Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, it has been a true privilege for Betty Ann and me to represent Tennessee's 8th district in this chamber for the past 22 years, and we will always be grateful to the people of west and middle Tennessee who have given us the chance to do so. We now look forward to the transition from our role in Congress to that of private citizens, often said to be the highest office in our country.

Following the Constitutional Convention, Madam Speaker, a citizen asked Benjamin Franklin what that important body had created, and he replied, ``A republic, if you can keep it.'' At the heart of this governmental model, public officials represent first and foremost the people who elect them.

I worry that our government is in danger of becoming more of a parliamentary system, where elected officials represent first and foremost their political parties. That is not what our founding fathers intended when they established this great nation, and it is not the right approach for our nation going forward.

The American people, by and large, do not reside in the extreme left wing or in the extreme right wing. They are solution-minded citizens who want their elected representatives to work together to address the problems that face us as Americans, not as Democrats or Republicans.

Unfortunately, the current political system, especially following decades of partisan gerrymandering with more to come in the year ahead, does little to incentivize such cooperation. Consequently, the political center in our representative government has been decimated, resulting in a great disservice to the American people.

Many of us certainly understand and share the angst the American people feel in a time of economic uncertainty, two wars, a seemingly insurmountable federal debt and ongoing concerns over homeland security.

These are complex problems that cannot be solved with bumper-sticker solutions, over-simplified soundbites and combative rhetoric. They require cooperation among thoughtful individuals who will put their district and country first.

To address these problems and restore the faith in our republic, those inside and outside government must be willing to extend to one who disagrees the same purity of motive and intellectual honesty one claims for oneself.

That is necessary, Madam Speaker, if we are to keep our republic.

Thank you, Chairman Levin, and I want to thank Mr. Brady, who is the ranking member on the Trade Subcommittee.

The mentioning of the Trade Adjustment Provisions and the Generalized System of Trade Preferences are both important. I think they have been covered by Mr. Camp and Mr. Levin in their remarks. I want to talk just a minute about what I consider to be one of the most important features of this bill with respect to American jobs, and that is the miscellaneous tariff provisions contained in the bill.

These miscellaneous tariff provisions allow for U.S. companies to import items that cannot be obtained in this country to be used in the manufacturing process, thereby making U.S. manufacturing concerns more competitive in the world market and in being able to increase employment in our own country. This cannot be, I don't think, overstated or overestimated as to its importance; although, it might be a very small part of what we are trying to do in the whole area of trade.

I hope that we can move forward--even though I won't be here next year, I hope we can move forward on some trade agreements that are pending. This is an exciting time. It is a time for America to get back in the business, and this omnibus trade bill is a good start.

I want to applaud Mr. Levin and committee staff and thank them for all the help they have given to the Trade Subcommittee through the years.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to tell you about a dear friend of mine who has served the House of Representatives longer than you, me and the vast majority of our colleagues.

Kathy Becker's distinguished career on Capitol Hill spans more than 40 years, during which she has made important contributions not only to the districts she has served but to our country and our international alliances.

Kathy grew up near here in Federalsburg, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore and attended the University of Maryland and George Washington University before coming to Capitol Hill in May 1971. She worked almost four years for Congressman Frank Denholm of South Dakota and then-- fortunately, for us--came to the Tennessee delegation, where she has served much longer than any of us elected to represent Tennessee in this chamber. She worked for 3rd District Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd for more than 4 years and then joined the 8th District team working for my predecessor, Congressman Ed Jones.

When Betty Ann and I took office in 1989, we were very grateful that Kathy agreed to stay on the team as executive assistant, and she has been a loyal, dedicated staff member to us and an exceptional public servant to the people of west and middle Tennessee.

Kathy has been on Capitol Hill for some of history's biggest moments. She has seen eight presidential administrations, including one president who was impeached and another who resigned to avoid the same. Kathy was here when the Vietnam War ended, the Berlin Wall came down and fundamental extremists attacked our country on September 11, 2001.

