Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to speak out against H.R. 4818, this year's Foreign Operations Appropriation Bill. I want to state my apprehension about what has been this Nation's philosophy toward international aid. Perhaps I should say, I rise today to restate my concerns, as much of what troubles me about our foreign aid philosophy is unchanged from year to year. In fact, Mr. Speaker, none of my worries have been reconciled. In some cases, my fear has grown.

A year ago I found myself in exactly the same position. I expressed grave reservations regarding the way the American taxpayers' money was squandered abroad. I had reservations about sending so much of our money away when we have dire needs and deficits here at home. I had serious reluctance about giving money to the UN, an institution that is grossly inefficient, fosters anti-American sentiment, attacks our values and, I believe, furthers anti-Semitism. I had grave reservations that our money was spent to prop up regimes that oppose the war on terror and, in some cases, even help terrorists.

It is often said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. After voicing my concerns, I waited and have yet to see a significant change. I am someone who is accustomed to results. Because I haven't seen any, I am going to change my vote. Last year, I voted for the Foreign Operations Appropriation Bill. This year I am voting against.

I am voting against the Foreign Operations Appropriation because I do not believe America should be sending money to nations that have turned their backs on our efforts in fighting the War on Terror when our young men and women are sacrificing on foreign soil. I do not believe we should be sending money to the UN until we can be sure that it was not propping up Saddam's regime through the oil for food program. We should not send money to the World Bank when so many of its loans have been failures; and I do not believe we should be sending money to fight AIDS in Africa when we have Americans who need healthcare here at home.

While I am voting against the Foreign Operations Appropriation Bill, I know there are worthwhile causes in the bill. I am torn about my vote. I have always been such a strong and staunch supporter of Israel. As the only established democracy in the Middle East, I have always wholeheartedly supported aid for Israel. As one of our strongest and unflagging allies in the region, Israel indeed deserves our support. Israel has been on the frontlines in the war on terror. The Israeli people understand America's need to take the battle to our enemies, unless we want to be fighting it on the streets of New York. Our support for this nation is fully justified and I just wish there was more we could do.

I would like to point out that there is hope. We have learned some of the lessons of our foreign aid insanity. I have much admiration for the President's Millennium Challenge Accounts. The Millennium Challenge Corporation changes the direction of our foreign aid. This assistance is based on criteria that reflects our values. In order to receive aid through Millennium Challenge Accounts countries must sign compacts that they pledge to govern justly, invest in their people, promote economic freedom and fight corruption. In addition to acknowledging to these principles in advance, these countries also agree to be monitored and will forfeit future aid if they don't make regular progress towards meeting these goals. There are 16 criteria by which countries agree to be judged and I am hopeful this results based approach will promote greater responsibility in our foreign aid programs.

Mr. Chairman, I am voting against the foreign aid bill because too much of our taxpayer's dollars are wasted on misguided and misdirected programs. It is my hope that in the future we will hold international institutions to higher standards of accountability and promoting freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this legislation and certainly to congratulate both the former and current chairmen of the Committee on Energy and Commerce for their perseverance in bringing this bill to fruition today.

Since the attacks of 9-11, America has been under siege. We are fighting a war against terror and must not waver in our commitment to combating this evil. This war knows no set battleground, and the terrorists' arsenal of weapons is limitless. From using a cell phone as a bomb detonator to contemplating a crop-duster, as we found in Florida, as a vessel of pestilence, these thugs have proven both their resourcefulness and also their boldness and audacity.

For this reason, America must be prepared and must do everything in its power to protect its citizens. This legislation does exactly that. Among other things, the bill gives the Secretary of HHS the authority to conduct research and development for new vaccines that will offer protection from the possible chemical and biological agents that these arrogant fanatics conspire to exploit. Congress will provide the advance appropriation of $5.6 billion over the next 10 years to purchase these vital countermeasures.

S. 15 adds to America's security and offers us the piece of mind in knowing that if terror strikes America will be ready and we will be a whole lot safer. The tragedies of 9-11 taught us that we must do much more to protect our Nation and that the unrest around the world can have a disastrous impact on us here at home. Terrorism knows no boundaries, and neither should our efforts to prevent it.

This is a well-thought-out bill, and I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this proposal this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and praise a hard-working man dedicated to supporting the community. I am fortunate that the community he supports is Hernando County in my 5th Congressional District.

Joseph Raphael Paez was born in New York City on August 17, 1944. Joe served in the Army National Guard of New Jersey and Connecticut for a term of six years. He married and is the proud father of four grown children.

