Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I missed my connecting flight into Washington yesterday afternoon. As a result, I was absent from the House floor during last night's three rollcall votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of H.R. 588, H.R. 291, and H.R. 507.

Mr. Speaker, it is with pleasure that I show my support for the 21st Annual National Association of Letter Carriers National Food Drive, which will take place on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

Every year, NALC members across the country work together to execute the largest one-day food drive in the United States. To participate, those who are able to make a donation need only place a box of non- perishable food items by their mailbox. On May 11, letter carriers will pick up the contributions along their route and pass them along to local food banks.

Donations to the NALC stay local and help feed needy Americans in our own communities.

I urge my colleagues to stand with me and support the 21st Annual NALC National Food Drive.

Mr. Speaker, the Owens Community College Alumni Association takes great pride in its annual Outstanding Service Awards celebration, now in its tenth year. The awards honor the selfless contributions of area police, fire, and emergency medical service professionals to our communities. I wanted to share the inspiring stories of two of my constituents who will be recognized at this year's ceremony.

Last April, A.J. Green of Gibsonburg was a passenger on a bus traveling on the Ohio Turnpike. The bus collided with another vehicle that had been involved in a multi-vehicle accident. It was subsequently hit by another vehicle unable to stop due to dark, rainy conditions. The bus driver was knocked unconscious and was trapped behind the steering wheel, which was rendered inoperable by the wreck. Together with another passenger, A.J., who serves with the Lindsey Volunteer Fire Department, took control of the bus and shut off the engine. He then guided the passengers to safety at a nearby travel plaza where they were attended by emergency personnel.

A.J. has since coordinated a bus safety training day for area police, fire, and other emergency responders, turning this catastrophe into a learning experience. The association is presenting him with the 2013 Outstanding Firefighter Award for his exceptional efforts.

Keith Loreno, fire chief for the City of Fostoria, will be presented with the 2013 Outstanding Service to Community Award. Chief Loreno's three-decade career began with the Perkins Township Fire Department, where he served as a firefighter/emergency medical technician. Since then, he has worked as a corrections officer, a deputy sheriff, a top official with the Division of the State Fire Marshal, and as owner of an ambulance service.

Keith's devotion to volunteerism is an example to all who know him. A United Way board trustee, he has worked to ensure successful fundraising campaigns to aid vital community organizations. He also spearheads an annual clothing drive campaign and coordinates smoke- detector giveaway programs. His dedication to civic duty is further shown in his work with local students: Chief Loreno runs a Safety Town program for preschool children and coordinates mock-crash events to teach teenagers about the dangers of drinking and driving.

Mr. Speaker, this year's Outstanding Service Awards celebration will be held on Friday, April 26. I appreciate the opportunity to join the Owens Community College Alumni Association in recognizing the ongoing commitment and sacrifices of these first responders.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to commend to the House the generosity and support of the family of Leah and the late Jerry Shiffer to the Champaign County, Ohio, YMCA chapter.

In July 2007, Leah Shiffer and her children donated an 88-acre parcel in North Lewisburg to the Champaign Family YMCA. In so doing, they honored Jerry Shiffer's lifelong appreciation for outdoor recreation--an appreciation he shared with his whole family.

The Champaign Family YMCA recognized the Shiffer Family's benevolence at a 2008 dedication event. The Y has used this land for its summer day camp program, giving hundreds of young people the opportunity to learn about nature and the environment.

On Sunday, the Champaign Family YMCA will formally acknowledge Jerry Shiffer and his family by naming this camp in their honor. Sunday's event will include a tree-climbing demonstration, a nature hunt, archery, and other family activities led by the Y and the Boy Scouts of America.

I appreciate the opportunity to join the Champaign County Y and the people of Champaign County in recognizing the ongoing commitment and gracious gift of the Shiffer Family. I know that the family is pleased that Jerry's vision for a recreational camp for area youth will continue to be fulfilled.

Mr. Speaker, this week, the President hosted a star- studded concert at the White House for his friends, featuring the music of Otis Redding and others. One of Otis Redding's lines in his ``(Sittin' on) the Dock of the Bay'' sums up my thoughts on the President's budget: ``Looks like nothing's gonna change. Everything remains the same.''

Just like the Senate, the President's budget raises taxes, increases the debt and never, ever, ever balances. The Obama budget has a trillion dollars in new taxes on top of the trillion-dollar ObamaCare tax and the $600 billion ``fiscal cliff'' tax from earlier this year. The Obama budget spends $46 trillion, borrows another $8 trillion, and increases the national debt to $25.4 trillion over the next 10 years. Then, after all those taxes and all that spending, we still have a budget that never, ever, ever balances.

