Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to the House's attention a very important issue relating to the reimbursement of plasma protein therapeutics. Specifically, I continue to be concerned regarding the inadequacy of reimbursement for immune globulins.

A fragile Medicare beneficiary population is dependent on immune globulins for life saving therapies. As a result, Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) share a responsibility to assure access to these therapies. CMS recently recognized the importance of this issue by providing for a pre-administration fee in both sites of service for immune globulins, physician offices and hospital outpatient settings. This provision was outlined in CMS's Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule and in the Physician Fee Schedule final rule.

Third party studies are currently underway to identify the true costs associated with the acquisition, handling, and administration of immune globulins. Congress anticipates that CMS will issue a Program Memorandum reflecting the study findings upon receipt of the data.

To guarantee access, I urge CMS to provide for product specific reimbursement for each separate immune globulin and to recognize that the infusion of immune globulins should be classified as a biologic response modifier for reimbursement purposes.

I intend to follow this matter carefully and look forward to working with the Administration and my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee to address these concerns.

Mr. Speaker, the outburst of hateful and irresponsible rhetoric coming from Iran in recent days and weeks is simply outrageous.

In October, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sparked international outrage when he publicly declared that Israel should be ``wiped off the map.'' Just last week, he suggested that the Holocaust never happened. This week, he called for Israel to be moved to Europe.

Nations, including the U.S., France, Germany, and the European Commission, have all expressed their disgust with these comments. The Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman, Mark Regev, said it best when he said, ``The combination of fanatical ideology, a warped sense of reality, and nuclear weapons is a combination that no one in the international community can accept.''

He is absolutely right. These comments were not made by some cleric of some small mosque. He is a head of state, and to think of him having nuclear weapons is frightening. It threatens not only Israel, but the international community as a whole, and should be denounced in the strongest terms possible by all nations.

Madam Speaker, today is a historic day for democracy and freedom. Iraqis go to the polls to democratically elect the 275 seats of the new Iraqi Council of Representatives. The newly elected Council will then select a Prime Minister, a Presidency Council, and a Cabinet of Ministers.

By any measure, today's elections are remarkable. In just under 3 years, 26 million Iraqis have gone from brutal tyranny to representative democracy. A ruthless and dangerous dictator has been removed, and the stabilizing influence of democracy is taking root in a region desperately in need of it.

This progress is a fitting tribute to the brave men and women in uniform who have sacrificed so much to see this day realized. There is more work to be done and there will be more setbacks to overcome, but this is tremendous progress. I salute them.

Mr. Speaker, as the confirmation process of Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito moves from the back burner to center stage in the coming days, we should not allow it to become politicized by the left.

President Bush has nominated a capable and qualified individual to sit on our highest Court. Judge Alito has more judicial experience than any Supreme Court nominee in the last 70 years. He has a reputation as an even-tempered, impartial, fair-minded judge who believes in judicial restraint. The Senate unanimously confirmed Judge Alito to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit in 1990.

Mr. Speaker, as this debate heats up, people should not be fooled by the mischaracterizations and personal attacks that are sure to come from the liberal left wing. Judge Alito is qualified. He deserves an up-or-down vote in the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, Democratic Party chairman Howard Dean has taken his party's irresponsible rhetoric about our involvement in Iraq to a new low. In an interview earlier this week Mr. Dean said, ``The idea that we are going to win the war in Iraq is an idea which is just plain wrong.''

Dean's take on Iraq makes even less sense than his scream in Iowa. What does Mr. Dean think it does for the morale of our troops on the ground in Iraq when they hear the leader of one of their Nation's two major political parties say that he does not believe that they can get the job done.

Mr. Dean may not believe that our troops are up to the task in Iraq, but I and the overwhelming majority of my colleagues do. It is important our troops understand that. Our troops have freed 26 million Iraqis from the grip of a brutal and murderous dictator, set the stage for democratic elections in a country where this was once thought impossible.

Make no mistake, if the war against terrorism is lost, it will not be lost by our magnificent troops on the battlefield. It will be lost right here at home by politicians who lose their resolve.

