Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Army Private First Class Travis Anderson, who was killed in the line of duty while serving his country honorably in Iraq.

He was extremely proud to wear his Nation's uniform, and we should all pay tribute to this brave and courageous young man.

Each day our men and women willingly face unknown dangers as part of the effort to promote peace and democracy throughout the world. Their individual stories of honor and courage must not be forgotten.

Travis Anderson was from the San Luis Valley in Colorado, and he loved hunting and fishing. He was an excellent marksman and was one of the best known coyote hunters around. Travis knew from an early age that he wanted to use his talent to serve his country. His passion for serving his country and marksmanship earned him a place in the elite Special Forces.

On May 13, 2005, Pfc Travis Anderson was killed when a car bomb detonated

near his convoy in Iraq. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He was 28 years old.

My heart goes out to Travis's family: his grandmother, Violet; his mother, Barbara; and his siblings, Toscha, Amanda, Bissy, and Buddy. They too have sacrificed for our Nation. I am humbled by their strength and perseverance in the face of such hardship.

Pfc Anderson died performing the most noble of deeds serving and protecting his Nation and fellow countrymen. Travis and his family have exhibited a rare form of selflessness and courage.

I submit this recognition to the United States House of Representatives in honor of their sacrifice so that Travis Anderson may live on in memory.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of National Police Week and the thousands of police officers who serve our communities. A life of public service is not always an easy path, and so I thank the officers and their families who sacrifice so much to keep us safe. Just the other day, James Billings, the Chief of Police for the City of Pueblo in my district, visited the office to discuss crime and drug issues, including recent developments involving the Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS, program. His visit underscored to me the importance of those who work in law enforcement and the difficulties they face each and every day.

To that end, we should take the time to recognize and thank those who work so diligently to protect our families. It is not enough though to simply thank them; it is important that we continue to ensure funding and other necessary support is available for these brave men and women so they might do their jobs unimpaired.

This is why I strongly support the COPS program and urge the congressional leadership to increase, not cut, its funding level. COPS is designed to help police departments hire the officers they need to keep our streets safe, to purchase the equipment so crucial to their work, and to help ensure these stations can pay the overtime and build the support systems they need to allow their officers to do the jobs they carry out so nobly. Funding cuts to the program are unacceptable-- a decrease in COPS funding means a decrease in the number of officers on the streets of our communities.

For that very reason, I am also a co-sponsor of a resolution calling for the creation of a Peace Officer's Memorial Day, which would honor those officers killed or disabled in the line of duty. I believe one of our greatest duties is to keep our communities, and our families, safe. Giving police officers the support they need and the recognition they deserve is one of the best ways to serve those we represent.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to express my support for H.R. 1544, The Faster and Smarter Funding for First Responders Act.

My colleagues and I agree there is a need to reform the current system for funding first responders across our Nation. The Department of Homeland Security and this Congress should allocate Federal funds based on risk in order to protect critical infrastructure and high profile targets from attack. I do want to take this opportunity to express my concern that largely rural states such as Colorado will see a decrease in Homeland Security grant funds. As states prepare their risk assessment and the Department of Homeland Security evaluates them, I urge all parties to place high priority on protecting facilities such as dams, reservoirs and other potential targets outside of urban centers. I also urge the proper authorities to take advantage of the provisions in this bill that allow the formation of regional cooperatives to pursue Homeland Security funds.

Mr. Chairman, as we witnessed yesterday, our Nation is better prepared for security threats, but much work remains to be done. It is my hope that the important reforms contained in this bill will speed the delivery of money to the appropriate agencies and funding will be directed to where it is needed the most.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the crew of the St. Mary's Hospital Careflight Unit in Grand Junction, Colorado.

Pilot Richard Fowler, Nurse Mary Bagshaw and Bradley Brown have been nominated for the Hero of the Storm award, in recognition of their courageous actions when their medical airlift plane was downed in the Rocky Mountains during a winter storm. The crew defied the odds, survived in the freezing weather and saved the life of a 2-year-old patient already in poor condition.

I am humbled by their strength and perseverance in the face of such hardship. We all salute the bravery of these three extraordinary people, who risked their lives to save others. These everyday citizens embody the values of courage and duty and we should all live by their example.

