Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, opponents of comprehensive immigration reform will do anything to stop progress in today's world. Now they're using the terrorist attacks in Boston to somehow draw some connection between those events and the problems that really plague our immigration system. There is no connection, but problems still remain.

We still have to secure our borders. We still have to make sure that employers are only employing legal Americans. We still have 11 million undocumented people in this country. We don't know why they're here or who they are. We still need seasonal workers for many economic activities. We still need highly skilled workers--engineers and technicians--some of whom have been trained here but cannot work here. We still have people overstaying their visas, and we still have the problem that we need to increase the flow of immigration to stimulate our economy.

Delaying immigration reform will only weaken our economy and make us less safe. It is much better that we know everyone who is in our country, why they're here, and make sure they're paying taxes and contributing to American society. We need to pass immigration reform now.

Mr. Speaker, this is what my constituent, Barbara Kelty, wrote to the Louisville Courier-Journal this morning:

While polls continue to say that a majority of NRA members

and a sizable majority of the American people support

background checks and a majority of citizens support limiting

magazine size, a majority in Congress at this point

apparently does not favor either.

How can that be? To me, it is evident that these Members of

Congress do not feel obligated to us, the people who elected

them, whom they represent. Rather, they feel beholden to the

gun lobby which fattens their campaign chests. And it is

obvious that the gun-making industry, which does not condone

or support gun violence, benefits from the emotional rush of

citizens exercising the right to buy protection for their

families after these tragedies.

We, the citizens, must do our bit to lobby Congress and

remind them that our will takes precedence.

Ms. Kelty is right. In Kentucky, three out of four people support background checks for every gun sale. More than 90 percent of the American people, and three-quarters of NRA members, support background checks, which have stopped nearly 2 million people from illegally buying guns. Still, 40 percent of guns are purchased without a background check.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the Senate to listen to the vast majority of Kentuckians and the American people and support background checks.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the University of Louisville Cardinals, who went to a second straight Final Four this season and returned home national champions.

Going into the NCAA tournament, the question was whether the Cards' stifling defense would be enough to win it all. Well, we'll never know, because the country's best defense became the best offense too, shooting 52 percent to a tournament best 79.5 points per game. That's more than crazy. It's ``Russdiculous.''

They said he never met a shot he didn't like; but during the past month, Russ Smith hardly took a shot he couldn't make, setting Louisville's new tournament-scoring record and earning the respect and affection of a city. The All-American, regional MVP, and defensive phenom no longer cares who's scoring, as long as the jersey reads Louisville.

When these guys say the team motto ``Louisville First, Cards Forever,'' they mean it. We saw it when the team rallied around their injured teammate, Kevin Ware, as he courageously repeated, ``I'm fine, just win the game,'' before being carted off the court during the Elite Eight. We saw it when they came together to ``Win for Ware.'' But before that, the Cards won with Ware. On this team, Kevin was one of eight Cardinals to score double figures in a tournament game. That doesn't even include the players who set this team off on some of the year's most unlikely and electrifying rallies.

Walk-on Tim Henderson scored six of his season's 22 points in 45 seconds to cut a late 12-point Final Four deficit in half. All year, Stephen Van Treese snatched rebounds from future NBA big men, denied them in the paint, and set precision picks strong enough to stop a truck. And freshman Montrezl Harrell provided a constant spark off the bench, his unrelenting effort the only thing close to matching his natural ability.

Peyton Siva embodies the ``Louisville First'' spirit. Happier setting up his teammates than knocking it down himself, Peyton reminded the Nation he can also drop 18 points on the Player of the Year in the championship game. Unselfish, but a thief, he'll graduate with the school record for steals in a season and career.

Big man Gorgui Deing is unselfish, too. Louisville's record-setting shot-blocker and monster rebounder used his jump shot to pull defenders and find teammates for six assists in the championship game--three to Chane Behanan, who tied Louisville's single-season dunk record, officially making him the latest doctor of dunk. Cutting down the nets in Atlanta was great, but they should give Chane the backboards because he owned them all night.

This team also showed tremendous perseverance. Wayne Blackshear overcame two shoulder injuries to reach the starting lineup. And it's a good thing: he hit threes to start the Cards' scoring in both championship halves.

But the Final Four's breakout star was its most outstanding player, Luke Hancock, who scored his career-high in the semifinal and then broke it 2 days later. Luke didn't use the force; he was a force. And nothing would stop him from winning for his father, for Kevin Ware and, as always, for Louisville.

