Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, in 2000, the U.S. and Russia agreed to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium by turning it into a mixed oxide fuel for existing commercial nuclear reactors. Recently, the future of this program, which is vital to our national security, has been in doubt.

I acknowledge, sure, there have been delays, but I am confident that language previously agreed to by the House will allow the U.S. MOX program to move forward regardless of the pace of the Russian program. Moving forward in this unilateral fashion makes good sense.

I am proud that the Savannah River Site in my district has been selected for this important project. Eliminating the MOX program in the Energy and Water Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2007 is wrong not only for my State but the Nation and the world.

The chairman has made his thoughts clear, but I respectfully disagree with his conclusions and will not be able to support any legislation that effectively turns South Carolina into a dumping ground. That is why I will not be able to support H.R. 5427 when it comes to a vote later today.

Mr. Speaker, it has come to my attention that one of my votes yesterday, Thursday, May 18, 2006, as recorded as an ``aye'' but my intent was to vote ``nay.''

I ask that the Record reflect that I would have voted ``nay'' on Roll Call vote #168 (On Agreeing to the Chabot Amendment to H.R. 5386).

I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I know Chairman Walsh and Representative Beauprez from Colorado have been working to solve veterans' needs in Colorado. And, Mr. Chairman, I would respectfully ask unanimous consent to submit for the Record the following statement by my friend and colleague Representative Beauprez from Colorado.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Chairman, our constituents did not send us to Congress to create debt and pass it on to our children and our grandchildren. Yet it is estimated by the end of fiscal year 2006 that the Federal budget deficit alone will be $337 billion. Now, there are many reasons affecting this number, but the bottom line is spending is out of control.

Later tonight we will be voting on House passage of the fiscal year 2007 Federal budget, and I believe the time is now to make drastic reform. And the Republican Study Committee alternative budget is definitely a step in the right direction. This budget allows us to renew our purpose of fiscal restraint, pay down the national debt, and balance the budget.

Mr. Chairman, we cannot continue to spend on everything, because if we do, we will not be able to spend on anything. So I am rising in support of the amendment sponsored by the gentleman from Texas because it moves us in the right direction. It moves us in the direction of spending within our means and truly being accountable for our children and our grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, on December 8, 2003, President Bush signed the Medicare Prescription Drug and Modernization Act of 2003 into law. While I may have a few differences with certain aspects of this legislation, we have come a long way since the bill first became law.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have made great strides to make this implementation process as painless as possible. The first enrollment period for Medicare part D will end in just 5 days.

Over 27 million seniors across America now have coverage and are saving money on their prescription drugs. Currently, the State of South Carolina has over 438,000 people with prescription drug coverage. Almost 80,000 of those seniors are living in my district.

As the enrollment deadline of May 15 nears, I urge my constituents to call 1-800-MEDICARE with any questions. It is important to take an active roll in managing your own health care.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5143, the H-Prize Act of 2006, and I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina and my colleague for being such a strong proponent of hydrogen research in this ongoing energy debate.

Representative Inglis is one of the leaders on this and I know personally I always turn to him when I need some help and advice. He is a cofounder of the House Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus, a caucus dedicated to moving the country away from its dependence on foreign oil, and toward a hydrogen economy.

The need to reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy is evident, Mr. Speaker. Our supply simply does not meet our ever growing demand, and we are paying the price at the gas pump every day in this country.

Further, our home State of South Carolina is poised to lead the Nation towards a hydrogen-based economy. The State's strong relationship with the automotive industry, Clemson's International Center for Automotive Research, ICAR, USC's expertise with hydrogen full cells, Aiken County's new hydrogen research laboratory, and the Savannah River site's future with hydrogen research are examples of what we are doing today for tomorrow.

Promoting the hydrogen economy will provide the missing component to our country's energy portfolio, effectively making a strong movement toward energy independence.

Public-private partnerships are a key component to accomplishing energy independence. There is no doubt that the private sector is the engine of growth and breeds innovation and ingenuity.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud Representative Inglis for understanding the role the Federal Government has and not to come up with the idea or the science, but rather to provide incentives and promote an atmosphere that encourages such research to take place.

Mr. Speaker, I once again thank my good friend for introducing the H- Prize Act of 2006 and urge my colleagues to vote in favor of energy independence by supporting H.R. 5143.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 129 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Madam Speaker, as complex as illegal immigration may be, I think the House got the logic right dealing with the issue. Illegal immigration needs to be split into two separate, but equally important, issues, first being security enforcement.

Once the first portion is set and in place, the time will be right for Congress to come back and address the second part, which deals with illegal workers. While they contribute in positive ways to our society, unfortunately, because they are here illegally, they place burdens on our job market, our educational system and our health care costs, burdens that are shouldered by hardworking American taxpayers.

My advice to the other Chamber is listen to the American people. They are tired of their elected officials turning the other cheek and playing politics with the ideals on which this country was founded and the security of our Nation. They want us to plug the holes and stop the flow of illegal immigrants before we do anything else.

It is time we listened. It is time we stop illegal immigration.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 4755.

Madam Speaker, our constituents did not send us to Congress to create debt and pass it on to our children and grandchildren. Yet it is estimated by the end of the fiscal year 2006, we will have a Federal budget deficit of $337 billion. There are many variables affecting this number, but government spending is out of control, bottom line.

In the coming weeks, we will debate the fiscal year 2007 Federal budget, and we will be faced with a choice to continue spending at the same level or make tough decisions to rein in spending. We cannot continue to fund everything, because if we do, we won't be able to support anything.

