Floor Statements

Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin my remarks by first expressing the deepest appreciation we have for the work that has been done between the gentleman from Florida (Chairman Young) and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), seeing that this bill that really is a work in response to the needs of our military forces who are fighting for freedom overseas. The way in which the House is responding today is a reflection of the best work of the House, perhaps demonstrated best in recent days by our all coming together to celebrate the freedom now that is being experienced by Jessica Lynch, the prisoner of war, this young American, who our forces made every effort to identify by way of location and made sure that she once again has the opportunity to breathe free.

This bill would not be in the condition it is in if it were not for the magnificent work of staff on both sides of the aisle. The growing relationship between David Morrison and Kevin Roper, working with the Committee's staff, is somewhat magnificent to see, even though it is not a surprise to most who have observed often our committee work.

In turn, however, there are others who deserve credit today, such as our personal staff, and all those people who spend endless hours to make sure that we get this work done in a timely fashion.

The bill before us has some $74.5 billion in supplemental funding that is designed in large form to make sure we can carry forward the war in a timely fashion and make sure that our forces do not run out of funding at this critical moment in our history. Of that $74.5 billion, approximately $62.5 goes to national defense matters. Within that package of funding, there is approximately one-half of it, a little over $30 billion, which really goes to money that has already been obligated and essentially spent; that is, the money that was required to deploy the forces, to mobilize the National Guard and Reserve, to train and equip for battle those men and women who are the backbone of our successful effort in Iraq. From there, there is little doubt that in the months ahead we will be called upon time and time again to make sure that the pipeline does not run dry, and that is the work of our committee. Working very closely with Members on both sides of the aisle, it has been my experience that this House is most responsive when our forces need them most.

So having said that, Mr. Chairman, the defense portion of this bill, which does spend as much money as I indicated, is going to be the least controversial of this bill. We will probably spend much of the day talking about other relatively smaller elements that are before us today. That piece of the bill that involves homeland defense will lead to a lot of discussion. And I would say to my colleagues on the other side of the aisle that the challenges that we face as they relate to homeland defense are challenges that really have come to our attention because of 9/11. They are primary in our mind.

But I would remind us also that this is not the last bill of the year. We are going to have more than one opportunity in the appropriations process to be responsive to the needs of protecting our homeland, and the committee will come together again when those items are before us, and I am sure respond in a bipartisan way.

There will be a good deal of discussion today regarding those elements that relate to Turkey's role in the struggle that is ahead of us; and the issues that flow around the foreign operations portion of the bill are difficult issues, but, indeed, those too can be handled through regular order.

In the months and the years ahead, we will be making decisions regarding the way we relate to those allies who are not nearly as responsive as we might have expected as we went about attempting to lay the foundation for freedom for the people of Iraq.

I am most pleased with the fact that this body today will give dramatic illustration that we can come together in time of need, in a nonpartisan way, on behalf of the men and women who are fighting for freedom in Iraq. In the final analysis, our purpose is to make certain that the children of Iraq have the same chance for opportunity and freedom that so many of us experience in this country because, by the grace of God, we happen to have been born here.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate my colleague yielding me this time. I must say that the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich), I know, is very sincerely serious about his position on this matter. I respect his position greatly.

I must say that I was one of those who believed deep in my heart that we would solve this problem by way of peace; that there was an avenue open for us to change the regime in Iraq, and at the same time do so without having to find ourselves in war.

That opportunity for peace closed. The door closed entirely when friends and allies of ours in Europe took a different position. When France decided to take the position they did, when Germany decided to take the position they did, there was no opportunity to find a peaceful solution.

In the meantime, this bill before us is designed to make sure that our troops will be fully supported as they go forward attempting to ensure the opportunity of freedom for the people of Iraq. It is absolutely certain by the time we get through this process before us that they will have an opportunity they have not had during all of the history of this brutal regime.

