Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, this weekend, the administration bizarrely claimed that there is ``overwhelming consensus'' that we are not losing jobs and are, instead, creating them. If this is the case, I encourage the administration to release the data to back up this ``overwhelming consensus'' to constituents who want to know ``Where are the jobs?''

The Web site created to monitor the stimulus money is even a failure. At one time Recovery.gov was nothing more than a Web site filled with misinformation, fake job numbers and fake congressional districts.

When unemployment numbers hover around 10 percent and when stimulus dollars are not reported accurately, it is no wonder that, in the opinion of most Americans, stimulus spending is not working. This sentiment is highlighted by a recent CBS poll, showing that 74 percent of Americans believe that the stimulus had no impact or has made things worse.

It is time for an audit of this failed policy, and it is clearly time to stop spending time and taxpayer money promoting a failed program and to, instead, focus on implementing policies that will actually create long-term, private-sector jobs.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, it's with great gratitude that I rise today in support of House Resolution 1491 to formally congratulate the University of South Carolina's baseball team for its impressive success at the College World Series. Today's resolution, endorsed by all six Members of the South Carolina delegation to congratulate the University of South Carolina Gamecocks on winning the 2010 NCAA Division I College World Series, is particularly special to me as I am able to honor my alma mater and that of my mother and father and that of many of the Second Congressional District staff.

The journey to this point hasn't been the easiest for the Gamecocks and history has not been on our side, as this is the first time in the school's history that the baseball team earned this great achievement despite going to the College World Series nine times.

During the NCAA tournament, the team faced an opening loss to Oklahoma and as a result had to do the unthinkable: win four consecutive games that included back-to-back wins against in-state arch rival Clemson University. The last stop on the journey was UCLA, a highly respected and talented team in the championship series. The Gamecocks had impressive consecutive victories over the Bruins to finish the season with a 54-16 overall record and earn the title of College World Series National Champions.

I'm extremely proud of the way these student athletes represented our university and our great State. None of this would have been possible without the USC Coach, Ray Tanner, whose leadership and determination has led to over 600 victories, 11 consecutive post-season appearances, and now a national title for the Gamecocks. Tanner's coaching success is complemented by associate head coach Chad Holbrook and assistant coach Mark Calvi.

The team is led by Whit Merrifield, the first cousin of Second Congressional District staff member Melissa Hite of Irma, South Carolina, who withstood a hard collision in South Carolina's victory over Clemson but stayed in the game and drove in the winning run at the bottom of the 11th inning the next night to claim the national title for the Gamecocks.

Defying all odds and refusing to give in, Jackie Bradley, Jr., delivered a clutch hit which scored the tying run in the bottom of the 12th inning against Oklahoma in the June 24 elimination game. Without Bradley's hit, the Gamecocks run at winning the national title would have come to a sudden halt.

Second District resident Blake Cooper, of Neeses, was the most valuable player of the first game of the championship series with an outstanding pitching performance against the UCLA Bruins. Freshman pitcher Matt Price, of Sumter, held the Bruins scoreless for the last three innings of the College World Series and earned Freshman All American honors from Baseball America.

I want to offer a big congratulations to Austin Ashmore of Greer, South Carolina; Parker Bangs of Laurinburg, North Carolina; Robert Beary of Apopka, Florida; Nolan Belcher of Augusta, Georgia; Jackie Bradley, Jr., of Prince George, Virginia; Jay Brown of Brunswick, Georgia; Alex Burrell of Landrum, South Carolina; Ethan Carter of Newport News, Virginia; Brison Celek of Charleston, South Carolina; Blake Cooper of Neeses, South Carolina; Sam Dyson of Tampa, Florida; Nick Ebert of Ocala, Florida; Kyle Enders of Greer, South Carolina; Bobby Haney of Smithtown, New York; Greg Harrison of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; Colby Holmes of Conway, South Carolina; Anthony Iacomini of Cross River, New York; Jeffery Jones of Ft. Worth, Texas; Evan Marzilli of Cranston, Rhode Island; Jose Mata of Miami Lakes, Florida; Adam Matthews of Lexington, South Carolina; Whit Merrifield of Advance, North Carolina, a constituent of Congresswoman Virginia Foxx; Adrian Morales of Hialeah, Florida; Logan Munson of Columbia, South Carolina; Steven Neff of Lancaster, South Carolina; Matt Price of Sumter, South Carolina; Jordan Propst of Gaffney, South Carolina; Jimmy Revan of Chesnee, South Carolina; Michael Roth of Greer, South Carolina; Richard Royal of Fayetteville, North Carolina; Patrick Sullivan of Columbia, South Carolina; John Taylor of Florence, South Carolina; Brady Thomas of Anderson, South Carolina; Christian Walker of Limerick, Pennsylvania; Tyler Webb of Nassawdox, Virginia; Adam Westmoreland of Cayce, South Carolina; Jake Williams of Greer, South Carolina; and Scott Wingo of Greenville, South Carolina.