Mr. Speaker, last week an 80-foot spruce tree was delivered to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol building. Originally billed as the Capitol Holiday Tree, this beautiful spruce has been officially changed back to its historical name, the Capitol Christmas Tree, by the Speaker of the House, in time for the lighting ceremony to be held this Thursday. Predictably, the Speaker's move was unwelcome to the adherents of political correctness who constantly demand ``mainstream policy'' from our leaders.

So what is the mainstream on this issue, Mr. Speaker? A poll conducted last week provides some revealing numbers. Eighty-one percent of those polled expressed opposition to religion being excluded from public life. Eighty-three percent think nativity scenes should be allowed on public property. Ninety-three percent think the phrase ``In God We Trust'' should remain on our currency.

We would do well to keep these numbers in mind the next time the left wing attempts to arbitrarily define the mainstream for everyone. And I applaud the Speaker for taking a commonsense stand in calling our Capitol Christmas Tree what it is.

Mr. Speaker, the third-quarter economic numbers released last week are worth noting. When you consider the total devastation inflicted on our gulf coast region, combined with the temporary spike in petroleum prices, the fact that our economy remains robust is a strong testament to our free-market policies and commitment to reducing the tax burden on all Americans.

The overall growth of the economy, measured in total gross domestic product, was even better than expected, growing at a rate of 4.3 percent, the 10th consecutive quarter of GDP growth above 3 percent. Heading into the Christmas shopping season, the consumer confidence index rose to 98.9 in November, up 14 points from the previous month.

In November alone, we added 215,000 jobs to our Nation's payrolls, a total of more than 4.4 million new jobs added since May. These numbers, along with the other positive indicators, should provide strong incentive to us this week as we take up legislation to extend expiring tax cuts.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the rule and in strong opposition to the underlying resolution.

I too am a Vietnam veteran. I flew 116 combat missions in B-52s in Vietnam, and I was deeply troubled to hear my colleague from Pennsylvania, a fellow Vietnam veteran, yesterday call for the immediate withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. It brought to my mind the outrage that I and so many of my fellow veterans felt so many years ago as a young Air Force officer in Vietnam when we would hear the politicians in Washington undermining the war effort for political purposes.

For the past few weeks, much of the criticism of the war in Iraq, Mr. Speaker, has been nothing more than an attempt to undermine our Commander in Chief. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of our troops in the field. How do you think this call to immediately withdraw will affect our brave soldiers fighting on the ground overseas and their families at home awaiting their return?

I will just say it is demoralizing and insulting to them. It emboldens the terrorists.

We should not misrepresent the mission in Iraq. Our troops are not occupiers. They are liberators. They are there serving the cause of freedom and freedom is not free. It is costly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the rule and opposition to the underlying resolution.

I am a Vietnam veteran. I flew 116 combat missions in B-52's in Vietnam. I was deeply troubled to hear my colleague from Pennsylvania, a fellow Vietnam veteran, yesterday call for our immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

It brought to mind the outrage I, and so many of my fellow veterans, felt so many years ago, as a young Air Force Officer in Vietnam, when we would hear the politicians in Washington undermining the war effort for political purposes.

For the past few weeks, much of the criticism of the war in Iraq, Mr. Speaker, has been nothing more than an attempt to undermine our Commander in Chief.

Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of our troops in the field.

How do you think this call to immediately withdraw will affect our brave soldiers fighting on the ground overseas and their families at home awaiting their return? It is demoralizing and insulting to them.

And what do you think such comments like those made yesterday do for our terrorist enemies in Iraq? It emboldens them and puts our troops at greater risk, Mr. Speaker.

How dare some of my colleagues on the left misrepresent our mission in Iraq. They call our troops occupiers rather than liberators, and it seems they're more interested in demonizing Bush than defeating terrorists and defending freedom.

History has some lessons to teach us. One is written in words on the mall. It says ``freedom is not free.''

