Floor Statements

I thank Chairman Kline for the recognition.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of a critically important bill which I am a cosponsor of, offered by a fellow member of the Minnesota delegation, Chairman John Kline.

The Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence program is an important program that allows servicemembers the opportunity to readjust after deployments and spend more time with their families. This earned leave further provides returning servicemembers with more time and a less stressful environment in which to seek employment in a time where a job search is becoming increasingly more difficult. These earned benefits will help combat the high stress experienced by those who have returned home from prolonged deployments.

The Minnesota National Guard and tens of thousands of other guardsmen and reservists who have been deployed to the Middle East and were impacted by the PDMRA change were charged with the promise to defend our country. They have more than lived up to their end of the bargain to keep their promise. Now it is time for the Department of Defense to live up to its end of the deal and provide these individuals with the full benefits they were promised at the time of their mobilization deployment.

As Chairman Kline addresses in his support for this bill, some of the servicemembers affected by this policy change have performed multiple deployments in excess of 12 to 24 months since the beginning of the Iraq war. That is 1 to 2 full years that these servicemembers have been away from their families, halfway across the world in a combat environment. Some of the same servicemembers--specifically, the 2005 2007 Iraq deploying servicemembers--could stand to lose up to 24 days under the changes in the PDMRA policy.

I do not think it is too much to ask that those who were promised 24 days of leave for up to 2 years of deployed service to receive that leave. Therefore, it is imperative that we respect and honor the promises made to these individual families who have sacrificed so much in defense of our Nation.

Recently, I have had the great privilege of welcoming the Minnesota National Guard Red Bulls home from their deployment in Iraq and Kuwait. When I attended their deployment ceremony last year in Pince City, Minnesota, one of the commanding officers in the brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Eddie Frizell said to the families, ``I'll bring them all home.'' True to his word, the first thing Lieutenant Colonel Frizell said in a hand salute to Major General Rick Nash, the adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard, when his feet touched the ground in Minnesota was, ``I brought them all home, sir.''

Madam Speaker, it is now time to bring them all the way home. I urge my colleagues to support the troops and support H.R. 4045, which will protect the promises made to our National Guard and Reserve, including members of the Minnesota's Red Bulls, by ensuring these servicemembers receive the benefits they were promised and highly deserve.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I rise today to offer an amendment that would prohibit any more funding going to a duplicative program. I'd like to think that everyone in this room is well aware that we are $15.7 trillion in debt.

Our spending is out of control. We are simply spending money we don't have and massively indebting future generations of Americans.

The GAO reports duplicative U.S. Government programs costs billions of dollars. Thirteen agencies fund 209 different science, technology, engineering, and math education programs. Of those programs, 173 overlap with at least one other program. We have to be responsible for how the government spends Americans' hard-earned tax dollars. We cannot afford to borrow money to fund duplicative programs that are already under the purview of established agencies and protocols.

The Climate Change Education program at the National Science Foundation duplicates education programs already in place. Currently, worthy research proposals are subject to rigorous peer-reviewed processes. The Climate Change Education program sets aside money for a specific purpose, which is already covered in interagency education programs. This is just more Big Government and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

Last year, the Climate Change Education program funded partnerships among K 12 education, related nonprofit organizations, and relevant education and/or climate-related policymakers. This year, however, the program has morphed into the Sustainability Research Network to create new interdisciplinary learning experiences for graduate and undergraduate students, as well as literacy programs. In the military, we call this mission creep.

The National Science Foundation funds basic research and serves as an engine of our innovation economy. However you feel about global warming, that is not the debate here today, though I look forward to engaging in that in the future.

This amendment addresses a duplicative program that is not necessary and is costing the taxpayers money we simply don't have. We need to prioritize innovation and research and NSF, and eliminate duplicative education programs that do nothing to improve the economic outlook of our future. We need to get back to the basics.

I ask all of my colleagues to join me in this commonsense amendment in ending a duplicative program that is wasting taxpayer dollars and further indebting future generations.

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

Mr. Chairman, regarding duplicative programs--again, this is about duplicative programs. The National Science Foundation already funds STEM education and even climate-change education programs in the Directorate for Education and Human Resources with worthy peer- reviewed proposals.

