Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. Perlmutter and Mr. Garamendi, for holding this.

As John Adams, our second President once famously said, Facts are stubborn things. This chart here, which is a chart which is using the Congressional Budget Office facts and figures in terms of what happened to this country since 2002, which as my friend indicated, was the last time we had a balanced budget in this country. This chart shows that we have accumulated about $7.5 trillion in debt. And $5 trillion of that was due to the policies of the last administration, starting with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, two wars which, again, lots of debate about whether it was in our national interest. In any case, what is not debatable is that we never paid a penny for either one of those conflicts.

The Bush tax cuts, $1.8 trillion; nondefense discretionary spending, $608 billion. TARP, the Wall Street bailout, which a lot of people forget occurred under the last administration; a Medicare drug benefit which was passed in 2005 and was never paid for. Not a nickle of that benefit was ever paid for with either offsetting revenue or other spending reductions.

And the 2008 stimulus bill which the Bush administration had presented. A lot of people don't remember the check that people got sent during that time. Again, none of those expenditures were paid for. Many of those expenditures, such as the Bush tax cuts and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, are still recurring expenses, which are still accumulating bills and debts which this country is obligated for.

When the Obama administration took office in January of 2009, they faced an economy that was in free fall. There were 800,000 jobs lost in January of 2009. Obviously, a crisis that needed to be addressed in terms of counter-recessionary policies such as extending unemployment benefits and some stimulus, which is to get work out there in terms of road and bridge construction projects, sewer treatment facilities. I'm cutting a ribbon on Monday morning in my district for a plant which provided a lot of work for people. Again, nonrecurring expenses to deal with the emergency that we faced as a Nation.

When you look at, again, the comparative cost of the policies and the Bush administration and the Obama administration and you think about the fact that we have these bills and expenses which have been accumulated by our Nation since 2002, and yet we had a default debate here an hour and a half ago, where the Speaker, who, by the way, voted for every single one of those Bush policies from 2002 up until President Bush left office, stood on this floor, blamed the debt crisis that we face in our Nation just on one administration, which, again, CBO clearly documents was far less culpable in terms of what the numbers show.

Again, it just shows how really corrosive the partisan debate that's occurred under the 112th Congress since this new majority took office, completing omitting the fact that eight times during the Bush administration they voted to raise the debt ceiling to avoid default. Under Ronald Reagan, 18 times. We've had clean debt limit increases. Yet this administration, the Obama administration, for the first time in American history is being held to a different standard in terms of trying to deal with the debts and obligations of this country.

The rating agencies have spoken loud and clear in terms of the bill that was just voted on here an hour and a half ago. A short-term extension of 6 months is thumbs down from the rating agencies because they see that as just an invitation this coming December to go through the same political and economic instability that we saw this past week. And that's not what our economy needs today.

Sure. Tonight, I know and every one of us here knows there are a lot of older Americans who are watching this debate extremely closely who are worried about their Social Security checks at the beginning of next month, and they're worried about whether their Medicare is going to be there.

What I would just say--and I know all of us agree--is we all understand that it is our solemn duty to protect a program that just celebrated its 45th anniversary, Medicare, which has made a difference to every single one of us in terms of our parents and our grandparents. We understand that we are not going to allow this political bullying effort, using the tool of the default as a device, to butcher the Medicare program. That is a solemn pledge which I know every single one of us believes in, and we are going to fight until this episode is over in order to make sure that we protect the basic components of retirement security for seniors in America, which is Social Security and Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, it is with great joy and honor that I rise to wish Edward Leitner a very happy birthday as he turns 100 years old today. Edward, a resident of Westbrook, Connecticut, is a veteran of World War II and a shining example of this country's Greatest Generation. I had the opportunity to meet Edward last month at a barbeque culminating Wounded Warriors week--an important,

seven-day event honoring the sacrifice of heroes like Edward--sponsored by the Connecticut and Westbrook Elks.

Edward was born in New York City on July 27, 1911. In 1920, he and his family moved to the Pond Meadow region of Westbrook where Edward's father had bought a farm. After graduating from the Pond Meadow School--a one-room schoolhouse still standing today--Edward left home at a young age. He went on to work at a variety of different jobs. He worked in a candy factory, held a construction job on the Merit Parkway, and worked for the railroad.

An automotive mechanic by occupation, Edward was inducted into the Army on November 30, 1942. He served as a member of the 100th Infantry Division, 398th Regiment, which put him in the thick of operations across Central Europe, including Germany. The 398th led the way at Heilbronn, Vosges Mountains, and the Battle of the Bulge. To this day, his family proudly recalls hearing about Mr. Leitner's central role in some of the war's most historic and epic battles. Edward, who earned several decorations and positive citations in the Army, was honorably discharged in March of 1946.

