Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and life of Dean Perry, a resident of the First Congressional District of Tennessee, who passed away October 23, 2007.

Dean Perry was born in Elizabethton on December 5, 1925, to the late Ike and Martha Peters Perry. Mr. Perry served in the United States Army as a sergeant in the 5th Army in Italy during World War II and was recalled to active duty during the Korean War.

He was a member of Grace Baptist Church in Elizabethton. His life of service was not only in the military. Mr. Perry was a member of the Dshiell Masonic Lodge #238 F & AM, Shriners, American Legion Post #49, Civitans and the Capt. Lynn H. Folsom VFW Post #2166.

Mr. Perry also served on the Carter County election Commission, First Tennessee-Virginia Development District, Board of Directors for the Carter County Rescue Squad, Elizabethton City Council, Mayor of Elizabethton and Chairman of the Carter County Commission.

He is survived by his lovely wife of 55 years, Ella Ruth Nave Perry.

Madam Speaker, I ask that the House join me in offering our sympathies to the family and friends of Dean Perry. He was a dedicated family man, a servant of this Nation, and a true patriot.

His service is greatly treasured, and he will be deeply missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory and life of Judge Shirley Underwood, a resident of the First Congressional District of Tennessee, who passed away October 7, 2007.

Judge Underwood received her law degree from the University of Tennessee in 1948. She first practiced law in Bristol with her father. She was appointed juvenile court judge by Governor Buford Ellington in 1961 and in 1962, was elected to an 8-year term. She was re-elected four times by overwhelming margins. Upon retirement in 2002, Judge Underwood had the longest tenure of any current juvenile court judge in Tennessee and one of the longest in the Nation.

Judge Underwood was the first woman to be elected by UT alumni of the First Congressional District to serve as their representative on the UT board of governors. She was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Law in 1984 and received its Alumni Leadership Award in 1989.

In 1956, she married Dr. Charles T.R. Underwood. Judge Underwood was an active member of Central Baptist Church.

Madam Speaker, I ask that the House join me this evening in offering our sympathies to the family and friends of Judge Shirley Underwood. She was dedicated to her family and her service to the residents of east Tennessee.

Her service is greatly appreciated, and she will be deeply missed.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute William E. ``Sonny'' Mottern who was a true patriot and friend of the First District of Tennessee. He passed away recently at the age of 87.

He was born June 24, 1920 and married his high school sweetheart, Eulah ``Sweetie'' Shepherd on October 17, 1941. From December 1943 thru December 1945, ``Sonny'' served on active duty with the 15th Infantry- 3rd Division in France where he received a battle field promotion to S/ Sgt. He was captured December 19, 1944, near the Rhine River in France and was held in four German prisoner camps, being moved by box car and forced marches. He was liberated on April 29, 1945 by General George Patton.

``Sonny'' was discharged December 7, 1945 and awarded the Bronze Star, One Bronze Star Cluster, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, American European-African Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Combat Infantry's Badge, Honorable Service Medal and the POW Medal. He was called again to serve his country as Chairman of the Carter County Draft Board during the Vietnam Conflict.

On April 19, 1996 he was named by the Governor of Tennessee as a Colonel, Aid-DeCamp for Valor and Dedication in the Performance of his duties in service to the ExPOWs and all Veterans of the state of Tennessee. He also served on the Military and Veterans Advisory Board for Tennessee. On April 19, 1997 he was appointed by the Governor of Tennessee as Tennessee Ambassador of Goodwill. He was a National Service Organization Representative for the Department of Veteran Affairs and was currently serving as Treasurer of the Military Ex- Prisoners of War Foundation.

Mr. Mottern's community involvement and leadership included: Elder in the Brick Christian Church; member of the Chamber of Commerce; past Master of the Masonic Lodge, and Life Member of the VFW, DAV, Purple Heart, the American Legion and the American Ex-Prisoners of War. He was a previous owner of the Dixie Battery Company in Elizabethton and was a member of the Board of Directors of the Watauga Volunteer Fire Department.

Madam Speaker, I ask you and my fellow members to join me in honoring Sonny Mottern, a true servant of his country, whose commitment and unwavering determination continue to make a lasting impact all throughout East Tennessee. He will be missed greatly throughout our region as we have lost a true American hero.

