Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, this Congress must address the defense sequester with the urgency that is warranted. Our men and women in uniform are fighting bravely around the world, and they depend on the certainty of knowing that they have got everything they need to accomplish their mission.

The way to achieve that certainty is made increasingly difficult because of sequestration and the indiscriminate cuts that are affecting our men and women in uniform. I respectfully remind my colleagues today that as we start this budget and appropriations process, that we have the opportunity to replace sequestration in the months ahead.

Last year, House Republicans passed not only a budget in a timely manner, but we incorporated increased defense spending to ease the burden of sequestration.

Regardless of which side of the aisle we are on today, we all have a deep obligation to pass on the blessings of liberty and freedom to future generations. In order to accomplish that, we can no longer allow Federal budget policy to be dictated by a process that neither side intended to go into effect.

I encourage my colleagues to make ending sequestration the top priority in the 114th Congress.

Mr. Speaker, it is a special and high honor to be in this Chamber of the people's House to honor, to remember, and to pay respectful tribute to a most remarkable American, a true patriot, and one of the finest marines I have ever known, Master Gunnery Sergeant Jimmy Hargrove. He was a dear friend of mine and my family.

Jimmy was enlisted. He was an enlisted marine. This is my father, Ike; he is also an enlisted marine. He is doing great at the age of 91. He is an Iwo Jima veteran. There is something about enlisted marines, when we meet each other, we often ask, ``Are you a Parris Island marine?'' I was.

If you are a Parris Island marine, you usually give the other alternative, which is this. You say, ``Or are you a Hollywood marine?'' That is, did you go through boot camp in San Diego?

Well, that question applies to virtually all enlisted marines, but there are some whom that question really doesn't apply to because the answer is neither Parris Island nor San Diego, but it is a different place they went to boot camp, Montford Point, North Carolina.

From 1942 to 1949, 20,000 young African American men, young Black men from across our country like Jimmy, didn't go to Parris Island or San Diego. He went to Montford Point, and that is where he endured the training that defines, shapes, and molds young men and women now into marines--fully segregated units.

These marines have gone on to fight in our Nation's battles. Jimmy, for example, fought in Korea and then Vietnam. Some have been grievously wounded. Many gave the ultimate sacrifice for our Nation.

It was fitting and proper, Mr. Speaker, when in 2012 this body and the Senate unanimously passed legislation which President Obama then signed into law which gave to all Montford Point marines, all surviving Montford Point marines, the Congressional Gold Medal. It was a privilege to be at that ceremony. Jimmy took great pride in this, and he was there as well with his family and his wife, Cheryl.

There is no question, Mr. Speaker, that we are a better, stronger, and safer America because of our Montford Point marines, and we are a better, safer, and stronger America because of the life of Jimmy Hargrove.

This picture from 2013 at the Marine Corps ball is one of my favorite pictures. It shows the bond between two marines, really one generation to the next. I consider it an honor to pay tribute to him today.

Yesterday, Jimmy was laid to rest in Arlington. It is fitting that he is there in Arlington in eternal rest. What I really remember about Jimmy and think about is--it is not pictured in this picture, but his smile, Jimmy's smile. He was always so optimistic, and though he knew the bitter fruit of segregation, he, himself, was not bitter.

He was fully optimistic about our Nation, and he fought for our Nation even after his retirement. He engaged in shaping public policy and shaping the way our country is headed. I deeply respect him for this. He did not yield to apathy's seductive call, but he chose to continue to fight for his country.

We marines are a proud lot. It is even embedded in our Marines' Hymn. The last verse is:

If the Army and the Navy

Ever look on Heaven's scenes;

They will find the streets are guarded

By United States Marines.

I think of Jimmy as still being on duty and in Heaven as well. He was a man of deep faith, and so I would say to my friend, in respect for his life and his service to our country, ``Master Gunnery Hargrove, mission accomplished. Job well done, marine. Semper Fidelis. Semper Fi.''

May God grant eternal rest to this fine American, and may God also provide a special measure of comfort and grace to his wife, Cheryl, and their entire family.