Later this morning, the Republican Study Committee will introduce an alternative budget. This budget allows us to renew our purpose of fiscal restraint, paying down or national debt and balance the budget. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Budget Committee, Republicans and Democrats alike, because spending should not be a partisan issue.

Mr. Speaker, I applaud the President for submitting a budget proposal that will meet America's needs while maintaining fiscal accountability and responsibility. He understands that if you are going to ask everybody to tighten up the purse strings, you have to be at the front of the line.

The American people don't expect us to agree on everything, but as Members of this great body they expect us to stop complaining about the issues before us and start working together to find solutions for our children and our grandchildren.

I hope someday I am down here debating the Government Waste Reduction Act, which would slow the growth of government by 5 percent and reduce the deficit by an estimated $510 billion over 5 years. But until then, I will look forward to working with my colleagues on the Budget Committee, Republicans and Democrats alike, as we move through this process.

In submitting this budget, President Bush has set the tone and given Congress a great starting point. It is now up to us to act.

Mr. Speaker, on December 16, 2005, I was absent from several votes for personal reasons. Had I been present I would have voted: Rollcall vote No. 642 (Motion to close portions of the Defense Authorization Conference to the Press and Public when matters of National Security are under consideration): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 643 (Rolled Vote on Skelton Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 1815): ``No''; Rollcall vote No. 644 (Previous Question on Rule for H. Res. 612): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 645 (Adoption of Rule for H. Res. 612): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 646 (Adoption of Rule for H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 647 (Rolled Suspension Vote on H. Con. Res. 294): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 648 (Final Passage of H. Res. 612): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 649 (Rolled Suspension Vote on H. Res. 409): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 650 (Rolled Suspension Vote on H. Res. 575): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 651 (Rolled Suspension Vote on H. Res. 534): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 652 (Spratt Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 4241): ``No''; Rollcall vote No. 653 (Goodlatte/Herseth Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 654 (Stearns Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 655 (Sensenbrenner Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``No''; Rollcall vote No. 656 (Norwood Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 657 (Westmoreland Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 658 (Gonzalez Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``No''; Rollcall vote No. 659 (Sullivan Amendment to H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; Rollcall vote No. 660 (Motion to Recommit with Instructions): ``No''; Rollcall vote No. 661 (Final Passage of H.R. 4437): ``Aye''; and Rollcall vote No. 662 (Rolled Suspension Vote on H. Res. 598): ``Aye''.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman for the time.

I rise in support tonight of the Hunter amendment. Nine years ago, Congress decided to build a 14-mile fence along the San Diego-Mexico border to curb drug trafficking and illegal immigration. As a result, the number of people caught crossing the border illegally along this area dropped by nearly 200,000 in 12 years.

Mr. Chairman, Americans are upset. They understand that too much of our border is still vulnerable. The world's a different place than it was 9 years ago, and illegal entry has grown well beyond that 14-mile stretch of land.

By mandating construction of a security fence along the five most dangerous areas of the southern border, this amendment seeks to take the next step in making our Nation safer.

Additionally, I would like to thank Chairman Hunter for working with me to include language requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the use of physical barriers along the northern border.

I urge my colleagues to support the Hunter amendment.

Mr. Speaker, since the defeat of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, we have seen political, security, and economic progress in a country that has suffered under tyranny for decades. In January, 8.5 million Iraqis voted in Iraq's first democratically elected government.

In October, the constitutional referendum, the turnout neared nearly 10 million; and since April 2003, Iraq has registered more than 30,000 new businesses.

Mr. Speaker, no war is without challenges, and the war on terror is no different. But to cut and run, as many of our colleagues are suggesting, would not only encourage our enemies; it will disillusion the Iraqi people, our allies, and the brave men and women in uniform risking their lives for this country every day.

The security of our Nation should be bigger than inside-the-Beltway partisan politics. We need to learn from the mistake of the past, stop talking about exit strategies, and keep talking about freedom, democracy, and victory.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule, H. Res. 572, and we have talked a lot about exit strategy, about withdrawal. If I can say one thing tonight, Mr. Speaker, I want to say do not believe all the crap that you see on the TV. Do not believe all the crap that you hear in the news.

I have had an opportunity to go to Iraq. I have seen the soldiers. I have seen the leaders. I have seen the people, and I look at the faces out here tonight, Mr. Speaker, and the faces that I see, the biggest majority, are not the faces like myself, gray-haired and receding hairline.

They are 18- and 19- and 20-year-old heroes a couple of years older than my oldest son; soldiers that are getting on Blackhawks with faces painted and M-16s getting ready to go on a mission at 120 knots above the tree level, 18- and 19- and 20-year-old heroes; soldiers that are kicking in doors with NVGs, and scared to death, but they are rooting out terrorists, 18- and 19- and 20-year-old heroes; guys that are humping rucks. They are tired, and they are cold, and they miss their mama and their wife and their family and everything they know and everything they love, 18- and 19- and 20-year-old heroes.

When I was sworn in as a United States Congressman, I raised my right hand, put my left hand on the Bible and said I would support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I will support and defend this country. I will support and defend my soldiers. As long as I am a United States Congressman, I will not cut and run on the people of Iraq. I will not cut and run on the soldiers fighting the battle. I will not cut and run on the United States of America.

Let us not talk about an exit strategy. Let us talk about freedom. Let us talk about democracy. Let us talk about victory.