Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Vera Bryant of Hernando County, Florida. Vera will do something later this year that all of us strive to do, but that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate her 100th birthday.

Vera Bryant was born May 7, 1909, in Twin Lakes, Florida. A native Floridian, she married her sweetheart Robert Bryant and together they had two beautiful children, both girls. After finishing school, Vera worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant for 33 years while raising her two children.

A dedicated church member that gives her much happiness in life, Vera attends the Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church where she is the oldest member. Today she spends much of her time visiting with her family and her church. At one time, Vera enjoyed delivering the Tampa Tribune, where she had her own paper route. Vera said she did a lot of volunteer work and was a Lilly White Convention Member and sang in the Church Choir.

Vera's proudest moments now are having time to spend with all of her grand, great- and great-great-grandchildren. She also has many wonderful memories of riding her father's horses. Vera's advice to young people today is to be sure to get a good education and make something of their lives.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring Vera Bryant for reaching her 100th birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune to live as long as her.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Barbara Kujawa of Hernando County, Florida. Barbara will do something later this year that all of us strive to do, but that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate her 100th birthday.

Barbara was born December 5, 1909 in Ironwood, Michigan. After attending schools in Detroit at St. Stanislaus and Resurrection schools, Barbara went on to work as an assembly line worker. Happily married to Aloysius Kujawa, she had four wonderful children, thirteen grandchildren and twenty-one great grandchildren.

Her proudest moments were seeing all of her children get married and the happiest moment was when she gave birth to her daughter. Growing up in Michigan, some of her fondest childhood memories are of sledding on a big hill in Grand Rapids with her cousins and walking out on the ice to see her father ice fish.

Moving to Hernando County in the 1980's because it was a nice place to live, Barbara said the things she likes most about Weeki Wachee are that it's peaceful and quiet. Today, reading gives Barbara the most pleasure. If she could live her life over, Barbara would not have gotten married but would have traveled the world and made sure she had gotten a better education. Her advice to young people today is to work hard, be honest, don't drink or do drugs, and honor your parents.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring Barbara Kujawa for reaching her 100th birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune to live as long as her.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Carl Blesser of Hernando County, Florida. Carl has done something that all of us strive to do, but that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate his 102nd birthday.

Carl Blesser was born June 1, 1906, in New York City, New York. Attending school in Albany with a degree in accounting, Carl went on to be a successful CPA. Marrying his sweetheart Nadine, the two spent many happy years together traveling. One of his fondest memories, in fact, is of a trip he took with his parents and wife to see the Empire State Building, as well as several trips to the American West.

Carl moved to Hernando County when his wife was ill, and remained here following her death. Truly devoted to Nadine, Carl states that his happiest moment was when he married his wife. If he could live his life over, Carl would travel more and would like to have met President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

A lover of books, Carl loves to go outside and read, and also enjoys going to the Golden Corral for his favorite shrimp dinner. Today he spends much of his time with his friends and loves to sit outside under the trees enjoying the beauty that Brooksville has to offer. His advice to young people today is to not smoke or drink so that they can live longer and better lives.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring Carl Blesser for reaching his 102nd birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune to live as long as him.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Connie Pasqualino of Hernando County, Florida. Connie will do something later this year that all of us strive to do, but that very few of us will ever accomplish, celebrate her 100th birthday.

Connie Pasqualino was born June 28, 1909 in Brooklyn, New York. While she was never married and has no children, Connie did make a career in advertising, attending the Pratt Institute of Design in Brooklyn. In fact, Connie said her proudest moment was the day she graduated from school. Following school she went on to work at BBD and O Advertising Company. While she did not pursue a career in design, if she had it all to do over again she would have spent her career as a fashion designer.

As someone who lived in New York for many years, Connie remembers going to see the Pope perform Mass at Shea Stadium. She said that it was raining before he came onto the stage and as he came to the stage, the rain stopped and the sun shined brightly. She described it as a little miracle.

Although she has never met her, Mother Teresa is Connie's second cousin. Once, Connie and her family were going to visit Mother Teresa in New Jersey when she was visiting relatives there, but there was a blizzard and they had to cancel their trip.

