Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Larry Combest is a good friend. I will miss him and his wife Sharon very much.

All of his friends who remain in the House of Representatives wish him happiness in his new endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize the legacy of NBC's David Bloom. All across America as people mourn the loss of life among our men and women in uniform, we also mourn the loss of David. Over the years he touched so many lives with his dramatic, cutting-edge reporting.

Prior to my time in the U.S. Congress I spent 15 years in the broadcast news business. Today my wife continues in that field. The two of us watch television news reporters with a special eye. David was in a league of his own. He always brought a flair, an insight, an extra dimension to his stories that made you feel the impact. There were times it felt like you had been on a roller coaster after watching his reports. And you always felt better informed.

David always set the standard for covering breaking news whether it was the Clinton scandal or the current war. Just when you thought it was impossible to break new ground in broadcast news, David would do it. His Bloommobile rides through Iraq put Americans on the edge of their seats each night. No other reports on television compared to his. Viewers were better served because they got to feel the peril of our troops and the ruggedness they experienced. I remember discussing his reports at the dinner table with family and friends. All agreed his work was the best and couldn't wait to see his next report. David was a rare talent.

David's now in a different place. I'm sure he's trying to figure out a way to get a satellite signal set up so he can send us another report. We wish he had a way to reach us. It would be the most incredible moment ever on television. Appropriately, it would carry his name.

Mr. Speaker, I am very worried about one of the greatest assaults that is currently underway against America's telecommunications industry. We have seen some remarkable changes in the past 5 years with the growth of wireless technology and the Internet, but what about the future?

Today we are not seeing America's telecom companies making investments in their products and services. We are not seeing companies hire new people and training them. We are not seeing healthy competition between companies. What we are seeing day after day in the telecom industry are attack ads from AT&T trying to stifle competition for their own benefit.

These are very difficult times for American business. One would think that in this current environment, every major corporation would be focused on their people, their products and their future; but sadly you cannot open a newspaper, turn on a radio or watch television without being bombarded by these negative ads that are being run under disguise and being run by a bogus group called Voices for Choices.

Why in the world would AT&T be running these millions of dollars in ads in Washington, D.C.? They do not promote any products, service, or any kind of private sector growth.

My conclusion is that after seeing these ads that AT&T believes that their future relies on Washington and regulation. I hope the Chamber recognizes that these ads are just bogus and they are an attempt to play the D.C. regulatory game. This game is ruining the telecommunications industry. We must not be fooled by the tactics of those companies that feel that playing games is more important than focusing on legitimate business.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 254. This legislation will reauthorize the North American Development Bank (NADBank) and allow NADBank to make grants and loans to improve water supplies and the environment along the border at more flexible rates. As I travel my district, which includes approximately 800 miles of the U.S-Mexico border, I am repeatedly reminded of the tremendous need for potable water, wastewater treatment, and municipal solid waste management.

Many towns in my district have directly benefitted from the investment brought by NADBank over the years. In Del Rio, the construction of a potable water treatment plant, the replacement of water pumping facilities and a potable water ground storage tank was recently completed with the help of NADBank financing. In Eagle Pass, NADBank is currently financing the replacement of two water treatment plants and the construction of a new wastewater treatment plant. Thanks to NADBank investment, water distribution lines and wastewater collection lines will be installed and water storage facilities built to serve 15 colonias surrounding Laredo in the near future. Uvalde recently benefitted from NADBank financing of landfill expansion and equipment purchases for efficient operation.

Many of these important projects would not have been possible were it not for NADBank investment. Thanks to this investment, environmental conditions and living standards along the border have been dramatically improved.

I urge the House to pass this legislation so that these communities and other like them may continue to reap the benefits of NADBank investment.

Mr. Speaker, I offer a resolution (H. Res. 63), and I ask unanimous consent for its immediate consideration in the House.