Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Georgia for organizing this hour and for all the work he has done on this issue.

Let me start by saying that, as a heart and lung surgeon, I have often seen patients whose illness did not respond to a particular drug, and I have seen the frustration and the anxiety among family members and among patients when a government bureaucrat or an HMO tried to save money by denying access to a more effective medication. In fact, Mr. Speaker, I once operated on a Vietnam veteran; I performed heart surgery on this gentleman, and afterwards he needed several very important medications to maintain his condition, but the VA program was going to make him wait between 2 and 3 weeks before he could get his medication. That is just simply unacceptable. This poor man had no choice but to pay out of pocket hundreds of dollars to get medication. This is something that we don't want to do for our seniors.

Now, Secretary Leavitt has warned that H.R. 4 will result clearly in fewer choices and less consumer satisfaction. And we all know that we have had a tremendous success with this program in just 1 year, 80 percent satisfaction, premium prices dropping from $37 down to $22. Let's face it, government rationing harms patients, and calling it negotiation won't make it any less dangerous.

The American people did not give Congress a mandate to force HHS to make unspecified cuts to Medicare.

I also know that the idea of government negotiation is a joke. In fact, according to a Democratic polling group, 8 in 10 voters agree that government negotiation would limit access to prescription drugs and to life-saving medications.

Let's face it, aggressive negotiation through the marketplace is already working, and it is driving down the prices of premiums as I mentioned earlier.

Let me just say this. If the market is good enough for Members of Congress, why would we take that away from our seniors? I find it to be a profound irony that supporters of this bill, the Democratic leadership in the House, they are pushing for this government negotiation, this so-called government negotiation, but they won't allow that for their own medicine cabinets. There is a profound irony in this.

Why doesn't a proposal that would limit the medical care of tens of millions of seniors deserve a fair hearing? I say it is reckless on the part of the Democratic leadership of the House to force the Federal Government to cut Medicare without specifying, where are we going to achieve those additional

savings? How is this so-called negotiation going to take place? And before rushing into this bill, I think Speaker Pelosi has an ethical obligation to detail how the Federal Government would achieve additional savings without limiting seniors' access to medicines, hurting community pharmacies and increasing prices for our veterans.

We know what the outcome of a recent CBO study showed, that the Secretary will be unable to negotiate prices that are more favorable than those under the current law. In fact, a Senate hearing was held on this. The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, and the Democratic chairman of the Senate Finance Committee is questioning whether there are savings to be achieved by direct negotiation.

Furthermore, I have letters that I have received from community pharmacists throughout my district. I want to read from one of these. It is addressed to me and says, ``There will be a vote in Congress on Friday, January 12, which could dismantle the very important Medicare part D program. I am joining former U.S. Senator John Breaux,'' a Democrat, a former prominent Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee and a member of the Senate who worked on this Medicare part D program when it was put into law. He says, ``I am joining former Senator John Breaux and the Louisiana Medicare Prescription Access Network and more than 700 supporting member organizations in our State in asking you to vote against H.R. 4 on Friday, January 12.''

Price controls are not in the interest of our seniors. This is not something that we want to do. If we are going to reform our entitlement programs where costs are burgeoning, we need to introduce market forces; and lo and behold, in one year of operation we have a program where we introduced market forces to drive down premiums for our seniors, and it is working.

It is too premature to change this. It is wrong to change this, and I urge all of my colleagues to listen to this and do what is right for seniors. And I will end by just asking one question: Why would the Democratic leadership in the House want to hurt our seniors? I think the American public and our seniors deserve an answer to that question.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, S. 4093. This bill will modify the expiration date of a provision of a farm bill dealing with farm credit so that it expires concurrent with the rest of the farm bill. Currently a provision of the farm bill dealing with guaranteed loans for farmers and ranchers expires on December 31 of this calendar year.

