to do good health care, and this is an irresponsible way to do this. This bill does not pay attention to access; it simply glosses over it. It pits seniors, seniors against physicians. As a physician, I deeply resent that.

Mr. Speaker, people in southwest Louisiana understand that increasing American energy production means more American jobs, good high-paying American jobs.

They also know that a magic bullet will not lower the price at the pump for families, but increasing American energy production in a responsible way will help, and it will create American jobs. The American people want to increase energy production in a responsible, environmentally friendly way.

They want to see unleashing of American entrepreneurship and ingenuity. They don't want any further delays in seeking energy independence, and they know that this is in the interest of national security.

Families in southwest Louisiana and across the country want to see solutions to the high prices at the pump, and Republicans have viable answers to this. We have introduced a number of bills. The American people are now asking the Democratic leadership in Washington if they have solutions, because so far they haven't seen any.

Now, the Democratic Presidential nominee suggests to CNBC's John Harwood yesterday that while the U.S. would be better off without such a shock in gas prices, he sees higher prices as a good thing.

I don't get it. I just don't get it. We can work together to solve this problem. We can decrease America's dependence on foreign sources. It's a sensible thing to do, and I urge my colleagues to join me in this quest.

Madam Speaker, as oil prices continue to climb, increasing American energy production is critical to meeting this challenge. Yesterday, the Department of Energy announced a $715,000 grant to my alma mater, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, to develop more effective ways to drill for oil. Students and professors will work together, along with industry, to achieve higher energy yields from each drilling hole. Better exploration and drilling procedures and techniques are just two parts of a comprehensive energy strategy that we need to have because a magic bullet will not solve our energy challenges. It will not lower the price at the pump alone. We need a comprehensive strategy.

People of southwest Louisiana and around the country want to increase responsible energy production, they want to see increased refining capacity, they want to unleash American entrepreneurship and ingenuity to solve our energy problems, and they don't want any further delays because gas at the pump, as you can see, is just short of $4 a gallon.

We have to stop the delay and have a comprehensive energy solution. I challenge the Democratic leadership to work with us and stop the delay. Let's get a solution to our energy problems.

Mr. Speaker, for more than 3 years I have worked with Southwest Louisiana farmers to deliver a sound and responsible farm bill, and I am glad to report that our hard work has finally paid off with a bipartisan bill.

This important piece of legislation is a victory for farmers in rural communities throughout Louisiana and around the country, but the President failed to see it this way. And I understand his arguments. This is not a perfect bill, but it does make important reforms with a hard cap on farm and nutrition programs.

The hard work of farmers and ranchers across our region maintains America's food security. Ensuring that we have access to safe quality food is critical, and American farmers lead the way. This farm bill supports American farmers going through tough times, while not burdening them during good times. This farm bill supports the agriculture community and ensures its competitiveness in the years to come.

This has been a long process, but in the end we were able to come together and support a bipartisan, responsible farm bill. I am proud of the work we accomplished on this farm bill, and I am grateful to all of those in Southwest Louisiana who helped me with it.

I urge my colleagues to override the veto and vote for American farmers.

Mr. Speaker, for 501 days liberal Democrats have controlled Congress. And these liberal Democrats, including the Speaker, continue to talk about their secret solution for skyrocketing gas prices. But they have failed to produce any answers.

Empty rhetoric and broken promises will not lower the price at the pump for American families. The people in my district in Southwest Louisiana understand that and they want real solutions. They want a comprehensive energy policy that allows us to strategically manage our fossil fuel dependence while we then transition and invest in alternative fuels. They don't want an energy policy that's held hostage to radical environmentalism. They want an energy policy that will increase responsible American energy production and refining capacity. They want to unleash American ingenuity and entrepreneurship. They don't want delays. They want a comprehensive energy policy because it's in the interest of our national security.

Families in Southwest Louisiana and across the country are looking for solutions to the price at the pump, they're looking for solutions for health care costs, and they're looking for solutions to the housing slowdown. Republicans have viable answers.

The American people are asking the Democratic leadership in Washington if they have solutions, we haven't seen any. Bring them forward. Let's work together to ease the price at the pump and to decrease America's dependence on foreign sources of oil.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a very special group from South Louisiana.

On May 10, 2008, a group of 97 veterans and their guardians will fly to Washington with a very special program. Louisiana HonorAir is providing the opportunity for these veterans from my home State of Louisiana to visit Washington, DC, on a chartered flight free of charge. During their visit, they will visit Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial. For many, this will be their first and only opportunity to see these sights dedicated to the great service they have provided for our Nation.