Total U.S. spending for the U.S. Global Change Research program for 13 agencies is more than $2.5 billion, primarily at NASA, NOAA, and NSF. NSF spending for the U.S. Global Change Research program is over $333 million. NSF spending for education is $1.2 billion a year. Climate change education can be addressed through NSF climate research activities and NSF education activities. There is no need to fund additional special climate-change education programs.

This newer program under the Obama administration is currently funded at $10 million a year, $5.5 million from the Education Directorate and $4.5 million from several research directorates as identified. Again, this is a duplicative program and a waste of the taxpayer dollars.

Offered By: Mr. Cravaack

Amendment No. 7: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2947.

This straightforward, commonsense bill will remedy an unintentional consequence of the restrictive language of the original deed set in Cook County, Minnesota.

In the 1950s, the Secretary of Agriculture granted a deed to the State of Minnesota to build an airport in Cook County. The deed only allowed the land to be used for airport purposes. That made sense at the time, but it now precludes the county from building a connector road on a sliver of the land. The connector project enjoys broad support throughout the community. H.R. 2947 does not seek any appropriation of Federal funds, nor does it authorize the project. It merely only proposes to remove a clause placed in the deed when the land was originally granted. This bill allows Cook County, Minnesota, to manage their own land as they see fit. The bill enjoys bipartisan support of Minnesota Senators and Minnesota State representatives.

I've reached out to the United States Forest Service, and they have responded by saying they have no objections and support this legislation moving forward. I look forward to quickly remedying this problem so that Cook County can create jobs and improve

the lives of its residents and businesses.

I ask for my colleagues to please join me in supporting this bill.

I rise today in support of this rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 9, the Small Business Tax Cuts Act.

The fact is, Madam Speaker, American small businesses are drowning in red tape, and the National Federation of Independent Business has determined that tax compliance is one of the biggest costs.

American small businesses now spend between 1.7 billion and 1.8 billion hours on tax compliance, with a total estimated cost of between $15- to $16 billion annually. This wasted time and effort would be better invested in creating jobs and manufacturing products instead of handing over hard-earned capital to the government.

I support efforts to reform the Tax Code and make it simpler to reduce those tax compliance costs, and I also support reducing the tax burden on American job creators. That's why I am glad to be cosponsor of H.R. 9, legislation that would reduce the burden faced by small businesses. Since 99.9 percent of all U.S. businesses employ less than 500 people, small businesses are vital to the American economy.

In the Eighth District, 8 out of 10 jobs are due to small businesses. When I return home, I repeatedly listen to the same concerns from small business people in the Eighth District. My constituents are hesitant to expand their businesses as a result of deficient access to capital, complex legal burdens, and Tax Code uncertainty.

The Small Business Tax Cut Act immediately creates access to capital by allowing productive employers to reinvest more of their hard-earned money into their businesses.

The bill will have an immediate impact on every city and town in this country. In fact, more than 22 million small businesses will receive a much-needed infusion of capital.

Several small business owners that I have personally spoken with in my district have already expressed strong support for this proposal. This includes businesses like RC Fabricators in Hibbing, Minnesota, which manufactures precision steel and aluminum construction equipment; Extreme Equipment Repairs in Harris, Minnesota, which specializes in large transport truck repair; and the London Road Rental Center in Duluth, Minnesota, which provides all kinds of equipment and party rentals for the Duluth area.

For example, because of the recent success in northern Minnesota's mining and paper industries, RC Fabricators has been looking for ways to expand, but high taxes have prevented them from accumulating enough capital to grow. This bill will ease that tax

burden and allow them to update machinery, hire workers, and provide high-quality products. These kinds of stories are repeated throughout the country, and this legislation will help them.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 9 is a commonsense, pro-growth bill that will provide immediate assistance to employers and American workers as we labor to jump-start our economy and ease the burden felt by small businesses and American families.

I urge all of my colleagues to support the rule as well as the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 95 for H.R. 3637, to designate the ``Roy Schallern Rood Post Office Building'' in Jupiter, Florida, I originally intended to vote ``yes,'' however, I inadvertently voted ``no.''