The rest of the farm bill, however, does not begin to expire until December 30 of 2007. By passing this bill, we are ensuring that this credit program has the opportunity to be fully debated during the development of the next farm bill. Furthermore, should this provision expire in the next few days, it would create a hardship on the part of those farmers, ranchers, and lenders to whom it would apply.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill so that this credit program, which is so important for America's young and beginning farmers, has the opportunity to be debated and reevaluated during the development of the next farm bill without causing undue hardship with limited notice to the farmers and ranchers that use this important program.

I would also like to thank Michael Hare of my staff for his diligent work in the last week to bring this bill to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 4093) to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend a suspension of limitation on the period for which certain borrowers are eligible for guaranteed assistance.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the bill, S. 4093. This bill will modify the expiration date of a provision of a farm bill dealing with farm credit so that it expires concurrent with the rest of the farm bill. Currently a provision of the farm bill dealing with guaranteed loans for farmers and ranchers expires on December 31 of this calendar year.

The rest of the farm bill, however, does not begin to expire until December 30 of 2007. By passing this bill, we are ensuring that this credit program has the opportunity to be fully debated during the development of the next farm bill. Furthermore, should this provision expire in the next few days, it would create a hardship on the part of those farmers, ranchers, and lenders to whom it would apply.

I ask my colleagues to support this bill so that this credit program which is so important for America's young and beginning farmers has the opportunity to be debated and reevaluated during the development of the next farm bill without causing undue hardship with limited notice to the farmers and ranchers that use this important program.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the passage of this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the NOAA Weather Forecast Office (WFO) in Lake Charles, Louisiana. In September 2005, as Hurricane Rita was approaching the coast of Southwest Louisiana, the WFO Lake Charles developed a life saving partnership with elected officials and emergency managers that was instrumental in minimizing deaths from the storm. While Rita destroyed critical infrastructure and forever changed the landscape of Southwest Louisiana, WFO Lake Charles lived up to the motto of the National Weather Service by ``Working Together to Save Lives.''

With up-to-date storm-tracking information, elected officials, law enforcement and emergency response personnel were able to lead a safe and thorough evacuation. In recognition of their heroic efforts, the staff of the WFO Lake Charles was recently awarded the Bronze Medal from the U.S. Department of Commerce, as well as a special award from the American Meteorological Society.

Although Hurricane Rita has changed the coast of Southwest Louisiana, it has also reinforced the belief in all of us that preparation is the key to ensuring our families, and our homes, are safe from future disaster. To that end, I commend the WFO Lake Charles for their outstanding job and dedication to the people of Southwest Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to be here today. I want to thank my colleague and friend from Georgia for organizing this hour and for yielding me time.

A December 1 Congressional Quarterly article mentioned that a colleague from California across the aisle shed crocodile tears, ``crocodile tears for providers who faced a cumulative cut of almost 30 percent under the Medicare physician payment formula.'' This colleague quipped that he had difficulty sympathizing with providers who might be giving up their golf games.

Instead of revoking negative stereotypes to justify cuts under an artificial price control formula, Congress ought to consider the real injustice the formula imposes on patients, such as an 85-year-old caregiver who has to wait longer and drive further so her ailing husband can visit a physician.

While Medicare does not force providers to treat Medicare patients, especially when the cost of providing care exceeds declining payments, for seniors who turn 65, it is Medicare or no care. It is virtually impossible for someone at age 65 to find insurance coverage for physician services outside of Medicare part B.

Medicare needs to honor its commitment, and seniors need more than access to a waiting list. MedPAC, the independent Federal body created to advise Congress on Medicare reimbursement issues, calls the Medicare physician payment formula ``a flawed inequitable mechanism for volume control.'' It says it could ``threaten beneficiaries' access to care.''

In fact, the agency already warns that subsets of beneficiaries report access problems. In 2005, more than one in five Medicare beneficiaries reported that they sometimes, usually or always experienced delays in getting an appointment. The same proportion indicated that they had difficulty finding a new primary care physician to treat them. MedPAC also writes that among the subset of people who reported any problems, Medicare beneficiaries were somewhat more likely in our 2005 sample to characterize the problem as big versus small than their privately insured counterparts.