Indeed, it is difficult for me to understand my colleague's position. I happen to think he is absolutely wrong, but I have risen in part to support his right to express that position. That is what this debate is all about.

I hope at another day, another time, we will find a peaceful solution for dealing with people like Saddam Hussein. I just do not see that time in the near future.

Mr. Chairman, I very much appreciate my colleague yielding me this time and rise simply to say that I very much empathize with the position of my colleague, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich).

We happen to rather intensely disagree as to what role America is going to be playing in the world in the years

and months, perhaps decades, ahead. Our country remains, whether we like it or not, as the only remaining superpower in the world. We now spend dollars at a level, 380-plus billions of dollars to make sure that we are the strongest country in the world. Indeed, it is my view that those dollars are spent because we are the force for peace. If there is a country that, long term, is going to maintain the peace in the world, it is America. And it is the men and women of the very troops serving presently in the Middle East who reflect the best of the best, who are of course for peace.

This bill is designed to make sure that they can carry forward their job at this moment to its completion and do it well. Indeed, no force is more capable than these men and women. Their purpose, though, is to ensure that freedom becomes available to the people, the men and women, the mothers, the children of Iraq. Without their presence, Saddam Hussein would take us down the pathway towards appeasement. He would be the voice that says ``we ought to stand still for whatever time is necessary for me to rebuild my position of strength.'' He will say, ``I will find any another way to win one more time.'' This is not a plan of peace.

America is the voice for peace in the world. We need to recognize that. And because we need to recognize that, we must reject this amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to congratulate the citizens and community leaders of the city of San Jacinto, CA, who on April 9, 2003 will celebrate 115 years of cityhood. I am happy to report, Mr. Speaker, that the friendly folks in San Jacinto have managed to preserve their past while preparing for a future as one of the fastest growing cities in California.

The San Jacinto Valley is in Riverside County, California, about 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles, in the shadow of 10,804-foot Mt. San Jacinto and the beautiful surrounding mountains. For thousands of years it has welcomed human habitation, including the ancestors of the Soboba Indians, whose reservation is adjacent to the current city of San Jacinto.

When Spanish explorers moved into California, they soon discovered the valley and by the 1770s it was a stop on Anza Trail, one of the oldest serving the Spanish colonies in California. The padres of the Spanish missions named the valley in honor of St. Hyacinth (San Jacinto in Spanish), one of the early Dominican apostles, and established an outpost there in 1820.

In 1842, Jose Antonio Estudillo received a land grant to the entire valley from the Mexican government. They built the Estudillo Mansion in downtown San Jacinto, which is today considered one of the most important historic structures in inland Southern California. In the 1860s, the Estudillo family began selling off portions of the rancho, and a small American community began to form. In 1868, local residents petitioned to form a school district, and by 1870 a store and post office had been established. In 1883, the San Jacinto Land Association laid out the modem city of San Jacinto at Five Points. The Santa Fe railroad arrived in 1888, and the city was incorporated that same year, making it the oldest incorporated community in Riverside County.

The community has primarily been an agricultural town for much of its history, and is still home to several large dairy operations. It has also worked closely with the neighboring city of Hemet to sponsor the famous Ramona Pageant, an outdoor play on early California history that is now in its 80th year. Most recently, the city has seen the beginnings of

rapid growth because it is at the edge of the Southern California urban area. Community leaders are working hard to maintain their small-town community even as they plan for growth that is expected to nearly double the population of 26,000 by 2010.

Mr. Speaker, I am confident that the citizens and leaders of San Jacinto will help their town continue to be a warm and welcoming place that combines a respect for the history of California with an eye to the state's booming future. Please join me in congratulating them on their 115th birthday, and wish them well in the years to come.

Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Chairman, I thank my colleague, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Programs for yielding.