Edward's family describes him as their hero. They say he is a guy who can fix anything and do anything--and he has. Edward, for his brave and historic service to this great Nation, is my hero too. Mr. Leitner, despite his extraordinary story and experiences is an unassuming, down to earth gentleman who is a pleasure to meet and an example to us all. I ask my colleagues in the House to join me in wishing Edward Leitner a happy 100th birthday and thanking him for his great service.

Last night, Speaker Boehner addressed the American people and said that if the President would just simply sign his debt ceiling bill, the crisis, in his words, would disappear.

Actually, the opposite is true. An hour or two before his speech, the Standard & Poor's rating agency issued a report, saying that, if the Boehner plan passed, the American bonds would be downgraded from its AAA status. A downgrade is as bad as a default in terms of driving up lending costs and damaging a fragile economy that today needs all of us to work together to strengthen job creation to solve our problems. The Boehner plan calls for three separate votes over the next 15 months for a debt ceiling increase, exactly the kind of political instability that rating agencies are not looking for.

It is time for a comprehensive, balanced solution, which the President has said he will work with the Congress to pass in order to get this economy moving again and to create jobs.

Mr. Speaker, in March of 2009, the USS Hartford, a 17- year-old Los Angeles-class submarine, was steaming into port in the Strait of Hormuz. Visibility was low, and they were riding at ocean surface level when, out of the blue, they were struck by the USS San Antonio, an LPD amphibious ship. When it violently collided with the Hartford, the Hartford rolled 85 degrees, throwing sailors, anything that wasn't tied down, flying into the air.

The good news is that the collision did not result in a breach of the submarine. There was no leak through the pressure hull. But the bad news is that the sail of the submarine was badly torn 20 to 25 degrees.

The ship limped home to its home port in Groton, Connecticut, which was a tough voyage going across the Atlantic, again riding at the surface, which, as many people who know submariners know, is the worst place to ride a submarine. But it made it back to port.

And then the challenge was before the shipyard about how to repair a ship that was 17 years old, that was built with totally different technology, hand-drawn prints, a workforce that had largely retired, and parts that really weren't in existence anymore. But the folks at Electric Boat, 450 strong, came together as a team and, calling back some of their retirees, were able, over a period of 18 months, to perform the most ultimate body shop repair job of a Los Angeles-class submarine.

And I'm happy to report to this House that the USS Hartford is now back underway, performing its missions, and will extend the life of, again, a submarine that this country invested close to $1 billion 20 years ago when it was first constructed. Again, the replacement costs, if this work had not been done, would be close to $2 billion. What the folks at EB were able to do, again, at a cost of about 5 percent of that, was to get the USS Hartford operating and at great savings to the U.S. taxpayer.

And I want to share this story because it demonstrates that when you invest in people, nuclear welders today, as Admiral Kevin McCoy testified before the House Armed Services Committee last week, have a value to the U.S. workforce almost as great as a surgeon in terms of the skills that they have.

When you invest in people, when you have those skills and when you have the kind of teamwork that we see at EB, this country can succeed in ways that no other country in the world can even touch us. The complexity of a nuclear submarine matches anything that a space shuttle entails in terms of the challenges to support human life in an environment where human life cannot exist. And the capabilities of one of these vessels, again, defy almost human imagination.

So congratulations to the workforce at Electric Boat for showing again that the United States of America is capable of almost taking on any challenge when it has the right combination of investment, skill and talent, something which, as we look at our challenges that we face as a Nation today, is something that we can both take inspiration from, but also learn valuable lessons about where the right priorities of this government should be. And investing in education, workforce skills again is the best investment to grow this economy and solve America's problem.

Mr. Speaker, I will include in the Record an article from The New London Day written by Jennifer McDermott, which again documents this amazing story of technological success.

[From TheDay.com, July 17, 2011]

Electric Boat Gets USS Hartford Back to Sea

(By Jennifer McDermott)

Repairs to damaged sub total $120 million

Groton, CT.--Repairing a severely damaged 17-year-old

submarine with the technology Electric Boat uses to build

modern subs was like reconstructing a Ford Model T in a Lexus

shop.

The Navy contracted with EB for about $120 million worth of

repairs to the USS Hartford after the Los Angeles-class

submarine collided with a Navy amphibious ship in the Strait

of Hormuz in 2009.

The Navy wanted the submarine back at sea as soon as

possible--ideally, in one year.

The repair team at EB knew the Hartford (SSN 768) had

rolled about 85 degrees and

damaged its sail, hull and port bow plane. But the

destruction turned out to be far worse than expected.

The sail leaned 15 to 20 degrees to the starboard side.

Seventy-five percent of it was torn off. It would have to be

removed to patch the hull.