Also, the share of Medicare beneficiaries indicating that they experienced big problems accessing a primary care physician grew in both 2004 and 2005 samples. One in four seniors who faced access problems said that their problem finding a doctor was because they were covered by Medicare, and this is simply unacceptable.

Equally troubling is a recent survey reporting that 38 percent of responding physicians indicate that they would decrease the number of new Medicare patients they accept when the next physician payment cut occurs and Medicare payments continue falling below the cost of providing care.

Congress might avoid a cut this year, and it is imperative that we do that, while leaving the artificial price control intact, as it did for 2003, 2004 and 2005. Yet officials with the Congressional Budget Office have repeatedly explained that the formula requires these automatic cuts to be made up in future years. This kick-the-can approach might seem like the least expensive on paper, but it is clearly unsustainable. The formula must be changed. Otherwise, the annual cuts will become more difficult to avoid, and the problem of access will only grow worse.

Congress needs to look past government accounting gimmicks and realize that adequate payments will help to ensure timely care and be more cost-effective for the overall program than addressing serious health problems with more intrusive and costly medical procedures later.

Also, all Americans have a personal stake in this issue, and once informed of the cuts, people understand that cuts mean more than just a canceled golf game. Almost 9 out of 10 respondents agree that cuts would severely limit seniors' access to physicians.

Seniors want the freedom to access their physicians, but cuts will exacerbate projected provider shortages as the baby-boom generation, one-third of our workforce, becomes Medicare eligible. MEDPAC aptly warns that the formula's cuts could ``discourage medical students and residents from becoming primary care physicians.''

Today, fewer radiologists specialize in mammography and fewer surgeons complete breast cancer fellowships. In addition, fewer students are entering the specialty of heart and lung surgery, while half of the heart and lung surgeons in the United States intend to retire within the next decade, and more than 70 percent plan to retire within 13 years.

Mr. Speaker, it is disappointing that some lawmakers want to expand price-fixing in Medicare under the false label of negotiation. Economists widely agree that artificial price controls lead to scarcity, which is why Americans do not rely on them in other sectors of our economy and why we must develop market-based alternatives in Medicare.

Congress, Mr. Speaker, has a duty to avoid the cuts and to replace the artificial price control formula with a realistic physician payment system that protects patient access.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6166. I want to compliment both Chairman Hunter and Chairman Sensenbrenner for bringing forth a very good bill and their prodigious work on this issue. I also want to commend Chairman Steve Buyer for his fine leadership as well on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for the terrorists responsible for planning the most horrendous attack on U.S. soil and who continue to plan terrorist acts to be brought to justice. We have an obligation to the American people to deliver justice upon these criminals, as well as an obligation to the international community to uphold our treaty obligations.

I, too, had some concerns about this at the outset, but I think this bill addresses the concerns. I am pleased that this bill contains provisions that will maintain our commitment to common article 3 of the Geneva Conventions, while also providing the necessary protection to U.S. personnel. This bill sets forth a fair, effective process consistent with our values, our laws and our obligations.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I urge swift passage of the Military Commission Act of 2006, so that we can continue to prosecute these terrorists intent on causing violence to innocent victims.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to speak out of turn.

Mr. Speaker, this week southwest Louisiana will pause to commemorate the 1-year anniversary of Hurricane Rita, the third most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history.

Rita was as equally devastating as Hurricane Katrina, causing widespread destruction to our communities and our Nation's critical energy infrastructure. Since then there has been a palpable view among many of my constituents that their story has been forgotten and their needs unknown.

Throughout the past year, I have worked hard to ensure that Rita does not become ``the forgotten storm'' among Members of this body, and to date Congress has approved unprecedented Federal funding for our recovery. And for this the people of southwest Louisiana are grateful.

But not until you visit the coastal parishes of southwest Louisiana, Vermilion Parish, Calcasieu Parish, and Cameron Parish, can you understand the scope and magnitude of the destruction of Rita and the long road we have to protect our coast and our energy infrastructure from future disaster.

