Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim Congressman Gingrey's time.

Mr. Speaker, around the world, freedom is under attack every day; and many in this body have heard me express my strong concerns to one of freedom's greatest enemies, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

I have spoken at length about the Chavez government's systematic elimination of freedom and liberty; and his recent assaults on private property, particularly the energy markets, in Venezuela serve as another reminder that Hugo Chavez is doing all he can to force his countrymen to live in a socialist state similar to his mentor Fidel Castro's Cuba.

In recent years, Hugo Chavez has become a prime example of how crude prices have sparked a resurgence of petro-nationalism around the world. He has squeezed more money out of American companies by raising taxes and royalties, imposing fines, strengthened

the hand of OPEC countries by pushing for higher prices, and threatening to cut off the flow of oil to the United States.

As Chavez continues to march towards socialism, he seems determined to wipe out free enterprise, drive out private investment and wreck the economy in order to establish iron-fisted control of Venezuela's economy, just as Fidel Castro in Cuba.

Venezuela and Hugo Chavez are flush with record-high oil revenues, but Chavez is threatening to kill the oil-drenched golden goose.

Just last month, the Venezuelan oil minister showed up at two oil fields run by European companies in order to reclaim them on behalf of the Venezuelan government and Hugo Chavez. Hoisting the Venezuelan flag over the fields, he said the move symbolized the return to state control.

This dramatic move is proof, as if more is needed, that Chavez is putting Venezuela on a path to a nationalized energy industry. These moves, and his saber-rattling military buildup and crackdowns on freedom at home, continue to roil the international oil markets and are enabling Chavez to help keep crude prices high.

Venezuela supplies the United States with about 15 percent of our oil imports; and few Americans probably realize that Venezuela's state oil company owns Citgo Petroleum, which owns refineries that are geared to handling the heavy Venezuelan crude, together with a network of thousands of independent gas stations.

Chavez's radical strategy to nationalize his energy industry is being felt across Latin America. Just this week in Bolivia, newly-elected President Evo Morales nationalized the country's natural gas industry, ordering foreign companies to give up control of fields and accept much tougher operating terms or leave the country. Morales even ordered soldiers to commandeer many fields across the nation.

The move solidifies Morales' role alongside Chavez and Castro in Latin America's new axis of socialism united against American interests and free people everywhere. Make no mistake, the images of soldiers toting automatic weapons outside refineries and gas fields is reminiscent of military dictatorships past.

Chavez has been promising to build a Bolivarian axis of like-minded, anti-American governments throughout Latin America. Only recently, few people took him seriously. Not anymore. Just this past weekend, Chavez and Morales signed a free trade agreement with Castro.

Mr. Speaker, history has proven that no nation with a state- controlled economy can prosper, and anyone who lives in such a nation lives without the freedom and liberty they deserve.

A Venezuela with President Hugo Chavez at the helm is a nation doomed to repeat the failures of history and a people who will be forced to live without the freedom, security and prosperity they once had but still deserve.

Madam Speaker, I ask permission to take my Special Order at this time.

Madam Speaker, while freedom is on the march in many places around the world, a resurgence of Socialist, Communist and anti-freedom governments and movements in Latin America represent an emerging threat to freedom and the United States.

The instigator is Venezuela's Socialist President Hugo Chavez, who is using state-owned oil money to underwrite his iron-fisted control of the Venezuelan people, and to back his alliances with leftist leaders and causes throughout Latin America.

With Chavez sitting on top of 6.5 percent of the world's proven oil reserves, and buoyed by oil at roughly $75 a barrel, Chavez has assumed the identity of a modern-day Simon Bolivar, who attempted to unify Latin America in the 1800s. Oil is Chavez's ATM to finance a ``Bolivarian revolution'' that abuses Presidential power in Venezuela and fans the flames of Socialists, and regional instability.

In an interview last year, Chavez was clear in his motives. ``I am a revolutionary. I have to support the left wing movements in Latin America. We have to change Latin America.'' That is exactly what he is doing at the expense of freedom, security and prosperity.

Democratic institutions are eroding rapidly in Venezuela. The legislative branch is controlled by Chavez, made up entirely of Chavez allies. The judicial branch is controlled by Chavez. The National Electoral Council is controlled by Chavez. It is no longer impartial. The Electoral Council addresses the interests of Chavez and the government, not civil society.

The council is no longer acting in conformity to the law, and many question the reliability of the electronic voting machines in Venezuela.

