Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to recognize Mr. Floyd Benninghoff, who reached the milestone of his 100th birthday on June 12th, 2014.

Mr. Benninghoff was born in Hamlet, IN as 1 of 9 brothers and sisters and spent most of his life as a Hoosier. He is the father to Ronald Benninghoff and Lynn Kline, a grandfather to 5 grandchildren and a great grandfather to 14. During World War II he served his country as an airplane technician, then spent the next several years as a delivery driver for the Jewel Tea Company before retiring from Sears. He is well known by his family and friends for his love of music and his guitar playing abilities.

I am honored to wish Mr. Floyd Benninghoff a very happy 100th birthday and to recognize his admirable life. On behalf of Indiana's Second District, I am proud to recognize Mr. Benninghoff's birthday and life and wish him good health and many more birthdays.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to Chairman Miller and Ranking Member Michaud, on behalf of the 54,000 veterans in my district and the 20 million around the country, thank you. And to every conferee that has served on this conference committee, thank you. This is a huge step forward today, and I am grateful to have been a part of this process. The need for this legislation and for our conference committee to have worked together was great, and it has been an incredible experience.

Let's not forget, in the past decade, nearly 1,000 veterans have died as a result of substandard treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and many more cases are under investigation. Mr. Speaker, 50,000 new patients have waited at least 90 days for their first appointment at VA hospitals. VA staff have admitted to falsifying medical appointment dates to fit within the agency's wait time performance goal of 14 days. All these facts have been simply appalling. All of us in Congress have constituents who have been directly impacted by this scandal.

The need for the legislation is so timely today. I just came from the World War II Memorial, and I thanked a veteran from the Chicagoland- Indiana area. I shook his hand, looked him in the eye, and thanked him for serving our Nation. He stood up out of his wheelchair, looked me in the eye, and said: ``Thank you for fighting for us.'' It just simply shows how important this is. This is an opportunity, as legislators, to take the first steps toward real change at the VA.

So today we stand together to help our Nation's heroes. We owe it to our veterans to provide them with nothing but the best. However, echoing the chairman's comments, simply providing a financial boost to an agency that has repeatedly demonstrated awful management practices will not solve the problem.

In the coming weeks and months, we must continue to stand together to ensure additional improvements are made to the VA. I urge my colleagues to vote in support of this bill.

I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, as with past conflicts in the Middle East, much of the media focus in this current conflict between Israel and Hamas has been on the death tolls on both sides, but what this reporting neglects to mention is Hamas' destruction of its own people. Legitimate governments understand that one of the most important duties of any nation is the protection of its people and the protection of innocent civilians.

Israel goes to great lengths to avoid targeting civilians, from its use of precision-guided weapons to sending out phone and text warnings to evacuate buildings before it carries out a strike. Yet Hamas' leaders are willing to sacrifice their own people in an attempt to score political points. Hamas continues to force civilians, including women and children, to stand in harm's way and literally act as human shields for the terrorist leaders and properties, causing Israeli strikes on legitimate military targets to result in the loss of innocent lives.

As General Conway, the 34th Commandant of the United States Marine Corps, recently wrote in The Wall Street Journal, there is a clear and obvious ``moral chasm,'' he says, between

Hamas and Israel. Hamas has always targeted civilians, and they continue to target civilians. It is their standard operating procedure, and it is one of the reasons it makes them a terrorist organization.

Sadly, though, what we are seeing in this conflict is nothing new. This is the third time in less than 6 years that fighting has broken out between Israel and Hamas.

In order to secure peace and stability in the Middle East, America, our allies, and anyone else truly concerned about the safety of civilians on both sides of the border should focus on keeping weapons out of the hands of Hamas' leaders. We must condemn anyone--perhaps, most importantly, Iran--who is supporting and arming Hamas. Iran supplies Hamas with rockets and training. Just yesterday, Iran's supreme leader declared on Iranian national TV:

Everyone, whoever has the means--especially in the Islamic

world--should do what they can to arm the Palestinian nation

. . . The Zionist regime deeply regrets starting this war,

but it has no way out.

We must stand strongly with Israel as it exercises its legitimate right to self-defense. We must call on the international community to join us in condemning Hamas for their human rights violations.

Everyone wants the current conflict in Gaza to end, but how it ends is critically important. The conflict can only be truly over when there are no rockets, when there are no tunnels, and when Hamas has been completely disarmed and defeated militarily and politically.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would provide a $500,000 increase for the Army Corps of Engineers Continuing Authorities Program, or CAP, and would pay for the increase with a small $500,000 cut from the Department of Energy's departmental administration account. For small communities struggling to pay for $25,000 projects, this minor amendment can be a major help around the country.