Today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring these great Americans and thanking them for their unselfish service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay honor to America's World War II veterans. These veterans represent the best

of our country, and I am grateful to work with Louisiana HonorAir to salute them, the courageous men and women who stood to protect America.

This weekend 97 veterans from Southwest Louisiana will make the three hour flight to our Nation's capital. In Washington, D.C., the group will tour the WWII Memorial, Korean Memorial and Vietnam Memorial and attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. For many veterans in the group, it is their first time to tour the WWII Memorial because of its recent construction. Then, as quickly as they came, the group will return to a hero's welcome in Lafayette, Louisiana where family and friends will gather to show their appreciation one more time.

Having met many of these groups in Washington, I continue to be awestruck by the reactions of these men and women who stood up to tyranny in Europe and Asia. Many rarely talk about their service, instead, looking to happier times. However, in the company of others who nobly served, they are able to frankly discuss their experiences, share tearful stories and remember comrades missing or killed in action.

Since 2007, more than 800 Louisiana veterans participated in the HonorAir program. Its success is a testament to one man's vision--T.D. Smith. To demonstrate his appreciation to our veterans, T.D., a local radio host, started the program in January 2007 after learning of a similar effort in North Carolina. Smith began gathering sponsors and raising money needed to pay for the flights, buses and tours.

Corporal Earl Flatt, of Broussard, Louisiana, a combat veteran of Iwo Jima, said, ``My faith in America was increased once again by the enthusiasm of the people of Acadiana, who embraced this project and made it all possible.'' Corporal Flatt was on the first HonorAir flight, and he remembered being at the WWII Memorial as one of the most rewarding days of his life. Referring to T.D., he said, ``Mere words cannot express my appreciation for T.D. Smith. His enthusiasm, work habits and patriotism is never exhausted. He would have been a hell of a Marine.''

T.D.'s leadership and commitment to this project and our veterans is extraordinary. His humble demeanor further highlights the contributions of the veterans, many whom are strangers before the flight, and belies the typical boisterous on-air radio personality many would expect. T.D. ensures the HonorAir program never fails to remember its mission of ``celebrating Louisiana's own--their courage, their valor, their sacrifice in WWII.''

In addition to T.D.'s vision, the success ofthe program depends on a myriad of fundraising and logistics. This program is truly a broad community effort, and volunteers throughout the Acadiana area who help raise funds, serve on the board of directors, and act as guardians on each flight, should all be commended for their tireless efforts. However, Linda Dautreuil and her mother Sallie Varrelman each stepped forward to pilot the efforts of others. Ensuring each veteran received attention to their specific details, this mother-daughter team serve each flight participant with care. They plan, organize, and implement each flight guaranteeing the experience of a lifetime for these worthy veterans. Linda's respect and admiration for these WWII heroes, and her wish to thank them for their sacrifice, is evident in her commitment to this project. And, Sallie, with a soft British accent, is repaying a 70-year debt to the brave American soldiers she remembers stationed around her Boumemouth, England home as a 12-year-old in 1939.

T.D., Linda and Sallie each exemplify patriotism and service to our great nation as they honor those of the ``greatest generation.'' One man, who accompanied his father-in-law on a Louisiana HonorAir flight last year, expressed the profound affect this extraordinary expression of kindness has on those who served so heroically.

He said, ``one of the most memorable moments was when we were waiting for our bus to pick us up at the WWII Memorial. As usual, T.D. was walking around, joking and talking to the Vets as he smoked a cigar. My father-in-law took a deep breath and commented on how well it smelled. It was then that T.D. unselfishly offered him a cigar and a light. Well, Mr. Trahan thought he had won the lottery. T.D. gave him a cigar and light and stood there talking to him, making him feel like the most important person in the world.''

Unfortunately, shortly after his flight, the man's father-in-law passed away. His story emphasizes the importance of honoring these veterans before it is too late.

Today, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering the brave men and women who defended America and in commending Louisiana HonorAir, T.D. Smith, Linda Dautreuil, and Sallie Varrelman who convey our appreciation in such a remarkable way.

Madam Speaker, this past Saturday afternoon, with more than 157,000 people watching from the stands and millions watching from their homes, Big Brown won the

134th Kentucky Derby at Louisville, Kentucky's Churchill Downs. Ridden by Louisiana-native Kent Desormeaux, Big Brown proved his ability yet again, as the favorite became the seventh undefeated horse to win horse racing's most prestigious prize. Big Brown's trainer and owners now look ahead to the Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.

Leading his third horse to the red roses of a Kentucky Derby win, Kent Desormeaux is no stranger to winning. Born in Maurice, Louisiana, Kent's first race was at Evangeline Downs with his first win coming aboard Miss Tavern on July 13, 1986. At 25 years old, the jockey became the youngest ever to notch 3,000 career wins. His successful career is a testament to hard work, determination and a love of his sport.