Chavez, a former paratrooper, sees the military as an instrument of social transformation. And now he is openly recruiting and arming civilians to join his newly created militia under the false suspicion that the United States is going to invade Venezuela.

The public prosecutor, the Office of the Comptroller, and the People's Advocate are all controlled by Chavez. President Chavez has packed the Supreme Court with his supporters, and justices are biased in his favor. Make no mistake, the independence of the judiciary has been compromised.

Human rights and fundamental freedoms are under threat. Discrimination on political grounds is growing and members of the human rights community are often charged with treason and as coup plotters. Acts of violence and prosecution of human rights defenders are growing.

Those active in the defense of democracy in Venezuela are being prosecuted and imprisoned without due process. Leaders of the political opposition group Sumate are being prosecuted for accepting a small grant from the National Endowment for Democracy under a judicial system where the nation's courts have been packed with Chavez cronies.

Freedom of expression is under siege. Chavez is snuffing out a free press and free speech with new laws that impose jail terms for journalists for gravely offending the President or the government. The media is now subject to surveillance, censorship, and intimidation.

And to ensure the unfettered ability to spread his anti-freedom messages throughout the region, Chavez last year launched his own television network, Telesur. Telesur announced a formal alliance with Al-Jazeera, bolstering Chavez's Socialist-Based propaganda with the resources and reach of pro-terrorist programming.

Chavez is taking control over private banks and confiscating large parcels of private property. And to make matters worse, Chavez is planning a new assault on the private sector in Venezuela by taking major steps towards nationalizing Venezuela's oil industry

that could hurt American oil companies, reduce production, and put further pressure on already high global oil prices.

He has already seized private oil fields if companies do not convert operating contracts to joint ventures in which the Chavez government assumes a majority stakeholder share. In free countries, that is called extortion.

Elsewhere in Latin America, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and Argentina, Chavez is forging alliances with Socialist groups and narcoterrorists. In Nicaragua, former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega announced that local governments in Nicaragua that are friendly to Sandinista's cause would receive low-cost oil from Chavez.

Venezuela has been flagged as a major transit country for illegal drug shipments to the United States and Europe. In fact, more than one- third of all cocaine that reaches the U.S. travels through Venezuela from Chavez's allies' countries.

What is worse, at the same time Chavez is cracking down on freedom within Venezuela and exporting his Socialist revolution throughout Latin America, he has embarked on an alarming military build-up.

Chavez is receiving military and intelligence assistance and training from Fidel Castro's government; and he has tried to acquire nuclear technologies from Iran, and reports suggest that Iran has actively sought uranium supplies inside Venezuela.

I have introduced a resolution that addresses these problems and expresses our support for the people of Venezuela to restore democratic institutions. I urge my colleagues to join me in fighting for freedom for the Venezuelan people.

Mr. Speaker, Hugo Chavez seeks nothing less than absolute authoritarian power. He despises freedom. He is determined to alter the balance of power in the Western Hemisphere, and he is leveraging his nation's oil supply to do all he can to achieve his dream of a unified, socialist Latin America.

After all, it was Chavez himself who, with Fidel Castro by his side said, ``Fidel, `I think you were always right: It's socialism or death.' ''

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time of the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Osborne).

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to a great humanitarian injustice facing two Cuban refugee doctors and their families.

On April 10, 2002, Dr. David Gonzalez-Mejias and Dr. Marialis Darias- Mesa were notified by the U.S. Government that they had been awarded documents that would allow them to immigrate to America and begin a new life in freedom.

Unfortunately, the Cuban Government denied these doctors permission to leave Cuba with their spouses and children. They were told because they were doctors, they would have to remain in Cuba for another 3 years. However, their families were permitted to leave and now reside in Florida.

Three years later, in April 2005, the doctors again sought permission to leave Cuba. That permission was once again denied, and they were told they would have to remain in Cuba. Fearing the Castro regime would continue to block their exodus to freedom and reunification with their families, the doctors copied their original United States parole papers and made a desperate attempt to escape tyranny.

While on a boat fleeing Cuba, they were picked up by the United States Coast Guard and turned over to the Bahamian Government along with 17 other Cuban nationals at Cay Sal in the Bahamas. Unlike the other refugees, Dr. Gonzalez-Mejias and Dr. Darias-Mesa had been awarded an authorization for parole of an alien allowing them to enter the United States, and they should not have been turned over to the Bahamian Government. But they were, and since then they have been detained in the Bahamas in deplorable conditions.