That's what Coach Rick Pitino taught this team, the master motivator, who's done everything this week but cartwheels on the Moon, built a team and mentored men we should be proud of.

And like Pitino, Jeff Walz will tell you this isn't about one person or even one team. It's about a program and a community. Trust him. That mad scientist led U of L's women to four straight NCAA tournament upsets, including what is considered to be the biggest upset in college basketball history.

Behind the jaw-dropping plays of Shoni and Jude Shimmel, sharpshooting of Antonita Slaughter, tenacity and skill of Sara Hammond, Sherrone Vails, and Bria Smith, and the unbelievable toughness of Monique Reid and Shelby Harper, the national runners-up crashed nearly every party around.

These players and coaches define an extraordinary program. Only three coaches in NCAA history have gone to a men's and women's basketball final in the same season. Louisville is the first to add a BCS Bowl victory to the mix.

But if you think it's the last, you don't know Athletics Director Tom Jurich. With sparkling new facilities, outstanding coaches, and stellar student athletes in competition and class, Tom has every U of L sport at the top of their game and climbing.

The university and the community have thrived along with them, continuing a proud tradition that began with Peck Hickman and rocketed to the top under the great Denny Crum.

I'm honored to congratulate the University of Louisville for its unparalleled winning streak, capped off by the Cards' third Men's Basketball National Championship. Go Cards.

Mr. Speaker, sequestration has been in effect for 41 days, and already it is hurting American families. Just outside my district at Fort Knox, more than 5,000 civilian employees face at least 2 weeks of furlough because of these indiscriminate cuts in Federal spending.

A constituent of mine whose husband is a military technician for the Kentucky National Guard said her family will lose close to 20 percent of their income because of furloughs. He is one of at least 460 technicians in my district who will be furloughed.

I've talked with a school principal who's forced to lay off special education teachers because of sequestration. I've met with local social service organizations who are concerned that sequestration will eliminate entire Federal grant programs, jeopardizing jobs and essential services for Louisville families. And officials at the University of Louisville are worried that cuts to their research will interrupt lifesaving medical advances.

Mr. Speaker, sequestration was a threat, not a policy. That's why I voted against it. It now is clear that the real threat of sequestration is to middle class families who can least afford another recession. Congress should enact a budget that eliminates sequestration and spares even more American families the pain of this ill-advised austerity.

Mr. Speaker, 100 years ago, the Ford Motor Company began assembling automobiles in a small facility at 931 South Third Street in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. There, 17 employees built as many as 12 Model Ts a day.

A century later, Ford remains an integral part of the economic, social, and cultural heritage of Louisville and the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Between the recently retooled Louisville Assembly Plant and the Kentucky Truck Plant, Ford now employs more than 8,500 people in Louisville, where it continues to innovate and expand. On the road to that success, Ford and the River City have passed countless milestones together.

It was generations ago in Louisville when Ford began using the new automotive integrated assembly line, changing the old manner of building one car at a time and beginning a new era of industrial progress and growth.

It was in Louisville where one of the largest auto-worker union Locals in the nation, Local 862, was chartered on June 23, 1941, as the first United Auto Workers--Committee for Industrial Organization Local in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. To this day, Ford and UAW maintain a strong relationship that has been critical to its success.

It was in Louisville where a revitalized Ford met the postwar economic boom with the debut and production of the 1949 Ford, the first vehicle integration of body and fenders, which would set the standard for auto design in the future.

It was in Louisville where Ford built the South's biggest manufacturing facility under one roof, and then built a bigger one in 1955--the one-million-square-foot Assembly Plant at 2000 Fern Valley Road--and, again, in 1969, built the largest truck plant in the world, the Kentucky Truck Plant on Chamberlain Lane.

And it was in Louisville where, facing a changing economy and an uncertain future for American manufacturing, I worked closely with Ford leadership and then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to secure federal investments that would enable Ford to retool the Louisville Assembly Plant, hire more than 3,000 new workers, and begin making the vehicles of the future.

Today, the Louisville Assembly Plant is the largest Ford facility in North America, employing nearly 4,800 people who are producing a 2013 Escape every 44 seconds--faster and more efficiently than any other in Ford's history. The company supports tens of thousands of jobs throughout our region, helping strengthen Louisville families and our entire economic community. And in Louisville, we have shown the nation that the best days of American manufacturing haven't passed us by--they are signposts on the road ahead.