He joined the Hernando County Sheriff's office in 1976 and served in many capacities during his tenure. Joe was promoted to Lieutenant in January 1993 and was assigned to Operations Support--a group helping officers living with job related trauma.

Joe is retiring from the Sheriff's Department as the Public Information Officer for Sheriff Richard B. Nugent and should be honored for his service and dedication.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to represent Joe Paez, and I am proud to praise him on the floor of this House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Carla Baricz, a rising star at Springstead High School, for her achievements of winning the prestigious National History Day contest and earning a full four year scholarship to Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. Carla drafted a research paper entitled ``Vincent van Gogh and the Exploration of Emotion Through Art: An Encounter With the Human Struggle.'' This lovely manuscript earned Carla second place in the State History Day Contest. Despite this wonderful accomplishment, Carla strived for perfection. She revised the paper and submitted it for the national contest, where Carla's commitment to education separated her from the rest of the competitors and brought her to the forefront of this prominent competition.

I would like to recognize the dedication and drive that Carla Baricz has displayed. As a former educator, I take pride in knowing that students continue to aspire to great dreams and realize that education is the key to success. Carla has used her interests and love for history to create a marvelous opportunity for herself. Carla Baricz is a model student and an inspiration to all. Young people like her fill America with joy and hope as we see the future generation embracing the merits of education and the values of history. Carla is a testament to hard work and dedication. She makes me proud to represent the Fifth District of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today because I understand that the minority leader is calling the Medicare prescription drug card ``a bad deal for seniors.''

With passage of the Medicare bill last year, hundreds of thousands of seniors can now take advantage of the voluntary prescription drug discount cards and finally have relief with their prescription drug costs.

Is giving them choice and control over their prescription drug costs a bad deal for seniors? I think not.

A CMS study showed that seniors using the prescription drug discount cards are saving between 46 and 92 percent on commonly used prescription drugs through the use of generic drugs.

Is cutting in half their prescription costs a bad idea for seniors? I think not. Furthermore, in my district, 21,000 of the poorest seniors will receive an additional $600 cash subsidy to help them with prescription costs. Is helping our Nation's deprived seniors with the thing that they need most a bad deal for seniors? I think not.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and praise a hard-working, talented young man who lives in my Fifth Congressional District.

Juan Fontanez of Pasco County, Florida won the Congressional Art Contest for my district last year, and I was proud to display his piece in the tunnel leading to the U.S. Capitol. His winning piece entitled ``Proud Mother'' was created entirely in pencil, and caught the eye of everyone who walked by for an entire year.

Juan graduated from Land O' Lakes High School last year and will attend Hillsborough

Community College this coming fall. In addition to winning the Congressional Art Competition, Juan won top honors for costume designing in the Florida State Thespian Competition last year.

After showcasing ``Proud Mother'' for a year, I look forward to honoring him as the first winner of the Congressional Art Competition since I came to Washington at a ceremony this Saturday.

Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to represent Juan Fontanez, and I am proud to praise him on the floor of this House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a valuable, non-profit association helping America's small businesses and entrepreneurs. The organization I speak of is SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Businesses.

Small businesses are vital to our communities and our economy. They add jobs, add dollars to local economies, and provide a valuable sense of community. However starting and operating a small business is a serious risk, and it is not easy.

Many hard-working, skilled, brilliant Americans have all the ambition and specialized knowledge to take that risk--but they lack the business knowledge and experience necessary to be successful. That is why I'd like to thank everyone at SCORE for giving these ambitious, eager, hard-working Americans the last tool they need to make their endeavor a success.

I'd like to thank SCORE and all of their members and employees for their philanthropy, advocacy, and dedication to American small businesses. I'm pleased to honor them on the floor of this House.

Mr. Chairman, spending discipline is needed and it is needed now. The time for talk is over. We have to focus on a basic budget problem, and that is spending. America cannot spend its way out of our deficit. Real action is needed, and the Nussle resolution demonstrates Congress's commitment to protecting America's taxpayers.

Mr. Chairman, earlier this year, we had a budget here in the committee and on the floor, and that budget helped to combat the deficit, cut back on the deficit. It is amazing that those same people on the other side of the aisle who say that they care so much about the deficit, so many of them did not vote in favor of it.

This resolution guarantees that we will win the budget battle. It reinstates spending controls with the force of law and ensures that Congress will stay the course in promoting a fiscally responsible budget.

There are some fears that by adopting this resolution Congress will turn its back on those most in need. What a great opportunity for opportunists to engage in frightening discourse trying to frighten our most vulnerable people. Obviously, this is very untrue.