About 450 U.S. soldiers, sailors, and pilots received the Nation's highest combat award during World War II. One of these was a former soldier from West Duluth, who earned the medal during the closing days of the war.

Michael Colalillo was born on December 1, 1925, in Hibbing, Minnesota, the son of an Italian immigrant father who worked in the iron mines. Michael was one of nine children, and at 18, he was drafted into the United States Army.

On April 7, 1945, a month before the war in Europe ended, Colalillo's unit came under heavy fire in a small, rural town in Germany. Pinned on the ground, Colalillo and his fellow soldiers were in a death trap. Lying on the ground, bullets and shells flying everywhere, Colalillo decided something had to be done, and he was the guy who had to do it.

Even though he was a private and not in command, Colalillo rose up and yelled to the other soldiers to follow his lead. Inspired by his confidence, the soldiers advanced in the face of savage enemy fire. When Colalillo stood up that fateful day, he marched forward into America's military history. Mr. Colalillo surged towards the Germans, firing his submachine gun until it was knocked from his hands by shrapnel. He then ran toward an American tank to take control of the machine gun mounted above its cannon turret. Bullets clanged off the tank's armor and zipped by his body as Mr. Colalillo responded to the onslaught of German enemy fire.

``It was a rough time and I was scared,'' Mr. Colalillo said, ``but I had to do what I had to do.''

Mr. Colalillo blasted at one enemy position ``with such devastating accuracy,'' the Medal of Honor citation read, that he killed or wounded 25 German soldiers and silenced a machine gun nest. After this gun jammed, Mr. Colalillo dismounted from the tank and grabbed another submachine gun to continue his assault on foot. When ordered to withdraw, Mr. Colalillo stayed behind and carried a wounded soldier over his shoulder through open enemy terrain while artillery and mortar rounds pulverized the ground around him.

A few weeks later, he was approached by two military police officers, who escorted him to a nearby headquarters. He was informed that the tank's commander had nominated him for the Medal of Honor, which he received in December 1945 at a White House ceremony.

In an interview in 2008 with the 100th Infantry Division Association newsletter, Colalillo recalled ``the good Lord was with me'' during that battle. ``I could see our guys getting shot . . . I could see the muzzle flashes of the Germans shooting at us, and I aimed at them.''

Mr. Colalillo died on December 30 at a nursing home facility in Duluth, Minnesota. He was 86 years old. Mr. Colalillo is survived by his son, Al, of Hayward, Wisconsin, and by his daughter, Michele, of Meadowlands, Minnesota.

In Minnesota, we have a track record of military excellence. According to the Medal of Honor Society, 46 Minnesotans have received our Nation's highest award for bravery. In the Eighth District, we honor those who have served, and for Michael Colalillo, the Medal of Honor Park in Duluth bears his name. We are forever grateful for his service to our great country.

Thank you, Mr. Colalillo. You make us all proud to be Americans. May God's peace be with you.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to offer my respects for retired Colonel John R. Hed of the United States Air Force.

Colonel Hed was born to Swedish immigrants in St. Paul, Minnesota, on August 16, 1920; and ever since he was young, his passion was aviation. In his teens, he enlisted in the Air National Guard and eventually went on to flying school in the Army Air Corps. He later served in World War II in the Aleutian Islands. Upon his return to Minnesota, he helped start the Air National Guard base in Duluth, now the 148th Fighter Wing.

In his career, he has flown over 7,400 hours in over 75 different aircraft. He even owned a prototype, the Baby Albatross sailplane, which now resides in the Smithsonian; and in 2003, he was inducted into the Minnesota Aviation Hall of Fame.

He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. He was married to the love of his life, Artelle, for 55 years.

Throughout his 91 years on this Earth, Colonel Hed was a true American who lived by the motto of ``God, family, country.'' Minnesota will miss him, and America will miss the likes of him.

Mr. Speaker, I will be brief because my message is clear and concise.

I rise today out of grave concern for this most recent assault on our religious freedom, the First Amendment, and our freedom of conscience.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' order requiring every Catholic institution larger than a single church--and even in some cases a single church--to pay for contraceptives, sterilization, and morning-after abortifacients for its employees is directly contrary to the principles of the Catholic faith.