Mr. President, we can't borrow forever. We can't keep spending more than we take in. These problems are staring us right in the face, but the big spenders in Washington are just sittin' on the dock of the bay, wasting time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleagues for their strong vote last night in support of H.R. 667, which would designate NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base as the Neil A. Armstrong Flight Research Center. I thank the gentleman from California, Mr. McCarthy, for allowing me to be an original cosponsor of this legislation.

Forty-four years ago this July, Commander Neil Armstrong and his Apollo 11 crewmates achieved something once thought impossible: successfully landing on the moon and returning safely to the earth. They succeeded despite the many dangers they faced and the countless things that could have gone wrong during their pioneering mission.

I am especially honored to represent Neil Armstrong's birthplace: Wapakoneta, Ohio, which takes great pride in being home to the Neil Armstrong Air and Space Museum. The museum has on display various artifacts from the Apollo 11 mission and other articles from Armstrong's long and storied career.

As a test pilot, Armstrong spent seven years at the facility that will soon bear his name. Then called the High-Speed Flight Station, it was a key site for the foundational work done by NASA's predecessor agency, the National Advisory Council on Aeronautics, NACA. Armstrong logged 2,400 hours of flight time there, piloting the X-15 rocket- powered plane and other cutting-edge prototypes. He was also part of the team that designed and tested early mockups of a lunar landing vehicle.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation also renames the Western Aeronautical Test Range at Edwards after Hugh L. Dryden, a good friend of Neil Armstrong who served as NACA director from 1947 to 1958. Upon the creation of NASA in 1958, Dryden was named deputy director. While he did not live to see Armstrong's moon landing, his many contributions in the field of aerodynamics helped make the Apollo missions possible. I am pleased that his career will continue to be celebrated through this legislation.

Neil Armstrong's many achievements in space exploration renewed America's sense of hope for the future. His work at the Dryden Center set the foundation for every NASA mission that followed. He sought no honors during his lifetime and was rich in giving credit to others, never failing to recognize the contributions of the engineers and technicians who helped make his moon landing possible. I was proud to join my colleagues last night in honoring this American hero and son of Ohio.

I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for putting this hour together where we can recognize five outstanding Buckeyes for their service to their districts and to our great State.

I want to start first with the two gentleladies--truly gentleladies, poise and grace and passion that they bring to this process. I have appreciated that. I have appreciated Betty's tireless advocacy for the families that she represents in her district. For Jeannie and her unbelievable commitment to the sanctity of human life, I respect that tremendously and appreciate that. That's going to be missed around these Halls.

Then to the two Steves. Steve Austria, I had the privilege of serving with him in the State senate, outstanding American. He's done a great job representing his district. And then of course Steve LaTourette as well. As I like to call them ``Stevie Wonder Austria,'' ``Stevie Wonder LaTourette,'' both great guys who have served their districts with the kind of commitment that you want in a Representative.

Then, finally, my good friend--we use that term a lot around here, but in this situation it's actually true. Dennis Kucinich is a good friend. We have had the privilege of working on a subcommittee together. I've said this back home in our district--it's no secret that I'm a pretty conservative guy and Dennis is not a very conservative guy, and yet I tell people that we're good friends.

Here is a guy who truly comes to this process with this idea: get your best hole, take your best shot, fight for the things you believe in. That's the way this process should work; that's how Representatives should behave; and Dennis has done that just as good as anybody, and I respect that tremendously.

So we're losing five wonderful people, but they're going to continue to do great things for our State and continue in some form of public service, I'm sure. So I just want to say thank you and best of luck.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the people of Ohio's Fourth Congressional District, I congratulate Honda on its thirtieth anniversary as an automobile manufacturer in the United States.

Honda became the first Japanese automaker to manufacture cars in the U.S. on November 1, 1982, when the first U.S.-made Honda Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio. In the three decades since, the company has become one of our Nation's most important job creators, investing more than $12.5 billion in the U.S.--$1.2 billion in just the last two years. This investment has supported not only Honda's 26,000 U.S. employees--more than 13,500 in Ohio alone--but also hundreds of thousands of jobs at suppliers and servicers nationwide.

Honda marked its anniversary by announcing more than $200 million in new investments at its transmission manufacturing facility in Russells Point, Ohio, and its engine plant in Anna, Ohio. Two hundred new manufacturing jobs will be created at those plants as a result.

Mr. Speaker, Honda's commitment to Ohio dates back to 1979, when small-scale dirt bike production began in Marysville. The company has been a dedicated partner to communities throughout our State and Nation ever since, creating highly skilled jobs and revolutionizing domestic auto manufacturing.

I offer my congratulations to everyone at Honda as they celebrate this milestone. They have my very best wishes for continued excellence in automobile manufacturing and job creation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Army Specialist Joshua L. Reed, who died at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, on August 4.

Josh was born in Bellefontaine, Ohio, in 1990 to Lloyd and Tonja Reed. A 2009 graduate of Benjamin Logan High School, Josh participated in football and wrestling and also enjoyed skateboarding, snowboarding, and quad racing.