Since June, the United States Government has actively sought the release of the doctors to U.S. custody and to prevent their repatriation to Cuba. However, despite numerous official requests for their release and meetings between our governments, including a meeting I had with the Bahamian Ambassador to the United States, the Bahamian Government continues to debate, deliberate and drag its feet about releasing these doctors to our custody.

Mr. Speaker, the time is past due for the Bahamian Government to release these doctors to the United States. Our two countries have always enjoyed strong relations, and we all want that friendship to continue without question or concern. But in this matter, the Bahamian Government is not acting as friends should. They are denying liberty to two refugees who were awarded freedom by the United States.

This past weekend I spent nearly 2 hours with the families of these doctors. I was moved by their incredible strength and faith that their family would one day be reunited. I was also

saddened by their long and needless separation, and outraged by the course of events that have torn their lives apart.

Mr. Speaker, I urge the Bahamian Government in the strongest possible terms to release Dr. Gonzalez-Mejias and Dr. Darias-Mesa to our custody, and I hope my colleagues will join me in this important humanitarian endeavor.

Madam Speaker, first of all I want to associate myself with the comments made by my colleague from California and also to state for the record that I support the motion to instruct. I also would like to thank the chairman for his comments today regarding the motion to instruct.

I ran on a platform of freedom like most people did in this Congress. And I believe it was Ronald Reagan, and I am paraphrasing, who said freedom is a fragile thing that must be defended by each generation. And that is what I am here to do. That is what I am here to do today. I believe that we ought to look for other or additional sections of this bill to sunset, but I am happy to see that this Congress is taking a hard look at the provisions and the sections that have already been mentioned to ensure that the freedoms that our families enjoy and the people in this country enjoy so much will be protected.

I also understand the arguments that have been made about the oversight of the committee; and, Mr. Chairman, I know that as the chair of that committee that will be done. My concern is for future generations and to make sure that none of the freedoms that Americans enjoy today will ever be taken away from them in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I have been and continue to be gravely concerned with Venezuela President Hugo Chavez's march against freedom. But I appreciate that Hugo Chavez acted appropriately in a time of crisis when he recently offered to provide the U.S. Government with a supply of needed oil and gasoline in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina.

This morning's Washington Post includes a story which outlines that Chavez plans to ship 1 million barrels of gasoline in addition to its scheduled shipment of 1.2 million barrels to the United States in the coming month. While this may help alleviate consumers' concerns at the pump, we must all recognize that when we purchase Hugo Chavez's gasoline, we will be lining the pockets of a staunch enemy of freedom.

The United States welcomes efforts to help stem our temporary gasoline and oil shortage, but Hugo Chavez must understand that we will not yield an inch in our demand for freedom in Venezuela and around the world.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong support for freedom in the face of fascism on the island of Cuba. Last Friday, advocates of liberty who simply wanted to hold a peaceful demonstration against the Castro government, were surrounded and thrown into jail-- all for expressing their personal views.

Mr. Speaker, our Nation was founded on the principle of freedom of speech. As Americans, we should find it particularly appalling when such a basic and fundamental human right is abridged by a tyrannical regime right here in our neighboring waters.

At a time when freedom is on the move around the world, it is a shame to see the flame of liberty snuffed out by such despots like Cuba's Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.

I call on our European allies to stand with the United States and condemn the egregious abuses of human rights in Cuba and the copycat abuses in Venezuela. Mr. Speaker, now is not the time to turn our backs on those who seek freedom and democracy. Now is the time to find ways to promote freedom, security and prosperity for all people and for the United States to continue to stand firm against totalitarian regimes.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my thoughts and concerns regarding the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3199). This legislation--though controversial since it was originally signed into law in 2001--is an important and effective tool for combating and winning the war on terrorism. However, it is the duty of this body to err on the side of freedom and that is why I support commonsense legislative oversight of this law.

Four years ago, Congress came together to provide law enforcement and intelligence officials with sweeping powers to increase intelligence- gathering abilities and information sharing in the name of fighting terrorism. This was a wise and prudent choice. However, due to the legitimate concerns raised about the powers this law puts into the hands of government and the need to be mindful of the liberty we are sworn to uphold, sunset provisions were attached to the original law to ensure there would be a judicious review of the law and how it has been implemented. Make no mistake, Mr. Speaker: sunset provisions do not weaken the law, nor do they undermine its purpose or its execution.