Mr. Speaker, I have just returned from an extraordinary experience in July, 2014 in Israel, the land I first came to in 1949 at the tender age of three and a half, already a refugee, from post-World War II Europe. Yet nothing could have prepared me for the surrealistic reality of approaching rockets and wailing sirens, a frightful scenario that Israeli citizens of all ages in its south have had to contend with for fourteen long years, with only fifteen seconds to find protective shelter. I will long remember being awakened

by the sirens' piercing sounds of war alert at 3:15 a.m. in Haifa, Israel's northern city, far away from Gaza or as proven rather close, and moving quickly with my mom, a ninety-two year old remarkably resilient Polish Holocaust survivor, to the best possible room in her apartment to await whatever might happen with our hearts pounding. Luckily the rocket was intercepted by an Iron Dome installation that the United States has gratefully financed.

No nation would have done less than Israel to fulfill a basic mandate of protecting one's population and all nations would have done more early on. Restrained by its legacy of Jewish and humanitarian values, ever conscious of the double standard applied to its conduct, Israel has exercised an admirable measure of caution to save lives even from the midst of a firing hostile territory controlled by Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization whose covenant unabashedly calls for Israel's destruction and criminally has used children, women and men as human shields; it shot 3500 rockets and also mortars from schools, hospitals, mosques, homes and U.N. facilities with the clear goal of indiscriminately killing and maiming Israelis.

When Hamas and the host of other Arab terrorist organizations will care more for their children than the death of its ``enemy's'' children, will there emerge new hope for the long-awaiting to be transformed Middle East. When Israel's insistence on the sacredness of human life--all human life--will become the inheritance of the entire troubled region, replacing pagan human sacrifice, will the yearning of modern Israel and its biblical prophets for that essential though elusive Shalom, Salaam, Peace, reemerge as a potent force for the sake of all. How could Hamas, tragically and ironically elected into power by Gaza's misguided and long-suffering people, following Israel's 2005 withdrawal from Gaza at an enormous cost, squander its donated material resources away from the declared purpose of creating a supportive and necessary infrastructure toward establishing a terrorizing war machine with attack tunnels reaching into Israel with a goal of surprising Israel someday with mortal death blows? We are duty-bound to remember that Iran supplied Hamas with the smuggled weaponry and that Hamas is but Iran's proxy, alerted by Iran's stubborn search for a nuclear capability that will make all the difference. Sadly Qatar is not an innocent by-stander, offering Hamas vast financial support.

I was deeply touched by Israel's courageous people coming together in a heart-warming display of national unity in the face of a mighty and unique challenge, while maintaining its enviable democratic impulse of cherished freedom to express a variety of views that could not take place in Gaza. Israel is weeping for its heroic defenders as well as the innocent victims on the other side held hostage by an ideology alien to what we in the West will never willingly give up.

Make no mistake. Israel represents the American democratic heritage with common purpose and interest, in a part of the world disdaining it and in which Radical Islam increasingly makes disastrous inroads as the shameful slaughter in Syria and Iraq continues while self-righteous and callous Europe with its growing anti-Semitism fueled by Islamist forces looks aside, expecting the Israelis to be like past Jews who could not defend themselves and paid such a high price for it. Let all Americans say with one voice for the sake of all that is sacred and sane in a triumphant message that dare not be misunderstood, ``Never Again!''

Rabbi Israel Zoberman is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McKeon for his leadership and bringing this resolution to the floor. I thank the original cosponsors, Congressmen Ribble, Barrow, and Rahall for standing with me on this.

I respect my colleague from Washington, Ranking Member Smith, and my respect for him is not diminished by the fact that we have strong but different views on this matter. I don't share the ease with which he has accepted the President's, I believe, refusal to follow the law, and I reject outright--and I must do so in this Chamber--the assertion that this is partisan.

It is not partisan. It is in my service to Virginia's Second Congressional District.

An increasing number of men and women from a very diverse audience in my district are deeply troubled by the President's continued pattern of going outside of the law and executive overreach. This is an example that hits home in our district, which is home to more men and women in uniform, Active Duty and retired, than any other of the 435 congressional districts. They increasingly are asking me this question: What is Congress doing about this?

This resolution today is a direct manifestation of my duty and, I believe, our collective duty to hold the President accountable for breaking the law.

Now, again, the ease with which some have said that he hasn't broken the law, well, that is not shared by the GAO, the Government Accountability Office. It is an independent nonpartisan agency, and this summer it found that in releasing the Taliban senior commander, in fact, the administration did break the law. That is really not in dispute.