There would be no saving the sub if the Hartford did not

keep its shape when welders cut into the hull to remove the

damaged section, or after they patched it.

And the team discovered after the submarine was taken out

of the water that the bow plane had caved in to the ballast

tank. The masts and antennas weren't working because

hydraulic fluid had shot through the system after the

collision and damaged many valves.

``In my 38 years here, we have never worked on something of

this magnitude, repairwise,'' said Stanley J. Gwudz, the

director of ship's management who likened the repairs to

reconstructing a Model T.

This type of repair is ``about as complex as they come,''

said Rear Adm. David M. Duryea, deputy commander for undersea

warfare.

Retirees share knowledge

Because EB and its relatively young work force are set up

for building today's Virginia-class submarines--not for major

repairs to the aging Los Angeles class--some former employees

came out of retirement to share their knowledge.

The trick was figuring out how to combine today's

technology with yesterday's hand-drawn designs, some of which

didn't match up. Daniel Vieira, the ship's manager for the

repair project, laughed when asked how such a feat was

accomplished.

``I lived it, and I'm not sure,'' Vieira said. ``It was

through a lot of pain. You know, you depend on a lot of

people with a lot of experience and training to come back to

you and say, `This is right. This isn't. We need to fix

this.' ''

The biggest problem was that the sail had crushed into the

pressure hull. It had been 20 years since anyone in the

shipyard had performed a major cut into a submarine's hull,

the pressure-tight shell of a submarine, while maintaining

the circularity of the ship.

``The pressure hull is sacred ground,'' Vieira said. ``It

keeps water out. Anytime you have anything that penetrates

the pressure hull, it's a big deal.''

The half-moon shaped patch to fix the hull measured more

than 150 square feet.

``It's very easy to get warping or misalignment or change

the geometry with all the welding, which would have

significant effects,'' Vieira said. ``The ship is shaped that

way for a reason.''

Welders and shipfitters at EB's Quonset Point facility

built a new sail using the modular construction techniques

developed for the Virginia class. Years ago they would have

had to fix the hull, then build the sail piece by piece on

the submarine.

The repairs could have taken years if each step were done

in sequence, instead of at the same time, Gwudz said.

Useful lessons learned

Few vendors still make parts for Los Angeles-class

submarines.

In the crash, the bow plane was forced back into its

locking mechanism, caving the structure into the ballast

tank. A 16-inch diameter shaft bent 4 inches, but a new shaft

wasn't available. So EB engineers incorporated the 4-inch

bend into the design. A new, fully functional bow plane was

built around the bent shaft to dive the sub.

The damaged valves were replaced.

Testing at sea in January showed the repairs to be

successful.

Gwudz could only recall one other repair job at EB where

the level of damage on a submarine came close to the severity

of the Hartford's. In the early 1980s, he said, a Los

Angeles-class submarine needed its masts fixed and a patch

underneath. The graving dock was secured for this

confidential job and Gwudz said he was never told how the

submarine sustained its damage.

EB can now use what it learned working on the Hartford to

repair other Los Angeles-class submarines more effectively,

Gwudz said. The USS Alexandria (SSN 757) is at EB for routine

maintenance.

Instead of taking a ventilation valve apart to see which of

the older parts are corroded, for example, Gwudz said they

will know to get new flappers or linkages because these parts

were corroded on the Hartford. That gives vendors more time

to make the parts so they are ready when EB needs them.

Robert Hamilton, an EB spokesman, said the Hartford repair

job ``used 50 Connecticut suppliers with a total spend of

$3.5 million.''

The project took more than one million man-hours and the

efforts of 450 people at its peak.

The $120 million price tag is less than 5 percent of what

it would have cost to replace the Hartford with a new

Virginia-class submarine.

``Everybody in the Navy had a lot of confidence in EB and

the NAVSEA team to execute the repairs,'' Duryea said,

referring to the Navy command responsible for overseeing the

construction and maintenance of the Navy's ships. ``Certainly

we knew it would be a challenge, but EB does a very good job

at executing complex work. This was just another example of

the fine work they were able to do.

``We needed this capability out in the fleet,'' Duryea

said. ``Hartford has a lot of good life left in her, and we

wanted to get her back to sea.''

Hartford at fault

EB originally built the Hartford at a cost of about $900

million.

The submarine returned to the Naval Submarine Base in

February, nearly two years after the March 2009 crash and 18

months after arriving at EB.

The submerged submarine and the USS New Orleans (LPD 18), a

San Diego-based amphibious ship, had both been heading into

port when the collision occurred.

The fuel tank ruptured on the New Orleans, creating a 16-

by-18-foot hole and spilling about 25,000 gallons of diesel

fuel. Two ballast tanks were damaged.