Mr. Speaker, as Ford Motor Company moves into the next 100 years of manufacturing in Louisville, I am confident they will continue to build on their impressive legacy, sustain our highly skilled Ford-UAW Louisville workforce, and work with leaders throughout our community to continue building innovative, world-class, high-quality vehicles for generations to come.

Congratulations to John Savona, Plant Manager of the Louisville Assembly Plant; Joe Bobnar, Plant Manager of the Kentucky Truck Plant; Steve Stone, Louisville Assembly Plant Building Chairman for the UAW- Local 862; Scott Eskridge, Kentucky Truck Plant Building Chairman for the UAW-Local 862; Todd Dunn, President of the UAW-Local 862; and to all the employees and retirees of Ford Motor Company on 100 years of success in Louisville.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of UPS Airlines, which on January 25, 2013, celebrates 25 years of exemplary service.

This anniversary date marks an inauspicious beginning. A quarter- century ago, the Federal Aviation Authority offered its initial approval of the UPS Air Carrier Operating Certificate. Starting with two DC-8s, UPS Airlines would quickly become one of the largest airlines in the world. And with Worldport, UPS Airlines' innovative international hub, they have helped make Louisville, KY--my District and hometown--a global leader in logistics.

Today, United Parcel Service delivers more than 15 million packages every day in more than 220 countries and territories around the world. And Louisville's Worldport has revolutionized American logistics through technological advancements that are the envy of innovators across the globe. At Worldport, more than 20,000 local employees process 416,000 packages an hour in a facility the size of 90 football fields. The operation is as extraordinary as it is expansive.

Not only have UPS Airlines and Worldport made Louisville a world leader in logistics; the company has been pivotal in generating economic development throughout our community. Countless businesses have moved to Louisville and are now thriving because of what UPS Airlines brings--and ships out. And through the Metropolitan College partnership with the University of Louisville and Jefferson Community and Technical College, UPS has provided more than 2,600 employees tuition reimbursement since 1998.

Good corporate citizenship means creating high-quality, good-paying jobs and new economic opportunities for communities. But it also means contributing to the greater whole, whether through strategic investments or programs that help expand opportunity beyond the walls of any single institution. UPS and Worldport have spent decades providing a model for corporate citizenship in Louisville.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring this corporate leader on the 25th anniversary of UPS Airlines.

Mr. Speaker, after the massacre of 20 children and six educators in Connecticut, we've heard the predictable rantings of people who are convinced beyond all reason and evidence that the Federal Government intends to take their guns away.

I am sad that they have succumbed to the fear-mongering of the National Rifle Association and others who really only want to sell more guns. It's more than sad. Frankly, it's dangerous when a government leader stoops to the same fear-mongering for political purposes.

Last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign sent out an email titled, ``Watch out. They're Coming for Your Guns.'' Among the email's dishonest claims was this blatant distortion:

President Obama is spelling out the 23 different executive

orders he will take to get your guns.

Those 23 executive actions are so modest that even gun rights activists have said they have no problem with them. In fact, many of them reflect proposals made by the NRA.

Even if we give Senator McConnell the benefit of the doubt as to whether he actually knew what his campaign manager was putting out, he is responsible, as we all are, for what our employees do in our name. I call on Senator McConnell to apologize to his supporters, some of whom are my constituents, for stoking totally irrational and unjustifiable fear.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the 2013 Sugar Bowl Champion, University of Louisville Cardinals. From Muhammad Ali's opening toss, this game was destined for greatness. The Cards followed the Champ's lead by shocking the world. They became the first team in a decade to score a touchdown in the first 15 seconds of both halves en route to the biggest upset in BCS history.

Against a team averaging one turnover and holding every opponent below 30 points, the Cards forced three turnovers and reached the 30- point mark a mere 8 seconds into the second half. Facing a defense that had never allowed a touchdown pass of 15 yards or more, Cards quarterback Teddy Bridgewater completed two.

This team proves what U of L Athletic Director Tom Jurich has said for years: ``If you doubt Charlie Strong--on field or off--you're in for a surprise.''

Coach Strong dedicated the game ball to the fans, who were 30,000 strong in New Orleans. It was a fitting tribute, and I think it's safe to say Card Nation is still on a Sugar Bowl high.