First of all, we have always made funding for various groups, whether it be veterans or seniors, a top priority. Number two, we fought for these on very often a bipartisan level in the past and will continue to fight for them. Number three, will we have to make some tough decisions if spending caps are imposed? Absolutely. We will have more domestic spending, and maybe we will spend a little bit less on some of the countries that we give foreign aid to who turn their backs on us when we need them.

Our country needs a practical remedy to the deficit crisis. And this bill is the right solution at the right time.

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to speak on behalf of this legislation, which was introduced to improve the VA home loan program. The Veterans Housing Affordability Act, H.R. 4345, is a good government solution which will assist veterans across the Nation at no cost to the taxpayers.

Homeownership is one of the main building blocks of strong communities and also a strong economy. A home is the largest financial investment most American families will ever make, and it allows them to build financial security as the equity in their home increases. Moreover, this tangible asset provides a family with borrowing power to finance important needs such as the education of their children. It is also a nest egg with very reliable and significant returns on investment regardless of race, color, or creed.

The VA has been providing home loan guarantees to men and women who serve our country since 1944. Under this program, the veteran purchases a home through a private lender and the VA guarantees to pay the lender a portion of the loss if the veteran defaults on the loan. Because of this benefit, millions of veterans have been able to realize the American dream of owning their own home.

Since its inception in 1944, the VA has guaranteed $748 billion in loans for 16.9 million homeowners. In 2002, the VA guaranteed more than $40.1 billion

in loans to finance the purchase or refinance 317,250 homes. Obviously, this program is a rip-roaring success. It has been a tremendous asset to veterans and their families at minimum cost to the government.

The first decade of the 21st century, however, has seen an expansive growth in home values. For homeowners this has been a tremendous boon. They have seen their tangible asset increase in value. In some regions, home values have more than doubled in the last 5 years.

However, those not fortunate to already be a homeowner are facing daunting prices for entry-level homes. In New Jersey, median housing prices hover in the 300 to $400,000 range. The same is true for other regions in Connecticut, California, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, Illinois, and even my home State of Florida.

Many soldiers postpone their homeownership until after they are out of the service. For these brave veterans, as median housing prices rise, the VA benefit actually decreases. The rising housing market erodes the purchasing power of the VA home loan. Depending on where the veteran lives, the $240,000 amount is simply insufficient to cover their housing needs.

This is simply wrong. At the very least, we owe our veterans the same chance at the American dream after their service as they had the day that they enlisted.

H.R. 4345 indexes the maximum VA guarantee amount to 25 percent of the Freddie Mac conforming loan rate. The prevailing VA loan limit would be $333,700, and it would continue to automatically adjust to the market and to the housing needs of veterans.

The good news is that the Congressional Budget Office has determined that this bill actually saves the government money. Imagine that, helping veterans and saving money. According to the CBO projection, it will save $39 million in 2005 and $208 million over 5 years and a whopping $288 million in 10 years.

We are all very proud of the men and women who serve our Nation past and present, and I hope that the Members will agree that the value of the veterans benefit should not vary depending on where they live or when they purchase a home. I think this legislation is important and very timely, and I urge support of this legislation.

I certainly want to thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Chairman Smith) and also the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Brown) for their leadership on issues affecting veterans; and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Davis), who was an original cosponsor on this legislation, should also be recognized for her strong support in bringing about this legislation.

Additionally, Senator Corzine has introduced the bill in the Senate, and we are hoping for some speedy action there. This truly is obviously a bipartisan effort to assist veterans throughout our Nation, and I urge support of this legislation.

I rise today to recognize a patriotic small business owner in my district that I had the pleasure of meeting last week.

Tommy Piliouras of Citrus County owns and operates the Margarita Grill in Homosassa, Florida. I arrived at his restaurant to find a line of eager people happy to wait as long as necessary for a table in his restaurant. All customers receive an American flag, and patriotic music plays throughout the restaurant which is decorated in red, white, and blue.

Mr. Pilouras runs the Margarita Grill along with his son, Sammy. The two of them chat and interact with customers at their tables and lead the crowd in singing patriotic songs while everyone waves the American flag. For patrons unwilling to wave the American flag, the restaurant plays ``Hit the Road Jack'' long enough for them to take their business elsewhere.

Tommy Piliouras came to America in 1958 from his native country of Greece and is proud to be an American. He appreciates the American way of life that many take for granted. His sense of family, community, and hard work truly exemplify the American spirit. It is refreshing and comforting to see such grateful, proud Americans.