I thank my friend from California. Thank you for your leadership tonight. Thank you for pointing out some of our spending and taxing waste. I would like to thank my colleagues that have spoken before me tonight.

I have been absolutely pleased with the group of freshmen Republicans that I came in with, a group of men and women that are very honorable, willing to work hard and do the right things. Thank you so much for serving with me in Washington.

I look back at one of my favorite Presidents, a President that was enjoyed by Republicans, conservative Democrats, independents, and that President was Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan once said, ``We don't have a trillion dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough. We have a trillion dollar debt because we spend too much.'' It goes right back to what we have been saying, spending then taxing.

There are many people sitting around their kitchen tables around America tonight trying to decide just how they are going to put their budget together, how they are going to make their car payment, how they are going to send Junior to school, Sissy to school, how they are going to pay for their health insurance. Those families are having to make hard decisions. The Government, this Congress could learn from those Americans sitting around kitchen tables.

I did come from the mountains of east Tennessee. Those people back in the mountains of east Tennessee have a lot of common sense. They have enough common sense to know that you can't spend more than you take in, and you can't tax people to death and expect success. That is exactly what this Congress is doing.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the President's program of comprehensive tax reforms, President Bush's tax reforms and the congressional Republicans when they were in charge, those tax reliefs were well-timed to respond to a weak economy. My colleagues have spoken about it. We had terrorist attacks. We have had natural disasters.

That tax relief enacted in 2001 granted immediate tax rebates, reduced marginal tax rates, and lowered the marriage tax penalty. It actually allowed Americans to keep more of their money in their pocket so moms and dads can take care of their families.

My wife and I have two children. We fundamentally believe that we can take care of our children better than some bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. I think it's just common sense. I think there are many people across America, it doesn't matter what party you're part of, it doesn't matter if you're Republican, Democrat or independent, I have just got to feel that you believe you can spend your money better than Washington can as well.

Then, to go on, the tax relief of 2003 accelerated the much- anticipated and successful tax cuts of 2001. Those tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 actually strengthened our economy. The Republican tax relief has seen nearly 4 straight years of economic growth, while adding 7.5 million new jobs into our economy. That is the success that Michele Bachmann spoke about.

Things are going very well, and I am glad to see that. The Congressional Budget Office confirmed that the tax cuts of 2003 helped boost Federal revenues by 68 percent. Again, it's not partisan. It works every time. When Democrat John F. Kennedy cut taxes, the tax increase into the Federal Government increased. The economy got

stronger. It happened when Reagan did it, and it happened when Bush did it. It is not partisan, it is just fact.

We must make the successful tax cuts of 2001 and 2003 permanent. If they are not made permanent, which I am convinced that this new hold- on-to-your-wallet Congress is not interested in doing, here's what will happen: 84 million women will see their taxes increase by $1,970. If you're female and you're listening to me, this Congress is going to raise your taxes by $1,970. Forty-eight million married couples will see their taxes increase by $2,726. Forty-two million families with children would see their tax bill go up $2,084. Twenty-six million small business owners would see a devastating $3,637 tax increase, the very small businesses that are creating the jobs in the economy. Five million low-income individuals and couples will no longer be exempt from individual income taxes.

We must make the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent. Unfortunately, I am convinced that we will not see those tax cuts made permanent under the spending I see going on on the floor of this House. When we see those tax cuts start to be repealed, we are going to start to see the economic growth actually come to an end.

Washington Democrats have passed a fiscal blueprint that raises taxes by almost $400 billion on millions of Americans in one fell swoop. As part of their ill-gotten budget, taxpayers in Tennessee will not be allowed to deduct their sales tax from their Federal income tax. Taxes on small businesses, as I said earlier, will go up. The child tax credit will decrease from $1,000 to $500. The marriage penalty is coming back.

Residents of the First Congressional District in Tennessee's average tax expense is going up over $2,000. The definition of a small business will decrease from $400,000 to $200,000. Dividends will no longer be taxed at the personal gains rate, thereby increasing the double taxation on dividends by as much as 62 percent.

People all across America voted for change, but they are not getting the change that they wanted in the last election. Over the last quarter there were a couple of bills we have talked about and passed on this floor without my vote, and one of them was the energy bill. The energy bill that we passed had plenty of taxes, very little energy.