One of the great honors I have had is representing the House of Representatives on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, serving 6 years as chairman of the U.S. delegation to that body and 2 years as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This opportunity has allowed us to help strengthen diplomatic ties with parliamentarians from our closest allies, relationships that had been strained in recent years.

Our efforts there would not have been possible without Kathy's work staffing the U.S. delegation here and abroad. She has helped us stay in communication with our allies and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly team in Brussels; organized important sessions to help us get to know our fellow parliamentarians more closely; and ensured we are able to best represent our country and the House of Representatives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Her commitment and hard work have helped our country continue rebuilding its reputation with our NATO allies, which is especially important to the men and women in uniform who are serving our nation around the world.

In January, Kathy will retire from Federal service, and she can do so proudly, knowing that in a career that spanned more than 4 decades, she has been a part of history and has served our district and her country honorably. Madam Speaker, I ask that you and our colleagues join Betty Ann, our family and me in congratulating and thanking Kathy Becker for her unparalleled commitment to public service.

Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the citizens of Tennessee's 8th congressional district to express our great appreciation for the distinguished service of the 8th district staff.

As you and our colleagues know, it is simply not possible to fully perform our duties in this body without the help of dedicated staff members. They are called on to work long hours helping us communicate with our constituents and assisting families with personal matters before the federal government.

The team representing the 8th district has helped west and middle Tennesseans resolve an estimated 30,000 federal cases over the past 22 years and has talked with hundreds of thousands more about their views on issues pending before Congress.

There are few, if any, communities where our staff has not helped improve and enhance the quality of life. We have worked with state and local officials to secure funding for water and sewer systems; better school facilities; senior citizen services; assistance for farmers; recreation facilities; public hunting and fishing opportunities; rural health care; satellite Veterans Affairs centers so our rural veterans can see doctors closer to home; rural broadband upgrades; rural fire and police services; and highway, infrastructure and economic development projects to create thousands of jobs. The list could go on and on.

We are deeply proud of this record of constituent service, which is only possible because of the hard work and expert skill of dedicated staff members who have made sacrifices to address the needs and concerns of our neighbors. They are leaders in our communities who recognize public service is an opportunity to help people and see their jobs as a source of pride.

Three staff members working in our office now or who have recently retired from federal service--Judy Counce, Shirlene Mercer and Lou Anne White--started working for the 8th district when Betty Ann and I came to Congress, and we are fortunate that they remained with us.

Six others began their service to the 8th district before that, working alongside my predecessor, Congressman Ed Jones. This truly extraordinary team includes Kathy Becker, Margaret Black Matilla and Betty Hardin, all of whom still work in the 8th district offices today; and Joe Hill, Doug Thompson and Vickie Walling, all of whom recently retired from federal service.

Brad Thompson and Tom Turner are also longtime staff members who have given a great deal of time and energy to our district.

Others on the 8th district team for the 111th Congress include Mary Kate Allen, Mary Arnold, Elizabeth Brown, Christy Bugg, Carling Dinkier IV, Randy Ford, Jon Merlis, Beth Ann Saracco, Debbie Shires, Marilyn Simpson and George Tagg Jr.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate you and our colleagues joining me in a well-deserved expression of appreciation for the women and men who have served alongside Betty Ann and me over the past 22 years, whose selfless, tireless efforts on our behalf have led to meaningful contributions to the 8th district and our country.

Thank you, Mr. Scott.

I too have, as Mr. King said, enormous respect for the Ethics Committee. It's a job that none of us ask for and none of us want, but it has to be done to protect the House of Representatives.

As a lawyer, I also believe in precedent. And I have searched this record and find no activity involving moral turpitude or any activity that could be classified as one with criminal intent. Therefore, I think an appropriate action that would protect the House as well as punish Congressman Rangel would be a reprimand. I think that is the appropriate punishment commensurate with what has occurred here, unfortunately.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I, too, want to express my appreciation for this resolution. I am proud to be a cosponsor. After this event happened, this unprovoked attack by the North on the island, my son and I communicated with a good friend of ours in Korea and learned of some of the devastation and so on. This is a serious matter. This resolution speaks in, I think, excellent detail as to what we expect in terms of activity by the North. And I want to again thank Chairman Berman and Mr. Poe and others who have brought this to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6411) to provide for the approval of the Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Australia Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6411 approves the U.S.-Australia agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation, which replaces the current U.S.-Australia agreement that expires in January.