In the year since Rita, I have brought 19 House Members, including Speaker Hastert, to southwest Louisiana to see these towns and communities and to meet the great residents of my district who were able to ensure a safe and thorough evacuation that did not result in the loss of life as we saw in New Orleans.

All of my colleagues who have joined me in visiting the communities hit hardest by Rita have come away with an increased awareness of the importance of southwest Louisiana to the energy infrastructure of the United States, as well as the need to protect our coastal wetlands and provide a continuous stream of funding to protect our communities.

The eye of Hurricane Rita made landfall in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, bringing with it a storm surge over 15 feet. In the coastal parishes of Vermilion, Cameron, and Calcasieu, the destruction was undescribable, but no lives were lost. Local officials in southwest Louisiana were commended for managing an orderly evacuation of residents and offering a detailed plan for recovery and rebuilding. In short, the people of southwest Louisiana did, and are doing, everything right.

Amidst the ruin, the one constant was the spirit and determination of the people of southwest Louisiana. The common question from local residents was not, ``Where do we go from here?'' but rather, ``When can we rebuild our homes, our businesses, and our way of life?''

More than any other storm, Rita exposed the critical state of our coastal wetlands and the role they play in supporting the energy infrastructure of the United States. These wetlands serve as a critical buffer against ocean storms as well as protect industries and cities further inland. Before Rita, the projected land loss in Louisiana was approximately 24 square miles per year, the equivalent of two football fields an hour. After Rita, our coast is even more vulnerable, and some worry a modest category one hurricane could deal an even more destructive blow to our coastal parishes and the energy infrastructure that they support.

During Rita, oil platforms and drilling rigs in the storm's path were forced to shut down and evacuate their workers. This led to the halting of 98 percent of oil and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico.

And when the Nation's 12th largest port in Lake Charles was forced to shut down, energy production and distribution were brought a virtual standstill.

Protecting and strengthening our coasts is not only a Louisiana problem, it is an American problem. And it is one that affects American families and businesses that rely on energy we produce in Louisiana and transport throughout this country.

Thousands of oil and gas facilities are concentrated throughout the gulf coast and in southwest Louisiana, meaning that any future storm could have a crippling effect on our Nation's domestic energy production. Over one-third of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is stockpiled in Cameron Parish in my district, and soon over 25 percent of our Nation's natural gas supply will run through that parish as well.

Mr. Speaker, often in the past year I am stopped by my colleagues here in the body who ask, how can I help? My answer to them now is very clear. Help us to protect ourselves. This year the House and Senate have already responded to this request by approving legislation that would give Louisiana its fair share of oil and gas revenues produced off our shores. This solution will provide our State with the necessary funding to protect our coastal wetlands and, in turn, the critical energy infrastructure that is so important to our U.S. economy.

The Louisiana congressional delegation is working to ensure a final compromise is presented to President Bush before the end of the this year. Now, it is up to the leadership in this body and in the Senate to bring the bill to conference and to get a compromise to President Bush. The sooner Congress acts, the sooner southwest Louisiana can protect itself from the devastation we saw from Hurricane Rita 1 year ago.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, the people of southwest Louisiana never asked for a Federal handout, but rather for a helping hand. For many Americans last year's hurricane season will be remembered by the images of chaos and confusion. For those of us who were there to witness the devastation in southwest Louisiana, the recovery of the people whose lives it forever changed, we come away with a much different story, one that gives us hope, one that shows the resiliency of the people of southwest Louisiana.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5295, the Student and Teachers Safety Act of 2006, and I commend my friend and colleague Geoff Davis for introducing this important legislation.

According to a 2004 study by the National Center for Education Statistics, one in 10 students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon such as a gun, knife, or club on school property; three out of 10 students in grades nine through 12 reported that someone had offered, sold, or given them an illegal drug on school property. Moreover, more than seven out of 10 public schools experienced one or more violent incidents in 1999 and 2000, amounting to over 1.5 million violent incidents.