Let us ensure we do not confuse the issue here.

This is a direct attack against religious liberty for all religions-- but forcing Catholic schools, hospitals, Catholic charities to comply with a Federal mandate that violates the core moral commitment of protecting the lives of the unborn is unconscionable. This act threatens to sabotage the very foundations of our First Amendment rights and our religious liberties.

Continually chipping away at our basic constitutional freedoms that set the foundation of this great country sends us down a very slippery slope to further government overreach and intrusion into our individual lives.

This must stop, and we as Americans must stop it.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take from the Speaker's table the bill (H.R. 658) to amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize appropriations for the Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 2011 through 2014, to streamline programs, create efficiencies, reduce waste, and improve aviation safety and capacity, to provide stable funding for the national aviation system, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to the conference asked by the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in regards to our most pressing threat to our national security--our staggering and ever- increasing national debt.

The message from my constituents in Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District is loud and clear: We cannot continue to saddle the soaring debt onto the backs of our children and our grandchildren. This is irresponsible, and quite frankly unacceptable.

Mr. Speaker, this epidemic is the reason that I jumped into this fight. Our national debt will increase to over $23 trillion in the next 10 years. Currently, our debt is now over $15.2 trillion; 47 percent of that debt is foreign owned; 30 percent is owned by China.

It is past time to alter course, Mr. Speaker, or this generation will be the first generation of this great Nation to leave our children less well off.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 1801) to amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for expedited security screenings for members of the Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Today I rise in support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 1801.

H.R. 1801 represents a bipartisan, bicameral effort in honor of the members of our Armed Forces by transitioning to an expedited, intelligence-driven screening process for all U.S. soldiers at our Nation's airports.

Shortly after the House passed H.R. 1801 by a vote of 404-0, the Senate, with the support and leadership of Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison and Chairman Jay Rockefeller, amended and passed H.R. 1801 by voice vote.

I have had time to review the Senate amendment, and, quite frankly, I think it improves the underlying bill. It requires coordination between TSA and the Department of Defense in establishing the expedited screening process and clarifies that the TSA Administrator retains the authority to require additional screening for a member of the Armed Forces should intelligence or law enforcement information raise any concerns.

In addition, the Senate amendment allows TSA to include accompanying military family members in the expedited screening process ``to the extent possible.''

Overall, the Senate amendment to H.R. 1801 improves the bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

In closing, I'd like to thank Transportation Security Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King and Ranking Member Bennie Thompson for moving this legislation.

Additionally, I would like to recognize and thank Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Jay Rockefeller for their leadership in having this measure pass in the Senate.

I would also like to take some time to recognize some of the great staff on the House and Senate Homeland Security Committees, especially Mandy Bowers, Jennifer Arangio, Amanda Parikh, Steven Giaier, Nicole Smith, Jake Vreeburg, and Minnesota's Eighth Congressional District Legislative Director Paul Blocher and his staff for all they have done in this process.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no further requests for time, and I continue to reserve the balance of my time to close.

In closing, I would like to thank the gentlelady from California for her refocusing of the debate on who deserves this the most--our troops.

With that, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this. This is a very big amendment for our troops; so let's give them a Christmas present that really means something to them. I look forward to bringing home the Minnesota Red Bulls safe and sound.

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

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, my message is simple and direct: Last month, this administration put yet another hold on implementing the Keystone pipeline project and adding tens of thousands of American jobs to our fragile economy. This decision is bad news for laborers in the great State of Minnesota and around the country who were eager to begin working on the project next year. If we do not approve this deal and put people back to work, the jobs and the oil will simply go another direction--such as China--and they will not be coming back to the United States.

What part of this bill just doesn't make sense to the folks in the White House and the Department of State?

We cannot wait. The American worker is the most productive worker in the world, and so many people in my district thirst for good-paying jobs that will come with projects like Keystone.

Some of these regulatory agencies are simply out of control and seem bent on stifling job creation here in the United States. If the government would simply get out of the way, put politics aside, and dedicate to empowering the American worker, we can start digging ourselves out of this recession and get Americans back to work.

