Jason Altmire

Mr. Speaker, on this last day of 2012, I want to take a moment to highlight the work of a number of hardworking Federal employees, people who serve with distinction, but often without the credit they deserve. All of us in the House have dedicated staff who, though unheralded, are committed to their country and the constituents they serve. Without them, we could never do our jobs, and I want to thank those who have worked for me over the past 6 years:

Susan and Ed Anfinson, Lin Banks, Mark Perkins, Noel Warren, and the great George Greenfield. They were all shared employees that we shared with other offices. Then we have our full-time employees: Ben Barasky, Olivia Benson, Evan Brennan, Mike Butler, Julie Cain, Richard Carbo, Jennifer Dale, Nick Demicheli, Michelle Dorothy, Serronn Emerson, Jim Ferruchie, Dori Friedberg, Jesse Haladay, Angela Hayden, Kathleen Janoski, Carolyn Kahler, Rachel Kaufman, Erik Komendant, Jennifer Kraus, Chris Lombardi, Cody Lundquist, Greg Malinak, Caitlin Mathis, Stephanie Bone, Tess Mullen, Beth Newman, Bennett Reed, Nathan Robinson, Emily Schmitt, Mariel Schwartz, Abby Silverman, Lee Slater, Shannon Smith, Christina Stacey, P.J. Tabit, Alexandra Taylor, Nikki Tesla, Randy Stapleford and John Galanski--the two best veteran constituent service reps you could ever want--Sharon Werner, Rachael Heisler, and Cara Toman.

Mr. Speaker, all of them were loyal to the district, and I read their names into the Record to thank them for their service and loyalty to me, but especially for their service to the district.

Recent reports have said this Congress is the most unproductive in modern times. Those studies compare the number of rollcall votes and bills passed to previous sessions. But the most important comparison is whether each Congress rose to the challenges they faced and were able to do big things on behalf of their constituents and the country. By that measure, there truly is no comparison.

Whether or not you supported the actions of previous Congresses, there can be no doubt that those congressional leaders took bold and decisive action to address crises both imminent and still to come. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said--yet--for this Congress, which has to this point failed to address a fiscal cliff that could easily be avoided before the clock strikes midnight tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, there is still time to change the way history will judge the action--or inaction--of this Congress. With crisis comes opportunity. We still have time to finish the job, so let's not squander this opportunity to remove this Congress from the ranks of the most infamous in history.

Mr. Speaker, as we begin debate on this National Defense Authorization Act, it's critical that we understand just how important it is to our troops and to our country that we pass this legislation with a bipartisan vote. It's easy to get bogged down in partisanship on most issues, but this cannot be one of them. This legislation provides the men and women of our Armed Forces the necessary equipment and financial support to effectively carry out their duties while at the same time protecting all of our national security. Our troops have proven time and again that they are the most skilled forces in the world, but we must provide them with the necessary support to help them serve and protect our country.

Congress has an obligation to support the men and women who serve in the Armed Forces and who sacrifice so much for us every day. Our country owes them more than we can ever repay. And I strongly urge my colleagues to honor and respect our Armed Forces by passing this bill when it comes up later today and affording our troops the funding that they need and deserve.