Moving with her sister Nancy to Hernando County in 1990, Connie said she made the switch because of the great Florida weather. She and Nancy also lived with their sister Margaret, who was ill and needed extra care, and her nephew Joseph.

Today Connie lives in Hernando County near her centenarian sister, Nancy. She gets the most pleasure out of taking care of and playing with her pet Quaker parrot, named Jade. Connie's advice to young people is to listen to their parents' advice and get a good education.

Madam Speaker, I ask that you join me in honoring Connie Pasqualino for reaching her 100th birthday. I hope we all have the good fortune to live as long as her.

Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and I think, today, we realize that the well-intentioned road may lead to bankruptcy, not just for the automakers but, perhaps, for the U.S. Treasury.

Today, we have heard from well-meaning Members of this House that, unless we send $15 billion to the Big 3, the American economy will fail. I don't doubt their sincerity, but I do disagree with their conclusions.

Some of my constituents support the bailout, but most of them don't. As you can see from the picture next to me, the American citizens are hurting right now. The car in this picture is a Dodge Dynasty. By the way, this car has not been produced since 1993, so you can understand the angst of the car owner who realizes that his hard-earned tax dollars and those of his children and grandchildren are going for these bailouts. His message is very clear: Where is my bailout?

The bill before us today does nothing to address the real pain being felt by American citizens. Nothing helps to lower health care costs or to protect the mortgages on their homes.

I would also like to say that we had, again, a rush to judgment, a rush to bringing the bill to the floor, and we need to be concerned about that process. Please remember that Chrysler is a privately owned entity by a massive hedge fund firm in New York City. This hedge fund firm is not willing to invest one cent more in Chrysler, and yet we are asking our cash-strapped taxpayers back home to do it for them.

Like we saw with the last bailout boondoggle, there are not enough safeguards here. We have to remember, too, that the loan and the conditions that are attached to it do not correct the structural weaknesses at these companies. They merely postpone the consequences for a short while. They will be back for more and more and more.

This loan policy also continues the tragically flawed policy of picking winners and losers in this economy. Who is to say that the Big 3 are more worthy of financial assistance than are the small businesses that, like the owner of this car, are struggling every single day to survive and to make their payroll.

Mr. Speaker, there is an old saying that ``the road to hell is paved with good intentions.''

Today that well intentioned road leads to bankruptcy, not just for the automakers, but for the U.S. Treasury.

Today we have heard from well meaning Members of this House that unless we send $15 billion to the Big Three, the American economy will fail.

While I do not doubt their sincerity, I must disagree with their conclusions.

Serving on the Financial Services Committee I have listened to hours of testimony from the automakers, their unions, and academic experts.

More importantly though, over the past few weeks I have heard from hundreds of my constituents about how best to deal with the American automakers.

While some of my constituents do support a bailout, the vast majority do not.

As you can see from the picture next to me, the American citizens are hurting right now. The car in this photo is a Dodge Dynasty. It hasn't been in production since 1993.

But his message to Congress is pretty clear, ``where is my bailout?''

the bill before us today does nothing to address the real pain being felt by American citizens.

Nothing in this bill helps my constituents create jobs, lower health care costs or protect the mortgage on their home. In fact this bill takes their hard earned tax dollars to fund yet another bailout.

I would also like to say that I resent the actions of the Democrat leadership and the White House for trying to ram this down our throats at the last minute before the holiday season, with the hope that the American people aren't paying attention.

Well, I have been paying attention, and here are some of my biggest concerns.

(1) Chrysler is privately owned by a massive hedge fund in New York City named Cerberus. If this hedge fund is not willing to invest in Chrysler, why should cash-strapped taxpayers do it for them?

(2) Like we saw with the last bailout boondoggle, this $15 billion today is likely only a down payment. If Congress is honest with the American people they will tell us that a vote for the bailout today is a vote for much, much more in the future.

(3) This loan, and the conditions that are attached to it, do not correct the structural weaknesses at these companies, it merely postpones the consequences for a short while.