The Democrat majority in the energy bill actually decided to tax American oil producers at the level of 16 billion extra dollars. American oil producers. If we take the ability for American oil producers to produce oil, it makes us more dependent on foreign oil, on countries that hate us and hate our freedoms. I think that is the wrong direction for America. I don't think that is the change that the American people voted for.

Then we had the SCHIP bill. It sounds good, giving poor children health care. We all certainly want to do that. I am for continuing the program at its current level. But at the level that passed on this floor, the Heritage Institute said it will take 22 million new smokers to pay for the bill. Now, is there anyone in America that wants to see 22 million new children have to take up the habit of smoking to pay for a health care bill?

In addition to that, they decided that wouldn't be enough to pay for it so they actually added a tax on your health insurance premiums. So if you buy your own health insurance, your taxes will go up.

We have a choice between a bigger economy or bigger government. The majority party has made a choice. They are for bigger government. Congress has an approval rating down now to 11 percent, and I can certainly understand why we have such a low rating. We need to hold the line on spending, reduce earmarks, pass a line-item veto and crack down on worthless pork-barrel projects and be good stewards of the taxpayer.

Remember, Ronald Reagan once said: ``We don't have a trillion dollar debt because we haven't taxed enough. We have a trillion dollar debt because we spend too much.'' I think we need to start running Congress like the American family has to run their household budget.

Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank my friend from Texas for yielding and thank you for giving me the opportunity to visit Iraq.

Being from Tennessee, the Volunteer State, I volunteered to visit the men and women in uniform in Iraq. I wasn't disappointed. Our troops are well trained, well motivated, and successful.

After the fall of Saddam, the Iraqi people had a choice to make. They have lived for decades under totalitarian rule. Over the past 4 years, they've been divided and, quite frankly, confused about who their friends and allies really are. Is it the radical extremists such as al Qaeda or is it us?

During my visit to Iraq, I visited Ramadi, which until a few months ago was a killing field. For the past 4 years, the people of Ramadi were caught in a decision-making battle of which group, us or the extremists, offered them the best chance for a normal and free future.

The insurgent extremist chose to win the local people over with the use of force, force against their American troops and against any local who did not support their radical agenda. Our troops, on the other hand, have reached out in friendship and support.

The local people, seeing the difference, have chosen to have their lives returned to normal and live in freedom. Therefore, Ramadi has gone from a city of death and destruction to one of

rebuilding and hope. I was able to see it firsthand during my visit in July.

As I walked throughout the busy city market, it was very uplifting to see the local people interacting with our American troops in a very positive way. Now that the surge is under way, our troops are actually living in the city as trusted friends and allies. We're working with the local mayor and his directors to rebuild and totally rejuvenate the city. The city of Ramadi is located in al Anbar, a city that Chris just mentioned moments ago as being a lost hope at the end of the year.

Of course, these relationships take time to develop, but the time and effort are worth it. Helping the Iraqi people secure their freedom helps us to defeat global extremists and, therefore, secure our own freedoms for generations to come.

We have to be successful as well. Ronald Reagan once said, ``We win, they lose.'' If we choose not to succeed, that statement will be just the opposite: we lose, they win.

You may ask, who are they and why does it matter to me anyway? They are not the Iraqi people. I had the opportunity to meet with some of them during my visit. The Iraqi people are really no different than any of us. They want to live in a secure and safe country, have a job to go to in the mornings, be able to clothe and feed their families, walk across the street without fear of being shot or blown up, find reasonable health care, and to worship freely. These are the same things that any American mother and father would want for their children.

So who are our enemy in Iraq and other parts of the world? They're radical extremists who are willing to kill innocent men, women and even children to spread their ideology of hate.

We, the American people, have been lulled into believing that this is the President's war on the Iraqi people. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Iraqi people and the Iraqi Government see us as liberators from an oppressive regime, but they are just now learning how to live as a free people. Our common enemy do not want them to live free and productive lives. That would go against their ideology of hate, an ideology that they want to spread around the world, perhaps to a neighborhood near you.