Louisiana families are demanding safe schools for their children, and H.R. 5295 would codify the guidelines established by the U.S. Supreme Court in New Jersey v. T.L.O., which held that reasonable searches by school officials do not require a warrant signed by a judge if the search would reveal that the student violated the law or school rules.

The bill would also require that any searches be conducted in a manner appropriate to the age, gender and nature of the offense.

This is just codifying what the Supreme Court already has ruled upon, and it simplifies this matter as opposed to confusing it as is suggested by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle.

This legislation is supported by the National Education Association, and it will help promote a safe school environment for both students and teachers.

I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and congratulate the South Lake Charles All Stars, who recently competed in the 60th Little League World Series in Williamsport, PA.

After winning the Louisiana State tournament the team defeated Mississippi by a score of 1-0 in the U.S. South West regional tournament in Waco, TX, giving them a berth in the Little League World Series. This is the second year in a row that a team from Southwest Louisiana has represented the U.S. South West region as one of the top 8 teams in the Nation, and top 16 in the world.

These 14 young men, along with their coaches and parents, served as ambassadors of Louisiana as well as the United States. Through competition and daily interactions with teams from all over the United States and the world, the South Lake Charles All Stars represented Southwest Louisiana with dignity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

Bill Castle, a volunteer host who served as a chaperone for the team said, ``It took 30 minutes for me to suspect this was a special group of kids. They spent the rest of the week confirming that suspicion.''

This team embodies the ideals of Little League Baseball--Character, Courage, and Loyalty. For this reason, and their athletic accomplishment, I congratulate the South Lake Charles All Stars, led by coaches Randall Von Rosenburg and Ben Corman, and Manager Josh Corman.

I ask my colleagues that this team's full roster be included in the Congressional Record. They are Ben Drouilhet, Matt Gallier, Tanner Hebert, Zack Cart, Taylor Butler, Gavin Cecchini, Timothy Cutrera, Hunter Ford, Paul Beglis, Nick Zaunbrecher, Tre Goodly, Jordan Karam, Gabe Von Rosenberg, and Zack Lacombe.

Mr. Speaker, President John F. Kennedy once said that the greatness of poets ``depends upon the courage with which they face the challenges of life.'' Today, I rise to recognize one such poet and American hero.

Lloyd A. King, a native of New York State, was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1967. As a non-commissioned officer with the 101st Airborne Division in 1968 and 1969, he began writing about his emotions and experiences through poetry. In his poems Mr. King described the sights and sounds that he couldn't tell his family back home.

Mr. King eventually was awarded the Silver Star, the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star, two Purple Hearts, two Air Medals, and nearly a dozen other awards including the highest individual medal awarded by the Republic of South Vietnam, the RVN Gallantry Cross with Gold Star.

Thirty years later, on July 28, 1998, Mr. King began writing again about his experiences in Vietnam, in hopes that he could express his personal feelings and the events that he had not previously been able to share.

Currently a resident of Lafayette, Louisiana, Mr. King has been honored with the Military Writers Society of America 2006 Gold Medal Award for ``Best Book of Poetry'' for his ``From 'Nam with Love.'' Mr. King now serves as the commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, William McKenzie Chapter #504, Lafayette, Louisiana, he is also a lifetime member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Acadiana Chapter #141.

As an artist, author, poet and soldier, I ask my colleagues to honor Mr. Lloyd A. King, American hero, for his accomplishments.

Mr. Chairman, during my career as a cardiovascular surgeon, I saw far too many nurses, physicians and patients waste valuable time on paperwork. And I saw situations where available critical information was not available during a crisis.

Immediately following Hurricane Katrina and Rita, the need for portable electronic medical records became undeniable when thousands of patients' records were destroyed or inaccessible. But we did see some hope in that the New Orleans VA Hospital, despite being flooded, had records for 50,000 patients that survived because of the electronic nature of the records and the backup system that was available.

We also saw a secure Web site, Katrinahealth.org, established through a private/public partnership that was another promising example.