(4) This loan continues the tragically flawed policy of picking winners and losers in the economy. Who is to say that saving the Big 3 is more important than propping up the 160,000 small businesses in towns like Clermont or Brooksville that could go under during this recession?

(5) The automakers lose money even when the economy is doing well and creating jobs. GM alone lost $39 billion in 2007. That followed a $10.6 billion loss in 2005 and ``only'' $2 billion in 2006.

(6) This is the best possible time to file for Chapter 11. Sales are at their lowest levels in decades, shareholder equity is already wiped out, and consumer confidence in the Big Three is already shaken. If bankruptcy means that consumers stop buying your brand, why not go through this now while sales are historically low and the explicit backing of the government is on the table?

Put simply, the American taxpayers were sold a bill of goods in the financial sector bailout, and have learned that we cannot trust the current leadership in Congress and the White House to do what is in their best financial interests in the future.

I ask that Members heed the wishes of their constituents and vote down the bill. Let's continue work through December and in the next Congress to put together a bill that protects taxpayers and provides stability in the American automobile markets.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a no vote on the rule and the bill.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the life of one of Tampa Bay's finest citizens, Al Austin, ont he occasion of his upcoming 80th birthday.

A lifelong Floridian, Al grew up on his family's egg farm in St. Petersburg. After his high school graduation and college at the University of Tampa, Al joined the Coast Guard, where he performed admirably in service to our Nation.

Following his military service, Al partnered with his family to start a real estate development busienss in the Tampa Bay region. Since then his family-owned company has contined to grow and helped build the greater Tampa community. Without his influence the Tampa St. Pete region would not be the economic growth engine for the State that it is today.

In addition to his success in real estate, Al and his wife Beverly share a passion for education. After founding the Tampa Preparatory School in the 1970s, they went on to lead fundraising campaigns for the refurbishment and growth of the University of Tampa campus. Their commitment to local charitable organizations has truly benefitted thousands of people throughout the region.

In his spare time, Al loves to collect and drive classic sports cars. He has also earned a reputation as one of the leading Republicans in Florida, having worked with State and national leaders for the past 40 years to help grow and expand the party. Al has also served various Florida Governors throughout his career as the head of the Florida Racing Commission, a member of the Hillsborough Aviation Authority as well as serving on the Military Base Closure Advisory Committee.

Madam Speaker, I know that Al's upcoming birthday celebration will commemorate a lifetime of hard work and service to others. He has a proven track record of giving back and helping to make Florida and our Nation better and more prosperous places. I know that the House will join me in wishing Al a happy 80th birthday, with many more to come in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Paul Farmer, one of my most accomplished constituents and someone who was recently named the 2008 Great Brooksvillian, a yearly award presented to the most outstanding resident of Brooksville, Florida. Dr. Farmer will receive this honor during a ceremony at the Brooksville City Hall in December where area residents will gather to applaud his lifetime of service to improve health care services around the world.

Dr. Farmer is a native Brooksvillian who graduated from Hernando High School in 1978. He went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1982 and his M.D. and Ph.D. in 1990 from Harvard University. Today Dr. Farmer is a world renowned medical anthropologist and physician focusing on improving the health of people around the globe.

In addition to his clinical work as an attending physician in infectious diseases at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Dr. Farmer felt that it was important to make a difference in the lives of a greater segment of the world's population than just those he could see in his office. That is why he helped found an international non- profit called Partners In Health. This organization seeks to provide direct health care services and undertake medical research on behalf of those who are sick and living in poverty. Some of their notable successes have included new treatment strategies for AIDS and tuberculosis in underserved nations, saving many lives and improving the overall quality of health care delivered to millions.

Dr. Farmer has been recognized for his work by some of the most prestigious medical organizations around the world, including Duke University, the Salk Institute and the American Medical Association. An author or co-author of over 100 scholarly publications, Dr. Farmer has also been recognized with a ``genius award'' by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation for his work finding solutions to infectious disease.