I know everyone here agrees that Australia is a close friend and valued ally to our country. Moreover, Australia provides over 20 percent of the uranium used by U.S. domestic nuclear power reactors. While the United States does not need a framework agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation in force to purchase and receive uranium fuel supplies, Australian law does require such an agreement in order to export uranium.

If a new agreement is not passed and does not come into effect this year, it will have to be resubmitted to the next Congress. Given the statutory requirement for 90 days of continuous session to elapse, it would likely be May before the new agreement could come into effect.

If Australia is therefore forbidden by its own law to export uranium to the United States in the interim, it would stand to lose some $250 million in revenue. But, more importantly, the bill would ensure that this new agreement comes into force and that we, the United States, can continue to purchase what we require in this nuclear domestic power reaction field.

I reserve the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Do you have any more speakers?

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 527) commending the NATO School for its critical support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) efforts to promote global peace, stability, and security, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution commending the NATO School for its critical efforts to promote peace, stability and security is something long overdue, in my opinion.

Last year, I had the honor of participating in a visit of the bipartisan House delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany. The NATO School's mission is to provide courses in support of the current and developing NATO strategy and policy, including cooperation and dialogue with military and civilian personnel from non-NATO countries. As such, the school serves as NATO's premier operational-level education and training center, and it plays, I can tell you, a crucial role in preparing the United States and its allies to face the evolving security challenges of the 21st century.

Since 1953, more than 185,000 officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians from all allied and national military commands within the NATO Alliance have attended courses at the school. In addition, students from the Alliance's Partnership for Peace Program and the Mediterranean Dialogue attend the school. I'm proud to report that ours was the first U.S. congressional delegation to visit the NATO School in its 57-year history.

The curriculum taught at the NATO School offers our soldiers, civilian leaders and allies over 90 different specialized courses on subjects such as arms control strategies, counterinsurgency training, intelligence gathering, electronic warfare, special operations and a host of other programs. Courses are continually revised and updated to reflect current operations and developments in NATO, and in so doing, the school strives for top-down clarity of vision in the educational process.

With the unveiling of NATO's new Strategic Concept earlier this month in Lisbon, which details NATO's evolving role in global affairs, it is especially important that we stop and take a moment to acknowledge and support the work of the NATO School so that we can continue to operate as a truly unified alliance.

I would ask our colleagues to support this resolution.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Thank you, Mr. Poe.

At this time, it is with a great deal of pleasure that I yield 3 minutes to my colleague, David Scott, from Georgia. Mr. Scott is a member of the NATO parliamentary delegation from the Congress to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly headquartered in Brussels, and he has made an enormous contribution in that area.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 528) commending the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies for its efforts to promote peace, stability and security throughout North America, Europe, and Eurasia.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This resolution goes hand in glove with the one that we just took up. It commends the George Marshall European Center for Security Studies. Last year when we visited the NATO School in Oberammergau, we went then to the Marshall Center, which is located in Garmisch not far from Oberammergau, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, to highlight our interest as Members of Congress in what was happening and taking place in both the NATO School and in the Marshall Center there.

The Marshall Center was formed in 1993 as a German-American partnership. The Marshall Center is a world-renowned international security and defense studies institute with the mission of creating a more stable security environment by advancing democratic institutions and relationships, especially in the field of defense; promoting peaceful security cooperation; and strengthening partnerships among nations of North America, Europe, and Eurasia.

