Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, due to my attendance at events in my district and state discussing legislation that will help move our country toward energy independence, I unfortunately missed recorded votes on the House floor on Monday, September 15, 2008.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 589, Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1200, ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 590, Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Con. Res. 390, and ``yes'' on rollcall vote No. 591, Motion to suspend the rules and agree to H.R. 6889.

Madam Speaker, due to my attendance at events in my district and state discussing legislation that will help move our country toward energy independence, I unfortunately missed some recorded votes on the House floor on Tuesday, September 16, 2008.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 592 (Motion to adjourn), ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 593 (question of consideration on H. Res. 1433), and ``no'' on rollcall vote No. 594 (Motion to adjourn).

Madam Speaker, today we remember all those lost on September 11, 2001, a day that changed America forever. No American will ever forget where they were on that fateful morning as the images began to flash across the television screens. September 11, 2001 shook us to our core. And while our hearts broke, our spirits did not. In fact, Madam Speaker, they grew stronger. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those innocent individuals who died on that fateful morning. Seven years later lessons have been learned. Our security, intelligence capabilities, and our intergovernmental communications have all improved, but we must always remain vigilant.

On this day also, Madam Speaker, I would like to pay tribute to our Armed Forces who have answered the call of service after 9/11. Their dedication and sacrifice cannot be overlooked. Every day we live in peace and freedom we owe to them. The passage of time will heal the scars from September 11, but we will never forget.

Mr. Speaker, it's been 5 weeks since we have been in session here on the House floor. But there have been many of us that have been on this floor throughout the month of August. We have talked directly with the American people about the immediate need for comprehensive energy legislation. And during August, it became crystal clear that there's a disconnect between what is happening on the streets of America and what is happening here in Washington, DC.

One day my colleague was talking and in a moment of doubt and frustration, he said, ``I don't even know if anybody is listening,'' to which somebody stood up on the floor here and said, ``America is listening, Congressman. America is listening.'' And he was right.

The American people are hurting. At a gas station in North Augusta, South Carolina, one gentleman, a special needs gentleman, came up to me and said, ``Congressman, I can only afford $39 of gas, half a tank, because that's all I have and that's got to do me.''

What are we doing to help this gentleman?

Mr. Speaker, let's quit the partisanship. This is an American problem and we need American solutions. Comprehensive legislation, all of the above.

Mr. Speaker, during August, I traveled throughout my district and heard firsthand from my constituents who are suffering due to high gasoline and diesel prices. Everywhere I went, I heard stories from individuals and businesses struggling to make ends meet. One business owner I spoke with told me, ``The recent energy crisis has definitely impacted business in a major way and, unfortunately, will ultimately affect the everyday consumers of our products as a result of higher prices.''

Mr. Medford said that significantly higher shipping, transportation, and raw material costs are causing his bottom line to rise in his business, and this causes the consumer, of course, to pay more.

Mr. Speaker, we need to take action now. Any energy legislation we consider should take advantage of an ``all-of-the-above'' approach to solving our Nation's energy problems. On behalf of Mr. Medford, countless business owners, the American consumers, and the people of the Third Congressional District in South Carolina, bring comprehensive energy legislation to the floor now.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to join my colleagues today in voicing my support for H.R. 6083, a bill to authorize funding for the National Advocacy Center.

Mr. Speaker, solicitors and district attorneys are the unsung heroes in the fight to keep our streets, and our homeland safe. They go to work every day fighting for justice and in doing so, protect each and every one of us. These brave men and women are on the ground every day working with law enforcement on how best to enforce our laws, and implement justice, and for that, we owe them a debt of gratitude.

It is vital for the operation of our justice system, and the protection of citizens across this Nation, that our district attorneys be well trained and highly educated. That is why, in 1950, the National District Attorneys Association, the NDAA, was formed. Today, this group is the oldest and largest professional organization representing criminal prosecutors in the world.

In pursuit of its mission to equip State and local prosecutors to best do their jobs, the NDAA operates the National Advocacy Center on the campus of the University of South Carolina in Columbia. In this one of a kind center, the training of State and local prosecutors has been centralized in a single location. Offering classes such as ``Boot camp: An Introduction to Prosecution'' and ``Childproof: Advanced Trial Advocacy for Child Abuse Prosecutors,'' this center delivers unmatched education and training to prosecutors from all across our Nation.

Mr. Speaker, because it is in everyone's best interest to have the best trained legal minds prosecuting criminals, and by doing so, keeping us safe, the National Advocacy Center deserves our full support. And the solicitors, prosecutors, and district attorneys across our Nation deserve our thanks. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Madam Speaker, in the past few weeks the focus of the energy crisis conversation has been about lifting the offshore ban on drilling to increase oil and gas supplies in the U.S., and offshore drilling is one solution that can help ease the energy crisis and lower gas prices at the pump.