Navy investigators concluded the crew of the Hartford was

at fault. The sub's leadership was called ``ineffective and

negligent'' and sailors were accused of falling asleep on the

job, spending too much time away from their stations and

chatting informally while working.

Vieira could see a silver lining in the task of repairing

the Hartford. He said the repairs were an opportunity for

senior employees to impart their knowledge to the younger

ones so these newer employees will be able to help with work

on the Los Angeles class in the future.

Duryea agreed that there were technical lessons learned

but, he said, ``my only hope is we don't have to do these

types of repairs again.''

Thank you, Mr. Tonko.

I want to thank Congressman Garamendi, who did great service as the insurance commissioner in the State of California. He understands these issues intimately.

I think this is really a generational gut check for our country in terms of whether or not this attempt to butcher Medicare, one of the most successful programs in American and world history, is going to succeed or not. John described very powerfully the public wards in the public hospitals and the third-tier status that seniors had prior to 1965. Kaiser Permanente actually did a study in terms of just reminding us of what this country faced when President Johnson signed that legislation on Harry Truman's porch step. At the time Medicare passed, only 50 percent of seniors over 65 in America had health insurance of any sort whatsoever. Part of it was class. Part of it was the underwriting rules. But part of it is, just as Mr. Garamendi said, age is a factor which carries risk. And there is no insurance company that evaluates risk within its own book of business that can really take all comers when you're talking about a population of 65 and up. Life expectancy was 70 in 1965.

So we passed Medicare, and what happened is we created a guaranteed benefit. The genius of Medicare is that we pooled the risk, and we actually made an affordable system financed through payroll taxes, premiums. The system has had its ups and downs financially over the past 45 years. The fact of the matter is we now have a life expectancy of 78 in this country. It has worked. We have also alleviated the crushing out-of-pocket costs that seniors faced in 1965, and we have elevated the status of people in that demographic in a way that the private insurance market just was totally incapable of doing it.

Last year, we passed the Affordable Care Act, which modified Medicare and made some important improvements and changes. We now have annual checkups covered. We now have cancer screenings. We now have extended prescription drug benefits. And one of the things that the Republicans claim, in trying to sell this measure with snake oil, frankly, is that somehow people who are 55 and above today will not be affected by the passage of the Ryan plan. In fact, we know that if you look at that plan, it cancels all of those new benefits in year one.

So seniors who now--hundreds of thousands--have gotten their annual checkups in the last 8 or 9 months since the new benefit kicked in, cancer screenings that kicked in, prescription drug assistance that's now providing health for seniors in the doughnut hole, all of that would be canceled today, and any prospective change that is proposed in this system, which again, starting for individuals 55 and under, now will be left in a private insurance market with a totally inadequate voucher, as Mr. Garamendi said. Again, that's where the real butchering of Medicare takes place. But there is no question for anyone who's listening tonight that if you are a senior citizen on Medicare, the false claim that you are somehow insulated from this measure because of the fact that you're already in the program, that is something that people have got to recognize and understand. That new benefits that are making this a smarter, more effective program are going to be canceled in year one if this measure, God forbid, ever is enacted.

Right, and thank you.

Because there was so much, almost, fear language surrounding this debate in terms of whether Medicare is bankrupt, whether Medicare is going broke, whether Medicare is running out of money, it's important for people to go back and read the trustees' report, which was just issued a few weeks ago. It is a report that is issued on an annual basis. It has been since 1966 when Harry Truman was the first Medicare beneficiary to sign up for the program with his wife, Bess; but it has had its ups-and-downs over the years.

The report that just came out said that Medicare is fully solvent, can pay all of its bills through 2024 and that it can pay 90 percent of its bills through 2045.

Now, there is no question that, compared to last year's report, there was some deterioration in terms of that projection, but the trustees were careful to point out the fact that that slippage in terms of some of the years of lost solvency was due to the economy and due to payroll tax collection. It had nothing to do with overuse or certainly nothing to do with the Affordable Care Act. In fact, they said the opposite, which was that the Affordable Care Act actually extended the solvency of the Medicare program by a factor of 8 years. Thank God we had passed that legislation, because we really would almost be bumping up into a cliff at this point if we hadn't done it.

But again, I think it's important for people to remember that, going back in time to 1970, the Medicare solvency report that came out for the trustees projected 2 years of solvency as to when it was going to hit that tipping point. When Ronald Reagan was President in 1983 and came to the Congress, seeking an increase in the debt limit to avoid default, Medicare solvency was half of what it is today. So the fact is that it has had its challenges.