When it comes to the use of information technology, America's health care sector has lagged far behind other economic sectors for decades. Our inefficiencies also squander billions of health care dollars that could otherwise go to helping patients.

This legislation pending before the House today is critical. It will help overcome one of the most significant barriers to the adoption of health IT. Small physician practices find it financially difficult to invest in health IT equipment. The investment can run as high as $120,000 per physician. Federal statutes currently make it illegal for these providers to accept this equipment from a hospital or an insurance partner. To address this problem, this bill would provide the adequate safe harbor so that organizations could donate equipment to physicians without violating law.

H.R. 4157 will help empower patients. It does preserve State privacy laws. It limits skyrocketing costs. And it will improve quality. Failure to modernize our health system is simply unacceptable, particularly given the aging population, the rising health care costs, and the prospects of future natural disasters.

So I urge passage of this very important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 928) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week should be established, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Res. 928.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 928, recognizing the contributions

of Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and I want to thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), my colleague, for introducing this resolution. Ms. Johnson certainly recognizes the important role that Historically Black Colleges and Universities play in the postsecondary education environment.

The HBCU community is extremely diverse. The community of Historically Black Colleges and Universities includes 2- and 4-year institutions, public and private institutions, as well as single sex and co-ed institutions. Even with this diversity of student body, geographical location and population served, the principal mission of all these institutions is unified, and that is to provide a quality education for African Americans. It is also important to remember that these institutions, in many instances, serve some of our most disadvantaged students.

The contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities deserve recognition. While comprising less than 3 percent of the Nation's 2- and 4-year institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities are responsible for producing a significant number of all bachelor's, master's and professional degrees earned by African Americans. In many instances, Historically Black Colleges and Universities do not have access to the resources or endowment income that other institutions can draw upon. Yet they are still able to provide quality education to an underserved population.

Since 1995, we have worked to improve the Nation's support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Higher Education Amendments of 1998 made improvements to the programs designed to aid Historically Black Colleges and Universities in strengthening their institutions and graduate and professional programs. These changes included allowing institutions to use Federal money to build their endowments and to provide scholarships and fellowships for needy graduate and professional students.

Between 1995 and 2006, congressional funding for the strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities program rose from $109 million to $238 million, a 118 percent increase. And what is more, funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities graduate programs increased from $19.6 million to $57.9 million, an increase of 195 percent.

It is important that we pause to recognize the contributions of Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates by celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week. My State of Louisiana is home to five of such institutions: Grambling State University, Southern University A&M College, Southern University at New Orleans, Dillard University, and Xavier University. These institutions have dramatically improved the quality of life and economic opportunities on the gulf coast. These institutions provide valuable leadership and excellence in education, and they certainly should be commended.

I was pleased to see that the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities is coordinating a 3-day national conference in September where they will continue to discuss the progress of gulf coast recovery efforts.

I urge my colleagues to recognize the important contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates and to vote ``yes'' on this worthy resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the passion he brings to this debate and for the hard work he has done to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I commend the gentlewoman again for bringing this resolution to the floor.

Let me just say that as we recover on the gulf coast, and I mentioned the Historically Black Colleges and Universities in my home State of Louisiana, they played a vital role in the leadership in helping us recover.

So, again, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas for bringing this valuable resolution to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to my friend, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank all my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the hard work that they are doing to ensure that all Americans have access to education. I urge my colleagues to recognize the important contributions made by Historically Black Colleges and Universities and their graduates and to vote ``yes'' on this worthy resolution.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5682 and the rule for this legislation, the U.S. and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act of 2006.

I want to also compliment the distinguished chairman of the House International Relations Committee, Mr. Hyde, and ranking member, Mr. Lantos, for their leadership in bringing forward this important implementing legislation.

I also want to commend the administration for recognizing that we can learn from our mistakes, a mistake whereby we have failed in the past to link our foreign policy with our energy policy, and this is a very good first step to correcting such mistakes.

