Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 24, a bill to redesignate the Department of the Navy as the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps. This legislation was passed out of this chamber on a voice vote yesterday. Had a recorded vote been requested on the bill, I would like the Record to reflect that I would have cast a vote in opposition.

I have been a member of the United States Navy for more than 15 years and I am proud to be one of three Members of Congress still serving in the Navy Reserve.

Not a day goes by that I don't recognize the sacrifices the brave men and women of the Marine Corps have made in service to our country. Frankly, there isn't a sight that brings more fear to our enemy than that of an approaching line of determined Marines with a mission to execute.

Past, present and future Marines should certainly be proud of the Corps, but also of the Department of the Navy. The Marine Corps was, is, and should remain, part of the Navy, both in name and in mission. A name change at the Department level will do nothing but foster animosity in the ranks of the Navy and Marine Corps. We should focus instead on the fight at hand and not worry about a change in nomenclature. Unfortunately, the spirit of H.R. 24 is counter to that notion.

Changing the name of the Department of Navy would cast away over 200 years of tradition. Our founding fathers created the Department of the Navy in 1798. Passing legislation by voice vote that simply does away with the name ``United States Department of the Navy'' is a disservice to the history of the Department and its various components. Millions of sailors and Marines have been killed or maimed in service to our Nation as part of the Department of the Navy. That name meant something to them and it should to all of us as well.

As the esteemed body on the other side of this building considers this bill, I hope that it will examine all potential repercussions. Namely, they should consider the traditions the United States Navy holds dear.

I encourage my fellow statesmen to speak both with Navy leadership and Navy veterans in their district before casting a vote in support of this legislation.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, April 13, I was unable to cast my vote on three suspension bills.

Had I been present, I would like the record to reflect that I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote 196, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 197, and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 198.

Thank you, Mr. Kanjorski, the new dean. I know that is probably a hard title to accept now under these circumstances.

It's interesting, I was listening to Mr. Larson speak, and I truly wish that every American had the opportunity to be in Johnstown on Monday night last to be part of the wake we had because it was truly a celebration of a man who deserves to be celebrated, but it was very striking in the bipartisanship that was displayed there. Friends on both sides of the aisle came to honor the man who was--and the word is not overused in this case--a giant, who knew how to fight for what he believed in, but also knew the art of the possible.

One thing Jack taught me a long time ago is that we are judged on this Earth not by what we don't do, but what we do. That is how I think we all

have to proceed as Members of Congress in this body that we are privileged to be elected to serve. And here is a man who fought for everything he believed in.

Back in 2006, a number of us had the privilege of meeting Jack. He became our mentor when we came into power as the majority party again. And it was his leadership, his tutelage, and his guidance that got us here. And the fact of the matter is, when you came to Jack with a problem, especially one that dealt with the troops, he was going to take care of it.

Before my tenure here in Congress I was a professor at Penn State, and I had a student who was deployed to Iraq in the first wave of the invasion. He came back from Iraq and told me that, When we were there, we had to go through Iraqi junkyards to find scrap metal to lob onto our trucks for more protection. When I told Jack that story, that kind Irish face of his hardened, those blue eyes didn't twinkle quite as much, and that grin firmed up. He said, By God, we're going to fix that. And by God, he fixed that.

Jack, we are going to miss you. We are going to look back in that corner. We are going to know that we are not whole just yet, but we will remember the lessons you taught us and the leadership you provided.

Godspeed, soldier.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, February 2, I was unable to cast my vote on three suspension bills.

Had I been present, I would like the Record to reflect that I would have voted:

``yes'' on rollcall Vote 26; ``yes'' on rollcall vote 27; and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 28.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, December 1, I was unable to cast my vote on three suspension bills due to my attendance of the President's address to the Nation from the United States Military Academy.

Had I been present,I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote 911, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 912, and ``yes'' rollcall vote 913.

Mr. Speaker, on Monday, November 2 and Tuesday, November 3, I was unable to cast my vote on six suspension bills due to a need to cast my vote in the election in Pennsylvania.