The CAP program allows for funding of small local projects without the lengthy study and authorization process typical of most larger Corps projects. The program funds projects dealing with issues like stream bank erosion, navigation improvements, and flood control, and it is incredibly important to local communities that cannot afford to fund these studies and projects on their own.

Two specific sections of the program are vitally important to my district: section 205, which deals with flood control, and section 14, which deals with stream bank erosion.

The city of Peru, Indiana, lives within an area designated as a floodplain because of a ditch that runs through it, but the ditch hasn't flooded in the entire time the city has been keeping records, which is more than 80 years. This floodplain designation has made insurance premiums so expensive, business developers are reluctant to locate to the area and residents are struggling to pay their premiums.

Corps engineers have been to the site, and they don't think the floodplain is correct either. The ditch hasn't flooded. So CAP funds are desperately needed in places like Peru, Indiana, so the Corps can conduct a study to determine whether the ditch really is ever likely to flood and, if so, what type of project could be done to prevent flooding and bring down flood insurance premiums.

In a place called Rochester, Indiana, the Tippecanoe River runs along a stretch of East County Road 350 North. The river is eroding soil from underneath the road, and over the last decade, the road has lost several feet of its

embankment. The situation has become so dangerous authorities have closed the road until it can be fixed. An examination is needed to determine how to stop this stream bank erosion, and then a project must be able to be done to fix it. County officials can't afford to conduct the study or repairs on their own.

The Army Corps of Engineers said they can conduct the examination and repairs, but CAP funds are needed. However, the Continuing Authorities Program is so popular with local communities like Peru and Rochester, the Corps of Engineers routinely receives many more projects than it can fund, and CAP funds for the year run out quickly.

Chairman Simpson and his staff have worked hard to address this problem and put together a great bill. President Obama's budget request only provided $10 million for CAP and only funded four of the CAP sections, but Chairman Simpson rejected that devastating cut and has allocated $56.8 million for eight CAP sections. My amendment would provide a small funding bump for CAP that would enable the Army Corps of Engineers to help dozens of communities making very small funding requests.

Some people will say that the Department of Energy can't afford another cut to its administrative funding, but that is simply not true. This year's bill provides $255 million for the Department of Energy's departmental administration budget. This is $20.5 million more than last year. My amendment would only cut $500,000 from this amount. That is a 0.19 percent cut. Given the enormous importance of local infrastructure, I believe this is one very small cut that Congress should make.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the chairman and the ranking member. I appreciate the work that has gone into this bill, and I appreciate your willingness to accept my amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mrs. Walorski

Amendment No. 10: Page 3, line 16, after the dollar amount,

insert ``(increased by $500,000)''.

Page 19, line 12, after the dollar amount, insert

``(reduced by $500,000)''.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, the recent release of the Taliban Five was a potent reminder to Congress, as well as the American people, of the risk involved in detainee transfer decisions.

The rising rate of terrorism reengagement, the unstable security situation in Yemen, and the continuing threat posed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have prompted me to introduce this amendment again this year.

One of President Obama's first acts in office was to sign an executive order to close the facility at Guantanamo.

However, the President himself suspended all detainee transfers from Gitmo to Yemen on January 5, 2010. This decision was made in the aftermath of the failed 2009 Christmas Day bombing attempt, which was the first attack on the U.S. by al Qaeda since 9/11.

The would-be bomber was radicalized and trained in Yemen. White House Press Secretary Gibbs said that:

Right now, any additional transfers to Yemen are not a good

idea.

In May of last year, the President changed his mind, lifting the moratorium on transfers to Yemen and reviewing transfers ``on a case- by-case basis.''

Unfortunately, the U.S. intelligence community reports that the number of former Gitmo detainees who reengage in terrorism has steadily increased since 2002.

In December 2007, the first public intelligence report addressing Gitmo ``reengagement'' declared the reengagement rate was ``about 7 percent.'' As of March of this year, the reengagement rate had risen to 29 percent. The majority of these individuals remain at large.

This information, which is the best, most reliable data we have, comes from the Director of National Intelligence. The March DNI report also notes that:

Transfers to countries with ongoing conflicts and internal

instability, as well as active recruitment by insurgent and

terrorist organizations, pose a particular problem.

