Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 10 o'clock and 13 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Wednesday, January 21, 2004, at 10 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, over the last year, our Nation has experienced extraordinary successes. The American military has fought a victorious battle in Iraq to overthrow one of history's most despotic regimes and are continuing today to protect the American people in the war on terror. Thanks to their valor, the world is safer knowing that Saddam Hussein is no longer a threat.

In the last year, as our economy struggled to work its way back out of recession, Congress brought tax relief to American families and businesses at the right time to get this economy moving again. In the past few months, stock markets are up, jobs have increased and our GDP has soared.

We were also successful in bringing prescription drug coverage to our seniors, health savings plans to restore hope in the future of Medicare, and we brought further reforms to education to ensure our children receive the best chance for success.

Tonight we will hear our President's State of the Union address, and while we face challenges ahead, the President has many successes to celebrate over the last year.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, and we will never forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, last week, the visionary Grover Norquist, President of Americans for Tax Reform, honored the South Carolina Policy Council with the rare and prestigious Dragon Slayer Award. President Edward T. McMullen, Jr., received a symbolic sword for the Council's efforts in fighting tax increases in South Carolina.

Since 1986, the South Carolina Policy Council has educated South Carolina's legislature and citizens about State and local public policy based on the traditional values of individual liberty and responsibility, free enterprise, and limited government.

In addition to President McMullen, I would like to give a special thanks to the dedicated staff of Administrative Assistant Marion Harsey, Vice President for Development India Hazzard; Vice President for Public Affairs Ashley Landess; Vice President for Policy Gerry Dickenson; Chairman of the Board Jake Rasor; and the courageous analyst Hal Eberle.

The Palmetto State is truly blessed to have such talented people working on public policy, and I ask all of my colleagues to join me in thanking the South Carolina Policy Council for their vital service.

In conclusion, God bless our troops, September 11, and the current December 7.

Mr. Speaker, this week President George W. Bush gave an inspiring speech at Whitehall in London, while visiting the Royal Family and Prime Minister Tony Blair. The President stated clearly that the United States is committed to winning the war on terrorism.

In one of the most important moments of the speech, President Bush explains why we cannot forget September the 11th and the innocent thousands that were killed that day. The President said, ``The hope that danger has passed is comforting, it is understandable, and it is false. The attacks that followed on Bali, Jakarta, Casa Blanca, Bombay, Mombassa, Najaf, Jerusalem, Riyadh, Baghdad and Istanbul were not dreams. They're part of the global campaign by terrorist networks to intimidate and demoralize those who oppose them.''

The President is absolutely correct and I encourage all Americans to remember the act of war brought upon our Nation just 2 years ago. I have confidence that our military will win the global war on terror and I commend the dozens of coalition countries that have joined us in this fight for freedom.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, may God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the conference report for H.R. 1, an historic bill that will include the creation of health savings accounts, a breakthrough program that gives control back to patients. The voluntary health savings accounts provide care that is affordable, flexible and portable. They restore the doctor-patient relationship, allowing Americans the freedom to choose their own doctor and their own care. Also, contributions, earnings and medical payments from these accounts are all tax-free.

Health savings accounts will lower health insurance costs for millions of Americans and allow for price competition of doctor and hospital services. Moreover, these accounts stay with a person throughout their lives as they are portable from one job to the other. They also can be used during retirement to pay for retiree health care, Medicare expenses and prescription drugs.

I strongly encourage my colleagues to support health savings accounts by voting in favor of H.R. 1 and give health care freedom to millions of Americans.

In conclusion, God bless our troops. We will not forget September 11.

Mr. Speaker, November is American Diabetes Month, and it is important that communities throughout our Nation participate in spreading awareness of the facts about the disease. Diabetes is a very serious health problem in America, as two out of three people who suffer from diabetes will die of heart disease or stroke. Diabetes also leads to other complications, including blindness, high blood pressure, kidney disease, nervous system disease, amputations, dental disease, problems in pregnancy and other health risks.

This touches almost every family in every part of America. According to the American Diabetes Association, 13 million people have been diagnosed with the disease and an additional 5.2 million have been estimated to be unaware that they are living with the disease. As for my home State of South Carolina, we have the second highest rate of diabetes in the Nation. Also alarming is that 90 to 95 percent of diabetes cases are developed later in life, but Americans can reduce their risk by eating properly and maintaining regular exercise.

I urge everyone to get the facts about diabetes during November, American Diabetes Month. In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to be here tonight. I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), for his leadership in helping to present the truth about the prescription drug plan which is before Congress this week.