As you point out, there are good ideas about using bulk purchasing, and there are good ideas about revisiting the subsidized insurance program in terms of the size of the insurance company subsidies. We can deal with that 10 percent shortfall between 2024 and 2045 without butchering the program. That really is, in my opinion, the wolf in sheep's clothing surrounding this debate in that somehow people are using solvency reports as an excuse to basically eliminate the guaranteed benefit.

Again, it is our duty as Members of Congress to make sure that we protect for the next generation the benefit that our parents enjoyed and that pushed out solvency from age 70 in 1965 to age 78 today. That is a Medicare success, and we cannot go backwards as a Nation.

We had a town hall meeting in my district, talking about the Medicare program. We had Dr. Rebecca Andrews--she's a primary care doc at the University of Connecticut Health Center--and she was talking about the new annual screening coverage where she had one of her patients who was kind of a big husky guy, kind of. They used to kind of razz each other. But she had 45 minutes with him. She did the soup-to-nuts checkup.

She ordered a urine test, which she normally wouldn't with the old system. She found a tiny, microscopic spec of blood, or they did at the lab, which they were a little concerned about. She called him back in, did a follow-up. It turned out he had bladder cancer.

Because they were able to detect it so quickly because of that annual checkup and the cancer screening tests that are now covered under Medicare, it was a day surgery, in and out, a really very nonintrusive event that cost a fraction of what it would have been if he had not had that checkup to detect that cancer early. And she had at least two other patients, because of the new Affordable Care Act annual checkup, where they detected cancer and again were able to intervene at a low cost compared to what it would have been if it had been a full-blown case.

If I can just sort of finish, the point is that we were talking about two programs right now that did not create the deficit issue that is facing this country.

We had two massive tax cuts for the super-rich. We have two wars that haven't been paid for and a prescription drug benefit which was passed during the last administration which was never paid for, which we dealt with in the Affordable Care Act to offset that. The Trustees report says that we've got 100 percent solvency through 2024, 90 percent solvency through 2045, and 100 percent solvency for the Social Security system until 2037.

I'll just say, I'm sure your offices are like mine. This is the number one issue that we're getting calls, emails, and mail on: Are you guys going to stand up and live up to your sacred duty to protect these programs--Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid--that our middle class depends on?

Mr. Speaker, it is with great sadness that I rise today to honor Paul H. Protzenko of Enfield, Connecticut. Paul was killed on July 9, 2011, when his vehicle was attacked by small arms fire in Afghanistan, where he was training local officers on crime scene investigation techniques and police tactics.

Born in Agawam, Massachusetts, Paul had been a proud resident of Enfield of many years. Paul served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army for 6 years and went on to serve for 22 years as a Connecticut State Trooper First Class. After retiring from the force in 2009, Paul selflessly decided to serve his country in Afghanistan by employing his talents and expertise in law enforcement to help local officers protect their communities and take charge of their future.

Paul's life can only be described as a life of service to others. His passionate love for his country and community afforded him two life- saving medals as a trooper and an additional medal while serving in the military.

In Enfield, Paul was a communicant of St. Adalbert Church. Outside of his professional life, he stayed active as an avid martial artist, marksman, and skier. Neighbors and friends remember Paul as a standout figure in the community who--whether in uniform or not--always sought to keep the people around him safe.

Above all, he was devoted to his family. Paul will be deeply missed by his wife, Lyse; his three children Jennifer, Anthony, and Matthew; his parents; and his grandchildren. We must always remember those who dedicate their lives to serving this great country. Paul made the ultimate sacrifice for us and we will always remember and honor him for it. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, his neighbors, and his brothers on the state police force. I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss and honoring the life of this courageous man, Paul H. Protzenko.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to extend my sincerest congratulations to Ms. Kathleen Ledwidge and Mr. Walter Johnsen, who brought home the silver medals last Thursday from the Special Olympics World Games in Greece. Connecticut's Second District is honored to recognize the extraordinary sailors, Kathleen and Walter, who hail from Mystic and Stonington, respectively.

The very first time Walter and Kathleen sailed together was at the Special Olympic Games in Athens this year. Walter, who is only 15 years old, was partnered with Kathleen and they placed second, only points behind a team from Austria. While this may have been their first opportunity to sail together, these two have become lifelong friends who will sail the waters of the world for years to come.

Spike Lobdell, President of the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club Sailing Club, said that every Tuesday afternoon, Walter, Kathy, and many other athletes attend training where their lessons not only improve their sailing skills but also their lives. He said that their goal is to teach life skills and that beyond their silver medals in the top bracket, ``Kathy and Walter are even more impressive off the water.''

As we know, the Special Olympics began its remarkable tradition more than forty years ago when founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver recited the oath that is still said today: ``Let me win, but if I cannot win let me be brave in the attempt.'' Since those sacred words were first spoken, 3.1 million athletes from 185 countries have participated in the Games, including the 12,000 who participated in Greece this year.