This was a great triumph for the University of Louisville and a victory for our whole community. So for the city, the University of Louisville, and this outstanding Cardinal football team, I'm proud to honor the 2013 Sugar Bowl Champion Louisville Cardinals. How sweet it is!

I yield to the gentleman from Kentucky.

I thank my colleague very much. I appreciate that.

Madam Speaker, the American people are looking at Congress with disdain--and rightfully so. With the deadline on the fiscal cliff only hours away, we have failed to reach a reasonable compromise to move the economy forward and ward off painful tax hikes on the middle class.

The majority of Americans have sent us a clear message of what they want--a fair tax system, an economy that works for everyone, and a strong social safety net. These are classic American values, and throughout our history Members of both parties have made compromises in order to protect them. Those compromises reflect not just the will of the people but the way normal people do business.

Every day of their lives American workers solve problems and collaborate with their coworkers to meet objectives. They don't get to wait until after the deadline passes to get the job done; if they do, they lose their jobs. The American people can't just go home if they don't get their way. And yet that's exactly what House Republican leadership did earlier this month. I hope it's not what they plan to do again this week.

Madam Speaker, if my colleagues don't wake up and respond to what the American people want, they will be the ones to ultimately lose their jobs--and rightfully so.

Mr. Speaker, when it comes to the fiscal cliff, Republicans and Democrats have one major thing in common--we both believe tax rates shouldn't go up on 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses. The difference is that Democrats won't use middle class families as a bargaining chip.

Today, House Republicans have a chance to show that they are more serious about making good policy than making political hostages of the middle class. We have filed a discharge petition to bring to the floor legislation that preserves tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses. It has already passed the Senate. The President says he will sign it immediately.

With our deadline less than a month away, the clock is ticking, and if House Republican leadership is wondering when in our pressing schedule we might be able to fully consider this legislation, they might rethink their astonishing decision to cancel House business on Thursday--one of the few days Congress has left in the current session.

Mr. Speaker, we know what we must do, and it might come as a surprise that we actually agree on a solution. All that's left is to vote. I urge my colleagues to sign the discharge petition and to vote immediately to keep middle class tax rates from going up.

Mr. Speaker, my Republican colleagues have talked a lot about the importance of finding common ground in negotiations over tax rates and the fiscal cliff.

The truth is we do have a lot of common ground. We all believe we should extend the tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans and 97 percent of small businesses. We should be building on that common ground, not arguing over semantics. I'm confident there are more Republicans like Congressman Tom Cole, who has come to the realization that we can and we must provide economic security for middle class families and financial certainty for small business owners immediately.

As my Democratic colleagues and I have been saying, that's easy, we should pass the Senate bill to extend current tax rates for middle class families and small businesses. We could do it today.

Too often in Washington we confuse principles with policies. And certainly the difference between asking the wealthy to pay their fair share by raising their income tax rate and by eliminating their deductions can't be a matter of principle. That's policy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues and Republican leadership to build on our common ground and bring the Senate bill to the floor for a vote.

Thank you, Mr. Rogers. I appreciate this opportunity.

For those of us in the Kentucky delegation, Kentucky always comes first, and I appreciate this opportunity to welcome Tom Massie and his family to the House of Representatives and also to the Kentucky delegation.

Tom has very big shoes to fill. He steps in the shoes of Geoff Davis, who honorably served that Fourth Congressional District for a number of years. He now has the responsibility of representing about 20,000 of my former constituents, and I think 15\1/2\ holes of that hallowed golf course which he now has in his district.

I want to welcome Thomas and his family, thank them for their service in advance, congratulate them on their election, and also invite Tom to join the Congressional Bourbon Caucus, which is one of the most popular caucuses in the Congress.

Mr. Speaker, my colleagues from across the aisle like to talk a lot about personal responsibility, but their decision to adjourn Congress for nearly 2 months shows how little they actually understand the concept.

Congress is facing serious deadlines right now, and we should be dealing with the problems the American people sent us here to solve. Instead, Republican leadership has decided that we should go home without doing any of it and taking with us one of the worst report cards in American history.

For more than a year now, Republicans have ignored a plan to create 2.6 million new jobs and protect another 1.6 million existing jobs. They won't even bring it to the floor for a vote. Right now we could bring to the floor and send to the President's desk a bill that would protect tax cuts for 98 percent of the American people and 97 percent of small businesses, but instead we're going home.