Last night, during the debate on the USA PATRIOT and Terrorism Prevention Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3199), a Motion to Recommit was offered that included instructions to extend the current sunset provisions on the sixteen most controversial provisions from 2005 to 2009. Two hundred and nine of my colleagues voted ``yea'' on this Motion to Recommit. I intended to vote ``yea,'' however, due to a technical malfunction, my vote was not recorded in the official Congressional Record. Regrettably, because the Motion to Recommit failed (209 to 218), the legislation contained only two limited 10-year sunsets. Thus, in the spirit of freedom, liberty, and limited government, I voted against the final passage of the House-version of the PATRIOT Act reauthorization.

Detractors of sunset provisions state there has not been any evidence of widespread abuse of any of the PATRIOT Act's provisions. But, as leaders, we are supposed to have the gift of foresight. By making the law permanent at this time, we will handcuff the ability of Congress to carry out a constitutionally-mandated power legislative oversight. Why should we not review this Act in four year's time? Having an intelligent debate to weigh the accomplishments of the bill is a smart undertaking now, just as it will be in 2009.

History tells us that in times of war or conflict, government is all too willing to ask its citizens to trade a bit of their liberty for the hope

of greater security. We witnessed it during World War II with the immoral internment of Japanese Americans. Liberty has been trampled during every war we've fought. But we must ensure that it does not happen again through vigilant oversight of the provisions of the PATRIOT Act. Some have characterized the PATRIOT Act as an irresponsible reaction. I disagree because Congress was smart and just to include ``sunsets'' at the time. Most of the provisions in the PATRIOT Act were needed and should be reauthorized. But to contend as some of its supporters do that it is a perfect law and should not be looked at critically is absurd.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the House and the Senate to ensure that proper legislative safeguards are achieved, in conference, through additional sunsets on the most controversial provisions. In the words of one of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, ``they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.'' Mr. Speaker, the war on terrorism will be won. But, America must continue to be a shining beacon of freedom, security, and prosperity for the world. It is the job of this esteemed legislative body to strike the proper balance between liberty and safety. We ascended to our current world position by being a cradle of freedom--now is not the time to turn our backs on that fundamental principle.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want to thank Chairman Hyde and Ranking Member Lantos for their strong leadership in moving this important legislation forward. As a member of the International Relations Committee, it has been an honor in my short career here to serve with both of them and all of the members of the committee on this fine piece of legislation.

As a new member of the committee, I have closely followed the events in Latin America and particularly in Venezuela. In fact, this weekend during his weekly radio and television program, President Hugo Chavez urged Venezuelans to embrace, and I quote, his 21st century socialism. This is not surprising considering that since he has taken office in 1999, Chavez has forged strong relations with his Communist friend Fidel Castro. As part of his fiery nationalist rhetoric, Chavez makes almost daily verbal attacks against the United States Government and against freedom, calling it an imperialist menace to world peace and accusing it of trying to topple his regime and kill him.

Most of us are concerned by Chavez's anti-American, anti-freedom speech. However, this rhetoric, coupled with his ever-growing crackdown on freedom and his rapidly increasing domination of the Venezuelan airwaves, has caused many of us to become increasingly alarmed.

Chavez, who already dominates the Venezuelan airwaves, is financing a new state-run TV network patterned after Al-Jazeera. What is more, new laws, including the Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television, are being used to snuff out anyone who uses the airwaves to oppose Chavez and his government. Many Venezuelan journalists believe that Chavez is trying to squelch criticism before it starts.

My amendment would focus the resources of the United States Government to counter Chavez's anti-American, anti-freedom messages. It would provide an outlet to the Venezuelan people to hear about the positive ideals of freedom, security and prosperity.

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

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul).

Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Simply put, this amendment would authorize the Broadcasting Board of Governors to initiate radio and television broadcasts to Venezuela much like we currently do with Radio and TV Marti in Cuba. Since Chavez came to power, he has moved sharply away from democracy and closer to socialism and maybe even beyond. The United States must take action to ensure that the message of freedom reaches the people of Venezuela. I urge my colleagues to support and vote for this important amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my strong support for the Water Resources Development Act of 2005, also known as WRDA. This important legislation affirms our continuing commitment to our Nation's water resources infrastructure and will help protect and preserve our Nation's freedom, security, and prosperity.