It is inspiring to witness such talent from individuals in Connecticut. It takes significant courage to represent your State and your country and I would like to commend them and their fellow athletes for their bravery. The Special Olympics will always serve as a reminder of the importance of giving everyone a chance to be themselves in a world where it is sometimes difficult to do so.

As President Barack Obama recently said, the ``Special Olympics, as a champion for people with intellectual disabilities, teaches our nation--and our world--that no physical or mental barrier can restrain the power of the human spirit.'' We have seen that spirit in the accomplishments of these two sailors. I ask that my colleagues join me in offering our sincerest congratulations to our brave and talented athletes, Ms. Kathleen Ledwidge and Mr. Walter Johnsen.

Madam Speaker, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan said the following: ``The full consequences of a default--or even the serious prospect of a default--by the United States are impossible to predict and awesome to contemplate. Denigration of the full faith and credit of the United States would have substantial effects on domestic financial markets and the value of the dollar in exchange markets. The risks, the costs, the disruptions, and the incalculable damage lead me to but one conclusion: the Senate must pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns.''

Thank goodness Congress had the good sense to listen and pass a higher debt limit with no conditions at a time, by the way, when Medicare solvency was far worse than it is today, and then did it 16 more times during the Reagan Presidency.

Today, we have the head of the national Republican Party, Reince Priebus, saying yesterday, don't worry, the government will find some other way to pay its bills. That is dangerous nonsense. It is time for the Republican Party to stop playing Russian roulette with the American economy and American families. Let's pass a clean debt limit and move on to growing the U.S. economy and creating jobs.

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

Mr. Chairman, this amendment is simple. It would increase the Army Corps of Engineers operations and maintenance budget by $808 million in 2012. This number is not a random number that was just picked out of the air. This number represents the difference between the tax revenue collected through the harbor maintenance tax and the amount of money that is actually being spent out of the harbor maintenance trust fund for the purpose of maintaining and dredging America's harbors.

Again, for some listeners it might be helpful to understand that in 1986, the Congress passed a harbor maintenance tax, which is a tax--it is really a user fee--on imported goods coming into America's harbors all across this country, East Coast, West Coast, all across the coastlines of the United States of America. The purpose of that tax was to create a fund to dredge harbors so we would have passable waterways. Again, we have heard over and over this afternoon, that is good for the U.S. economy.

What has happened since 1986 is the revenue collected through the harbor maintenance tax has gone up at a steady rate. It has gone up 13 percent just in the last year because there are a lot more imported goods coming into this country, but the funding for actual dredging has plateaued. It has been at a level pace so that today, we have a budget which calls for using only 53 percent of the harbor maintenance taxes collected for the purposes of dredging America's harbors. This would be like having only 53 percent of our gas taxes being spent on surface transportation in this country. If motorists saw only 53 percent of gas taxes being actually used to maintain roads in this country, there would be a revolution, because there is a promise in terms of Federal gas taxes that it will be used to maintain surface transportation.

Well, that was the equivalent idea under the harbor maintenance tax passed in 1986, that it would be used to invest and reinvest in America's harbors.

Because we are, in fact, diverting year in and year out hundreds of millions of dollars out of the harbor maintenance tax away from its intended purpose, we have what we have seen here this afternoon. We have heard from Members from Massachusetts, from New York, Louisiana, South Carolina, and New Jersey.

I can chime in from Connecticut. We have about $113 million of dredging that is underfunded from Bridgeport all of the way to Stonington. And I know the gentleman from New Jersey is familiar with the fact that we are on the silty side of Long Island Sound. Again, we have a Navy base which requires dredging to keep our attack submarines going in and out of New London. But we also have a maritime economy that depends on having these Federal waterways dredged.

The budget that we will be passing this year, whether it is the President's budget or whether it is the one that the subcommittee has reported out, is clearly inadequate in terms of making sure that our waterways are passable.

As we have heard from other Members, because of the increase in terms of imports, whether we pass these new free trade agreements or not, the expansion of the Panama Canal is going to double the amount of imports brought in by sea into this country, and we have a system that is clearly inadequate in terms of dealing with that challenge.

Now there is legislation pending before the Congress. I am a cosponsor with the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Boustany). It is called the RAMP Act. It is an acronym for Restore America's Maritime Promise Act, which is a grandiose title, but it is true. We need to make sure that these harbor maintenance taxes are being directed to their intended purpose when that tax was created in 1986. What the RAMP Act will do is basically cordon off this tax revenue so that it is used for the intended purpose that Congress meant when it was passed in 1986.