We cannot let that happen. We either win and they lose, or they win and we lose. That is too big a price to pay. This Congress owes it to everyone involved to succeed, from the Iraqi people to our brave men and women in uniform who are serving on the frontlines of battle, to the American people. We cannot afford to lose. The price is too high and the cost is too much. Freedom isn't free. It has to be earned. It has to be cherished.

We're in a fight for the generations that will come after us. This battle isn't about a small hot desert land somewhere in the Middle East that most Americans will never visit or even easily find on a globe. This battle is about our future and that of our children and grandchildren.

We want the same things for our children that Iraqi mothers and fathers do for their children. We want to live in a secure and safe country, to have a job to go to in the mornings, be able to clothe and feed our families, walk across the street without having the fear of being blown up or shot, find reasonable health care and to worship freely. But our enemy, the radical extremists, want to deny us and our future generations those freedoms. They have proved it time and time again: for instance, the Iranian hostage crisis in 1979 where 52 Americans were held for 444 days, or the bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut where 241 marines lost their lives in 1983, or the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, or the attack on the USS Cole claiming the lives of 17 sailors, or the deadly attack on September 11, where almost 3,000 Americans died.

We can either choose to fight and win the battle now or choose to lose the battle now and leave it for our children to fight.

A sentiment relayed to me by a general in Iraq was very simple, and it drove this point home. Our men and women in uniform are not fighting only for the 8-year-old Iraqi child and their security but also for the 8-year-old American child and for their current and future security and freedom. We do not want them to grow up to have to fight this battle that we chose not to finish.

As I mentioned, our enemy has proven they're dedicated and willing to shed American blood on American soil. Do we really want to tie our hands to the point that we encourage failure over success in Iraq in this global war on terror? Do we really want to live in an America where our future generations have to fear going to the park, going to the mall, going to school or to work? I don't think so and I sure hope not.

The choice is ours today. The American people, when provided with the facts, will choose freedom and security every time. I say, we win, they lose. The cost to the American family is just too great to allow any other outcome.

May God bless America and keep her strong and secure for generations to come.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to dedication of the congregation of Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church on the occasion of the celebration of their 75th Anniversary.

In the First District of Tennessee, there is a long tradition of worship that has brought a great sense of heritage and values to our community.

In 1932 a dedicated group of believers sacrificed to start a church in the area between Blountville and Bristol, TN. During this time they have been a shining light on a hill for all in the Walnut Hill community.

Madam Speaker, I ask that the House join me in honoring the congregation of Walnut Hill Presbyterian Church for their tireless efforts through the past 75 years in sharing the gospel and encouraging people to pursue better lives.

Mr. Speaker, being from Tennessee, the Volunteer State, I volunteered to visit the men and women in uniform in Iraq this past weekend. I wasn't disappointed. Our troops are well trained, well motivated, and successful.

During my visit to Iraq, I visited Ramadi, which until just a few months ago was a killing field overrun by al Qaeda. For the past 4 years, the people of Ramadi were caught in a decision-making battle of which group, us or the extremists, offered them the best chance for a normal and free existence.

The insurgent extremists chose to win the local people over with the use of force, force against our American troops and against any local who did not support their radical agenda. Our troops, on the other hand, have reached out with friendship and support.

The local people, seeing the difference, have chosen to have their lives return to normal and live in freedom. Ramadi has gone from a city of death and destruction to one of rebuilding and hope. I was able to see it firsthand.

The cost to the American family is just too great to allow any other outcome than success in the global war on terror. We must win this war to protect our American way of life, now and into the future.

Mr. Chairman, due to a meeting with the President at the White House this afternoon, I was not present to cast my votes on rollcall votes 734 through 742. Had I been present, I would have voted yea on the Stearns amendment--rollcall 734, ``aye'' on the Flake amendment--rollcall 735, ``aye'' on the Flake amendment--rollcall 736, ``aye'' on the Pence amendment--rollcall 737, ``aye'' on the Upton amendment--rollcall 738, ``aye'' on the Jordan amendment--rollcall 739, ``aye'' on the Price of Georgia amendment--rollcall 740, ``aye'' on the Musgrave amendment--rollcall 741, and ``aye'' on the Campbell amendment--rollcall 742.