Enlisting in the Army in February 2010, Josh graduated from the Multiple Launch Rocket System Crewmember Advanced Individual Training Course at Fort Sill later that year. He was an ammunition specialist with Bravo Battery, 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery, and was

awarded the Army Certificate of Achievement and the Army Achievement Medal.

Josh is survived by a loving family, including his wife, Teosha Reed of Lawton, Oklahoma; his parents; two brothers, Nicholas Thompson and Tristan Reed; and grandparents Elva Karns and Lewis ``Butch'' and Judy Lenhart.

Josh courageously volunteered to serve in defense of his family, his community, his state, and his nation. Every American lives under the blanket of safety he helped provide. For this, we owe him and his family a great debt of gratitude.

Josh will be deeply missed. But the strength of his character and the courage he demonstrated through his service will live on.

Mr. Speaker, my scheduled flight into Washington yesterday afternoon was cancelled for mechanical reasons. As a result, I was absent from the House floor during last night's three rollcall votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted against S. 679 and in favor of H.R. 828 and H.R. 3803.

Mr. Speaker, because my scheduled flight into Washington was cancelled yesterday afternoon, I was absent from the House Floor during four rollcall votes taken on Tuesday.

Had I been present, I would have voted ``aye'' on rollcalls 412, 413, and 415, and ``no'' on rollcall 414.

I thank the gentleman for yielding and I thank the gentleman for offering his motion. We've heard all kinds of emotional stuff and language here. But let's just cut to the chase. This doesn't cut anything. It doesn't slash anything. This is a motion to instruct conferees in the transportation bill, the conferees on that legislation, to limit spending in the transportation legislation to the amount of money that's in the highway trust fund. It's as simple as that. Here's the money that came in. All you can do is spend what you have.

Imagine that concept. Imagine government actually just following that simple concept. Here's what came in. That's all you can spend. If we'd been doing that, we wouldn't have this debt that Mr. Duncan so eloquently spoke about. We wouldn't have the problems we see. You can say all the things you want, but it is that simple. This is apple pie, this is baseball. This is as plain as it gets. This is what every family has to do. This is what every small business has to do. This is what every township has to do. This is what every village has to do, every county has to do, every city has to do, every State has to do. The only entity that doesn't have to do this is, Oh, by the way, that entity that happens to have a $16 trillion national debt.

This is as simple as it gets. What you take in is all you can spend. You can't do what the politicians love to do: borrow from someone else. Borrow from some other program, which means you have to sell bonds to run up the debt. You can't do what politicians love to do: spend more than you have. You can only spend what you have.

And yet the other side says, This is terrible. This will ruin everything. This will make us Third World status. I'll tell you what will make us Third World status is a debt larger than our GDP. That's where Greece is. That's where they are. That's what will make us Third World status.

This is as simple and as plain as it can get, and I appreciate the courage of the gentleman to bring the motion forward to have this debate. This is a debate that we need to have in this country. If we can't even limit spending in this program to what comes in from the dedicated revenue, if we can't even do that, how are we ever going to cut spending elsewhere to get a handle on our deficit and our debt problem, if we can't even do this?

The American people get this. And you can try to confuse them with all the fancy language you've heard from the gentleman from Oregon--you can try to--but the American people get it.

I want to commend the gentleman for offering his motion, and I plan on supporting it tomorrow when we have a vote.

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

Mr. Chairman, let me just say this complements the amendment that was done earlier by Mrs. Blackburn from Tennessee. This is the no-more-Solyndras amendment. We're all familiar with that situation. As the Clerk read, this amendment would prohibit any new loan guarantees for renewable energy, electricity systems, and biofuels as defined in section 1705 of title 17 and, as I said before, complements what the House agreed to and passed earlier.

Let me just quickly tell you about this program. This is a $15 billion program. Twenty-six projects got your tax dollars. Of those 26 projects that got American tax money, 22 of those 26--three-fourths of those--were rated double B-minus junk status. In other words, no private capital would go there, but it was okay to put your tax dollars into these projects.

And what have we got for this? Everyone knows the story of Solyndra. They received $535 million, fired a thousands workers, and went bankrupt. But we also have Beacon Power, which received $43 million of your tax dollars and went bankrupt as well. First Solar got $3 billion in loan guarantees. It's now fired half of its workers. Its stock has plummeted. And Abound Solar--just to name four--$400 million loan guarantee and has fired 180 workers.

So here's what's going on with this program. The 1705 program was funded by the stimulus program. That is now expired. But in this continuing resolution that was passed last year, in that bill there was language to allow the 1703 program to continue to do what was previously done in 1705.