I thank Chairman Issa for the introduction.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Master Sergeant Daniel Fedder by dedicating and renaming the U.S. Postal Office in his hometown of Pine City, Minnesota, as the Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder Post Office. Master Sergeant Daniel L. Fedder, 34, died on August 27, 2010, while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan, as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

While working as an explosive ordnance disposal technician, he was killed by a blast of an improvised explosive device. Master Sergeant Fedder was a 16-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps, with completed combat deployments to Iraq in 2004 and 2006 and an overseas deployment with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in 2007.

He was on his first combat tour in Afghanistan but was a very decorated marine with several military awards, including the Purple Heart, two Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medals, and a Joint Service Achievement Medal. Master Sergeant Daniel Fedder was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California.

Master Sergeant Daniel Fedder grew up in Pine City, Minnesota. He is survived by his parents, Robert and Jackie McKellar, who still reside in the area. Master Sergeant Fedder is further survived by his wife, Diana Fedder; and former spouse, Susan Fedder; and their two children-- daughter, Danielle, and son, Strom.

A scholarship has been created in his name. It gives financial support to graduating seniors from Pine City High School where Master Sergeant Fedder attended.

Master Sergeant Fedder spent his career in service for his country and ended up making the ultimate sacrifice while working to protect his fellow Americans in Afghanistan and at home. Daniel Fedder is a true American hero, and I am privileged--in fact, I am humbled--by the opportunity to honor his life, sacrifice, and legacy by designating the local post office of his hometown in his name.

It is my hope that this post office will stand as a reminder to Daniel's family, friends, and the citizens of Pine City, Minnesota, of my appreciation, the appreciation of his constituents of Minnesota's 8th Congressional District, and America's appreciation for Master Sergeant Fedder and those servicemembers like him who have been killed in combat operations while protecting our country.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1801) to amend title 49, United States Code, to provide for expedited security screenings for members of the Armed Forces, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

The bill under consideration today, H.R. 1801, the Risk-Based Security Screening for Members of the Armed Forces Act, is a bipartisan effort which directs TSA to establish an expedited screening process for members of the Armed Forces and their families when they are traveling on orders throughout our Nation's airports. Currently, military servicemembers traveling on orders must remove their Class A uniform blouse jackets, metal belt buckles and insignia devices before proceeding through security checkpoints.

While it is important every passenger undergo a security screening before boarding a plane, it makes absolutely no sense to require American servicemembers to take off their jackets and medals for TSA screening before boarding their flights home. Unless intelligence identifies a specific threat, we should honor our servicemembers' willingness to sacrifice themselves for our country by treating them as patriots, not operating under the assumption that everyone intends to harm our country's transportation system.

Importantly, this commonsense bill will streamline the screening process for our servicemembers and lead to decreased checkpoint wait times for other American travelers. Moreover, this legislation will complement TSA Administrator Pistole's move toward a risk-based checkpoint screening system for passengers and will prioritize members of the Armed Forces for inclusion into that process.

I am pleased to report that since H.R. 1801 was passed unanimously with bipartisan support in committee, TSA has now begun testing a military ID reading pilot program for U.S. armed servicemembers at Monterey Peninsula Airport in California. While this bill will not let a member of the Armed Forces bypass security, it will require TSA to develop an expedited screening process designed to reduce our servicemember's checkpoint waiting times and focus more resources on unknown and high-risk passengers.

To be clear, this program does not impact the TSA's existing layered aviation security approach that includes Federal air marshals--the last line of defense--Federal flight deck officers, secure flight vetting, AIT machines, TSA intelligence analysts, explosive trace detection, canine teams, credentialing and boarding pass scanning systems, and behavior detection. It is merely part of the highly integrated risk- based analysis system that allows further concentration of limited resources on potentially higher risk passengers.

In closing, I'd like to thank Transportation Security Committee Chairman Mike Rogers and Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King for moving this legislation, and all of my colleagues in committee, particularly Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and Subcommittee Ranking Member Sheila Jackson Lee, for their support.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. Farenthold).

I am prepared to close after the gentlewoman from California closes.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague from California for her support on this very important bill and the shared importance, value, and trust we place in our military servicemembers.

I urge support of H.R. 1801, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.