Finally, the intel community has noted there is a lag of time of ``about 2\1/2\ years between leaving Gitmo and the first identified reengagement reports.'' Therefore, estimated historical suspected and confirmed rates may be lower than the actual current rates.

The administration should seek to ensure that the transfer process is further examined and improved before proceeding with additional transfers.

Meanwhile, the security situation in Yemen is frighteningly fragile and has gone from bad to worse. According to a 2012 HASC Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee report on detainee reengagement, the United States has faced ``a persistent challenge'' in making certain that countries receiving transferred Gitmo detainees have ``the capacity and willingness to handle them in a way that sufficiently recognizes the dangers involved.''

Despite the commendable efforts of Yemeni President Hadi, numerous international organizations, such as the U.N. and the World Bank, have all noted the ``fragile environment'' in Yemen. Unfortunately, the country's progress is still at risk of being undermined by al Qaeda.

In fact, Yemen was recently ranked the sixth most failed state by The Fund for Peace, worse than even Afghanistan and Iraq, and the third most worsened state over the last 5 years.

It is no surprise that jailbreaks are a notorious problem in Yemen. Furthermore, press reports have characterized Yemeni prisons as ``overcrowded and under-monitored radicalization factories.''

To give one example, the Yemeni citizen who is the convicted mastermind of the USS Cole bombing escaped from prison in both 2003 and 2006 after his recapture. He was not recaptured after his second escape and remains at large.

In the most recent example, attackers mounted a bomb, grenade, and gun assault on the main prison in Yemen's capital this February, freeing 20 al Qaeda operatives. The U.S. Embassy has been closed since May 7 and remains closed today due to attempted kidnappings and terrorist attacks on U.S. citizens.

Finally, and most importantly, Yemen's branch of al Qaeda, commonly known as AQAP, was founded by former Gitmo detainees. Counterterrorism experts have declared AQAP to be al Qaeda's most effective affiliate, posing the greatest danger to the American homeland.

AQAP's predecessor, al Qaeda in Yemen, came into existence after the escape of 23 al Qaeda members from prison in the Yemeni capital in February of 2006. AQAP has orchestrated numerous high-profile terrorist attacks inside the Arabian Peninsula, but it has tried on numerous occasions to strike the U.S. homeland, typically through air travel.

Analysts evaluate that AQAP is the al Qaeda group that is currently the most capable and most committed to carry out sophisticated operations against the West.

To summarize, Mr. Chairman, we cannot risk trusting one of the world's most dangerous places with its most dangerous terrorists. The fundamental question is how much risk should we take with our Nation's security? This amendment helps ensure our homeland remains safe from terrorist attacks. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to the balance of my time?

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Demanding Accountability for Veterans Act, a bill I am proud to cosponsor.

As the recent scandals at the VA have clearly demonstrated, better accountability and oversight are needed at the VA. This bill will actually help provide better accountability and oversight by ensuring that the VA inspector general recommendations are fully implemented by the VA.

Currently, after the VA inspector general investigates a VA facility, the inspector general releases a list of recommendations for what the VA must do to correct the problems identified during the investigation. Oftentimes, these recommendations are never fully implemented by the

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Miller for his work to reform this mismanaged Department.

Our Nation's veterans and their families never hesitated to respond to the call to serve their country. Recent news reports of VA mismanagement across this country are disgusting and disgraceful. We know of dozens of wrongful deaths that were due to VA negligence, including 13 in my State of Indiana.

Senior executives who oversee this negligence are more likely to receive a bonus than to receive punishment. We cannot let this continue.

This bill would give the VA Secretary authority to fire senior employees responsible for failures within the Department.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill, and I will continue to do my part on the oversight and fighting for the Nation's 23 million veterans.

I also call on the Senate today to bring greater accountability and transparency to the VA by passing the numerous bipartisan bills that have left this House, including this one, that could be stalled in the Senate. Our veterans deserve nothing but the best.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment as well.

Transferring detainees to our homeland would require expensive new construction or renovation of existing facilities in the U.S. Current facilities at Gitmo already accommodate the detainees, their guards, all associated medical, recreational, and legal needs. Estimates for constructing or renovating similar facilities in the U.S. have ranged from $300 million to $500 million.

Meanwhile, the dangers are also clear. Moving detainees to the U.S. would make the facility housing them a terrorist target. For example, in 2010, New York City estimated it would cost $200 million a year to provide security when it was proposed some Gitmo detainees be moved to New York for trial.