If we don't hold the administration accountable for this, who will? That is what we do: making sure that the balance of powers is adhered to.

I think it is important that we look at who was released. Among those released is Mullah Mohammad Fazl, the Taliban's deputy defense minister. The President himself acknowledged that there is absolutely the possibility of these senior Taliban commanders returning to the battlefield. They can be released by the Government of Qatar in less than 9 months. The President has more confidence in the Government of Qatar than I do and I think the American people do.

So, Mr. Speaker, despite the administration's lawful duty to engage Congress, despite Congress's clear objection in 2011 on these very same detainees, a bipartisan message was sent clearly to the administration: Don't release these prisoners; it is not in the national interests and security interests of the United States. And yet the administration did so.

Despite the damage that it has done to our policy of not negotiating with terrorists and, finally, despite the increased risk that this brings to Americans, I believe, on the battlefield in Afghanistan, the administration plowed ahead. And it was far more than unwise; it was unlawful, and it merits condemnation.

I will close with this. I really didn't want to bring this to the floor. I know we have plenty of partisan bickering around here, but I looked for someone else and maybe another Member that was bringing something to the floor. I couldn't find it. I thought, well, I guess it falls to us. And I appreciate the ranking member meeting with me and the conversation we had about this matter. We hold different views on this. But I believe this is best for our Nation and, indeed, best for our President and our country and certainly for our men and women in uniform that this is passed today, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in the affirmative.

I thank my friend for his leadership in this critical area, and for having us out here tonight to talk about the tremendous opportunity to really shape the direction of our country in such a positive way by responsibly opening up our coastal regions for energy exploration.

The potential is great in job creation. 25,000 local jobs in the Hampton Roads area--that is southeast Virginia, jobs that would be going to some of those who need so desperately to have job opportunities, for our veterans who are coming out of our military right there in Norfolk and in Virginia Beach and other areas of our district.

Let me frame this discussion, Mr. Speaker, with this quote. It was said in this very Chamber. ``This country needs an all-out, all-of-the- above strategy that develops every available source of American energy.''

Mr. Speaker, that was shared by President Obama in 2012. So, in words and in speeches, it surely looks like there is common ground. Now, there is a disconnect in what the President's been saying and what the truth is and what reality is. We will get to that in just a moment.

But let's look for a moment at the tremendous opportunity that coastal Virginia energy represents and really, across the country, if we open up our shore lines in a responsible, environmentally responsible, way to improve the lives of Americans, to set our country on a far better fiscal path that gives us the revenues we need to strengthen Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security, and our national security as well.

I am an entrepreneur in a season of public service, and I have had these incredible opportunities to look so many in the eye and say, you are hired. And I have also known the great joy, myself, of being on the other end of that and having somebody say to me that I have been hired, and I go home and say, I got the job. We want to hear that more and more in our country.

These are the kind of jobs we need in America. They are high-paying jobs. They are skilled jobs. They are tradesman jobs, jobs that we need in our country.

I have seen it firsthand, Mr. Speaker. I led a bipartisan delegation to go down to Port Fourchon in Louisiana. They are so proud of their economy. They are proud that their young people are having opportunities. It is just a bustling place. I think of it as booming and growing and optimism.

They are also proud of their schools and their roads and their bridges. Why? Because they have got the revenue that they need--this is how they are generating their revenue, through growth.

They are also, Mr. Speaker, so proud of their environment. They are so proud of the fisheries that they have there and the gulf waters that are such a part of their lives and have been for generations.

Some would present it to us as we are faced with this choice: either you are for the environment or you are for job creation and coastal energy.

Look, I reject the premise, Mr. Speaker. It is a false premise. We have a moral obligation to leave our children with clean air and clean water and clean soil. This is common ground, and we also have an obligation. Indeed, I think it is a moral one, to have a strong economy and to leave our children free from a heavy burden of debt, and energy really represents, I think, the principle way that we can grow our economy.

There are some, as I mentioned earlier, who present this false argument about either we protect the environment or we grow jobs through coastal energy. We need to really wrestle with these issues of safety, and I am ready for the debate, Mr. Speaker. I welcome the debate.