What that will do is it will take pressure off this subcommittee's budget year in and year out. Again, it will deal with this problem that has worsened, as the subcommittee chairman mentioned, because earmarks are now a thing of the past in terms of dealing with dredging projects. What it will do is create a stable flow of money into the Army Corps of Engineers harbor maintenance dredging fund so that all of these projects that we have heard about this afternoon--again, from one end of the country to the other--are actually going to be paid for. We have over 100 bipartisan cosponsors.

The Transportation Committee had a hearing this past Friday, and it does appear from Mr. Mica that they are going to move forward in terms of adopting the RAMP Act as part of the transportation authorization bill.

This amendment, again, puts a spotlight on the fact that only 53 percent of the harbor maintenance tax revenue is being used for its intended purpose, and that is the reason why I have offered this amendment.

I suspect it will be subject to a point of order. But again, I think it is important for people to realize there is a way out of this problem that we face: Pass the RAMP Act.

Offered By: Mr. Courtney

Amendment No. 30: Page 7, line 15, insert before the period

at the end ``: Provided further, That in addition, there is

appropriated

$808,000,000, which shall be derived from the Harbor

Maintenance Trust Fund''.

Mr. Speaker, when former President Harry Truman and his wife, Bess, were officially enrolled as the first Medicare beneficiaries on July 1, 1966, only 50 percent of America's seniors could afford private health insurance.

The high risks associated with covering America's over-65 population made seniors basically uninsurable. That all changed 45 years ago last week when Medicare was established as a guaranteed benefit, providing a basic level of care for seniors regardless of income or illness.

From the beginning, Medicare has proven resilient, adapting to rapid changes in medicine and surviving in wartime and peace, economic boom times and in recession. Despite some alarmist claims, Medicare has faced more difficult financial challenges in the past than the ones it faces today. Preserving Medicare's guaranteed benefits for future generations is our solemn duty, and we must stop the push for vouchers, which will ruin America's middle class.

On the 45th anniversary of this landmark program, we must rededicate ourselves to protecting Medicare as a guaranteed benefit for tomorrow's seniors, not butchering it with a voucher

program or using it as an ATM for the top 2 percents.

Happy birthday, Medicare. If we stay true to our values, you will have many happy returns.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and mourn the loss of Arthur Henri Jerbert of North Stonington, Connecticut. As we approach the one year anniversary of his passing, and in such close proximity to Independence Day, it is important for this House to remember Art's remarkable service to our nation and his contributions to his community.

Art was a member of the ``Greatest Generation'' and entered the U.S. Navy during World War II serving in the submarine force for 20 distinguished years. His career in the Navy included time aboard one of the submarines that adapted the highly-coordinated, ``wolf pack'' attack strategy in the Sea of Japan. That strategy was instrumental in reasserting allied naval supremacy in the Pacific--an essential ingredient to final victory. During that conflict, he earned the Bronze Star for valor in combat and after the war rose to the rank of Commander, retiring in 1962.

After leaving the Navy, Art applied his talent and energy to solving problems in his community and improving the quality of life in southeastern Connecticut. He coached Little League baseball, served on the North Stonington Board of Education, and became Ledyard's first mayor in 1971. He educated and empowered young people as a popular math teacher at schools across eastern Connecticut including Norwich Free Academy and Griswold High School.

Arthur is deeply missed by his loving wife Marilyn, his children, grandchildren, and great grandchild. His example of human excellence and service is an inspiration for us all today and for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life of Arthur Jerbert of North Stonington, Connecticut. As we approach the 1-year anniversary of his passing, it's important for this House to remember Art's remarkable service to our Nation and his community.

Art was a member of the Greatest Generation, entering the U.S. Navy during World War II, serving in the submarine force for 20 distinguished years. His career in the Navy included time aboard one of the subs that executed the ``wolf pack'' attack strategy in the Sea of Japan. That strategy was instrumental in asserting allied naval supremacy in the Pacific, an essential ingredient to final victory. During the conflict, he earned the Bronze Star and after the war rose to the rank of commander, retiring in 1962.

After leaving the Navy, Art applied his talents to improving the quality of life in southeastern Connecticut. He taught math to high schoolers all across the State, he coached little league, served on the North Stonington Board of Education, and became Ledyard's first mayor in 1971. What an amazing guy.

Art is deeply missed by his loving wife, Marilyn; his children; grandchildren; and great-grandchild. His example of human excellence and service is an inspiration for us all today and for generations to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Vincent Leo Diana, Sr., an accomplished attorney, loving husband, veteran, and dear friend. Vincent, a resident of Manchester, Connecticut, passed away on May 27 at the age of 81.