I know I join Kent's family and many in Acadiana in congratulating him on this most recent win and wishing him the best for continued success. Louisiana has a well-established record of producing winning jockeys and Kent certainly continues our legacy.

Unfortunately, Saturday's race did have sadness as second place, Eight Belles, was euthanized on the track. The filly, who ran an impressive race, collapsed after crossing the finish line. It was a tragic scene that reminds us all of the dangers of the sport.

The story Saturday though was Big Brown's big win. Desormeaux shepherded the horse from the outside gate through a crowded field and dictated the pace to give Big Brown the best shot at victory. As the lead pack rounded the final turn of the mile and a quarter race, Desormeaux gave Big Brown the signal, and the horse's effort left his competitors in the dust.

Again, congratulations to Kent Desormeaux, winning jockey of the 134th Kentucky Derby.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 2929, a 1-month extension of the Higher Education Act.

Over the past several months, a tremendous amount of progress has been made toward reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. The Education and Labor Committee worked in a bipartisan fashion to produce a bill that received strong support here on the House floor.

Chairman Miller and Ranking Member McKeon have been leading our efforts to negotiate a final compromise with the other chamber, and I am pleased to report that our work is nearly done. While I support today's temporary extension of programs under the Higher Education Act, I know members of the committee, along with members of the higher education community, will be pleased to hear our assurances that this will be the final extension we have to pass. We expect conference meetings to wrap up in the next several weeks with a conference report to be brought back in the month of May.

As we move toward finalizing this broad overhaul of Federal higher education programs, our top priority must remain college access and affordability. Bolstering our higher education and student aid programs has long been a priority for Congress.

One of the issues that has received a great deal of attention throughout the reauthorization process has been the rising cost of higher education and the high levels of debt that accompany that education for many students.

As a physician, I am keenly aware of the unique challenges faced by new graduates in the medical field, who often carry hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt, yet make an initial wage that is no more than many individuals with a bachelor's degree. I am particularly concerned that high debt levels among medical graduates may be limiting career choices, and that's why I was pleased to partner with another doctor on the committee, the gentleman from Georgia, Dr. Price, to call for a study of indebtedness of medical school graduates. It's important that we closely monitor the impact of student loan debt on all the young people pursuing higher education so that we can ensure the value of that investment is not outweighed by the burdens.

I urge my colleagues to retain the House-passed provisions of the reauthorization bill that will help to address our Nation's looming nursing shortage, which makes health care more expensive for all Americans while delaying access to lifesaving treatment. HHS warns that the Nation's nursing shortage could exceed 1 million nursing vacancies by the year 2020. Congress has a duty to address this problem.

I want to thank my colleagues, Congresswoman McCarthy and Congressman Melancon, for working across the aisle with me on this issue. This authorization is a long time coming, and I am pleased to be here supporting what we expect to be the final extension before this law is finally renewed.

I urge my colleagues to support this extension.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this extension as we finalize our work on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

I join my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in supporting this measure.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 1168, congratulating charter schools and their students, parents, teachers and administrators across the United States for their ongoing contributions to education.

This week has been designated as the ninth annual National Charter Schools Week, and it is entirely appropriate that we take a few minutes to recognize the contributions that charter schools make every day in the lives of millions of children. Charter schools are innovative public schools with a simple interest in providing a quality education to children in their community. They explore new educational approaches, such as longer school days or an extended school year, and are free from most rules and regulations governing conventional public schools. Every day, however, charter schools face unarguable facts of free-market pressures.

Unlike traditional public schools, charter schools must demonstrate the success of their students' academic achievements to parents, policymakers, and their communities or they face closure. From the time the first charter school opened its doors, they have risen to the challenge.

For example, charter schools made an important contribution to rebuild and strengthen Louisiana after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, particularly in New Orleans.

More often than not, charter schools meet the student achievement and accountability requirements under No Child Left Behind in the same manner as traditional public schools, but often set higher individual goals to ensure that they are of high quality and truly accountable to the public. Yet despite these innovative approaches and promising reports of parental satisfaction, charter schools across the country have struggled through a myriad of obstacles to create successful schools.

We should support the $272.6 million included in the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request for the public charter school programs authorized under No Child Left Behind. These programs provide key points in the development of charter schools, helping cover the extraordinary costs of launching successful charters, disseminating their successful innovations to other public schools, and providing financial incentives to State governments and private lenders that help enable schools to build and renovate facilities. These programs have been a tremendous success helping to create public charter schools all across the country that work to improve academic achievement for low- income students.