As I mentioned, I have been to Port Fourchon, and that was really the epicenter of the Macondo challenge that we faced there, so much of what we have learned from that has been integrated into the safety policies that we have.

We can open up the coast and also create jobs, like they are doing in Norway, like they are doing in Canada. It is not this either-or proposition.

So what we have to do is we have to make the words that were spoken by the President--to go beyond a talking point, and to make it a reality, and I thank my friend from South Carolina for his leadership on this issue. I am with you on that letter, and I appreciate your leadership.

Madam Speaker, last month, my wife, Teri, and I had the pleasure of attending a joint church service which brought together Blackwater Baptist Church and New Oak Grove Baptist Church. That occurred in Virginia's Second Congressional District, which I have the privilege to serve.

The two churches were celebrating the 240th anniversary of Blackwater Baptist, and what a service and celebration it was.

What was particularly enjoyable and noteworthy is that one has a largely White congregation, the other a largely African American congregation, and that is relevant, and, indeed, it is central to my point because Blackwater Baptist Church, which stood at the American Civil War, once had a slave balcony in its sanctuary.

Now, the pastors of the two churches, Greg Hammer and Tyrone Johnson, they are remarkable men. They bring their two congregations together once a year for a joint church service. They are close friends, and they talk often about their Christian faith, which binds them together.

They also have the courage to talk about race, to celebrate the progress that we have made, and to take on responsibly the challenges that remain in our country.

Madam Speaker, this is what we need more of in America, and I commend them both and their congregations.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to submit a statement on behalf of my constituent, Rabbi Dr. Israel Zoberman. Rabbi Zoberman is the Founding Rabbi of Congregation Beth Chaverim in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Rabbi Zoberman asked me to enter the following remarks into the Record:

At this sacred season for the Jewish community, retelling a

searing saga of monumental suffering and heroic survival

shaking the foundation of heaven and earth, we are embracing

Yom Ha'Shoah's (Holocaust commemoration) crushing burden of

sorrow as well as Yom Ha'Azmaut's (the 66th anniversary of

the State of Israel) uplifting joy. We acknowledge the

Holocaust's helplessness and Hatikvah's (Israel's national

anthem) hopefulness. These too are our Days of Awe, no less

than the High Holy Days, sanctified by our people's blood and

resolve, so close in time and theme to Passover's twin poles

of bitter enslavement and ever-beckoning redemption for

Israel and all humanity.

We are the Shoah's wounded survivors and memory's defending

warriors. In truth, Jewish progressive ideas and ideals have

been a thorn in the side of destructive dictators of all

ages, for we have dared declare that every human being is

created in the divine image with infinite value; that each

human life is unique, indispensable and irreplaceable; that

God's divinity and human dignity are forever inseparable.

I was born in 1945 in Chu, Kazakhstan (USSR), to Polish

Holocaust survivors Yechiel Zoberman and Chasia Bobrov, who

had met in Siberia. My following poem is in gratitude to my

paternal grandparents Zvi and Rachel Zoberman who along with

my parents and uncles Norman and Arthur Zoberman, watched

over me during perilous times.

In the 1947 photo taken in Germany's / Wetzlar D.P. Camp,

the American zone,/Following an escape from Poland and a /

Sojourn in Austria,/ Clad in refugees newly acquired garb/

Grandparents Zvi (Son of martyred Rabbi/Yaacov and Dena

Manzies Zoberman)/ And Rachel (Daughter of martyred Yitzchak/

And Zipora Anker) of Zamosc, Poland,/Gratefully raised me

high,/Their little Torah they managed to save/In the face of

the many scrolls/ They could not.

We also observe the 20th anniversary of the Rwanda

genocide; mourn the loss at the hands of an American Nazi

(what a tragic contradiction!) of three precious lives in

Overland Park, Kansas, fourteen year old Reat Griffin

Underwood and his grandpa, Dr. William Lewis Corporon, and

Frazier Glenn Miller; the fourth year of massacres in Syria

claiming over 150,000 lives with millions of refugees;

Russia's violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and the abduction

of about 300 Nigerian school girls by the Boko Haram.