Madam Speaker, men and women like Dr. Paul Farmer are the ones truly making a difference in the world with their dedication and commitment to helping others. While awards from prestigious worldwide organizations are surely nice to receive, it is truly an honor to be recognized by your hometown friends and family. I know that Dr. Farmer's story will serve as an inspiration to other Brooksvillians, and I am proud to know that one of my constituents is helping so many people live better and healthier lives.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak about one of my colleagues from the great State of Florida who is retiring this year. Dr. Dave Weldon from Indialantic has served in this body for many years with honor and distinction and will be sorely missed by his friends and colleagues.

Following his arrival in Congress in 1995, Dr. Weldon quickly made a name for himself as someone who cared deeply for his constituents. As someone who had built his career prior to Congress as a physician, Dr. Weldon was perfectly suited to a second career as a public servant.

His legislative efforts in the House have brought tens of millions of federal funds back to Florida, restoring our infrastructure, building roads and bridges, preserving precious wetlands, and helping his friends and neighbors live a better life.

Perhaps his signature achievement in Congress has been his continued fight for the unborn. Using his position as a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Dr. Weldon continually sought to protect those who do not have a voice.

Madam Speaker, it is with a heavy heart that I help send my good friend Dr. Weldon off into the next stage of his career. After so many years of making sacrifices in his family life and professional career, now is the time when he can devote his time and energy to his wife Nancy and his two children. I wish him the best of luck and hope that he will continue to give back to his local community and the State of Florida.

Madam Speaker, earlier this week on Monday, America hated this bill at $700 billion. Today they despise it at $850 billion.

On Monday, apparently a majority in the House agreed with the callers and voted it down on a bipartisan basis. Yesterday I was very proud of the efforts of Representative Spencer Bachus who tried to bring to the floor a bill that would have slowed down this process, would have been something that I think the American public could have understood and fully supported.

However, what we have before us today is the bill that the Senate sent to us. They sent us the same exact bill that the House rejected, but they added another $150 billion. It still bails out foreign banks and raises the debt limit $1 trillion. That is what people believe is business as usual here in Washington. The bill still does not address the issues of fear and diminished financial capacity.

Democrat Senator Bill Nelson from my home State of Florida actually voted against this bill in the Senate. Like Senator Nelson, I wanted to see an extension of the deductibility of

State sales tax and an AMT patch, but that should have been in a separate bill. Instead it was added to this piece of legislation.

Again, this is not a bill that I believe that I can vote for on behalf of my constituents. I said before that a vote for this bill is a vote to ratified business as usual in Washington. The added sweeteners and earmarks were only to get more votes. If you didn't take my word on that then, please look at the bill now and you will have proof.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because of my grave concern over what is surely one of the biggest bailouts in American history. Make no mistake: A vote for this bailout is a vote to ratify business as usual in Washington. The compromise was crafted with some of the same people who brought us this mess, except this time we have a gun to our head. This isn't legislation; this is extortion. We could actually call it the in-out plan. As the FBI is going in, we are bailing out. That's not what the taxpayers want.

Do you like $10 trillion in debt? In one stroke of the pen, Congress will have expanded this debt by another trillion to $11.3 trillion.

What happens if this money is repaid, as some are claiming? Certainly there will be all sorts of expenditures, and we will continue to grow that debt. This brings me to another financial mess buried in the pages of this bill. Any premium paid by companies will be put into a fund, kind of like that of the Social Security trust fund, and Americans know that was never, ever, a good idea.

If you aren't angry enough about this bailout, foreign banks get special treatment right there in section 112. The Treasury Secretary has the discretion to bail out foreign banks at the expense of the American taxpayer, no restrictions and no guarantees.

Certainly another point is that it makes two categories of homeowners, those who make every mortgage payment and pay every bill and struggle to meet their commitments, and those homeowners who didn't meet their obligation, skipped out on the bill and now want taxpayers to bail them out.

This is so embarrassing, it turns the stomach of most Americans. Make no mistake, a vote for this bailout is a vote to ratify business as usual in Washington.

I recognize Mr. Tiahrt of Kansas for 1 minute.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to Mr. Murphy of the great State of Pennsylvania.