I want our colleagues to know that it means so much to me that we have a physician such as the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) here who has a background of working for quality health care for persons in Georgia and the southeastern part of the United States. And he has got a background of knowing what is needed for our citizens. And it just means a lot to have his leadership tonight.

Additionally, I am happy to be here because of the support of AARP of the plan which is before us at this time. I am a member of AARP. I am proud of their promotion of the best health plan that they feel can be produced, and that is the bill before us this week.

Additionally, I want to congratulate the gentleman from California (Chairman Thomas) of the Committee on Ways and Means who has worked so hard to try to balance interests and come up with a bill which is beneficial to the people of the United States. As we are quite familiar with the providing of prescription drugs, there are other features in the bill that I find very helpful. And I want to relate three of them tonight because I think they are going to have meaning to persons of all ages and particularly for younger people, for persons middle-aged, and, indeed, beneficial for persons who are AARP members.

The first point I would like to bring out is that this bill provides for health savings accounts. This is a provision which in the past has been known as medical savings accounts. This has been a provision which the gentleman from Illinois (Speaker Hastert) here has been a primary proponent of because it provides new incentives for individuals to put money aside for health care.

The H.R. 1 provisions provide that health savings accounts can provide for people to put, say, up to $1,000. If they have a deductible on their policy of $1,000 they can place $1,000 into an account which can be used to pay all qualified medical expenses. The contributions, earnings, and distributions are all tax free. These accounts are portable from job to job and into retirement. And, indeed, when persons pass away, the money that is left over will be passed on through their estate to their loved ones and their family members. Individuals, employers, and family members can all make contributions.

This is a revolutionary effort on behalf of all Americans, both seniors and nonseniors. Because of the health savings accounts, less money will be spent by the taxpayer. And Americans can plan their futures and plan their ability to provide for better health. These plans will allow seniors to have more control over their health care options.

Other features that I find very helpful in the bill that is before us are to provide for preventative care. The newly enrolled beneficiaries will be covered for a physical. And this I think is so beneficial. I know every time that I have had a health insurance plan, the first question I have after we sign up, unfortunately, is do we have a provision for a physical. And I found out that we did not in my law practice. So it was really very disappointing to me because I believe that if you can have a physical and you can have the normal test, that this will be beneficial to planning your health care.

Additionally, cardiovascular screening, blood tests including cholesterol will be included in the testing provisions. And then another very important effort will be made for diabetes screening for at-risk beneficiaries. This is particularly appropriate to consider today because November is American Diabetes Month. And I know that in the southeastern part of the United States, that we, unfortunately rank very high with the number of persons who suffer from diabetes.

These benefits do not have deductibles or co-pays so those with limited resources can access the benefits. These screenings will catch treatable, manageable conditions that would otherwise result in severe health consequences and cost the Medicare program an immense amount of money. But the main feature is it will help people live longer healthy and fulfilling lives.

Another and final point that I want to bring out that had not received extraordinary attention is reform of the average wholesale price, the AWP, which needs to be reformed. And, additionally, the provision of oncology services. These are cancer treatments

that we will provide in the bill for reimbursements to physicians in services to patients. And this has particularly been enhanced in the last several days because of concern that there may be a reduction in reimbursements and services to patients.

I know firsthand how important this is and that one of our sons at the age of 17 was diagnosed with malignant thyroid cancer. But thanks to his treatment at the Lexington Medical Center, the detection by Dr. Butch Bledsoe, the surgery by Dr. Dan Davis, the pathology reports by Dr. John Carter, and the subsequent treatment by Dr. Tripp Jones, our son is in full remission. In fact, he was able to graduate from the Naval Academy, and he is following in the footsteps of the gentleman from Georgia (Dr. Gingrey). He is in his third year of medical school at Uniformed Services University here at Bethesda, Maryland. So we know firsthand that by getting proper cancer treatment in our family that people can recover and live full lives.

The bill will provide fixes to a flawed system that is costing America's seniors in prescription drugs, but the oncologist and other practitioners are covered by the reform with assistance with practice expenses.

Additionally, a final point, the average sales price, ASP, will be calculated at a rate that will be welcomed by the health community, including the much-appreciated oncologists and other specialists.

As I conclude tonight, I want to say a message as always: God bless our troops. We will not forget the sneak attack of September the 11th on our innocent civilians in New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call attention to an issue debated during the Energy Conference, whose time for reform and resolution has come. I am speaking of the Reachback issue, established as part of the Coal Act in the 1992 Energy bill. This insidious tax has caused numerous businesses to fail over the past ten years as a result of its inequitable taking from those that should not have been included in this effort in the first place.