The State of Israel, home to most of the Holocaust

survivors including my own family remains, at 66 years young,

a beacon of light and hope, America's steadfast ally with

shared democratic values in a shaky region deeming Israel's

and America's Western agenda a threat. Iran's continued

nuclear ambitions cast a menacing shadow on Israel, the Arab

world and beyond. Iran emboldens Hezbollah and Hamas to

persist in their obstructionist course with the Palestinian

Authority unwisely joining forces with the latter. I have had

the great opportunity to visit the Arab states of Egypt,

Jordan, Tunisia and most recently Morocco, building with

fellow rabbis Shalom's essential bridges of peace. I was in

Morocco from May 11-18, 2014, on a ``Jewish Roots & Diplomacy

Trip'' sponsored by The Central Conference of American Rabbis

(Reform), connecting to the remnant of an over 2,000 year old

Jewish community with a rich history in a Muslim environment

that has largely been appreciative and protective. Matt

Lussenhop, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in

Rabat, Morocco, most graciously addressed our delegation on a

host of issues, referring to Morocco as ``A very good partner

for the U.S.'' which interestingly recognized the U.S. early

on in its independence.

I thank my friend from California, Chairman McKeon, for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, in 1793, George Washington said: ``The Constitution vests the power of declaring war in Congress; therefore, no offensive expedition of importance can be undertaken until after they shall have deliberated upon the subject and authorized such a measure.''

In a letter to Thomas Jefferson in 1798, James Madison wrote: ``The Constitution supposes what the history of all governments demonstrate, that the executive is the branch of power most interested in war, and prone to it. It has accordingly with studied care vested the question of war to the legislature.''

That is why it is right for President Obama to announce in the Rose Garden that he would seek congressional authorization before taking any military action against Syria. He said: ``I've long believed that our power is rooted not just in our military might, but in our example as a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. And that's why I've made a second decision: I will seek authorization for the use of force from the American people's representatives in Congress.''

It is deeply encouraging tonight, Mr. Chairman, to see such strong bipartisan support for my amendment, which advances the just cause of ensuring that the Obama administration and future administrations adhere to the Constitution and the grave matter of engaging U.S. forces in hostilities.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute, to honor, to remember, and to celebrate the life of an outstanding American patriot whom I greatly admired, Marine General Carl E. Mundy, Jr.

It is not often, I would think, that a former sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves becomes friends with a Four-Star General and a former Commandant of the Marine Corps, but such was my good fortune.

I met General Mundy--he served as our 30th Commandant of the Marine Corps--through my father, Ike. They lived in the same retirement community in Florida and shared the special bond that binds one generation of American marines to the next.

It is a connection that transcends grade and rank, officer and enlisted, and that my father fought in the battle for Iwo Jima, which is a sacred memory for all marines, made their friendship and their mutual respect that much deeper.

It was at my dad's encouragement that I reached out to General Mundy when I sought this office. When I met him, he was 73 years old, yet he exuded, without effort and without pretense, the dignity and the military bearing that we would expect of a Marine Commandant.

It was his humble spirit, however, that I truly found myself pondering and admiring long after our meetings and conversations had ended. Though the general always encouraged me to call him Carl, I never could. He was always, of course, General Mundy.

Always a leader, the general encouraged me in this effort to, again, serve my country, not in uniform, but through public service; and I suspect he lent his good name and reputation to help me more out of respect for my dad than for me.

Of the many endorsements I was so fortunate to receive, the general's meant the most. I believe all who favored me with their endorsement-- and I think especially those who served in our United States military-- will understand why the Commandant's endorsement was particularly meaningful.

Not long after General Mundy lost his wife of 56 years, Linda Sloan Mundy, the general was diagnosed with cancer. My parents passed him in the neighborhood 1 day when he was still well enough to take his afternoon walks.

Dad shared with me the account of how, when the general saw my parents coming and he recognized my father, he stopped, he came to full attention, and offered a respectful hand salute to

my dad who, again, was a World War II marine sergeant--a nice, crisp hand salute.

Now, this is the spirit of the man and the marine, the humble warrior that I knew and so deeply respected. It is good to see the young people in the House today. As I reflect upon General Mundy's life and his service, I am reminded that we are a free people because good men and women have willingly set aside differences to fight for that, which binds us together as fellow Americans.

General Mundy inspired many of us to serve, including his two sons, Brigadier General Carl Mundy III and Colonel Timothy Mundy, both of whom are on Active Duty as United States Marines.