And so my amendment says, Enough of that. We've had enough taxpayer dollars wasted. We don't need any more. Our committee that I get the privilege of sitting on, the Oversight Committee, has had several hearings on this. We don't need the Department of Energy handing out more of your money to companies with double B-minus ratings and junk ratings and lower. We don't need that anymore. This says: enough is enough. We're in debt. This is at least one place we can start to save some taxpayer dollars.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I would just respond that the gentleman talked about--a ``couple of problems'' I think was the language he used referring to this program. It's hard to see when you have companies going bankrupt with taxpayer money, and 22 out of 26 of the projects that were funded were rated below investment grade credit quality--in other words junk status--it's hard to see how you can say ``a couple of problems'' when that's the history of this program. At some point, we're going to have to cut some spending.

One of my favorite movies, and some of you may have seen the movie ``1776.'' It's a musical. It's when they draft the Declaration of Independence, and there's a great scene, a great line--there are many great scenes, but one of the ones that I remember, where they're going through the declaration that Jefferson has just written. They're marking it up, they're editing it. And as they go through it, there are Members of that Congress who say, Well, we don't want to say this because that might really offend King George. And if we say this, Parliament may not like that. And what about deep sea fishing rights? They go through this whole thing. Finally, John Adams stands up and says: It's a revolution, dammit; we're going to have to offend somebody.

And at some point we've got to say we're so in debt we're going to have to cut something. Why not focus on a program that completely doesn't work? A program we all know has failed.

So if the other party can't even cut a program where 22 of the 26 projects are junk status, no one will give them money, they gave your taxpayer dollars to them and they went bankrupt--if we can't even stop that program, how in the heck are we ever going to deal with a $16 trillion debt larger than our entire economy?

So this is as simple as it gets. This is the low hanging fruit here, guys. And this party over here won't even go there. Unbelievable. The program speaks for itself. It's a failure. We should end it. We should save taxpayer dollars and take that initial first step in bringing some sanity back to our fiscal situation.

I yield back the balance of my time and urge a yes vote on the amendment.

Mr. Speaker, I was absent from the House Floor during yesterday's three rollcall votes.

Had I been present, I would have voted in favor of H. Con. Res. 105, H. Con. Res. 117, and H. Con. Res. 118.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the opportunity to share positive stories about young people from Ohio's Fourth Congressional District who overcome adversity. Today, I am pleased to share the stories of seven such individuals.

Alex Armstrong, Clear Fork High School. Alex refuses to allow Asperger's Syndrome to get in the way of pursuing his passion for music. He is a field commander for Clear Fork's marching band, participates in the stage and concert bands, and plays the organ at his church. Alex's leading roles in National Honor Society, the French Club, and the Tech Team are an inspiration to his teachers, who attest to his hard work and friendliness.

Katie Cabrera, Crestview High School. Challenged by family circumstances that have forced her to take control of her own health care decisions, Katie has the respect and admiration of her teachers and school staff for the responsibility she shows in dealing with diabetes. Her confidence, courage, and independence are a model to young people and adults alike. Katie plans to attend college after graduation.

Emily York, Lexington High School. A devastating motorcycle accident four years ago left Emily with third-degree burns over most of her body. She has endured multiple surgeries, skin grafts, and a serious leg infection resulting in amputation. After spending more than 18 months away from home in hospitals, Emily has returned to school, where her dedication is a model to her fellow students. She plans to study art therapy.

Mercedes Sawyer, Madison Comprehensive High School. Mercedes has suffered strokes and seizures caused by a rare and untreatable mitochondrial disease. She has fought this disease with diet changes and regular exercise, which has boosted her energy level and allowed her to participate in soccer, swimming, and track. A volunteer with the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, she will attend the University of Iowa this fall.

Travon Slaughter, Mansfield Senior High School. Coping with chronic pain and muscular atrophy caused by a stroke he suffered in the womb, Travon's positive attitude and sense of humor have won him the admiration of his teachers and fellow students. He entered the Early Childhood Career Tech Program, has worked at Madison Early Childhood Learning Center, and has plans to start his own daycare center.

Claire Engelken, Ontario High School. Claire has earned the respect of her peers and teachers for the way she has dealt with Asperger's Syndrome and scoliosis. Her passion for planning and for improving her communication skills continues to be an asset to her in her schoolwork. Claire has worked with the Pathway Program and wants to further develop her love of animals by working in an animal shelter or veterinary office after graduation.

Caitlyn James, St. Peter's High School. Caitlyn will not allow the challenges she faces at home to overwhelm her positive spirit, strong faith, and commitment to fight injustices. She recently made a presentation at a child abuse prevention awareness event that she coordinated at St. Peter's. Caitlyn plans to continue her selfless service to others following graduation and is considering serving in the Armed Forces.

Mr. Speaker, the Rotary Club of Mansfield, Ohio, will present these seven students with the McGowan Courage Award today. I am proud to join the Rotary in acknowledging their significant achievements and wishing them continued success in their lives.