Madam Speaker, I rise today because of my grave concerns over what is surely one of the largest bailouts in American history.

I recognize that this is the product of compromise and therefore imperfect; but the serious problems with this bill make it impossible for me to support.

Make no mistake; a vote for this bailout is a vote to ratify business as usual in Washington. This compromise was crafted by the same people who brought you this mess, except this time they are putting a gun to your head and saying give me more.

This isn't legislation; this is extortion. We could actually call it the ``in-out plan,'' as the FBI is going in, we are bailing out. That's not what the taxpayers want.

My greatest concern is that this bill creates yet another opportunity for the Federal Government to meddle in the economy. The scope and size of this bill, however, means that the bailout will come at greater harm to equity holders, businesses, and homeowners.

In order to participate in this bailout, a company will essentially give stock options to the Treasury Secretary, who will be able to exercise those options at whatever price he decides.

How will the markets be changed when the Federal Government is the largest single stockholder in the country? Senator Obama is the most liberal Senator in the history of this country, someone who seeks to socialize large sectors of the economy.

With passage of this bill, it is now pertinent to ask how will our companies and markets fare under Obama and Federal Government and consolidated liberal Democrat controlled government?

I think not well, and for any company forced into this deal with the devil, they are barred from negotiating, complaining or seeking judicial recourse.

Do you like 10 trillion in debt? In one stroke of the pen, Congress will have expanded the debt by another trillion to 11.3 trillion.

What happens if any of this money is repaid? Democrats won't have to make any effort to expand their spending for more Federal Government; that spending will have already been authorized in this bill.

Which brings me to another financial mess buried in these pages. Any premium paid by companies will be put into a fund, like the Social Security trust fund. And we all know how well that has worked out well for Social Security.

What's worse, these premiums will be counted against the deficit, allowing for more spending, higher pay-go, and will finance more federal bureaucracy. Democrats are rapacious for more spending. You can count on this.

If you weren't angry enough about this bailout, foreign banks get special treatment. Right there in Section 112, the Treasury Secretary has the discretion to bailout foreign banks at the expense of the American taxpayer. No restrictions and no guarantees.

Madam Speaker, the American homeowner has paid for your energy schemes this year with higher gas prices. Now you want the middle class homeowner to pay for your housing schemes.

My biggest concern is that this bill creates two classes of homeowners.

There are those homeowners who make every mortgage payment, and pay every bill and struggle to meet their commitments, and there are those homeowners, like Representative Richardson, who didn't meet their obligations, skipped out on the bills and now want the taxpayer to bail them out.

This is all too embarrassing and it turns my stomach.

Make no mistake; a vote for this bailout is a vote to ratify business as usual in Washington. This is the same crowd delivering the same bills and expecting the middle class homeowner to pick up the tab.

Madam Speaker, the American homeowner is tired of being your piggy bank. The American homeowner is sick of your promises and platitudes and is simply not going to stand for this.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor an American soldier who was wounded in service to our Nation during the conflict in Iraq. Master Sergeant Ricke Peterson is a member of the United States Army who served with honor and distinction on the battlefield. It is truly an honor to present this brave patriot with his Purple Heart medal.

Born in Melrose Park, Illinois, Mr. Peterson currently resides in Land O'Lakes, Florida. A decorated non-commissioned officer (NCO), Mr. Peterson comes from a long line of military service members. With a grandfather who served in World War I, a father who was in the Air Force, Reserves and Guard, an uncle who served in the Navy in Korea, two brothers who served, and a nephew who was seriously wounded in Iraq, no one can question the Peterson family's commitment to military service.

A soldier who spent his entire career in the United States Army, Mr. Peterson was just less than a month away from completing his twenty- eighth year of service when he was gravely wounded in Iraq. Indeed, Mr. Peterson had already completed his service commitment when his unit received orders to deploy to Iraq. Instead of leaving the Army prior to his deployment, Mr. Peterson requested to stay with his unit so that he could go to Iraq and share his years of expertise with the younger Army men and women.