So I join my fellow marines especially, including my father, Ike, and grateful Americans across our country, in expressing heartfelt condolences to the Mundy family.

It is with eternal gratitude and respect that I will offer a final hand salute in tribute and in memory to the 30th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, an American patriot whom I was so fortunate to count as my friend.

General Carl E. Mundy, Jr., United States Marine Corps, mission accomplished, sir.

Semper fidelis.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the Terminal Velocity team from the Cities of Franklin and Virginia Beach, Virginia. Team members Steve Motley, Steve Poe, Jason Truitt, Donnie Cagle, Bobby Williams, and Elijah Smith have, for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year, won the Operations Challenge competition held annually at the Water Environment Federation's Technical Exhibition and Conference. They competed against 41

other teams in a series of five water utility operations and maintenance events that demonstrate the variety of skills necessary to operate a modern water utility. They are joined today by Team HRSD of the Hampton Roads Sanitation Districts, winners of the competition's Division 2. Team members Kevin Hafner, Jason Hobor, Laura Laxa, and Tim Scott are also talented water quality professionals that provide a vital service to their community. I congratulate Terminal Velocity and Team HRSD for their commitment to high levels of professionalism and their efforts to protect environmental quality and public health.

Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Mr. Brad Cumming, a resident of Virginia Beach, Virginia, on the occasion of his retirement from the U.S. Navy's Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers after more than 32 years of dedicated service to the federal government.

Mr. Cumming has a long history of service to the aircraft carrier community and has emerged as one of the leaders in lifecycle engineering. His keen leadership, innovation, dedicated teamwork, and proven technical and programmatic expertise were critical to his success in ensuring that Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers are ready to provide 50 years of service defending our national interests.

Mr. Cumming's current duties as the Deputy Program Manager's Representative for the Carrier Planning Activity (CPA), located at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, include oversight of the overall planning, direction and timely execution of CPA's mission to provide centralized aircraft carrier life cycle management and maintenance engineering. Prior to his joining the PEO Carriers Team, Mr. Cumming spent over 26 years with the Engineering Division at Norfolk Naval Shipyard where he progressed from a design engineer for electronics countermeasures to eventually becoming the Planning Yard Division Head.

His post retirement plans include more traveling, spending time with family, gardening and continuing to work with youth through the Young Life Ministry. Mr. Cumming currently lives with his wife Laurie in Virginia Beach.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that you join with me today to honor Mr. Cumming. His long and dedicated service to the United States of America is an inspiration to all of us. It is with great pride that I congratulate Mr. Cumming on his retirement and wish him the best of luck in the future.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank my friend and colleague from Texas, Chairman Hensarling, and all of those who worked on this underlying legislation, H.R. 3193.

My amendment strengthens that legislation, and I really respect how it was crafted, the legislation that underlies my amendment. It really is much needed.

My amendment is focused on one of the most critical ingredients that is necessary for those that are trying to start a new business or to grow an existing business, and that is access to credit. Now, I offer my amendment based on my own real-world experience. It is about 22 years ago that I started my business, and I was able to start it and to grow it and to say these wonderful words to so many fellow Americans in Virginia's Second Congressional District, ``You are hired.'' I was able to say those words because one of the ingredients I had available to me was access to credit.

I offer my amendment today based, as well, on the clear, united, and truly rational voice that is being articulated by Virginia's Second Congressional District, and that is that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is truly and irrefutably, in their view and in mine, damaging and harming their ability to have access to credit.

Common ground is something that I come to work every day seeking to advance. I am convinced, absolutely, that it is here and it can be found. In fact, this gridlock that we so often experience truly is hurting our country. But

as I listen to my colleagues so often on the other side--and I have been up here and had the privilege of serving in this institution 3 years--quite frankly, when I hear statements like we don't care about consumers, I take offense at this. And I have listened to it for 3 years, and I think that it does a disservice to this House and to the American people to continually claim that we don't care about the American consumer or that we don't care about the environment or the poor or the aged. Indeed we do. And this represents my best judgment, and the best judgment of so many, that this underlying legislation in my particular amendment would help consumers. I am convinced of this.