However, there's also been talk about using alternative energy sources to solve our energy problems for the long term. The Department of Energy found that in the United States 103 nuclear units supply about 20 percent of the electricity produced here in the United States.

And in my home State of South Carolina, 52 percent of our State's power comes from nuclear power plants. For years, I've worked with organizations and companies within South Carolina to promote the benefits of nuclear power. Nuclear is clean, safe, and it's accessible in our country.

Nuclear energy is an alternative energy source that our country can use to create long-term energy solutions for generations to come. It's a real solution that, if we invest now, will help us bridge from a short-term solution to a long-term solution.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, sometimes, like many of my colleagues, I get frustrated about the pace of Congress. For the last several weeks, I have come to the floor almost every day to talk about energy problems and why Congress doesn't seem to want to do anything to fix the problem. That is why I am amazed all of a sudden that Congress seems to be moving at warp speed to pass an ill-advised bill that could cost taxpayers billions of dollars and change the very nature of our financial system.

First, let me say that I appreciate the intentions of this bill, Mr. Speaker. I believe the government should take targeted steps to help those facing foreclosure in those neighborhoods that have had problems with the negative effects of multiple foreclosures. But we should not legislate in a rush, and we should not use a potential crisis as an excuse to expand the size of government in an unprecedented manner.

Please understand that I agree we cannot allow Fannie and Freddie to fail, and we must closely monitor the health of the banking system. Still, decisions of this magnitude should be considered calmly, rationally, and independently. Let's not mortgage the future of our country without fully understanding all the implications.

Timing is not the only problem with this legislation. As I said before, I fear we will be feeling the lingering effects of this legislation for many years. In one part of this bill, we are creating a new FHA program that will distort housing prices by neglecting the realities of supply and demand in the housing market, all while putting taxpayers on the hook for this expensive, and I think dangerous, experiment. Like many of my colleagues, I don't think we should allow the American taxpayers to become the insurance policy for financial decisions that did not quite turn out as planned.

There are other parts of the bill that do not make much sense at first glance. For example, the new affordable housing trust fund is funded by the income of Fannie and Freddie. At the same time that we are trying to stabilize them elsewhere in the bill, we are adding new burdens and raising their costs. While I appreciate the importance of affordable housing, I don't think this makes much financial sense.

Like much of what Congress has been doing this year, this affordable housing trust fund is taxing what we are trying to help. We are trying to help people buy and keep their homes, yet we are discussing raising taxes. Rather than increasing the size of government, perhaps we should be putting more money into the pockets of hardworking Americans so they can afford to keep their homes.

While we certainly should be ensuring that the GSEs are stable, I am concerned about the long-term effects that this bill will have on the health of the housing market, the Federal balance sheet, and the American economy. Because I do not think this legislation will provide helpful solutions to our housing market, I oppose this bill and ask my colleagues to do the same.

Mr. Speaker, I have been on the House floor asking the majority party if they've been hearing from the citizens about their financial struggles with high gas prices because I have.

This month, I mailed a survey to families in my district asking for their comments about the energy crisis. I wanted to hear from them about their opinions, their ideas of what we, as Members of Congress, should be doing to ease the high gas prices.

In response to the survey I sent to these citizens, we had tremendous responses: some things like find alternatives to oil; move the country beyond that; we need to support conservative changes in lifestyle; waste less; we have to change; develop new technologies, to get us off oil; drill now; drill everywhere; encourage automakers to make vehicles not powered by gasoline. Yeah. They're right. We need to do it all, and we need to do it now.

Is the majority party not hearing what I'm hearing? Worse, if they are, are they not choosing to help these people and bring energy legislation to the floor?

Mr. Speaker, we need energy legislation on the floor, and we need it now.

Mr. Speaker, American families have been bracing from an energy problem for the past few months which has turned into an energy crisis. I have heard constituents loud and clear about their concern that leaders in D.C. were not listening. I heard their voices, and my Republican colleagues and I continued to come to the floor and ask the Democrat majority for their energy plan.

When our floor speeches were continuously met with silence in the absence of a Democrat energy plan, I too began to wonder if our leaders were listening.

Thankfully, the problem was recognized and addressed by our executive branch of government. I applaud President Bush's decision yesterday to lift the Federal moratorium on offshore drilling. Congress needs to move swiftly to pass legislation to implement this now that the President has decided to lift the ban. Let's work quickly together and efficiently to craft and pass legislation that will work toward providing short-term and long-term solutions. It is up to us now, as Members of Congress, to do what is right for the citizens, to put the plan in motion, and pass energy legislation.

Madam Speaker, I got a call yesterday from a constituent in my district who said he saw me speaking on the floor about domestic energy, and he was relieved. He was relieved because someone in Congress understood the effects that high gas prices are having on real families all over this country, because he didn't think anybody was paying attention. Well, guess what? Some people are paying attention.