Personal Explanation

Madam Speaker, due to my return from a trip on official business yesterday, July 23, 2007, I was not present to cast my votes on rollcall votes 687, 688, 689, and 690. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea'' on rollcall 687, yea on rollcall 688, ``yea'' on rollcall 689, and ``no'' on rollcall 690.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my

friend from Ohio for yielding and for his leadership.

I come from the mountains of east Tennessee. We have a lot of common sense in those mountains. We understand when you spend $3.2 billion, that's a lot of money. We have men and women all around America right now sitting around their kitchen tables trying to decide just exactly how they are going to feed their children, how they are going to take care of their families, how they are going to pay the tuition and buy that next tank of gas.

We talked about in the last election that we are going to be providing a change here in Washington. I believe the freshmen Republicans that came into Congress with me this year are here to offer that change. The way we offer that change is quit spending as much as has been spent in the past. We can do that.

When we have an economy growing about 3 percent and this bill is going to grow by 6 or 7 percent, people understand you can't grow government at twice the rate of the American family's income. It just can't be done. We need to make sure that we use some commonsense when we put these budgets together. We can't spend more money than the American people can earn.

I think the American people did send us here to Washington to rein in that spending, get a handle on our fiscal House. I think this amendment by my friend from Ohio will go a long way towards doing that. This is not about a cut. This is simply about holding the line on spending.

The American people can understand if they have $100 this year and somebody wants to grow it to $200 next year but you can't afford it, and you say, ``I can't give you $200, but I will let you keep your $100,'' if you kept that at $100, that is not a cut. That is staying the same. That is what this amendment does. This simply says we are not going to grow that $3.2 billion.

I thank the gentleman for his amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank my friend from Ohio for yielding.

It is interesting as I hear this debate, I am a new Member of Congress. I have been here 6 months now. I've heard speakers on the majority side talk about ``your amendment is irresponsible.'' I have a hard time understanding that.

Quite frankly, coming from Tennessee, holding the line on spending is not irresponsible. I heard another speaker talk about cuts. Well, actually there is no cut. What your amendment actually does is hold it at the levels of last year's spending. That is not a cut.

I have not gotten used to ``Washington speak'' yet, coming from the mountains in East Tennessee. In East Tennessee, a cut actually means you spend less money this year than you did last year. Your amendment says you're going to spend the same amount of money. We are talking about $34.2 billion. In East Tennessee, that is a lot of money. That goes a long way.

Actually, what we are looking at in this appropriation bill is a 9.5 percent increase in spending. When the rate of inflation is less than 3 percent, this is a growth in spending of almost three to four times the rate of inflation.

We have men and women all around America right now sitting at their kitchen tables trying to decide how they are going to balance their budgets. Why in the world are we in Congress trying to grow our budgets almost 10 percent when we have people across America that are trying to just balance their budget? Gas prices are high. They are worried about increases in taxes.

The least we can do, the very least we can do, is just hold the line on spending. That is not a cut. That is not how I learned about cuts back in East Tennessee.

I just hope that we will do everything we can to support your budget. I encourage support of your amendment. I encourage my colleagues to do so. Still, we are looking at, again, $34.2 billion. I think that is enough spending. We need to hold the line. Thank you for your amendment.

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

Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the request to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2359, the SBA Entrepreneurial Development Programs Act of 2007.

I would like to thank Chairwoman Velazquez for working in a cooperative and bipartisan manner to bring this bill to the floor. This bill makes modest yet necessary changes in the core entrepreneurial technical assistance programs of the SBA, the Small Business Development Center Program.

Small business development centers, on a relatively modest appropriation, provide free training sessions which last at least 1 hour and free individual one-on-one counseling. The centers met a total of 700,000 individual business owners and prospective owners in fiscal year 2007.

Changes are necessary to clarify the statutory mandate and ensure that small business development centers are appropriately responding to the new challenges facing America's entrepreneurs. These alterations are reflected in title I of the bill.

Even though the program is more than 25 years old, there is no definition of the term ``small business development center,'' which substantially adds to the confusion interpreting the statutory language. I would like to thank the chairwoman for including the definition in the term.

Another key change demonstrates the need to update the mission of the small business development centers as technology and business practices change. Broadband access is no longer a luxury for many, if not most, small businesses; yet the only reliable data on broadband access in America comes from providers that make the reports to the Federal Communications Commission.