On October 6, 2004, at the age of forty-four, Mr. Peterson was serving as the Force Protection NCO for the Army HHC, 4th BDE, 1st Infantry Division, assigned to Tikrit, Iraq. While traveling with his fellow soldiers, an anti tank mine tore off the front of his vehicle. The blast came through the floorboard, tearing through his legs and hitting him square in the chest. Mr. Peterson was peppered with shrapnel in his face, thighs, inner arms, feet and ankles, and he was eventually rendered unconscious.

Today Mr. Peterson is still recovering from his extensive injuries. Suffering from severe head trauma, he undergoes comprehensive physical therapy and is slowly getting better. Thankfully he has the support of his wife of twenty-seven years, Chung, as well as their two grown children, Ricke, Jr. and Sara.

Madam Speaker, it is soldiers like Ricke Peterson who joined the military to protect the freedoms that all Americans hold dear. While brave men like Mr. Peterson were wounded fighting for freedom and liberty, his family, friends and loved ones know that this Congress will always remember his bravery and commitment in battle.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding member requests I received as part of H.R. 2638, the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2009:

I requested 3 projects in H.R. 2638. They include:

$800,000 for the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis--Battlefield Exercise and Combat Related Spinal Cord Injury Research located at 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL 33136. This request, in the RDTE,A account, will fund continuing spinal cord injury (SCI) research at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Research is directed at improving neuroprotection and pharmacological treatments for combat-sustained spinal cord injuries to reduce secondary damages.

$1,200,000 for St. Leo University's Continuing Education Distance Learning located at 33701 State Road 52, P.O. Box 6665, St. Leo, FL 33574. This request, in the OM,N account, will be used for long distance learning programs that are utilized by members of our Armed Forces. At this time, the university's main campus and 21 teaching locations (15 military locations) can accommodate the VTT broadcast and delivery of academic courses. Four new centers located at military sites are scheduled for VTT system installation in 2008, and discussions are underway to add VTT at 4 military teaching locations in 2009. VTT system installation also is scheduled for the university's civilian teaching location at the Atlanta Police Training Academy, where law enforcement and military personnel study criminal justice and homeland security.

$5,200,000 for VLOC, Inc., located at 7826 Photonics Dr., New Port Richey, FL 34655. This request, in the DPA account, will be used for the domestic production of transparent polycrystalline laser gain materials.

The Department of Defense is calling for the development of tactical lasers that generate 100+ kilowatts of output power in an all-solid- state design with field-testing starting within the next 12 months. To generate this level of operational power, new and unique laser materials must be produced commercially and domestically. Under previous forward-leaning research funded by the AFRL, U.S. industry was able to research and test innovative growth technologies, infrastructure improvements, and advanced materials analysis of these new ceramic laser gain materials. Unfortunately, at the start of these testing efforts, there were no parallel commercial polycrystalline- based efforts domestically that would address U.S. defense-critical needs. A domestic supplier now exists and it is imperative that domestically produced materials be tested and qualified to maintain the military proprietary status of these highly sensitive military 100+ kilowatt-class lasers. By leveraging this previous R&D funding, it is expected that full domestic production with volumes to meet all of the current DoD needs can be achieved.

Mr. Speaker, back in the Fifth Congressional District in Florida, I tell people I came from a dysfunctional family. My father was a Democrat. My mother was a Republican. But let me tell you, my father was a Democrat because he thought that the Democrat Party was for the working class.

Ladies and gentlemen in this Chamber, the working class are getting stiffed by this bill. It's interesting because since the Democrats took control of both the Houses, gasoline has gone up over $1 a gallon. Now you know what that means? That means that the working class and the middle class are really getting hurt.

The bill that we have before us today is not one that's going to produce any kind of energy. Let me tell you why. First of all, lawsuits will stop any drilling. There's no consolidation or method to consolidate any lawsuits that may be brought by numerous environmental groups. Certainly, we want to protect the environment, but you know what, this bill does not produce one ounce of any kind of petroleum product.

Also, I come from a State that could be producing, but there's no revenue-sharing. So no legislature or no Governor will ever vote to allow any kind of drilling off their shore.