What my amendment does is it requires the Bureau to simply do this: to consider and to calculate in a very careful way exactly how the impact--the adverse impact that these regulations that are being put forth by this organization--would affect credit. Now, indeed, isn't this common ground? It is really common sense. Before you take any action to do something, you ought to take a moment to consider what that action might do in inhibiting individual Americans and businesses from accessing credit.

I think it is critical, too, that we look at the organization itself. This is an organization that is really outside of the scope of accountability that we really should be requiring of each and every agency in the Federal Government. It is largely outside the accountability and the influence of Congress. And this is quite striking: it is largely out of the influence of the President. In a unique way, and I think in a harmful way, it is largely outside of the accountability of the court system.

Look, common sense will just tell you that is not a good idea for any agency to be outside of accountability. Each Member here is accountable to our own district. The actions that have been taken by this organization already, sure, we can find a few that have been helpful and I think ought to continue--taking care of our military and making sure that businesses operate in an ethical manner--but, overwhelmingly, what we are seeing is this: that the sum of all things is it is hurting the American consumer, and it is hurting our ability of fellow Americans to access credit. That is why I urge support for the underlying legislation and my amendment.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, tell me how much time is remaining, please.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentlelady's remarks. I still hold the view that the sum of all things that I have heard in our district is that the Bureau is doing more harm than good.

I urge, again, my colleagues to vote for the underlying legislation and my amendment which would help protect individual Americans and businesses in their ability to seek credit, which is an essential part to keeping our economy growing and creating more jobs.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I would like to thank my fellow Virginian, Chairman Goodlatte, for his leadership on the underlying bill. I also want to thank Mr. Graves, the chairman of the House Committee on Small Business, for working with me and my staff on advancing my amendment.

Madam Chairman, I think my amendment is noteworthy first for its brevity, as it is only 14 words long in total, yet it packs a powerful and much-needed punch because it addresses a central issue to job creation, which is a shared value and a shared objective in this House: increasing access to credit and, in some cases, not prohibiting access to credit.

This is not a theoretical issue for me. I have been a businessman for 30 years and an entrepreneur for about 23 years, and I know the great joy of looking into an applicant and fellow American's eyes and saying these incredible words: ``You're hired.'' Those are life-changing words.

One of the reasons that I could say those words to those who applied at our company was that a local lender, a small local bank, was able to lend me the money I needed to start my business and to grow my business. Yet those very same small lenders--those small banks in Virginia's Second Congressional District--are reeling. They are reeling from waves of new regulations, nearly all of which are overly burdensome and so many of which are not needed at all. They should never have been written. The result is that some banks are hiring, but they are not hiring loan officers; they are hiring compliance officers.

From my own experience, Madam Chairman, and from my own deliberate and intentional listening to the small businesses and lenders of Virginia's Second Congressional District, I have come to a conclusion which is clear, which is irrefutable in my mind, and which is deeply troubling. That is that the actions of this body collectively and of the administration have made it more difficult--not easier but more difficult--for small businesses to get the credit they need to grow their businesses and to hire more people.

This cannot be reconciled with the words that President Obama shared in this very Chamber in his State of the Union speech in 2012. It was a statement that should have been the basis for common ground. He noted correctly that most new jobs and businesses, like my own, were created in startups and small businesses.

He said this:

Let's pass an agenda that helps small businesses succeed.

Tear down regulations that prevent aspiring entrepreneurs

from getting the financing to grow.

H.R. 2804 does just that. It is a significant and meaningful step forward in that area.

That is why I have come to the House floor this evening. What a privilege it is to be here, to be a strong voice for the hardworking men and women across this country who are laboring under an increasing level of burden from the Federal Government--one that should get out of the way, yet it continues to put roadblock after roadblock after roadblock in the way of hardworking Americans who are trying to create jobs. They have mortgages on their homes. They have signed these loans personally. I understand the burden and the challenges that are faced by small business owners. One reason I sought this office was to be as strong a voice as I could be for those who, if you unleash them, are the most powerful job-creating engine the world has ever known--small business owners in America.

That is what H.R. 2804 does, and I think my amendment strengthens that. I appreciate the opportunity to speak in favor of this, and I ask my colleagues for their careful consideration of my amendment because I think, in doing so, they will vote in the affirmative. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 2804 and for my amendment.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I would just state to my friend and colleague that the only piling on, as I see it, are the regulations that are continuing to burden the small business owners.