The 1992 Coal Act, as part of the 1992 Energy Policy Act, established the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) retiree health benefit fund-- the Combined Benefit Fund (CBF)--to replace the health care programs that had been created through the collective bargaining process. Not only did the Coal Act require companies who were signatories to the 1988 collective bargaining agreement to pay, but it also retroactively went after companies--referred to as ``Reachback'' companies--that were no longer in the bituminous coal mining business, and assessed them liability for the CBF. These Reachback Companies did not sign the 1988 or later agreements, which were the contracts that guaranteed lifetime healthcare benefits for retired coal miners. Needless to say, the provisions of the Coal Act that created the Combined Benefit Fund were hastily crafted and rushed into law.

This retroactive ``Reachback tax'' has been so crippling for a number of these companies that many have ceased to exist, and the very existence of others continues to be threatened. In order to pay this unfair tax, Reachback companies have had to significantly scale back spending on Research and Development, business expansion (jobs), and economic security.

Many of us in the House, during both the 106th and 107th Congress, pursued legislation aimed at solving the Reachback issue in a comprehensive fashion. We took on these efforts in order to create stability and fairness in the Combined Benefit Fund, and to thereby provide a solution that would address the needs of all interested parties.

I urge the Congress to act expeditiously to provide a solution that will permanently resolve this issue.

Mr. Speaker, yesterday we learned that jobless claims dropped to a 2\1/2\-year low, further signifying the success of the Republican tax relief championed by President George W. Bush. This follows last week's historic news that the economy is growing at the highest rate in nearly 20 years, as the GDP grew by 7.2 percent in the last quarter.

Last week was the fourth straight week in which jobless claims were below 400,000, as claims dropped to 348,000. In headlines across America today, Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said of the decrease in jobless claims, that ``the odds increasingly favor a revival in job creation.'' As Democrats continue to try to talk down the economy, the news of the recovery is just too clear to ignore: 126,000 new jobs in October were announced this morning.

Republican policies of tax relief, fiscal discipline, corporate accountability, and national defense to protect American families from terrorists have restored our Nation's confidence and promoted a healthy business environment.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, on Tuesday, November 11, America will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Veterans Day, a day to honor our men and women who have fought to preserve freedom and liberty for generations to come.

Veterans Day was formerly known as Armistice Day in recognition of the end of World War I, until President Dwight D. Eisenhower changed the name of the holiday to include all veterans in 1954. This year, we will honor the 25 million living veterans who have fought and the more than 1 million men and women who have died to ensure freedom and bring about peace in conflicts, including World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Gulf War and today's war on terrorism. This will be an especially solemn occasion as our current military are engaged in a fight for democracy in Iraq, a critical battle in the war on terrorism that we will win, to protect the American people from terrorists.

Since America was attacked on September 11, America has been awakened to a greater understanding and appreciation for the freedoms we enjoy here in our great Nation. This Veterans Day is an opportunity to thank those who are responsible for protecting our way of life and have joined in struggles around the world in defense of liberty. In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, congratulations to Governor-elect Ernie Fletcher, our colleague from Kentucky, on his historic election yesterday as the first Republican-elected Governor in the Commonwealth in 32 years. I was honored to spend the last 4 days campaigning door-to-door for the Fletcher team, and I discovered firsthand our colleague and his wife Glenna are greatly admired for their integrity and competence.

Yesterday was also a big day in Mississippi with the election of Haley Barbour, who unseated a sitting Democratic Governor. As the RNC chairman, Governor-elect Barbour has proven he can make a difference. The Republican revolution inspired by Ronald Reagan for limited government and expanded freedom continues to consolidate throughout the South, building on last year's success in South Carolina with Mark Sanford, Georgia with Sonny Perdue and Alabama with Bob Riley.

The past month's Republican gubernatorial victories begun by Republican Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger of California underscores the confidence by the American people in President Bush's economic policies reflected by this 7.2 percent gross domestic product increase and by support of the President's serious resolve to win the war on terror to protect the American people at home.

At this time, in conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the students and faculty of Irmo High School in Irmo, South, Carolina. Irmo High just received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as a blue ribbon school, their third such award.

As Secretary of Education Rod Paige has said, schools chosen for the blue ribbon will be ones that are meeting our mission to ensure that every child learns and no child is left behind. Blue ribbon recipients will be national models of excellence that others can learn from.