I rise simply to share with my colleagues from New York and New Jersey that I feel very, very strongly about our ally India and the role she may play in our future. For no reason that my colleague would know, I spent a decent amount of my life in India. I consider it to be my second country. In the case before us, however, we are talking about Pakistan, who has been our great ally in this war on terrorism. To mix the two at this moment could be a very dangerous procedure for us to follow. I am very appreciative of the fact that the gentleman is going to withdraw this amendment. I would hope that we could carry forward this discussion, though, in another forum at another time for there is a lot of work that needs to be done here. India is our ally and our friend and a great democracy. In turn, Pakistan today is helping us in a very special way in the war against terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to commend the incoming president of the California Medical Association, Dr. Ronald Bangasser. For nearly two decades, I have known Dr. Bangasser as a friend and a community leader in San Bernardino County, California, and I believe he will be a strong asset at the head of the nation's largest state medical association.

Dr. Bangasser has been a prominent member of the San Bernardino County medical community since 1977, when he began in private practice. By 1982, he had established a reputation as an expert at treating complicated wounds as director of the Wound Care Center at Redlands Community Hospital. He became Chief of Staff at the hospital in 1990 and is now Medical Director for the Beaver Medical Group in Redlands.

Known for his interest in teaching, Dr. Bangasser is a member of the American Board of Family Practice, American College of Hyperbaric Medicine, American College of Physician Executives, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and an associate Professor at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

The legions of patients devoted to Dr. Bangasser include many in the retirement communities of Yucaipa, California, and a generation of young athletes at San Bernardino Valley College, where he has given 12,000 sport physicals in 22 years as team physician for the football team. Since 1986, he has served as team physician for the local minor league baseball team, currently known as the Inland Empire 66ers.

Dr. Bangasser is well known for his leadership role in the medical community and on public policy both in California and on the national level. He has served on nine medical association reference committees, and has been a San Bernardino County Medical Society board member for 25 years. He has served in a series of top positions on the California Medical Association, and is a delegate to the American Medical Association. He is a member of the AMA Council on Medical Services, and was recently appointed to the AMA's Quality Committee for NCQA. He was named Outstanding Physician by the San Bernardino County group in 1995, and was presented with the San Bernardino Valley College Distinguished Service Award in 1999.

In the community, Dr. Bangasser spearheaded a collaborative effort between the San Bernardino and Riverside County medical associations and the San Bernardino Bar Association on domestic violence awareness. He annually sponsors and pays for travel costs of two students to AMA events, and helped cover the costs of a group of teens to attend an AMA conference on teen pregnancy. He has served on the boards of the local United Way, the YMCA, the Redlands Community Hospital Foundation and the ``Just for You Volunteers'' seniors group in Yucaipa.

Dr. Bangasser is not unknown to us in Washington, where he has traveled to testify in support of medical programs, and last year he was honored by President Bush in a White House discussion on senior citizen health. He has already gained a reputation as a strong advocate of health care in his role as president-elect of the 35,000-member CMA.

Along with his other accomplishments, Dr. Bangasser trained as a former Navy Diving Medical Officer, and has taught many colleagues, friends, and patients the joys of this underwater adventure. I can thank him and his wife Susan for helping me rediscover my love for this sport, and helping me to train and qualify as a SCUBA diver.

Mr. Speaker, the job of president of the California Medical Association comes with heavy responsibility, but I am certain Dr. Ronald Bangasser will perform wonderfully in the role. I ask you and my colleagues to congratulate him on his election as president, and wish him success in his future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise really to express my deep appreciation for both the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) for the fabulous job they do on behalf of the men and women who make up our Armed Forces. The gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) and I have talked about the fact that I am very proud at this moment in our history to have the privilege to chair the subcommittee of appropriations that does the funding for the men and women who are now serving us overseas.

This evening we will have before us a budget that is probably the finest budget in terms of national security that I have seen in all the years I have been in Congress, and we will have the opportunity in that budget to express our strong support for those men and women who are doing this work on our behalf and on behalf of freedom in the Middle East this evening.