Had I been present, I would like the Record to reflect that I would have voted:

``Yea'' on rollcall vote 832, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 833, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 834, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 835, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 836, ``yea'' on rollcall vote 837.

Madam Speaker, on Wednesday, September 30, I deployed for active duty with my Navy Reserve unit. My deployment lasted through October 15 and I was unable to cast my vote on a number of recorded votes.

If I had been present, I would have voted: ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 743, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 744, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 745, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 746, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 747, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 748, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 749, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 750, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 751, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 752, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 753, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 755, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 756, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 757, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 758, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 759, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 760, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 761, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 762, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 763, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 764, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 765, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 766, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 767, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 768, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 770, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 771, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 772, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 773, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 774, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 775, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 776, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 777, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 778, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 779, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 780, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 781, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 782, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 784, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 785, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 786, ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 787, ``No'' on rollcall vote 788, and ``Yes'' on rollcall vote 789.

Madam Speaker, on Thursday, October 22, I was unfortunately delayed reaching the floor and unable to cast my vote on the first two recorded votes of the day.

Had I been present, I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote 798, and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 799.

Madam Speaker, on October 13, I was unable to speak in favor of or cast a vote in support of H.R. 3476, a bill I introduced with the gentleman representing the congressional district to the east of Pennsylvania's 10th Congressional District, Representative Garrett.

H.R. 3476 would reauthorize the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area Citizen Advisory Commission for another 10 years.

The Citizen Advisory Commission, CAC, was first proposed in 1988 by Congresswoman Marge Roukema in an effort to establish a more open dialogue between National Park Service, NPS, employees working the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, DWGNRA, and the surrounding local communities. Communication between these two parties is valuable in maintaining a healthy DWGNRA for generations to come.

The CAC allows the communities' experiences in--and knowledge of--the Delaware Water Gap to strengthen National Park Service decisionmaking in the National Recreation Area. Park officials are provided with a unique perspective on issues as varied as sustaining or preserving historic structures, to protecting wildlife and forests, to improving public safety and preventing or mitigating flooding along the river.

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area preserves almost 70,000 acres of land along the Delaware River's New Jersey and Pennsylvania shores. This majestic area is popular not only with local residents, but also for tourism due to activities such as hiking, fishing, camping, swimming, and boating.

Part of ensuring that this beautiful area straddling the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey is preserved for future generations is reauthorizing the CAC, which plays an invaluable role in assisting the NPS to protect, preserve, and expand the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Madam Speaker, on Tuesday, September 22, I was absent for three rollcall votes. If I had been here, I would have voted: ``yes'' on rollcall vote 720, ``yes'' on rollcall vote 721, and ``yes'' on rollcall vote 722.

Madam Speaker, I was unable to be here to cast my vote in support for the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act, but I strongly support the targeted extension of unemployment benefits provided by

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Defense Supplemental both as a member of the House and as a Commander (select) in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

My fellow soldiers need the resources this bill will provide, and they need them as soon as possible.

I know there is much consternation on the other side of the aisle regarding funds contained in this bill for the International Monetary Fund. I, too, share those concerns, but, I cannot in good conscience vote against the many provisions in this bill that will assist our soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen deployed around the world. These provisions include: $500 million for National Guard and Reserve Equipment, $4.5 billion for MRAPs, over $331 million for high priority intelligence and surveillance, and over $1 billion to help defeat the threat caused by Improvised Explosive Devices.

Finally, this legislation will compensate 185,000 service members who have been involuntarily extended since September 11th, 2001.

Mr. Speaker, I intend to support our soldiers who are bravely defending this nation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to enter into a colloquy with the distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee of Justice-Science, Mr. Mollohan. And I want to thank the chairman for the increased funding in the bill to hire more corrections officers in our Federal prison system, which will allow the Bureau of Prisons to hire an additional 1,000 corrections officers nationwide.

And while I fully support such an increase, I believe we must do more,

given that the director of the Federal prison system has asked for an additional 3,000 correctional officers to effectively run our Nation's prison system.

And by bringing this issue to the floor, I hope to raise the awareness of our colleagues in the House regarding staffing levels at the Federal correction facilities located not just in our districts but in our communities all across the country.