I want to personally thank the hard work of the faculty who have visited Washington, including Principal Gerald Witt, teachers Phil Tanner, Jan McCarthy, and JROTC director Colonel Pete Sercer. Also, School District Five school board members have supported the progress made at Irmo High School, especially Jan Hammond, Paula Hite, and Carol Sloop. Yet above all, the ones who really deserve recognition are the students who have achieved remarkably.

Irmo High School is truly an example of educational success, and I ask all my colleagues to join me in honoring the school today, a day highlighted by the visit of California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In conclusion, may God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to welcome Romanian President Ion Iliescu to Washington, and I look forward to personally meeting him tonight. He is meeting with President Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and other American officials during his trip.

President Iliescu's Romania has become one of America's greatest allies on the war on terrorism, standing side by side with the United States in Afghanistan and now in Iraq. In what is a truly multinational effort, at least 600 Romanian troops are in Iraq working with American forces and military from at least 27 other nations.

The Romanian people have a clear understanding of what is at risk in the war on terrorism, as they have a fresh perspective on freedom and liberty. They also know the importance of redevelopment in Iraq, as they have rebuilt their own country over top of the rubble of the former dictator Ceausescu's regime, emerging from communist totalitarianism into new candidacy for NATO membership.

I join all my colleagues in welcoming a true friend, Romanian President Ion Iliescu, to America.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to announce that after visiting Iraq, I saw that after a decade of neglect, the children of Iraq are benefitting from their Coalition Provisional Authority and the United States Agency for International Development's revitalization of the country's education system.

Under Saddam Hussein and the Ba'ath Socialist Party's rule, schools fell into disrepair and teaching materials were scarce, distorted as propaganda, and outdated. Today, after the American military's success in Operation Iraqi Freedom, schools are being renovated, textbooks have been updated and distributed, and teachers and principals are being introduced to the most current standards of education.

As an example of the real difference we are making in children's lives, I have here a sample of the bookbags that we have given out. It includes essential items for education, pens, pencils, calculators, and notebooks without propaganda. 1.5 million of these student kits will be given out during the school year.

We are making meaningful progress in the war on terror and making a real difference in the quality of life for Iraqis and their children in order to protect the American people.

In conclusion, God bless our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his comments. I want to thank him for really bringing to the attention of the American people that, indeed, at a time of war, at a time of conflict, we should be considering working together in a bipartisan manner.

It was distressing to me as I learned last week that there was going to be the presentation by the minority party here to attack the majority leader of the Republican Party, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

I am fairly new to Congress. A little bit more senior than the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Feeney) but just a little bit; and it has just been an extraordinary opportunity for me to be able to serve with somebody of the great integrity, the competence, the dedication of the gentleman from Texas (Tom DeLay).

I can give a personal statement as recent as last Thursday. I was very pleased that I had the opportunity in a bipartisan way to welcome Ognian Gerdjikov, who is the Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, and he is a democratically elected speaker in a country that has emerged from totalitarianism, which is now one of the dynamic Balkan democratic nations. And it was really exciting to meet with Speaker Gerdjikov. And I had contacted the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) a couple of weeks ago and told him that he would be coming, and if he could meet with him it would mean so much to the people of Bulgaria who, again, have emerged from totalitarian Communism and into democracy.

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay) recognized immediately how important this was. It was a wonderful meeting we had at his office with members of the National Assembly, with Ambassador Elena Poptodorova of Bulgaria. He was so positive. He was so enthusiastic, thanking the people of Bulgaria for their support of the United States in the United Nations. They are on the Security Council. Thanking the National Assembly for their strong vote to provide for an American military base to be located in Bulgaria to defend southeastern Europe and to defend the people of Bulgaria and, ultimately, to become part of NATO, and also to thank the people of Bulgaria for providing 500 troops to be currently in Iraq to provide for security and to promote the development of democracy in Iraq, which we know is mutually beneficial to the people of Iraq and the United States. Because as we work to redevelop Iraq, we are denying the terrorists a breeding ground for more terrorists, and the same standard that we used after World War II where we helped redevelop Germany so that would not be a breeding ground for communists. We defeated Communism. We will defeat terrorism, but we need to have strong leaders as we have with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay).

So that is my testimonial to a very fine gentleman that I am just so honored, as is the gentleman, to be serving with. And when he has made statements concerning the members of the minority, particularly their leader, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), there has been substance. It is not to question her patriotism, but it is to certainly question her judgment. And I know that in my service, 17 years in the State Senate of South Carolina and now my almost 2 years of service here, what I look at are the statements that I have made and the votes that I have made.