Today's WRDA bill includes several projects that are significant for southwest Florida. Before I highlight one of those projects, I would like to thank our colleague and my subcommittee chairman, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), for his partnership and leadership in his efforts to produce a WRDA bill that addresses the needs of our Nation. I also want to thank the subcommittee staff for all of their hard work in getting this critical legislation to the floor.

Mr. Chairman, the Water Resources Development Act is important legislation that sets forth a comprehensive national water resources policy, together with authorization of civil works projects that are investments in America. It will improve our transportation infrastructure, bolster our environment, and enhance our quality of life.

This legislation is vitally important to Florida. In particular, this bill will support restoration of the Everglades, one of our Nation's most precious ecosystems. South Florida, which includes

my district, is home to millions of Americans, several of the fastest- growing cities in the country, and a huge tourism industry, and also contains one of the most unique environmental resources in the country.

Over the past century, manmade changes to the region's water flow have provided important economic benefits to the region, but have also had devastating effects on the environment. The Federal Government and the State of Florida have begun a long-term partnership to restore the ecosystem and preserve it for future generations.

Make no mistake: environmental restoration projects like these improve water quality and habitats, benefit our people and wildlife. The actions we are considering today will support this continued partnership.

Mr. Chairman, the Water Resources Development Act of 2005 is good for my district in southwest Florida, it is good for the State of Florida, and it is good for the Nation. I encourage my colleagues to vote for this critical legislation.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to take my Special Order at this time.

Madam Speaker, I ran for Congress on the ideals of freedom security and prosperity because these are the ideals that define America, and they are the necessary ingredients for a better quality of life for people around the world.

And though freedom is on the march in many places around world, in Latin America, a resurgence of socialists, communists and anti-freedom movements and alliances represent a new emerging threat that must be stopped.

At the root of Latin America's renewed anti-Americanism is Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. In the years since Hugo Chavez first took office as a democratically elected leader, he has retreated from the ideals of freedom, security, and prosperity and began his own march toward oppression and socialism modeled after his mentor, Fidel Castro.

And let me give a few examples: In Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, there is no free press. Just state-controlled, anti-American, anti-freedom propaganda. There is no freedom of speech, no freedom of dissent, and no freedom to stand in opposition to the Chavez regime. Just days ago, for example, several leaders of the opposition group Sumate were charged with treason and conspiracy simply for accepting money from the National Endowment for Democracy to help educate their fellow citizens about Venezuela's constitutional referendum process. In Hugo Chavez's Venezuela, the government owns the country's key industries and controls the economy, the flow of capital, jobs and opportunity. Hugo Chavez holds the hopes, dreams and opportunities for an entire nation firmly in his fists.

In the years since he came to power, Hugo Chavez has hijacked the courts and installed his cronies and allies to manipulate the country's constitution and legal system. He has forged a dangerous alliance with Fidel Castro and is now receiving military and intelligence assistance and training from Castro's government. He has acquired 100,000 machine guns from Russia and admitted to trying to acquire nuclear technology from Iran. And he has threatened to end diplomatic relations with the United States.

Madam Speaker, Hugo Chavez is an enemy of freedom who threatens the balance of power in our hemisphere. Today I call on the United States to pursue a three point plan that will promote freedom, security and prosperity for the people of Venezuela.

First, the United States should promote the creation of institutions that will foster a free press, free markets, and the freedom of speech and religion and free and fair elections for Venezuela, including the establishment of a Venezuelan counterpart of Radio and TV Marti.

Second, the United States should establish a Venezuelan Security Zone that will isolate Chavez and limit his ability to destabilize Latin America. This new zone would restrict Hugo Chavez's ability to purchase arms, nuclear information and technologies, and weapons of mass destruction. It would also make it more difficult for Hugo Chavez to enter into commerce, trade or alliances with other nations led by dictators and anti-American fanatics. And it would require the restoration of an independent judiciary committed to representing and protecting the rights of all Venezuelans.

Third, the United States should promote economic development in Venezuela through free markets, privatization and other means that will create lasting prosperity and opportunity for all Venezuelans.

Madam Speaker, President Reagan tore down a wall and liberated a generation. President Reagan once said, ``Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.''

President Reagan's steadfast commitment to freedom should have left a lasting lesson on all of us, but it did not. And the foreign policy debate in this body could not be more dramatic. Those on the left have demonstrated they believe in peace at any price even if that price is the loss of freedom.

Those of us on the right believe that freedom is worth fighting for and that together freedom, security, and prosperity will yield lasting peace.