The district that I represent, Pennsylvania's 10th, contains three of the 15 high-security penitentiaries operated by the BOP, in addition to one minimum- and one medium-security facility. Also I represent correction officers from communities working at two minimum- and two medium-security Federal penitentiaries in neighboring districts.

Additionally, we have one of the federal penitentiaries in my district, USP Lewisburg, that is in the process of being converted to a ``special management unit,'' the only one of its kind in the entire system. Lewisburg will house inmates from other penitentiaries who prove too troublesome to manage, but who do not qualify for the ADMAX facility at USP Florence in Colorado.

For various reasons, funding for our Nation's corrections officers has failed to keep pace with increased prison populations and increasingly dangerous prisoners over the last several years.

Mr. Chairman, I understand that you are making every effort to reverse the trend of underfunding the BOP and to assure that communities hosting Federal corrections sites, that they are safe, and the corrections staff working within the walls will be able to work together as this bill moves forward to ensure that the Bureau has the funding it needs to catch up with the staffing needs.

Mr. Chairman, I understand that you are making every effort to reverse the trend of BOP funding to ensure that communities hosting correction sites are safe, as are the corrections staff working within the facility walls. I hope that we will be able to work together as the bill moves forward, to ensure that the Bureau has the funding it needs to catch up with staffing needs.

Madam Speaker, on Monday, May 18, I was absent for three rollcall votes. If I had been here, I would have voted: ``yea'' on rollcall vote 267; ``yea'' on rollcall vote 268; and ``yea'' on rollcall vote 269.

I thank the gentleman.

I rise, obviously, in support of this bill. I do want to thank my good friend and shipmate, Mark Kirk, for working so hard across the aisle to get this done. It is always very heartening in this body when we can do the right thing, and this truly is the right thing to do. It's a commonsense approach that actually recognizes the members of the Armed Forces who have earned a Medal of Honor and provides a chance for the Medal of Honor Foundation to fill its coffers and continue to do the good work that it always intended to do.

The Medal of Honor was first authorized by Congress in 1861 as the United States Navy's highest personal decoration. At that time, the Army and Air Force also created Medals of Honor to award their members.

There have been a total of 3,447 recipients of the Medal of Honor. And as my good friend, Mr. Kirk, said, only 97 are living today.

I am proud to represent a district in Pennsylvania. And I will have you know that Pennsylvania is second only to New York State in Medal of Honor recipients.

It is my hope that these coins issued under this act will serve as a reminder of the importance of this medal and of the acts these brave men and women performed.

The surplus of funds raised from these coins will benefit the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation, a not-for-profit organization chartered by the 85th Congress under legislation signed into law by Dwight Eisenhower on August 14, 1958.

The Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation is dedicated to perpetuating the Medal of Honor's legacy through outreach and collaborative efforts. It also raises funds for initiatives that promote the values that the Medal of Honor represents, which is courage, sacrifice, and patriotism.

Some of the examples of the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation activities include working with the staff of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to establish a dedicated Medal of Honor exhibit as part of the larger permanent exhibit called ``The Price of Freedom.'' They also established a Medal of Honor scholarship program for outstanding students enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps programs for the Army, the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marines. Collaborating in the production of two Medal of Honor documentaries released in 2006; one, ``The Medal of Honor,'' produced by PBS, and two, ``The Medal,'' syndicated for television across the United States. Established an Above & Beyond Citizen Honors program to recognize ordinary Americans who have exhibited in their daily lives the same ideals that the Medal of Honor recipients displayed in combat. The President of the United States joined the Medal of Honor recipients in the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns this year to initiate the Above & Beyond Citizen Honor ceremonies.

Finally, the foundation distributed more than 53,000 copies of the book ``Medal of Honor: Portraits of Valor Beyond the Call of Duty'' to public and private school students in every State.

These efforts deserve our support, and so do the men and women who have been awarded the Medal of Honor.

I urge my fellow Members to support this bill to help ensure that the legacy of the men and women whose brave acts earned them the Medal of Honor will be remembered.