In conclusion, I urge my colleagues to join in supporting House Resolution 1491. Go Gamecocks.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, seven proposals have been brought to this floor for a vote directly from participants in the interactive forum YouCut. These proposals are commonsense cost savers of the people's money. House Republicans have listened to the will of the people and have voted to save billions by reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, by selling excess Federal lands, and by preventing taxpayer subsidized union activities. Yesterday, the House had another opportunity to save money by getting rid of promotional stimulus signs.

A year and a half after the spending stimulus passed, unemployment has risen to 10 percent, as the so-called stimulus has failed to create jobs. But liberals cleverly came up with propaganda to push Americans on this failed policy at a cost of up to $10,000 a sign. Stimulus signs are nationwide. If we eliminated this waste, $20 million could be saved. When it comes to wasteful Washington spending, all signs point to the stimulus.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, before Congress adjourned for the July 4th recess, I stood at this spot with a plea to Democratic leadership to do the right thing and bring the military supplemental bill forward as a clean bill for quick passage. My request and those of many of my colleagues went unanswered. The result? Our troops at risk do not have the funding they need. It is a shame that Congress could not get this troop funding bill passed before the Pentagon's deadline. By not passing or debating a budget--another travesty--Congress certainly has had plenty of time to get this done.

As a veteran myself, with four sons currently serving in the military, I know we have brave men and women in uniform around the world who shouldn't have to worry about Congress' failure to fund their programs and missions. We have counterinsurgency operations right now in Iraq and Afghanistan that should not be interrupted or held up by lawmakers so they can add billions of additional dollars in unrelated pet projects.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September the 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, I rise to commend the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin for their successful 28th annual convention. I was honored to join AAPI members from around the country at a reception on Capitol Hill, where nearly 500 physicians from 27 states had registered to make their voices heard in Congress.

As the past co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, I have seen firsthand the professionalism, dedication, and success of Indian American doctors from rural and medically underserved areas to cities across South Carolina. I was recruited for the Caucus before I was elected by noted Lexington physician Dr. Kaushal Sinha and his wife Arunima, of Irmo, South Carolina.

I want to commend Dr. Vinod K. Shah of Maryland for his successful presidency and wish Dr. Ajeet R. Singhvi of California the very best as he leads AAPI forward.

This is an historic period for South Carolina where State Representative Nikki Haley of Lexington, a very successful legislator of Indian heritage has served as a Majority Whip and is now a nominee for Governor.

In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget September 11th in the Global War on Terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, over the last week, I have held six town hall meetings all across South Carolina's Second Congressional District focused on job creation and Washington's reckless spending habits. Residents in Aiken, Barnwell, Richland, Lexington, Orangeburg, Varnville, and Bluffton came out to express their concerns and hear the opinions of their neighbors.

Mr. Speaker, the message I bring back from South Carolina's Second District residents is simple: stop this out-of-control spending and pass job creation policies that incentivize small businesses to create jobs and families to invest.

People are concerned. They are concerned about their family's economic future. They are concerned about the enormous debt being imposed on our children and grandchildren.

I encourage residents who couldn't attend to take advantage of two new interactive forums designed to give Americans a voice in Congress to share policy solutions: AmericaSpeakingOut.com and YouCut.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the House passed a financial regulatory bill, which shows Washington liberals once again how out of touch they are with the needs of hardworking Americans. Small business owners and community bankers across South Carolina will be adversely impacted by this bill.

Justin Strickland, president of Southern First Bank in Cayce, and father of former House floor page Justin Strickland, Jr., said that ``this bill adds 30 new regulations that will severely limit the ability of small banks to extend credit to South Carolinians.'' Hal Stevenson, CEO of Grace Outdoor in Columbia, explains that this big bank bailout discourages lending to small businesses and reduces job creation. Calling this a reform bill is insulting when it fails to address the giants in the financial collapse, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Failing to tackle these two cancerous entities is like going in for surgery and keeping the giant tumor in place.

In conclusion, God bless our troops and we will never forget September 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, during my 17-year service in the South Carolina State Senate, I met many dedicated Senate staffers who were devoted to serving the public. One of the most outstanding was Robin McIntyre Moseley of Irmo who was always enthusiastic about being accountable and accessible. She has been the right hand of State Senate Education Committee Chairman John Courson, who has been so successful serving South Carolina promoting quality education.

Robin is retiring on July 1, 2010, and her service was recognized by the South Carolina State Senate Resolution below that was unanimously adopted:

A Senate Resolution

CONGRATULATING ROBIN McINTYRE MOSELEY ON THE OCCASION OF HER RETIREMENT

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Coach Ray Tanner and the talented players of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for winning the College World Series of Baseball at Omaha, Nebraska.

When it comes to reducing Washington's out-of-control spending, Republicans continue to put forward ``more ways to save.'' One such proposal is this week's YouCut bill introduced by Congressman Phil Gingrey to save taxpayers $1.2 billion in 10 years by prohibiting taxpayer funding for union activities. Federal employee unions are subsidized by hardworking taxpayers while they engage in lobbying and political activities. This costs the taxpayers over $100 million a year. Americans should be alarmed about a $13 trillion deficit. We should note the images of riots in Greece. What, I ask, will it take for real change to take place here?