In conclusion, there are no advantages of moving detainees to the U.S.; there are clear disadvantages.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment.

Madam Chair, I want to thank Chairman McKeon for including this amendment that I cosponsor with Congressman Roskam.

Israel and the United States face common threats in the Middle East, from the ongoing civil war in Syria, continued rocket fire from terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, and the looming threat of a nuclear-armed Iran.

In particular, Iran's brazen quest for nuclear weapons poses an existential threat to our ally Israel. A nuclear Iran would trigger an arms race in the Middle East, further destabilizing a region plagued by persistent volatility and, in the process, threatening U.S. national security and international stability.

Military action against Iran is an absolute last resort, only after we exhaust all peaceful options. However, it would be irresponsible not to prepare for a worst-case scenario.

This amendment would require the administration to certify that Israel maintains an independent capability to remove existential threats to its own security. Specifically, this report would ensure the smooth transfer to Israel of aerial refueling tankers, advanced bunker- buster munitions, and other capabilities and platforms critical to Israel's self-defense.

This is an important amendment for the security of both the U.S. as well as our ally Israel.

Madam Speaker, I rise today and speak on the importance of combating human trafficking. I am grateful that the House is bringing forth five antitrafficking bills to the floor today.

Human trafficking, which includes labor and sex trafficking, is the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world. Trafficking may seem like an international problem, but there are 300,000 children at risk of sex trafficking here in the U.S.

The State of Indiana has formed a cutting edge, antitrafficking task force that involves both public and private groups. This task force, called IPATH, has investigated more than 200 cases in Indiana, and continues to rescue children and adults from involuntary servitude in commercial sex trafficking. Great work is being done in the Hoosier State, but antitrafficking advocates agree that much more is needed.

That is why I am proud to cosponsor the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act and proud to support the bills being voted on today.

This bill will provide law enforcement with necessary tools to address the problem of trafficking by helping tackle the demand issue itself and improve services for survivors. It also protects foster children by requiring that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children be notified when children are missing from foster homes or child care institutions.

Madam Speaker, protecting people trapped in trafficking situations is not a partisan or a political issue. It is not an issue that only happens overseas. It happens on American soil, and it happens every day all across this country.

We must work together to fight this issue, to be the voice for those who are literally trapped, and to bring an end to this terrible crime.

I urge my colleagues to support the antitrafficking bills on the floor today.

Mr. Chairman, we have the strongest and best military in the world.

Thanks to the hard work of Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Smith, this year's defense bill works within budgetary constraints to ensure that our military continues to have the best people, the best training, and the best hardware. This bill guards against irresponsible cuts to pay and benefits. It improves readiness, and it provides our men and women in uniform with the vital aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles they need to fight and win today's increasingly complex battle space.

We also included several bipartisan commonsense provisions that build on our important work last year to combat military sexual assault.

We hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine and its treaty violations.

Finally, we lay the groundwork for a comprehensive defense reform effort, including finding ways to stretch the taxpayer dollars for the defense of this Nation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to oppose the amendment. While I appreciate the good intention of the gentleman from California, I believe we have immense security challenges in Africa and limited defense resources.

Defense has been cut over $1 trillion in recent years, the military is facing shortfalls in readiness, and terrorism threats across Africa are evolving and expanding.

Given that the military cannot meet our current requirements in Africa, I don't think it is wise to add new requirements at this time. Military commanders in Africa have testified about shortfalls in intelligence, crisis response forces, and enablers to meet the ``new normal'' security requirements in Africa.

No military commander has highlighted wildlife trafficking as a key issue in their area of responsibility, nor have they recommended it be prioritized before this committee.

Combating wildlife trafficking should not be a core DOD mission. DOD and the administration recognize that combating wildlife trafficking is not a core DOD function, and thus the national strategy for combating wildlife trafficking does not set forth any DOD requirements.

In an era of declining budgets, the DOD should not be duplicating efforts that are already occurring within the interagency, including the intelligence community, the law enforcement community, and the State Department, all of which are already working on and collecting information on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Armed Services be authorized to file a supplemental report on the bill, H.R. 4435.

Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to recognize Mrs. Dorothy ``Dot'' Wiekamp, who reached the milestone of her 100th birthday on March 15, 2014. Mrs. Wiekamp is a truly remarkable woman who is known in our community as an outstanding volunteer, community leader, philanthropist, mother, and grandmother.