Mr. Speaker, the Latino community lost a great leader this week. I rise today to pay tribute to Corky Gonzales, a man of principle and passion. He was a man who spent a lifetime working for equal opportunity for all Americans. At the same time, he taught us to take pride in our heritage and to remember our roots as we worked to achieve equality in mainstream society.

Corky was the youngest of 8 children. He was raised in the Denver barrio, where medical facilities were closed to Mexican migrant workers such as his parents, and opportunities were few and far between.

As a child though, he grew up listening to his father's accounts of the Mexican revolution. Having learned from those lessons of fighting for your principles, Gonzales literally fought his way out of poverty. The tough, wily man made his way into the boxing ring, and he worked his way up to become a national champion boxer. He was the first Latino inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

But Corky was also a lifelong poet, a man who understood the power of language. He taught us that words could inspire action and create real change. His epic poem, ``Yo Soy Joaquin'' was an inspiration to many. It captured the struggle of a community fighting for equality, fighting to break free of poverty, and fighting to create new opportunities without losing the heritage that helps shape our identity.

I shed the tears of anguish

as I see my children disappear

behind the shroud of mediocrity,

never to look back to remember me.

I am Joaquin.

I must fight

and win this struggle

for my sons, and they

must know from me

who I am.

Corky's words called for Latinos to unite for social justice and end discrimination, to demand just treatment. It is because of his leadership in the last 30 years that today we all enjoy a more inclusive society.

Corky will live on in more than memory--he lives on in our hearts, our identity, and the strength he gave us as a community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my concern about the current state of our Nation's budget woes.

I've been running the family ranch for several years and I know what it means to work within a budget. You may have to count your pennies, but you spend your money where it matters the most to you and your community.

This Administration proposes to cut funding for agricultural programs in addition to denying promised benefits to veterans and military widows. These are the wrong priorities for our country. We cannot pass the burden of the debt onto the backs of our farmers and veterans.

Agriculture is the backbone of this great nation. I have always said that there are only two things that can bring this country down--our dependence on other countries to produce our food and our dependence on foreign oil. Agriculture must become a real part of our renewable energy supply. Research and education are the only way we can grow and develop these new technologies. This is the worst time to cut agriculture research programs.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, but turning our backs on our country's service personnel and veterans isn't desperate, it's crazy. We need to put our resources toward meeting the promises we have made to our veterans, servicemen, and their families--in rural Colorado, that means making sure that veterans don't have to drive five hours to get the health care they were promised.

I will never support breaking the promise to the brave men and women who served our country in the name of freedom and democracy.

blue dog 12 point plan

I am a proud member of the Congressional Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democrats that

fights for fiscal responsibility. Fiscal responsibility means spending your money where it matters most. We can do that without increasing taxes.

First off--our Nation's taxpayers deserve an honest budget that gives an account of all future spending. If this Administration wants to privatize Social Security, then the budget should have included the trillions of dollars it would take to change the system.

Secondly--we need to reduce the deficit. As a farmer, I know this firsthand--you can't spend money you don't have. Congress is already facing a $589 billion dollar deficit--increasing the amount of our national debt to $1 trillion dollars. The Blue Dog Coalition created a 12 Point Reform Plan to cure the Nation's addiction to deficit spending. For starters, the Blue Dog Plan would require that any new spending would have to be paid for. This common-sense rule, ``pay-as- you-go'' is mandatory in Colorado. In the 1990's, ``pay-as-you-go'' brought the budget into surplus and is supported by Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Our plan also includes a provision for a ``rainy day fund'' in case there is a need for emergency spending.

Neither the Administration's budget, nor the Democratic alternative, incorporate a single component of the Blue Dog 12 Point Plan. As Members of Congress, we must discuss a budget that has included input from both parties. It is for that reason, I voted ``No'' on both budget proposals. I will not vote for an increase in taxes. And I will not vote to cut the programs that matter to our communities.

The Federal Government and this Congress need to take a lesson from small business owners and get back to creating a budget where all the numbers add up.

I thank the gentleman from Massachusetts for yielding me this time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the effort to defeat the previous question. If the previous question is defeated, my bill, H.R. 1330, the Social Security Trust Funds Protection Act, will be brought before the House for debate and a vote.

My bill would ensure that Social Security payroll contributions cannot be diverted to establish private accounts. I know that people say that Social Security was not meant to be the only source of retirement income, but the sad reality is that for too many people it is the only source of retirement.