Congressman Fortenberry, the ranking member of the Committee's Subcommittee on Rural and Urban Entrepreneurship, had the idea that rather than relying on these providers, a more accurate picture might come from actually asking individuals whether they had access to broadband services. Mr. Fortenberry thought it would make sense to have the center survey their clients when they come in the door on the availability of broadband service. The survey might prove a valuable addition to supplement the existing data from broadband providers. And without appropriate information on broadband access and penetration, it is impossible to develop policies that ensure small businesses will have affordable access to broadband.

Title II also includes a mechanism to increase the capacity of small business development centers to offer regulatory compliance assistance to small businesses disproportionately affected by erroneous regulatory burdens. It is an idea supported by the House in the previous four Congresses and by the National Federation of Independent Business. I would like to thank the chairwoman and Mr. Sestak for including this critical assistance to small business owners.

Ultimately, H.R. 2359 is designed to help small businesses get the advice and assistance they need to continue their ever-increasing importance in maintaining America's prime place in the global economy.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield such time as he may consume to my good friend Mr. Latham.

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

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

Today, Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the request to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2366, the SBA Veterans Programs Act of 2007. I would like to thank Chairwoman Velazquez for working in a cooperative, bipartisan manner to bring this bill, authored by Mr. Buchanan, a freshman member of the committee, to the House floor.

No one can debate the sacrifice that America's veterans have made and continue to make in defense of our country. While the repayment of that debt may never occur, we can certainly provide them with the needed assistance to prosper in civilian life. H.R. 2366 is a modest contribution to repaying the debt and helping them make a smooth transition into civilian life.

The bill recognizes that veterans learn a variety of critical skills. Recruitment advertisements for the armed services highlight the various technical skills that they can obtain through the military. These skills clearly are valued in civilian companies. In addition, the military inculcates its members with other important skills such as leadership, decision-

making, teamwork, and the drive to win. All of these are critical to success as a small business owner.

The military does not teach its members how to take these skills and transfer them to starting a business. They require additional training to understand the key components of operating their own business without first having to serve a sort of ``apprenticeship'' working with others.

In 1999 Congress recognized that more services should be directed to help the 25 million veterans start and grow their small businesses. Those efforts succeeded because a number of small businesses owned by veterans have grown to 14 percent of all small businesses.

Despite this success more must be done to assist our veterans in the startup and operation of their businesses. Outreach must improve to ensure that veterans wishing to start their own businesses will have the training and advice needed to transfer their skills to entrepreneurship.

The technical advice and assistance are not limited to veterans leaving the service. Reservists who operate their own small businesses have their own unique set of operational problems associated with their call-up to duty. They may not know how long their call-up will last, and they may need assistance in ensuring that they have in place a plan to operate their businesses while they are on Active Duty.

H.R. 2366 represents an effort to expand the focus of the SBA entrepreneurial assistance programs to our veterans. Of most significant importance is the need to create more Veteran Business Outreach Centers. These centers operate as cooperative agreements between the Small Business Administration and the non-profit entities. These centers provide entrepreneurial development services, such as business training, counseling, mentoring and referrals. They also conduct entrepreneurial business development workshops focusing on self-development and self-employment. Counseling services may range from development of business plans to identifying government procurement opportunities.

There are only four Veteran Business Outreach Centers. To serve our military men and women, more are obviously needed, and title III requires the establishment of two more centers in each of the next two fiscal years.

Another important element of the bill is the recognition of the changing nature of the military with a greater involvement of women. Title I of the bill requires the administrator to establish within the Office of Veterans Business Development a program to provide assistance to women veterans. Given the rapid expansion and success of women-owned businesses, it makes sense to ensure that the needs of women veterans are met when they seek to start and operate small businesses.

Our fighting men and women are the best in the world. Let us help them become the best entrepreneurs in the world by enacting H.R. 2366.

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

I would like to yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) as much time as he may consume.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the request to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 2284, a bill to provide additional Small Business Development Center resources focused on Native Americans, Alaskan Natives and Native Hawaiians. The bill, the product and dedicated effort of the author, Congressman Tom Udall, former Small Business Committee member, was passed without objection by voice vote.

I would like to thank Chairwoman Velazquez for working in a cooperative and bipartisan manner to bring this matter to the House floor.

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

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