Dot met her late husband Darwin at Mishawaka High School and the two married in 1936, forming what many have called ``the perfect team.'' Together the Wiekamps began a family, built a business, and created a legacy in our local community.

In 1945, the Wiekamps founded the Owners Discount Corporation in Elkhart, Indiana. The business serviced customers who were overlooked by other banks, specializing in small loans for cars and new businesses. After purchasing the West End State Bank of Mishawaka in 1966, Owners Discount continued to grow, changing its name several times, until finally becoming National City Bank.

The Wiekamp's business success gave way to their philanthropic efforts. The couple played an instrumental role in the building of Memorial Children's Hospital in South Bend and also generously gave their time and money to the construction of the Schwartz Wiekamp Medical Center in Mishawaka. These efforts continue to play a key role in ensuring that local children have access to quality healthcare.

In regards to higher education, the Wiekamps have contributed to numerous institutions and scholarships. The couple helped fund the main classroom building, Wiekamp Hall, at Indiana University--South Bend. They built the Wiekamp Athletic Facility at Bethel College and the Dorothy Wiekamp Demonstration Kitchen at Ivy Tech Community College. In addition, the couple provided funding for the Schwartz Tennis Center at Purdue University.

Mrs. Wiekamp was also instrumental in the construction of a new auditorium at the Northern Indiana Center for History, as well as the South Bend Center for the Homeless.

Throughout her life, Dot has been involved in numerous community organizations. She served on the board of trustees for the Northern Indiana Historical Society, as president of the Mishawaka Visiting Nurses Association, and is a founding member of the Mishawaka YMCA.

From philanthropic support to countless charities and educational institutions to leadership on the boards of our community's most important organizations, the Wiekamps have left a legacy in our local community. I am forever grateful for their service and dedication.

It is a privilege to recognize Dot Wiekamp, a woman whose admirable service and commitment to the local community is truly inspirational. On behalf of Indiana's Second District, I wish her a happy 100th birthday and many more to come.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate the 2013- 2014 University of Notre Dame Lady Irish Women's Basketball team on their perfect regular season and exciting NCAA tournament run. The team finished the regular season with an unbeaten record of 29-0 and finished the post season winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, as well as competing in their third straight NCAA National Championship game.

The Lady Irish were led by their head coach, Muffett McGraw and senior captains Kayla McBride, Natalie Achonwa, and Ariel Braker. These outstanding players led their team to 37 consecutive victories, the university's first ever regular season, the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament Championships, and a third consecutive National Championship game appearance. Altogether, the Lady Irish finished their first season in the ACC, the same way it ended its time in the Big East, with another dominating conference title.

In addition, the Irish earned several prestigious individual conference and national honors. Along with the 37 game winning streak, Conference Championship, and Final Four appearance, Coach McGraw earned a sweep of the AP, Naismith, Pat Summit, and US Basketball Writers Association for Coach of the Year awards. Along with Coach McGraw's amazing accomplishment, the team had three AP All-American's with Seniors Kayla McBride and Natalie Achonwa and Sophomore Jewell Loyd. The team also won numerous Atlantic Coast Conference awards including: Coach of the Year (Coach McGraw), Player of the Year, (Kayla McBride) and ACC tournament MVP (Jewell Loyd). Along with those ACC awards McBride, Loyd, and Achonwa each earned all-conference honors as well. The hard work and dedication by the players and coaches showed in both the individual awards and their dominating run to the National Championship game. This team will be one that is remembered forever in university history for years to come.

As a former basketball player and Representative of Notre Dame, it is my honor to recognize the hard work and success of the 2013-2014 Lady Irish Basketball team. The dedication, selflessness, and sportsmanship these student athletes display is a model for young Hoosiers throughout Indiana. On behalf of Indiana's Second Congressional District, I am proud to recognize the University of Notre Dame Lady Irish's perfect regular season and amazing tournament run and wish them continued future success.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow marks the 63rd annual National Day of Prayer. Tomorrow morning, I will join a bipartisan group of Members to gather together and pray for our country.

As we continue to face obstacles each day, both as a country and as an individual, I urge Americans to join us in praying for wisdom and guidance, thanking God for the many blessings we have been given in this Nation.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our brave servicemen and servicewomen and their families who are serving our country overseas and here, protecting our freedom and putting their lives on the line for our security. We pray they return home to our grateful Nation swiftly and safely.

Let us also continue to pray for peace in our own communities. Psalm 145 promises that the Lord is near to all who call upon Him, and I urge you to join me tomorrow in observing the National Day of Prayer.