We need to be looking at resources here at home to solve our energy problems. The United States Minerals Management Service found out that, out of our 1.76-billion-acre Outer Continental Shelf, only 3 percent is leased to oil and gas exploration, and nearly 85 percent of the lower 48 OCS remains untapped.

Madam Speaker, we can explore our domestic resources safely and effectively so we will not harm our environment.

I and my Republican colleagues will continue to talk about domestic exploration because we do have solutions, and somebody is listening.

Mr. Speaker, last week, Senator John McCain stated that we need to lift the Federal moratorium on offshore drilling for oil and gas. President Bush also agreed that the U.S. needs to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling so we can increase our energy production here.

I agree. We need to increase U.S. oil production to lower gas prices for American families. Mr. Speaker, the U.S. has access to 112 billion barrels of onshore and offshore oil and access to 1 to 2 trillion barrels of recoverable oil shale. To ban exploration of these energy sources is simply outdated.

The rise in gas prices has brought a daily increase in the cost of consumer goods due to higher transportation costs, groceries and airfare. American families are looking for relief, Mr. Speaker, and the President is correct when he said Americans are turning to Washington for solutions. The only way we can help these families is to lift the ban on energy resources that we have here at home.

Mr. Speaker, enough is enough.

Last week in my district in South Carolina I had a man approach me, said he wanted some help with gas prices. He is making $325 a week, and he spends $80 to $90 of it on gas, almost 30 percent of his paycheck going into his tank.

What kind of leadership is this? What kind of energy plan is this?

When is the majority going to wake up and realize it's their constituents that are having problems with gas prices? When are they going to show us their energy plan, or do they even have one? The Republicans have one, and it will bring down gas prices by 50 percent. It's time Congress takes action. We need to do this for America, for our constituents and for our national security.

Bring a plan to the floor to make us all stronger. Someone needs to lead this show.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, President John Adams once said, ``The highest story of the American Revolution is this. It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.''

So often we hear about the idea of separation of church and State. Mr. Speaker, I believe in the idea of separation of not from church, a distinction worth noting.

Our Founding Fathers never believed that faith should be taken out of our lives. However, they did believe that government should not interfere with an individual's faith. Unfortunately, in the society which we live in today, this distinction has been ignored. It has been forced out of everyday lives, and it saddens me, Mr. Speaker

The faith of the American people remains at the center of our great Nation. Our Founding Fathers were faithful men who believed every individual had the right to express their religious beliefs without fear of persecution or discrimination.

It was Thomas Jefferson, Mr. Speaker, who first uttered the term ``separation of church and state,'' indeed believed that faith played a vital role in the government of our Nation. While President, Jefferson said, ``No Nation has ever existed or been governed without religion. Nor can be.''

During his public life, Jefferson urged local government officials to make land available specifically for Christian purposes, chose to attend church each Sunday at the Capitol, and even provided the service with paid government musicians to assist in the worship. Jefferson proposed that the Great Seal of the United States depict a story in the Bible and include the word ``God'' in its motto.

Enclosed are Presidential documents with the phrase, ``In the year of our Lord Christ, by the President, Thomas Jefferson.''

Mr. Speaker, I'm thankful to be able to address this House on this subject and for the opportunity to cosponsor this legislation designating an American Religious History Week. By their actions, our Founding Fathers showed us that faith and government can and should exist together. It's important for those here and now and future generations, Mr. Speaker, to remember the religious heritage of our Nation. I'm convinced that it's only by God's grace that our Nation has survived the many trials and tests we've experienced. And I will continue to turn to God to seek his guidance and make decisions affecting our country, and I believe by remaining faithful, our Nation will continue to thrive as a beacon of hope in the future.

I pray, Mr. Speaker, that God will continue to bless America.

Mr. Speaker, what is the deal? Lately when I've been in South Carolina, I have been talking to a lot of frustrated folks. And they are frustrated because they are watching their hard-earned paychecks burn up in their gas tanks. And I'm frustrated because I know there is no energy plan to help these families.

Two years ago the Democrats said they would introduce a commonsense plan to help the energy crisis. And today, when the Americans need it most, when they're paying $4 a gallon for gas, there is no energy plan. Yet I stand here today week after week, as I am doing, asking my friends on the Democrat side, ``Where is the plan?'' I have only seen plan 1, and that has been drafted by the Republican party.

Are my Democrat colleagues not hearing the pleas of the American public about high gas prices? Do they not travel to their respective districts and talk to their citizens? Have they not heard the public's frustration? Or do they choose to ignore them?

As Members of Congress, it is our duty to solve the problem. And it is just not good enough to tell them, ``We have no plan.''