Madam Speaker, make no mistake about it, Hugo Chavez is a threat. We must take him seriously, and we must act now.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in opposition to this amendment and would start off with the simple question: Do we want to reward the most notorious human rights abuser in our hemisphere with American trade, American travel, and American currency? Does this House want to appease the only state sponsor of terrorism in this hemisphere? I think the answer to that is no.

This is a call to conscience in this body. Do we stand for freedom, or do we stand with tyrants? The choice today could not be more black and white. Either you stand for freedom, or you stand with Fidel.

I urge all of my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this amendment. There have been many examples where Fidel Castro has abused any kind of trade, any kind of currency that is brought to his country, where he has done so only for himself, always looking to oppress and to hold down the wishes and hopes of others.

I today stand with the Cuban people, not with a dictator who only seeks harm.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to engage the esteemed chairman in a colloquy concerning language and funding for Florida's red tide research problem.

Mr. Chairman, earlier this year, my district in southwest Florida experienced a harmful red tide outburst off the coast which caused harmful effects that were felt by people, animals, and the environment that make up our precious ecosystem and economy.

Hundreds of people endured respiratory ills, including sneezing, coughing, and other effects that are damaging to one's health. Moreover, the Florida manatee, an endangered species that everyone seeks to protect from far less harmful events, saw a gigantic spike in their death rate. This year, in the entire State of Florida, we have seen 29 manatees die due to boating accidents. However, from this red tide bloom, which only lasted a couple of months and was confined only to southwest Florida, we have a confirmed count of 46 manatee deaths.

What is more, thousands of people, some from this very room, come to southwest Florida each year to vacation on our beaches and to swim in our waters.

This scourge of red tide not only has a hazardous environmental effect, but also drives away tourists who undoubtedly do not want to spend their time coping with the effects of the red tide.

Thankfully, with the leadership of the gentleman from Ohio, the Energy and Water Subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations saw fit to include funding for red tide research in last year's appropriations bill. Unfortunately, the lion's share of that money never made it down to the numerous research organizations that conduct expert analysis and tests on ways to help mitigate the effects of this damaging event in nature.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman very much for his remarks and his leadership in this notable cause.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my strong concern about a gathering storm that poses a real threat to freedom, security and prosperity throughout the Western Hemisphere.

At the center of this storm is Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is fanning the flames of leftist, anti-American, anti-freedom movements that are fostering regional instability.

In the years since he took office as a democratically-elected leader, Chavez has moved sharply away from those ideals. He has stacked the government with judges and allies to implement his own personal will. He has cracked down on the freedom of the press. He is financing a State-run television network patterned after Al Jazeera to spread his propaganda far and wide, and he has forged a dangerous alliance with Fidel Castro.

Mr. Speaker, Hugo Chavez fancies himself as a modern Simon Bolivar, who wanted to unite Latin America into one Nation. Hugo Chavez is trying to alter the balance of power in our hemisphere. The United States must take this growing threat seriously.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of our greatest national treasure--our veterans. Throughout our Nation's history, brave men and women have been committed to protecting our freedom, security and prosperity. It is only right for us to do all we can to help those who have fought to keep us free. That is why I rise in support of two thoughtful and prudent pieces of legislation: H.R. 303--The Retired Pay Restoration Act of 2005 and H.R.

808--The Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act, sponsored by Mr. Michael Bilirakis and Mr. Henry Brown, respectively.

Mr. Speaker, these two critical pieces of legislation are smart, balanced and respectful of the time served by our Nation's veterans and the sacrifices made by their families.

The Retired Pay Restoration Act would address a policy that has long been unfavorable to the men and women who have returned home from battle. This legislation will let our disabled veterans receive not only the disability compensation they deserve, but the retired benefits they have toiled long and hard to receive. It is incumbent upon us to mark the time given by these brave individuals with appropriate legislation, such as this, that honors their courage and dignity.

I am also proud to support and cosponsor the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act. This common sense bill ensures surviving husbands and wives of our veterans will still be able to count on the consistent income earned by their spouses in service to our country.

Mr. Speaker, with the passing of the War Supplemental last week, this body came together to raise death benefits for our soldiers and sailors who have made the ultimate sacrifice. I was proud to enthusiastically support that measure. It is with that same spirit that I ardently urge my colleagues to again put politics aside, come together, and pass these patriotic and dutiful pieces of legislation to support our proud veterans.