Madam Speaker, 7 years ago this week I sat in my Tallahassee office feeling scared, angry and sad. Those were some of the first emotions that went through my mind after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Like most Americans that day I was struck by the utter hatred toward America that consumed the men flying the planes that crashed into our revered national landmarks. What kind of person is filled with so much hate that they would kill themselves and thousands of innocent people at the same time?

Even today I still struggle to comprehend what drives these people to commit mass murder and try to destroy the political and religious freedoms that millions enjoy around the world.

Since 9/11 the attacks on America and her allies by extremist Islamic jihadists have continued. While you and I don't believe that mass murder achieves anything, there are thousands of young Islamic terrorists who believe in jihad and the reestablishment of the Muslim caliphate.

Thankfully, due to the vigilance of our troops abroad and the changes to our Nation's security back home, America has been spared further devastation.

Other nations have not been so lucky. British subway commuters were attacked by bomb-wielding terrorists. Spanish trains were bombed by radical Islamic terrorists, killing dozens. A nightclub in Bali was attacked, killing several hundred. Muslim extremists attacked a school in Russia, murdering more than 300, many of them little children. The list goes on and on, in virtually every region of the world.

The fact is that the United States is engaged in a battle with an enemy that is difficult to track and hard to defeat. Unlike World War II or Korea, where we knew what country we were fighting and could identify the enemy by the color of their uniforms, today's battles are a fundamentally different challenge.

It is no longer the nation state declaring war on the United States that we must fear. Instead it is the lone fundamental terrorist with the tools, weapons and willpower to sacrifice his life so that Americans will be killed. All it takes is one dirty nuclear suitcase bomb to destroy an American city like Orlando or Tampa.

That is why it is so important to remember what happened on that fateful September morning 7 years ago. The deaths of 3,000 Americans should never be forgotten. As the years pass, however, some have gotten complacent about our Nation's security and the threat of Islamic terrorists.

Sadly, we must remain ever vigilant, because there are new threats to the United States and her allies unearthed every day. There is no doubt about it, Al-Qaeda and other like-minded terrorist organizations are still plotting to kill Americans and destroy our freedoms and liberties.

September 11, 2001, is a solemn day in our collective memories. While it is a time for remembrance and prayer, it should also remind Americans of the challenges we face to protect our democratic rights and freedoms.

With thousands of American soldiers stationed around the world, this anniversary is a perfect time to say a prayer for their safety and to thank them for defending the memories of those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

I hope that you take this opportunity to remember the victims of 9/11 and never forget the sacrifices of those who fight for our freedoms.

Thank you very much.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6630. This bill prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from authorizing any Mexican truck from operating beyond the United States-Mexican border unless specifically authorized by Congress.

Many of my constituents and I are greatly concerned over the safety and wisdom of the cross-border trucking pilot program. Currently, this program allows trucks registered in Mexico to operate beyond the border commercial zones in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

When this program began, the Department of Transportation promised Congress that they would inspect, ``every truck every time.'' However, an Inspector General report revealed earlier this year that the Department of Transportation is not adequately performing critical quality control measures. Crucially, the department has been unable to provide any assurance that Mexican trucks and drivers are being checked at the border as advertised.

Quality control checks are not the only problem. Increased drug smuggling and human trafficking is a grave concern as well. And different national regulations mean Mexican trucks are less safe. In January of this year, Mr. Speaker, two tractor trailer trucks with Mexican license plates crashed on the Mexico-Texas border. Four people died.

If the Department of Transportation and any future administration wish to restart the cross-border trucking pilot program, this bill would require them to first seek congressional authorization. Simply put, the security of our Nation's borders must be of the utmost concern.

Speaking of trucks, Mr. Speaker, I, like all Members of Congress, am hearing from truckers in my district about the very high cost of fuel. They ask why won't the Democrat majority, and in particular why won't Speaker Pelosi allow drilling to lower the cost of their fuel. We need to have an all-in energy program.

Mr. Speaker, back on the bill, I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 6630 and the termination of the cross-border trucking pilot program.