It is my hope that the charter community will continue to build on its 15-year history of providing a high-quality option in public education that is based on innovation, freedom from red tape, and partnership between parents and educators, an option that is giving new hope to disadvantaged and minority families across the country.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1155 which honors the recipients of the El Dorado Promise scholarship.

On April 30, 2008, El Dorado High School students who received the El Dorado Promise scholarship signed their academic letters of intent for the colleges and universities they will be attending upon graduation.

Thanks to funding provided by the Murphy Oil Corporation, the Promise scholarship gives El Dorado students an additional opportunity to pursue higher education. The scholarship provides up to 5 years of tuition and mandatory fees for undergraduate post-secondary education for students entering college immediately following high school.

To be eligible for the program, students must have attended local schools for at least 4 years. The annual scholarship is limited to the highest yearly rate charged by an Arkansas public university, currently $6,010, but the oil company has factored inflation into the program, and plans to be in place for 20 years.

In this era of global competitiveness, it is increasingly important for students to obtain a college education in order to keep up with the demands of the modern workforce. We know how important higher education is both to individuals and to our Nation. A college degree can be a ticket to the middle class. It helps individuals prepare for good jobs, and it allows them to pursue new skills in a changing economy. Higher education also has important societal benefits. College-educated citizens are healthier, more civically involved, have lower unemployment rates, and use fewer government benefits.

The El Dorado scholarship program has increased the number of high school students who choose to attend college after graduation by 20 percent, so it is my pleasure to acknowledge the El Dorado Promise scholarship program for its important role in the revitalization of southern Arkansas; and to recognize Murphy Oil Corporation for its efforts to ensure that children from southern Arkansas who might otherwise struggle in financing a college education are able to attend college. I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a very special group from South Louisiana.

On May 3, 2008 a group of 96 veterans and their guardians will fly to Washington with a very special program. Louisiana HonorAir is providing the opportunity for these veterans from my home state of Louisiana to visit Washington, DC on a chartered flight free of charge. During their visit, they will visit Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial. For many, this will be their first and only opportunity to see these sights dedicated to the great service they have provided for our nation.

Today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring these great Americans and thanking them for their unselfish service.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, Americans remain frustrated with the cost of health care. As costs rise, fears grow that they'll lose coverage and even fall into bankruptcy. Americans face this anxiety every day. But it doesn't need to be that way. We can give all American families confidence in a health care system.

Americans deserve more affordable and more widely available health care. Americans deserve real access to health care, not just health care coverage that doesn't lead to access but real access to health care. That's why we must modernize our health care system and learn from other sectors of the economy where competition has driven down costs, particularly in the insurance arena, so that we can drive down those premium costs and make it more affordable for all American families.

When addressing health care, Washington fails to put the needs of the patient first. I know this as a physician. I was in private practice for 14 years and saw how policies really drove a wedge between the patient and their doctor.

Patients want personal, quality, high-value health care. That's what we all want. That's going to be the way that we get true quality in health care. We must focus on what patients most want and need: prevention, early detection, early diagnosis, control of chronic illnesses, enhancing the quality of life, and wellness programs.

I know as a physician that trying to get a patient to quit smoking takes a

lot of work. Simple television commercials and public service announcements, while they help, won't do the job. But if you have a doctor-patient relationship where the doctor knows the patient and that trust develops and a doctor supports the patient in their effort to quit smoking, it's much more likely to be successful.

The same thing with dietary measures. These are the kinds of things that we need to do that will help reduce the cost of health care and will help make Americans more healthy. These are the kinds of solutions that will help Americans stay out of hospitals and avoid other expensive institutional forms of treatment.

Just yesterday, my colleagues and I across the aisle debated these very issues at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital. It was a great debate. But let me say that Republicans focused on strengthening the doctor-patient relationship that is fundamental to good quality health care. As I said before, we can't expect good quality health care to come about without this fundamental relationship between a doctor and a patient.

We think back to the old days, of Marcus Welby and how a physician portrayed as Marcus Welby on television had that relationship with the patient and their family. We think back to Norman Rockwell paintings that depict this type of relationship that patients had with the doctor, of mutual trust that focused not just on sickness but on health, not just on the disease process but how the disease affected the entire patient's well-being and their family circumstances.

These are the things that we as Republicans want to focus on as we try to introduce information technology into health care, a wide range of choices for families to pick a good health care policy that meets their specific needs, not somebody else picking what they need, let families pick what they need and put families back in control of their health care destiny.