Republicans seem content to take our country off the fiscal cliff, which will hobble our economy, raise taxes on millions of working families, and once again shift the responsibility of our deficit to those who can least afford it.

Mr. Speaker, Republicans can't preach personal responsibility if they're not willing to accept it themselves.

I thank the gentlewoman from California for yielding.

As a member of the Committee on Ethics and as the ranking member of the investigative subcommittee in this matter, I rise in support of the resolution that calls for the adoption of this committee's report and will serve as a reprimand of Representative Richardson for her conduct and will impose upon her a $10,000 fine.

After the investigative subcommittee unanimously concluded that there was substantial reason to believe that Representative Richardson had committed these violations, Representative Richardson initiated formal discussions regarding a negotiated resolution of her matter, which would avoid an adjudicatory hearing.

The investigative subcommittee engaged Representative Richardson in good faith during these discussions, delaying its vote on a Statement of Alleged Violation by more than a week to continue negotiating. On July 18, 2012, Representative Richardson agreed to the terms of a negotiated resolution with the investigative subcommittee. As a part of that resolution, Representative Richardson has admitted to the seven counts in the Statement of Alleged Violation. There is no longer a factual dispute regarding whether these violations have been proven.

On July 26, 2012, the investigative subcommittee unanimously adopted its report and transmitted it to the full committee. Representative Richardson was provided a copy of the report. Pursuant to the terms of the negotiated resolution, she was given 5 days to submit her views. On July 25, 2012, Representative Richardson submitted her views on the report in writing. Those views were transmitted, along with the investigative subcommittee report, and considered by the full committee. As noted in the committee's report, the members were not persuaded by Representative Richardson's submission.

Some of the terms in the negotiated resolution require action only by the Ethics Committee or Representative Richardson, but there are terms that have been brought before the House today, Mr. Speaker, and that is the need for the House to impose the punishment that all parties agree is an acceptable sanction for Representative Richardson's misconduct: a reprimand by the House of Representatives and the imposition of a $10,000 fine.

It is important for all Members to understand that it is our responsibility to ensure that if our staffs wish to work on our campaigns, they must do it on their own time, outside of their office, and without the use of any official resources. A staffer is free to volunteer, but a Member cannot compel them to do so.

Mr. Speaker, it became clear during the investigation that Representative Richardson did not believe that she was compelling her official staff to work on her campaign. It was equally clear, after hearing from members of her staff, that they believed they were being compelled to do so.

There are examples of Representative Richardson providing explicit directions to her staff to work on her campaign. There are more numerous examples when Representative Richardson's actions would lead any reasonable staffer to believe that they were required to do campaign work or face retribution.

The way Members treat and manage their staffs is often as important and significant an influence on employee

understanding and actions as any words a Member may use. Ultimately, it is also the Member's responsibility to know and manage what is being asked of their staff and what isn't. As this case shows, when these rules are broken, Members are not only responsible, they will be held accountable.

Mr. Speaker, I, once again, support the approval of the Ethics Committee report and the sanctions imposed on Ms. Richardson.

I thank my friend from Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to the rule which, if enacted, will block United States servicemembers and veterans from getting the best care and services we can offer.

In the Rules Committee, I offered an amendment to exempt from the proposed moratorium any regulation that is related to the health and safety of United States servicemembers and veterans. I did so because I believe, as I'm certain all my colleagues do, that servicemembers and veterans are best served when the agencies that serve them can provide critical treatment and assistance in a timely and responsive manner. Doing so often requires writing new rules and regulations. We should not, for example, block a new regulation that allows the VA to provide medical or other benefits to caregivers of veterans and servicemembers in exchange for a new talking point about the economy.

My colleagues on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee agreed. My amendment was unanimously approved in a bipartisan fashion. Yet, inexplicably, Republicans are now blocking it from a full vote. Suddenly, they're ready to let our commitments to our heroes lapse. And for what, a new talking point? Over the next 5 years, more than 1 million veterans will return home from war. Part of our commitment to them must be to ensure that they have the best services available, whether that's in health care, job training, or educational benefits.

Mr. Speaker, most legislation has unanticipated consequences. This legislation has a consequence that is easily anticipated, and that is that we will be tying the hands of the agencies that serve our brave men and women in the armed services. I ask any one of my Republican colleagues from the Rules Committee to explain why this amendment wasn't made in order and why this rule is sending a message to our military and veterans that they aren't entitled to the best we have.

I urge my colleagues to vote against this rule and the bill.