I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Virginia, Chairman Goodlatte, my friend and colleague.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is a privilege for me to be here this morning and to share with you and our colleagues the story of an exceptional American, Ron Miller, who I am proud to say lives in Virginia's Second Congressional District, the district I have the privilege to serve and represent.

Ron is 46 years old. He had always planned to go back to school; but at age 33, his life was turned upside down. He was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, or ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that progressively affects nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. It is a disease for which, at present, there is no cure.

Ron is paralyzed from the nose down; yet he used eye-gaze computer technology to complete his associate's degree in liberal arts, with honors, in a bold and courageous effort to bring attention to ALS.

They have a wonderful staff at the Lake Taylor transitional facility where Ron lives, and where the graduation ceremony took place; and I saw tears coming down several of the staff members' eyes as they watched Ron receive his degree. Actually, the president of Excelsior College made the effort to fly down to be with us that day.

I was deeply honored to be there and to have the privilege of sharing the commencement address, but it certainly wasn't my words that inspired everyone who was there. It was Ron's words that he shared through his computer.

He didn't talk about himself. He didn't talk about how difficult things are for him. He mainly thanked all of those in his life that made the degree possible. He talked about the importance of education and the importance of finding a cure for ALS.

I want to share just a small portion of what he shared that day. I watched his eyes as they guided the cursor on the screen to the ``play'' button. When he hit it with his eyes, it actually started the computer to speak. He put it this way:

I ask that you all bear with me as I stumble my way through

this. At least I can blame the computer if I mispronounce

anything.

That got a laugh there. He has got a great sense of humor.

He said:

Thank you for ensuring I started each class not as a

disabled person, but as a differently abled person.

He thanked all the nurses and the nurses' aides there. He said:

You are my heroes. First of all, it takes a lot of work for

me to look this good.

He has a great sense of humor.

He thanked his family and his friends for their love and support.

Speaking of life, he said:

It isn't always easy--but life never is. I just have a

different set of challenges than most.

He left us with this quote by John Wooden:

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can

do.

Powerful words.

To me, Mr. Speaker, Ron's courage and his remarkable achievement represent the very best of the American spirit and the human spirit. It is a strong heart that chooses to be grateful for life's simple blessings, one that values the gift of friendship, one that embraces the pursuit of knowledge, and one that does not rest in a relentless pursuit to lessen human suffering, especially for those who will follow.

So I really count it as a high privilege to know Ron and to count him as a friend. He is fulfilling his mission to ensure that Americans are educated about the challenges that those with ALS face. He has also shown us what a person with ALS can accomplish.

He and many others who are heavily burdened with ALS, and their families, are calling attention to the need for improved access. We have a wonderful facility in Virginia Beach that is a tremendous asset for those who are afflicted with a disease that affects their physical mobility and that includes many of our wounded warriors.

It is JT's Grommet Island. It is right there on Virginia Beach, really the first on the east coast that allows people that are mobility impaired to get down and experience the joy of being on the water and the sun and the sand and just being outside.

There is a lot more work to be done, and I am so proud of our friends, Bruce Thompson and others. His son, Josh, is afflicted with ALS, and he led the effort to build that facility that I just mentioned there. It is called JT's Grommet Island, and it is named in honor of his son, Josh, who is struggling with this, and his family is as well.

I just want to close my comments today with great respect for those who are struggling with this disease and to share with you something that Ron has said about his struggle. It is an outlook on life that I found profound and inspirational, and I posted it in my home where I see it every day. He said this: ``I may have ALS, but ALS does not have me.''

So, Mr. Speaker, may Ron's remarkable achievement and the spirit that he exhibits in his life inspire all of us to join him in this worthy fight to find a cure for ALS.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today on behalf of Albert Caswell, who has written a poem in honor of Staff Sergeant Jonathan Dozier of the United States Army. Staff Sergeant Dozier was killed in Sinsil, Iraq on January 9, 2008, while serving his country. He was a highly decorated soldier, earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic sacrifice and for his commitment to his fellow Americans. He is survived by his wife Amy, their

daughter Emma and his sister Jennifer. As we come upon this holiday season, may we remember Staff Sergeant Dozier and his family, as well as all our veterans and military personnel who have sacrificed so much for this great nation.

Dear Jon