Our opponents on the other side of the aisle have suggested a one- size-fits-all program, something like you see in Canada or in England where there are waiting lists for care. I know as a physician that when I was in Rochester, New York, we had patients who were being told they couldn't have heart surgery for 18 months and they were coming across the border into the U.S. to have their heart surgery done. A friend of mine who is a heart surgeon in England was told 6 months into the year that he couldn't do any more heart surgery and when he attempted to do so, his superiors threatened to fire him. Think of the patients that suffered because of this type of rationing of care. That's not what Americans want. Americans want a health care system that provides access and that's affordable and available.

I know, I think everyone knows, that Americans deserve better than what we're getting, and I know and I'm very confident that we can make it better if we adhere to those principles I outlined earlier, of information and choice and patient and family control. We can create a health care system that meets patients' needs and allays Americans' anxieties, a health care system that gives all of us confidence that our health care needs will be taken care of. And we can do this by putting in place new policies that respond to consumer needs, individual needs, and the demands for more available and affordable health insurance and for more control over our health care decisions. That's what we all want. We want a health care system that provides real access to care, not just coverage on paper. There are far too many examples of where folks have coverage but not real access. We want access.

I want to thank my colleague for yielding time and for his work with me on an amendment to this bill that I think will improve the bill.

I also want to thank the chairman and ranking member of the committee and the ranking member of the full committee for their work in bringing together a good bill.

I rise in support of the bill, but I want to emphasize that our Nation has a growing demand for natural gas, and this amendment that I'm going to offer with my colleague and friend, Mr. LaTourette, will help to ensure that we don't halt future domestic liquefied natural gas expansion.

Some localities have turned their backs on this promising energy solution. And if we're going to solve our energy problems in this country, we have to make sure that we diversify our sources to the fullest extent. In Louisiana, we have prided ourselves upon producing and delivering energy that all Americans rely upon, and liquefied natural gas is certainly no exception.

This past Monday, I was down in Cameron Parish on the coast of Louisiana in my district with Secretary Bodman for the opening of the first liquefied natural gas facility to be constructed in this country in over the past 25 years. And this facility, once fully operational, will be the largest liquefied natural gas facility in the world. It's going to supply approximately 5 percent of all U.S. natural gas needs when fully operational. It has two 42-inch pipelines that will connect to provide natural gas for 75 percent of all the markets in the United States. And within the next decade, 25 percent of all natural gas will run through my district.

So clearly, as we look at this bill, we should not have provisions that could potentially kill future liquefied natural gas expansion by arbitrarily legislating that no new facility can be certified unless the Coast Guard has the assets on hand to carry out the security measures. The Coast Guard does not need to do all of this. They have limited assets. And down in my district they have worked very well with local authorities, sheriff's department, other local authorities, to bring all assets to bear to provide the necessary security. The Coast Guard must be allowed to continue to have this ability to partner with local agencies and waterway users, state government, local law enforcement, to manage and protect our waterways.

The first delivery of natural gas into the newly constructed Sabine Pass facility that I just mentioned illustrates this point. The Sabine- Neches Navigation District manages the overall river maintenance. They help fund local law enforcement efforts. And the Jefferson County, Texas sheriff's department provides helicopter overflight security. Cameron Parish, just across the river in my district, provides the marine patrol supplement. And all of this is done under the approval and guidance of the Coast Guard. So we're not undermining what the Coast Guard does, we're merely enhancing what the Coast Guard is able to do to provide security.

A cooperative approach is working on the gulf coast. It allows the Coast Guard to work with Southwest Louisiana authorities and Texas authorities in this situation. We shouldn't handcuff these communities in this effort.

So I urge the adoption of the amendment as we go forward with this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I want to commend the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Oberstar, and the chairman of the subcommittee, Mr. Cummings, for working with us on this amendment. It truly was a bipartisan effort as we went through the process, and I think it does strengthen the bill overall. It is a good balanced approach. It helps the Coast Guard, and I think it does meet security needs. I sincerely thank both of you gentlemen for working with us and accepting this amendment.

I also want to thank my good friend, Mr. LaTourette, the ranking member on the subcommittee, for working with me step by step through this process, and I am deeply grateful for the work that he has done on this. I think this amendment will strengthen the bill. It provides for our security needs, and it is a sensible approach.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor a very special group from South Louisiana.

On April 26, 2008 a group of 100 veterans and their guardians will fly to Washington with a very special program. Louisiana HonorAir is providing the opportunity for these veterans from my home state of Louisiana to visit Washington, DC on a chartered flight free of charge. During their visit, they will visit Arlington National Cemetery and the World War II Memorial. For many, this will be their first and only opportunity to see these sights dedicated to the great service they have provided for our Nation.

Today I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring these great Americans and thanking them for their unselfish service.