And I really want to bring to everyone's attention that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) made this statement on December 17, 1998: ``Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to the countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process. The responsibility of the United States in this conflict is to eliminate weapons of mass destruction, to minimize the danger to our troops and to diminish the suffering of the Iraqi people.''

What the gentlewoman said then was accurate, but the difference is that, of course, there was a different President in 1998. Of course, Mr. Clinton was in office at that time. And this was the defense of what many of us would actually give him credit for and that is recognizing the threat of Saddam Hussein to world peace.

Mr. Speaker, indeed, I want to reiterate the difference between 1998 and 2002, 2003 is that we have a new President. And I regret, I feel that the reason that the change in judgment, not patriotism is politics.

When we consider how persons are to be judged, I believe what we need to look at is how people vote. Their statements are very significant, but we see statements can be shifted and can have different meaning according to who the President is. I will state that going back on votes, and I want to cite from the Center for Security Policy, which is an organization that was created in 1988. It is nonprofit, nonpartisan, committed to stimulating and informing the national and international debates about all aspects of security policy, notably those policies bearing on foreign defense, economic, financial and technology interest in the United States. According to the Center for National Policy, national security score card, I want to bring up votes and I will go back to 1993.

This is the 103rd Congress. The gentleman and I were back in Florida and back in South Carolina. But the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) was right here voting.

The significance of 1993 is that when the first significant attack occurred on the United States, that was the first attack on the World Trade Center, we know later that the al Qaeda and the terrorists attacked our country in 1998 by blowing up embassies across Africa killing dozens of innocent people. And then, of course, in 2000 there was the attack on the USS Cole and, finally, the attack of September 11, 2001.

This was a war brought upon the United States. This was not one, as has been indicated by some people, that was contrived. We did not start this war. We are acting, I believe, in self-defense. But I want to raise some votes that the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) made in 1993, which I think show her judgment as not being in the interest of national security.

First of all, there was a vote on March 18, 1993, which would have reduced defense spending by $41.9 billion. What an extraordinary time. Can you imagine, $41.9 billion of 1993 dollars, what that would have done to the defense in the United States. Fortunately, it was rejected, overwhelmingly rejected.

Next there was a vote to reduce funding for the ballistic missile defense system. Again, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) voted incorrectly. She voted to reduce the spending for the ballistic missile defense system. And of course we all knew my predecessor, the late Congressman Floyd Spence, chairman of the Committee on National Security, warned that there was the great prospect of North Korea, where I was a couple of months ago, of being able to develop a ballistic missile capability to attack the west coast, including California, of course. And at that time, the gentlewoman voted against the funding for the ballistic missile defense system.

Additionally, there was another vote which provided for increasing funding for ballistic missile defense and she was consistent. She voted against that. Then there was a vote to downsize U.S. forces in Europe. And this would have been a vote to reduce the funding for U.S. forces in Europe, a very critical part of our defense of the United States. And it was a billion dollar reduction, and she voted to reduce that which would have crippled our ability to promote the development of democracy in Central and Eastern Europe at a very crucial time, and in addition to protect the people of the United States.

Additionally, there was another vote and this was an amendment by the late Congressman Floyd Spence of South Carolina which would have limited the control exerted by a foreign national in U.N. operations which meant that the United States would maintain control of our forces. Again, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) voted incorrectly.

Another vote in 1993 was to reduce defense and technology spending. This

would have reduced the Federal spending for defense at a crucial time of $51.5 billion over 5 years. That would have been just further crippling.

In the same session of Congress I have three more votes I want to go over and then let other people speak because the gentleman has some really talented people here tonight. I want to congratulate the gentleman on recruiting fine persons to come and address our colleagues as to the issue before us.

There was a further vote in 1994 by Congressman Bob Michel of Illinois and this would have provided prohibition of U.N. troops being under U.N. command. And again the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi) voted incorrectly. Can you imagine placing U.S. troops under the command which could possibly be under the command of someone as far out at that time as Saddam Hussein but also as Kaddafi of Libya. Just, I think, incredibly irresponsible in terms of our national security and defense.

Then again in another vote in 1994 by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), and that was to reduce the Defense Authorization Act. There was a provision to significantly cut defense spending to a level far below that which was being proposed, at a time in 1993, 1994, the beginning of the war on terrorism, where we were trying to maintain defenses as strong as we could provide, and I just want to reiterate that it is not a question of patriotism at all. Our leader, the gentleman from Texas (Tom DeLay), has never questioned a person's patriotism. It is judgment on votes. And those of us who have the privilege of serving the people of the United States need to be judged on our votes.