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, congratulations to the University of South Carolina's baseball team for a spectacular showing in the College World Series at Omaha, Nebraska.

The journey to this point hasn't been the easiest for the Gamecocks. The team overcame an opening loss and then won four consecutive games for the finals. Gamecocks proved persistent. The USA Today headline says ``South Carolina in command after Game 1 victory.''

I'm very proud of the way these student athletes are representing the University of South Carolina on the national stage. Whit Merrifield, first cousin of congressional staffer Melissa Hite of Irmo, withstood a hard collision in South Carolina's victory on Saturday and stayed in the game, ultimately bumping his average to .300 in the College World Series.

And talk about stats. Lead-off hitter Evan Marzilli has an impressive .378 batting average, to always start things off right. Second District resident Blake Cooper last night was MVP, with an outstanding defeat over UCLA in championship game one.

Congratulations to USC Coach Ray Tanner for his leadership and determination.

Madam Speaker, I am happy to congratulate Jeffery Charles Riley and his wife Scarlett Diann Hutson Riley on the birth of their new baby twin boys. Patrick Sean Riley and Brenden Oscar Riley were born on June 22, 2010 weighing 5 pounds, 13 oz. and 5 pounds, 3 oz., respectively at Torrance Memorial Center of Torrance, California. Brendan is a little taller at 19 inches than his brother at 17 \3/4\ inches.

I am so excited for this new blessing to the Riley family and wish them all the best as we know they will certainly have their hands full! I want to congratulate Patrick and Brendan's grandparents Charles and Debby Riley of Torrance, California, and Marion and Margaret Hutson of Cayce, South Carolina, on this wonderful new extension of their family.

Mr. Speaker, today all across South Carolina, residents are celebrating Carolina Day to commemorate the brave South Carolina patriots who defeated the British fleet on June 28, 1776, promoting American independence.

This victory saved Charleston from British occupation for another 4 years. It occurred at the first fort on Sullivan's Island, later named after its commander, Colonel William Moultrie. The battle at Fort Moultrie is known as the first decisive victory by American Revolutionaries.

This battle is just one example of the direct role South Carolina played in the Revolutionary War. Throughout the War for Independence, more than 200 battles and engagements took place in South Carolina, more than any other province.

One popular symbol of South Carolina's leadership in the Revolution is still seen today throughout the world: the yellow Gadsden Flag that reads, ``Don't Tread on Me.''

In 1775, Colonel Christopher Gadsden was representing South Carolina in the Continental Congress as five companies of Marines were about to join the Navy to intercept British ships. History has recorded that Colonel Gadsden presented his flag to the new commander-in-chief of the Navy, Commodore Esek Hopkins, before this critical mission.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Best wishes to the USC Gamecocks in the College World Series tonight at Omaha, Nebraska.

The House should stop playing politics with troop funding. The money is being held up by liberal lawmakers so they can add billions of dollars to the so-called ``stimulus'' funds and special interest moneys to the troop funding package.

Partisan special interest moneys and a hodgepodge of wasteful spending has no place in a true funding bill. We need a clean bill that will pass easily so our military operations will not be disrupted. Secretary Gates has warned us not to hold up this essential spending or else defense spending will suffer, meaning our troops will be at risk.

As a veteran with four sons in the military, nothing is more important to me than making sure our troops on the front lines receive the funding they need. With two counterinsurgency operations going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, it's highly irresponsible to hold this up any longer.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11th in the global war on terrorism.

Madam Speaker, I submit the following remarks regarding my absence from votes which occurred on June 22, 2010. Listed below is how I would have voted if I had been present.

Roll No. 376--H. Con. Res. 288--supporting National Men's Health Week--``aye''; Roll No. 377--H. Res. 546--recognizing the historical significance of Juneteenth Independence Day, and expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that history should be regarded as a means for understanding the past and more effectively facing the challenges of the future--``aye''; Roll No. 378--H. Res. 1407-- supporting the goals and ideals of High-Performance Building Week-- ``aye.''

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor for me to thank John Bruton for serving the 2nd Congressional District with distinction. For the past 2 years, John has ensured South Carolina residents receive timely and accurate updates about the happenings in Congress. John has also been a key adviser on issues of science and technology, postal issues, and welfare. John's dedication and creativity will certainly be hard to replace as he heads off to law school at the University of South Carolina.

John Bruton is the son of Jean and John Bruton of Columbia, South Carolina, two parents who have been instrumental in their son's success. He is the grandson of the late judge J. Bratton Davis, a legend of integrity and competence for the legal profession.

I am confident that John's education at my alma mater, Washington and Lee University, his experiences as a Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and his dedication as a congressional staffer have made John prepared for success in the field of law. He is a credit to the people of South Carolina. I wish him Godspeed.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11th in the Global War on Terrorism. Congratulations to primary victors Nikki Haley, Ken Ard, Alan Wilson and Mick Zais.