But particularly relative to this resolution are these two gentlemen, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), who have come together to provide a vehicle for us to express our deep appreciation, our deepest appreciation, for the work that they are about. Indeed, it is America's challenge to preserve freedom and provide leadership for freedom in the world. The men and women who are serving us this evening who we are praising by way of this resolution are right at the point of the strength of America as we go out carrying forward that responsibility we have to be the world's force for peace as well as for freedom. I thank them so much for what they are doing.

I appreciate the gentleman yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to offer my congratulations to the board of directors and employees of the Mission Springs Water District for 50 years of high quality service to the residents of Desert Hot Springs, California and the surrounding desert communities.

As you can imagine, Mr. Speaker, water is one of the most important concerns to residents of a desert community. However, many of my colleagues from the watery East may not know that there are millions of gallons of some of the finest water to be found in the underground basins of the deserts of California.

Blessed with one such basin, the early residents of the community (later to become the city) of Desert Hot Springs established, by vote, a water district that was later to become Mission Springs Water District. That original district served one square mile when it was created in February 1953. Today, it covers 135 square miles of a rapidly growing desert area.

Since its inception, the district has committed itself to provide, protect and preserve its high-quality drinking water. The district has gained widespread respect for its water conservation and attention to top quality materials in its distribution system.

Mr. Speaker, I know that it is common for members of Congress to speak proudly of the quality of their local products. But in this case, the product served by Mission Springs Water District has certified by experts as some of the best in the nation. The district has received one gold and two silver medals in the largest international water tasting competition held: the Berkeley Springs, West Virginia, International Water Tasting and Competition.

In 1998, the district sponsored state legislation to ensure protection of its award winning groundwater. The legislation amended Section 13281 of the Porter-Cologne Water Quality Act (the California Water Code), granting special protection to the Mission Creek and Desert Hot Springs Aquifers--the sources of the cities drinking water and world-renowned mineral water. The district has continued to support other legislation that protects water resources throughout California.

The district has also been a good corporate citizen. In 1999, the district created the Mission Springs Foundation, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to educating the community about water and human impact on water quality. It was instrumental in the formation of the Desert Hot Springs Groundwater Guardian Team in 1995. The Groundwater Guardian is committed to working in the community with the mission of ``teaching the community to care for and about groundwater.'' In 2000, under the leadership of district and the Groundwater Guardian Team, the newly constructed Desert Hot Springs High School became the first Groundwater Guardian Campus in the Nation.

In 1995, the district sponsored the First Big Blood Drive on behalf of the Desert Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce and the Coachella Valley Blood Bank. The drive set records for net pints donated in a single day drive in subsequent years.

Mr. Speaker, it is clear that in its 50 years of existence, the Mission Springs Water District has not only provided the highest quality water in the nation to its customers, but has also served as an inspiration source of community pride for those who live in its service boundaries. Please join me in congratulating the board and employees, and wishing them well for the future.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me this time, and it is very appropriate that I should follow with my remarks those of my friend and colleague and partner in this business, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murtha). The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey) was very kind to begin his remarks with a tribute to Greg Dahlberg.

I wanted to mention that the work of our subcommittee, that is the Subcommittee on Defense, along with MILCON, got their work done last year for the 2003 year; and it is largely because of the very fine relationship we have with our professional staff and with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Obey), the ranking member.

Just the day before yesterday in our meeting, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responding to the needs that are within this bill, and this bill includes a $10 billion package which is an additive to the 2003 bill which was not included in that budget relative to some of the costs carrying forward the war on terrorism. It is costing us over $1.5 billion a month, and we are very cognizant of the importance of this legislation in connection with that defense effort. Indeed, I want to have in the Record a copy of the letter from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that reflects his support for this legislation.

But probably this piece would not be a part of this package or would not be effectively here if it were not for the work of our very fine staff.