I am pleased to have such loyal, appreciative Americans living in the communities of my district, and I am honored to recognize Tommy Piliouras and the Margarita Grill on the floor of this House today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise the President and my colleagues in Congress for passing tax relief that has more Americans working today and taking home even more of their hard-earned money.

The American economy was delivered three very substantial blows with the downturn in the global economy, the corporate scandals, and the attack of 9-11. We are now on the high-speed highway to recovery.

America has a broad, deep economy that is rapidly growing. In fact, the tax relief we passed has added jobs for the past 9 months, creating 1.4 million jobs. My State of Florida has seen almost 300,000 new jobs since December of 2001. And let me tell the Members, Mr. Speaker, I can see the results when I am in my district. There are help wanted signs out once again. What a wonderful sight to see.

The President's Jobs and Growth tax relief package enacted a year ago helped drive the strong improvement in our economy. It raised the level of economic activity and productivity which will result in higher incomes and living standards for all American workers.

I praise the President and this House for engineering that growth.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to thank the honorable gentleman from California for his hard and patient work in getting the American Jobs Creation Act out of committee and to the floor.

It has been a difficult process I know, but with the passage of this bill we will add to the 1.1 million jobs this economy has created in the last 9 months.

I want to say that again: We have added 1.1 million new jobs in the last 9 months. And still the Democrats are talking about the worst economy since the great Depression.

I call their strategy Snipe and Gripe. Snipe at the heels of the leaders who are making progress and gripe about the economic recovery.

Theirs is a deliberate effort to talk down this economic recovery and slow its growth.

Our economy took a blow 2\1/2\ years ago, but Americans are fighting back. Thanks to the policies of this President and this Republican Congress, businesses are putting people back to work and our economy is growing at rates not seen in 20 years.

I want to take a second to thank Chairman Thomas for cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 32 percent permanently. With this and other tax changes in the bill, American companies will be more competitive, more able to compete internationally, and, to the dismay of the Democrats, able to add even still more jobs.

As importantly, this bill recognizes the inequity taxpayers of states without income taxes face under current law. Finally, residents of Florida will be allowed to deduct their state sales tax from federal taxable income.

By including the sales tax deductibility, even temporarily, this bill brings fairness and relief to the residents of Florida.

It is only with dogged determination that we have been able to move this legislation and bring a greater measure of fairness to the tax code.

Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the requisite number of words.

Mr. Chairman, I think that the gentleman from Kentucky (Chairman Rogers) has struck a pretty darn good balance in this bill.

I oppose the amendment. I am originally from New York, and one of the things that I learned is when New York City gets involved, the rest of the State at that time suffers. According to the chart by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers), Florida would lose $18.7 million. We cannot afford to lose that because of all the ports that we have, because of the water supply, certainly because of our agricultural interests.

Let me share with you that I represent a district that also has a nuclear power plant. If you do not think that those former New Yorkers who live near that power plant or who want their water supply protected do not deserve the same protection as New Yorkers, I am sorry, that is not what those of us who come from rural areas got elected to represent.

I think that the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Rogers) has struck a great balance here. Obviously, this is something that will be conferenced, and I would urge a ``no'' vote against my good friend and current New Yorker from a former New Yorker, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Sweeney).

Mr. Speaker, I had surgery yesterday, June 15, and as a result, missed four votes. Had I been present:

For Rollcall No. 236--on ordering the previous question on the Rule, I would have voted ``yea''; For Rollcall No. 237--H. Res. 671--a rule providing for consideration of H.R. 4503 and H.R. 4517, I would have voted ``yea''; For Rollcall No. 238--on ordering the previous question on the Rule, I would have voted ``yea''; and for Rollcall No. 239--H. Res. 672--a rule providing for consideration of H.R. 4513 and H.R. 4529, I would have voted ``yea''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to praise the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team, coaches and staff as 2003-2004 champions of the National Hockey League.

One week ago today, the ``Ning'' skated to a game seven victory and won the coveted, 112-year-old championship trophy: ``Lord Stanley's Cup.''

I'd also like to recognize the outstanding, devoted fans of the Tampa Bay area.

This year's team showed the spirit, work ethic, tenacity and sportsmanship that is illustrative of the Central Florida community they live in.

The players, coaches and staff not only provide the fans with a great sense of community by uniting them and providing entertainment, many of them give back to the community by volunteering in schools, hospitals and other community centers.

On behalf of the thousands of loyal Lightning fans I represent in the suburbs north of Tampa, I am delighted to recognize the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the Stanley Cup last week.