This is a very far-reaching agreement whereby the world's oldest democracy will join with the world's largest democracy to work together on foreign policy and energy policy. This is a model for the future where we can work on energy, cooperative agreements, and also fit within our strategic framework.

India for the past 32 years has been a nonproliferator, and we should reward India for that historic effort. In recent years, India has certainly been a critically important ally in the global war on terror. It has proven to be a reliable and secure state when it comes to nonproliferation. We need to build on this relationship and this new- found trust, and this implementing legislation that will allow us to do this is a critical first step in deepening this cooperation.

India, in working with the IAEA to increase inspections of existing and future reactors and maintaining India's moratorium on weapons testing, and given their assurances to work with us to prevent proliferation throughout the region, will prove to be a great example for other countries in the region to follow.

This is not only just a good bill for India. It is also good for American business. It allows us to increase energy trade, which really has not happened in the past three decades with India.

This is great for the environment. It helps us reduce carbon emissions by some 300 million tons, more than half the total Kyoto protocols; and it is going to reduce India's dependence on foreign sources of energy such as natural gas, which it is heavily dependent upon.

This is a very important piece of foreign policy and energy policy. I urge its passage. I urge passage of the rule so that we can move forward.

Mr. Speaker, let me start by commending the esteemed chairman of the International Relations Committee and the distinguished gentleman, the ranking member, for bringing this very powerful resolution to the floor.

I agree with this resolution. I vehemently, vehemently condemn the violence and terrorist activity of Hamas and Hezbollah. I also vigorously support the right of Israel to defend itself against these terrorist acts and to do what is necessary under these dire circumstances.

But let me also say that this resolution is incomplete, and I don't think it is fully reflective of what U.S. policy should be. Much has been said about Resolution 1559. Much has been said about Lebanon, that poor small country that has been victimized time and time again.

What of Lebanon? There is a nascent democracy there, despite the challenges, despite the years of conflict, a nascent democracy that is budding. I think this resolution should give lip service to those Lebanese patriots who are trying to build this democracy. The Siniora government, we should not do anything that would undermine this nascent democracy and Prime Minister Siniora's attempt to build an economic country, a country that is going to have opportunity.

Security Council Resolution 1559, whose fault is it? We know that this nascent democracy in Lebanon doesn't have the capability to defend itself. It doesn't have a very well-formed armed services. We know that Israel could not drive Hezbollah out.

How can the small force that Lebanon has do such? Whose fault is it? The international community, the U.S.? This has been a failure of policy. One thing that is clear is that this Security Council Resolution 1559 has to be enforced unequivocally, and Hezbollah must be disarmed in any way that is possible. This is going to take an international effort. Once there is international consensus that this resolution will be enforced, then we need to put together the coalition to enforce it.

I am going to conclude. I am not going to take the full time, but I am going to say that America should not turn its back on any of its allies, and that certainly includes Israel. But it should also include that vulnerable State of Lebanon.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the floor today to commend our friends, the Iraqi people, for their success in forming a unity government and, most importantly, to send a message that the United States does not back down from its commitments.

Six months ago I visited Iraq following their national elections which set up a truly representative and united government. Since then, the Iraqi Government has made significant advances. Just last week we saw the completion of the prime minister's cabinet, most notably the key positions of the ministers of defense and interior. It is important for the new Iraqi Government to fully understand our level of commitment to them during this time of transition.

Let it never be said that the United States backed away from its commitment to peace, security, and stability of this region.

A half century ago, Winston Churchill addressed this body to urge the United States to not lose patience and not lose hope in our commitment to rebuild a stronger, united Europe following World War II facing the specter of communism. Mr. Speaker, Churchill's words still ring true today. From the Berlin Airlift to the rebuilding of Japan, from the DMZ in Korea to the mountains of Afghanistan, and now to the streets of Baghdad, the world has come to learn that America does not back down from its commitments.

Today we affirm our commitment not only to the Iraqi people but to the cause of liberty throughout the world.