It is named after the legacy and vision of General George C. Marshall. The Marshall Plan, as we all remember after World War II, was a highly successful event, and the Marshall Center has a variety of unique courses and programs which involve officials from more than 110 countries. The center contributes, in our view, to the national strategy of security cooperation throughout the region through professional education and research, dialogue, and detailed and thoughtful examination of issues that confront nations today.

I am proud of recognizing these institutions, particularly the NATO School and the Marshall Center, because I think it is very important now in this uncertain time internationally, and we have been talking about it now for 30 minutes about the uncertainty in the world today, that we, as the United States House of Representatives, recognize and applaud what is taking place there in Germany in these two institutions.

I think it is time well spent for us to debate, and the critical role that the Marshall Center is playing, particularly in fostering peaceful transitions and stable democracy in the former Warsaw Pact communist states of Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia, is particularly important today.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased at this time to yield 10 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Moran).

I yield back the balance of my time, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1631) calling for the protection of religious sites and artifacts from and in Turkish-occupied areas of northern Cyprus as well as for general respect for religious freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this legislation.

One of the most tragic aspects of Turkey's 1974 invasion of Cyprus and subsequent occupation of the northern part of that country has been the desecration and destruction of religious property, primarily Greek Orthodox, and other manifestations of contempt for freedom of worship.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney).

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1588) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives on the importance of the full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement to help ensure peace and stability in Sudan during and after mandated referenda, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I want to thank Mr. Capuano and Members of the House Sudan Caucus for introducing this resolution to remind us of the important work that needs to be done to implement the final stages of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the National Congress Party and the Southern Sudanese Liberation Movement in Sudan.

The CPA requires referenda in January 2011 to determine whether South Sudan will become an independent country and whether Abyei (AH-BEE-AY) region will be a part of the North or South.

The Obama Administration has worked tirelessly to help the Sudanese people prepare for the referenda and the hard policy choices that must come after.

This resolution puts the Congress on record encouraging the President to continue a robust engagement in the CPA process and make sure the National Congress Party and the Sudanese Peoples' Liberation Movement fulfill the obligations of the agreement.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano).

Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1661) honoring the lives of the brave and selfless humanitarian aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in the tragic attack of August 5, 2010, in northern Afghanistan.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, on August 5, 2010, 10 unarmed humanitarian aid workers affiliated with the International Assistance Mission, a nongovernmental organization operating a mobile health clinic for Afghans with little access to medical care, were brutally killed in Badakhshan province, Afghanistan.

There were six Americans among the murdered aid workers. These brave and selfless individuals, Cheryl Beckett, Brian Carderelli, Thomas Grams, Glen Lapp, Tom Little and Dan Terry, dedicated their lives to serving the people of Afghanistan.

Despite the grave danger that many humanitarian aid workers face, including from the Taliban, aid workers continue to operate in Afghanistan on behalf of the country's most impoverished and marginalized populations.

We urge all parties involved in the conflict in Afghanistan to respect the neutral status of humanitarian aid workers and urge the Afghan authorities to do their utmost to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice.

The resolution before us today honors the sacrifice and the service of the brave and caring aid workers, doctors, and nurses who died in the tragic attack, and extends our condolences to the families of the victims.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1662) expressing support for the 33 trapped Chilean miners following the Copiapo mining disaster and the Government of Chile as it works to rescue the miners and reunite them with their families.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

On August 5, 2010, the San Jose copper-gold mine in Copiapo, Chile collapsed, leaving 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet underground. As of today, they have been there for 55 days.

The Chilean President has made the rescue of these stranded miners a national priority. This resolution addresses that deplorable event.

While initial estimates suggested that a complete rescue will take as long as 4 months, recent developments give hope that relief could come for the miners and their families much sooner.

Chilean officials are working tirelessly to rescue the 33 miners, and are making the necessary preparations to ease them back into society post-rescue. In this context, NASA has provided its unique expertise on rescue missions and the psychological impact of isolation. Private U.S. companies such as UPS have also contributed.

Madam Speaker, this resolution expresses solidarity with the stranded miners and their families, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

I yield back the balance of my time.