Amelia Valdez from Pueblo, Colorado, gave me this photograph about 2 weeks ago. As she gave it to me, she looked up into my eyes with tears as she said, ``This is a photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt signing the Social Security Act in 1935. Please hang it in your office as a reminder.'' She continued and said, ``Please do not let them dismantle my only source of income.''

In rural America, Social Security keeps tens of thousands of people from falling into poverty. My Democratic colleagues and I are committed to keeping our promises to American workers. We will fight to strengthen

Social Security so that American worker gets the benefits that they were promised.

Creating private accounts will only hasten the demise of Social Security by draining trillions of dollars from the Social Security Trust Fund. We cannot forget the lessons that we learned from Enron. A retirement fund that relies on the stock market is simply not a secure benefit. The proposal to privatize Social Security would mean a 40 percent cut in benefits. It simply does not make sense to change the Social Security system program so that it cuts benefits. The first step towards saving Social Security is to make sure that the payroll moneys are only used to pay Social Security benefits.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the previous question so that we can protect the retirement security of every American.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of our troops serving overseas and H.R. 1268.

I would first like to recognize Mr. Lewis, Mr. Obey and the Appropriations Committee for their work on this bill.

This past weekend, Colorado welcomed home the 143rd Signal Company of the Colorado Army National Guard. We honor the sacrifices these men and women have made and welcome them home.

We must ensure the safety and well being of the brave men and women who are still serving our country overseas.

By passing this budget supplemental, we send a message to our troops that, ``we support you in your cause to bring freedom and democracy to the world.''

I commend the committee for proposing to increase funding for vehicle armor kits, new trucks and night vision equipment above and beyond the administration's request.

This money will ensure our troops are safe in the line of fire.

I am also very pleased that H.R. 1268 proposes to increase benefits for military personnel.

For too long, life insurance and death gratuity benefits have not been enough to take care of families who lost a loved one.

I urge my colleagues to support these two important provisions and not allow them to be stripped from the bill.

Although I will be voting for this supplemental, I hope in the future we will not have to vote for supplemental appropriations.

I hope in the future we will vote on the funding of military operations during the budgeting process.

We are dealing with known and fixed costs in this supplemental.

It is time for the Congress to send a message to the Administration that we must include future funding for the war on terrorism in the federal budget.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support our troops and pass H.R. 1268. I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. Chairman, first, I want to take a moment and commend the gentleman from Texas, Mr. Edwards, Ranking Member Obey, Chairman Lewis and the Committee on Appropriations for bringing this supplemental appropriation to the floor so quickly. This legislation is extremely important to the lives of servicemembers in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families.

As many of my colleagues know, Las Vegas is home to the Nellis Air Force base and many of the men and women stationed there have been sent overseas. Over 1,000 Nevada reservists and National Guard members have been called to active duty. I have spoken to the parents and families of our men and women who have fallen in the line of duty and I am acutely aware of family conflicts which are exacerbated by the death of a servicemember.

Therefore, I have serious concerns regarding the application of the Servicemember's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) spousal consent requirements in section 1113(b) of the emergency supplemental bill. This section requires

a married servicemember to purchase a particular level of life insurance and to list their spouse as the beneficiary, unless the spouse consents otherwise. At first blush, this proposal sounds great- until you think about it. This ``one size fits all'' approach could result in the one-time payment of $400,000 to a spouse, at the expense of a servicemember's wishes and the best interest of his orphaned children.

We must remember that not all married servicemembers have the same types of families and relationships with their spouses.

Imagine a servicemember who is married to a man with a serious drug problem. This servicewoman may prefer to name their children as the beneficiaries of her life insurance policy so that in the event of her death, the insurance is spent on he children's school, clothes, and health care. Not her husband's cocaine addiction. I do not believe that this woman should have to receive permission from her husband to name her children as the beneficiaries of her life insurance policy and that the government should be forcing her to do so.

Consider a serviceman who has minor children from a prior marriage. He may want his children to receive the monies, instead of his current wife. A man who wants to be responsible and take care of his children in the event of his death, should not be prevented from doing so. But the spousal consent provision in the emergency supplemental may do just that.

Current law allows a servicemember to designate 50% of his life insurance policy to a spouse and the rest to a child. This flexibility has given servicemembers the opportunity to properly take care of their families upon their deaths, no matter what kind of family situation they have.