Vinny was a proud Connecticut resident with deep roots in the community. Born in Manchester in 1930, he went to the Nathan Hale School, graduated from Manchester High in 1948, and from Hartford's Trinity College in 1952. After Trinity, he went on to attend law school and was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1955. For the next two years, Vinny was on active duty in the U.S. Air Force, entering as a Second Lieutenant. He served his country and as a Judge Advocate, spending most of his time in Tokyo, Japan. When Vinny left the Air Force as a Captain, he returned to practicing law.

A talented and accomplished attorney, Vinny was a man of character and one who used his skills for good outside of his law office at Diana, Conti, & Tunila. Vinny served as a Master and Trial Referee for the Superior Court and was a member of Hartford County's Legal Aid Board. He was also active in the Hartford Country Bar Association, where he was a Director for 25 years. In 2005, Vinny was honored by the Manchester and Hartford Bar Associations for his 50 years of service in the region. On this point I can personally attest to his finely honed legal skills, diligent representation of his clients, and his ethical standards. As a young attorney years ago, I watched Vinny in court handle his advocacy with skill and compassion. He was one of the giants of the Bar in Hartford and Tolland Counties in Connecticut.

Vinny cared very much about his friends and colleagues in Manchester, demonstrating this commitment through leadership of important causes and organizations in town. He was Chairman of the Board for Dyslexic Children, a director of the Girl Scout Committee, and an instrumental player in getting fluoride added to the Manchester water system. He helped young people learn practical management skills as President of the Manchester Jaycees, ensured opportunity for local students as a founding member of his town's Scholarship Foundation, and even chaired the reunion committee for Manchester High's Class of 1948. He was a lifelong Republican and member of Manchester's Republican Town Committee for 50 years.

Vinny was also a spiritual man who, as one might expect, put in many years of faithful service to his parish. In 2009, Hartford's Archbishop, Henry J. Mansell, awarded him the St. Joseph Archdiocesan Medal of Appreciation for his work.

With all the dedication and devotion Vinny put into each aspect of his life, he saved most of it for his loving wife Gloria, his seven children, and 22 grandchildren. I know of few men who gave as much to their country, profession, congregation, community and family as Vinny did. His lifetime of service will live on for generations in the countless people he helped along the way. I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Vincent Leo Diana, Sr.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mourn the passing and honor the life of William P. Powers. Bill, a long-time resident of Niantic, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on May 29, 2011. Bill's desire to give back to his country and community was without bounds. We are fortunate that he chose to spend his life protecting our nation, teaching our young people, and working tirelessly to ensure a good life for the people around him.

Following the death of their father, Bill and his brother were raised in New Haven by their mother and her extended family. After graduating from high school, Bill went to work at High Standard Manufacturing Co., which made deep hole drills, and eventually .22 caliber pistols and repeating rifles, during World War II.

Bill's impressive work ethic, revealed at a young age, afforded him a life full of rich and diverse experiences. In New Haven, he bused tables of Yale's famous Berkely College dining hall, delivered telegraphs for Western Union on his bicycle, and even worked a maintenance job for the city's railroad. When war erupted and gripped the nation, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy. When his number was called up in October of 1942, he trained as a pilot, flying the well-known ``Privateer'' patrol bomber. He was stationed in Kearney, California.

When the war ended, Bill enrolled at Columbia University on the GI Bill. He kept himself busy as a student and worked as a waiter at the Drake Hotel, where he crossed paths with famous singers and songwriters like Frank Sinatra and Cole Porter.

Education was a lifelong passion and pursuit for Bill. After graduating from Columbia, he took a job back in Connecticut, this time in East Lyme's Niantic village where he would live for nearly 60 years. He served as principal of the Flanders, Niantic Center, and Great Neck schools in eastern Connecticut. He knew not only the name of every student in his schools, but also an interesting fact about each one of them. While ensuring that his students had a safe and productive place to learn, Bill pursued more education of his own, earning a Master of Arts and Sixth Year degree from UConn. He also led a group of his colleagues as the President of Connecticut's Elementary and Middle School Principals' Association.

It is not surprising that when Bill's time as a professional educator came to a close, he put his signature passion and hard work into making his state and community a better place. For a period, he spent several years in Connecticut's General Assembly as legislative aide for his son, Senator Mark H. Powers, and also as a popular messenger in the senate. He even spent some time as an investigator in the New London Public Defender's office and was a respected and beloved Justice of the Peace. Bill was also an active member of American Legion Post 128.

Bill's contributions as a U.S. Navy veteran, an educator, and civic leader could easily fill three lifetimes, but he packed it all into one. I admire his desire to make education a lifelong experience and his commitment to preserve his deep Connecticut roots. He will be dearly missed by his state, his community and most of all by his loving wife, Jane, and five boys, William Jr., Mark, Joseph, Richard, and Thomas. I ask my colleagues to join me in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of William P. Powers.