Greg Dahlberg reflects the finest of those professionals that we have around this place. We have them on both sides of the aisle, and especially among those committees that deal with the work on behalf of defense.

I think the Members know that, year in and year out, we come to the floor with a major portion of our discretionary money in the defense arena and we carry those bills forward with almost no rancor, taking usually very little time on the floor. And I think, generally speaking, those who are watching the action on the floor today should know that a significant reason for this bill going forward, so important that it go forward now, is that we do have this rather sizable piece of money that is critical to our being able to be consistent in moving forward with the war on terrorism.

And so while Greg leaves us officially in the near term, shortly, sometime, I am not sure when, I am sorry to see him leave. I am proud to be a friend of his; I expect to work with him in the months and years ahead, but in turn, I want to thank him for helping us get the kind of bipartisan support we expect to have for this bill as it passes.

Chairman of the Joint

Chiefs of Staff,

Washington, DC.

Hon. C.W. Bill Young,

Chairman, Committee on Appropriations,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: During our meeting yesterday you asked

Secretary Rumsfeld and me how significant the $6.1B for

Defense currently in the FY2003 Omnibus Appropriations Bill

is to the Armed Services. The following elaborates on our

answer of yesterday.

The Global War on Terrorism is costing about $1.6B per

month. This expense is not part of the Services' FY 2003

budgets. As a result, the Services are dipping into their

budgeted 4th quarter operating accounts--we are in fact

dipping into Service 3rd quarter operating accounts now--to

fund first and second quarter FY 2003 expenses associated

with the war. Without the $6.1B funding in the FY 2003

Omnibus, we will need to take immediate actions to reduce

spending. These actions will negatively impact readiness.

I offer my support for your efforts in passing the Omnibus

(H.J. Res. 2) before the President's Day recess. The package

you have worked includes essential funding for the Defense

Department; that is important to our national security.

The men and women of our Armed Forces deeply appreciate the

support of your Committee and that of the entire Congress.

Sincerely,

Richard B. Myers,

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mr. Speaker, I would like today to pay tribute to Mrs. Lillian Wood, who is well-known in many of our offices as the ``go-to'' person to provide service and answers to constituents who are Marines or former Marines. After 50 years of service as a civilian with the U.S. Marine Corps, Mrs. Wood is retiring as head of the Legislative Affairs Correspondence Branch.

As you and my colleagues know, when our constituents decide to ``call my Congressman'' to fix a problem, we turn to the agencies involved to help us with that solution. During her several decades with the Marine Corps legislative affairs office, Mrs. Wood helped tens of thousands of our constituents gain satisfaction, and she has become a shining example of a government official dedicated to public service.

A native of East Millsboro, Pennsylvania, Lillian went to work for the Marine Corps as a clerk-typist in 1952, not long after her high school graduation. She soon moved up to clerk-stenographer and began a quick ascent in the Marine Corps support services. From 1955 to 1966, she served with the Marine Corps dental/administrative division, and later with the reserve, aviation and G-4 divisions.

Her supervisors were so impressed with her business administration acumen that in 1966 Mrs. Wood was asked to join the Special Correspondence Branch of the Manpower and Reserve Affairs Department, formerly the Personnel Department. She was ultimately responsible for 28 employees in that department, and advanced to assistant branch head before her assignment to the legislative affairs correspondence branch.

Because of her personal integrity and the utmost respect and confidence she receives from the Corps, Mrs. Wood ensures that the Marines speak with one voice to congressional offices. She serves as the focal point for more than 4,000 written inquiries sent each year from Members of Congress. Her understanding of the needs of the average Marine and former Marine has been vital not only to our offices, but to the Secretary to the Navy, the Bureau of Medical Surgery and other military services.

Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in thanking Lillian Wood for 50 years of dedicated service with the Marine Corps, for showing exemplary leadership and inspirational service that set the standard for civilian service in the Corps and the United States Naval Service. We wish her well in her retirement.