The Military Officers Association of America originally supported the provision, but now recognizes that the language is excessively stringent. The organization now supports striking the requirement for spousal consent. I would like to insert in the record a letter from MOAA and a similar letter from The Military Coalition.

Mr. Chairman, the potential of this provision to require that a large one time payment be made to the legal spouse of a deceased servicemember could have serious ramifications for the servicemember's children. It needs to be reconsidered in that light. I do not want to delay passage of this important bill, since it contains many important and urgent provisions. I trust that the conferees will be able to address this issue in conference.

Military Officers

Association of America,

March 11, 2005.

Hon. Steve Buyer,

Chairman, Committee on Veterans Affairs, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On behalf of the 370,000 members of the

Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), I am writing

to inform you that, after discussing the issue extensively

with the Committee's majority and minority staff, MOAA has

reconsidered its position on the Servicemen's Group Life

Insurance (SGLI) spousal consent requirement, as included in

the Appropriations Committee's markup of the FY2005 Defense

Supplemental Appropriations Act.

We believe there is merit to the staff's view that the

Appropriations Committee's language is excessively stringent

and could inappropriately preclude servicemembers' ability to

make reasonable insurance decisions--especially in

circumstances where it may be reasonable and appropriate for

a member to designate children as beneficiaries instead of

the current spouse.

MOAA believes Congress is doing the right thing in

expediting passage of improved death benefits coverage in the

Supplemental Appropriations Act, and we have no wish to slow

that process in any way.

Therefore, MOAA urges your support for a floor amendment

that would either substitute a provision requiring spousal

notification (instead of spousal consent) or strike the

spousal consent requirement to allow the Committee to develop

more appropriate language that could be offered in conference

or another appropriate legislative venue.

Sincerely,

Steven P. Strobridge,

Colonel, USAF (Ret),

Director, Government Relations.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the Transportation Equity Act and urge swift passage of the measure. I would like to recognize the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), as well as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio), for their leadership in this historic bill.

Over the past couple of months I visited across the Third Congressional District of Colorado. From Grand Junction down to Durango and across the mountain to Pueblo, it is clear that rural America cannot afford to wait any longer.

For too long, Coloradans have put more money into the Highway Trust Fund than we have gotten out of it. As a Member of Congress, I have sworn to make sure Colorado receives its fair share of Federal tax dollars.

I am pleased with the progress that has been made on the rate-of- return issue. I thank the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) and the ranking member, the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar), for coming up to compromise on this important issue.

This funding is necessary to invest back in our own infrastructure. Increased truck traffic from I-70 and I-25 all throughout my district has put additional strain on the infrastructure already at capacity and in need of much improvement. Many of us view TEA-LU as an investment, as a stimulus for economic development and agree that we should have a higher funding level. But the reality of the budget constraints have hit hard. Rural communities have suffered most.

This legislation is a fair solution, a compromise with the total of $284 billion in guaranteed funding, a 42-percent increase over the previous bill. With this new funding, we will create and protect millions of U.S. jobs within the transportation sector and related industries. It will allow us to direct critical resources to improve highways, roadways, and other forms of transit.

In Colorado alone, nearly 75 percent of the current interstate system was built before 1970, but our population has increased by 37 percent over the past decade, and we are projected to increase another 35 percent by the year 2020. Now is the time for us to start investing in the infrastructure that will bring and support growth.

TEA-LU is a bill that will touch people at all levels. It is about connecting communities. It is about ensuring that trade flows across this country and benefits rural communities.

I urge my colleagues to support the development of rural America and passage of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor Army Private First Class George Geer, who was killed in the line of duty while serving his country honorably in Iraq.

Each day our men and women willingly face unknown dangers as part of the effort to promote peace and democracy throughout the world. Their individual stories of honor and courage must not be forgotten.

George Geer was from Cortez, Colorado. On January 17, 2005, Pfc. George Geer was killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He was 27 years old.

My heart goes outs to George's parents, Harold and Lois, and to his sister, Hope. They too have sacrificed for our Nation. I am humbled by their strength and perseverance in the face of such hardship.

Pfc. George Geer died performing the most noble of deeds, serving and protecting his Nation and fellow countrymen. George and his family have exhibited a rare form of selflessness and courage. I submit this recognition to the U.S. House of Representatives in honor of their sacrifice so that Mr. George Geer may live on in memory.