While we respect those who disagree with us and who may even protest, we should always remember that our freedoms were not won with poster paint. They were won by the blood of patriots.

Winning and protecting freedom is costly. That's what our troops are doing in Iraq.

As a combat veteran who served in an unpopular conflict during another painful time in our history, I can tell you that our troops will always remember which politicians supported them, and which undermined their efforts.

Walking away from Iraq before the job is done would be surrendering Iraq to terrorism and an incredible insult to the many brave men and women who have sacrificed so much.

If the war against terrorism is lost, it will not be lost by our magnificent troops on the battlefield. It will be lost right here at home in the halls of Congress by politicians who lose their resolve.

Mr. Speaker, it is hard to walk the Halls of Capitol Hill these days without running into signs just like this one, reminding us of the size of our national debt, put outside their doors by members of the Democrat Blue Dog Coalition. Their message: ``It's Time to Put Our Fiscal House in Order, Reduce Our Deficit.''

I agree with them. And I am glad to see this bipartisan support for deficit reduction. By bringing the Deficit Reduction Act to the floor this week, the Republican leadership has provided the Blue Dogs with an opportunity to vote for the very policy they promote with their signs. The Deficit Reduction Act would result in some $50 billion in budget savings over 5 years. It is a significant step in the right direction, and it is welcome policy for those of us committed to fiscal responsibility.

If the owners of these signs are serious about debt reduction, then they should vote for the Deficit Reduction Act this week. Otherwise, their signs are little more than false advertising and ought to be taken down.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy) for introducing this important legislation.

In its decision, the Ninth Circuit said: ``We hold that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students.''

Parents, not schools, certainly not the courts, hold the primary responsibility for educating their children, especially when it comes to more sensitive subject matters like sexual, moral, and religious instruction. But the Ninth Circuit, the same court that ruled the phrase ``under God'' in the Pledge is unconstitutional, would strip parents of this fundamental role in their children's lives.

Make no mistake: if this ruling stands, not only will parents lose the right to choose what lessons their children will learn; it will not be long before they will not even be allowed to know what is being taught in the classroom.

I rise in strong support of this resolution and urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow is Veterans Day. On this holiday, it is certainly appropriate that we recognize the sacrifice of our brave veterans that have fought to protect our freedom in years past.

But Veterans Day also provides a good opportunity to note the progress our military is making today. Today, we are at war. Our troops are fighting in the cause of freedom. Just 3 years ago, Saddam Hussein wielded a brutal totalitarian regime over an oppressed people. Today, Saddam is in jail and Iraqis have adopted a constitution upholding the rule of law.

Our effort to train and deploy new Iraqi security forces is also progressing. As of October, over 206,000 Iraqi forces have been trained and equipped. Similar progress has been seen in Afghanistan. Each day we continue the rebuilding of these war-torn countries. As a veteran, I am proud to say our military is not about occupation; it is about freedom, our freedom and freedom around the world.

Mr. Speaker, as we take time tomorrow to remember our living veterans, let us also recognize the noteworthy accomplishments of our troops serving today and not forget the words on the Mall--``Freedom Is Not Free.''

Madam Speaker, some liberals opposed to the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court claim that Judge Alito is ``outside the mainstream'' because he supported the spousal notice provision of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act. Mind you, this was not paternal notice; it was spousal notice. This was not spousal consent. It was spousal notice. Polling showed nearly 75 percent of the Americans support this provision.

So what is the mainstream in America today? In 2004, 13 States included on their ballot a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union between a man and a woman. All 13 States passed the measure by wide margins. Today, it is up to 19 States. The polls overwhelmingly support this definition.

A Zogby poll showed 77 percent of Americans support a law requiring a pregnant woman be given information about fetal pain prior to an abortion. Other polls show nearly 90 percent support including the phrase ``under God'' in the Pledge of Allegiance. A 2005 Gallup poll shows 75 percent of Americans think that State government entities should be allowed to display the 10 Commandments.

Let us not allow liberal interest groups to arbitrarily define the mainstream for us.

Mr. Speaker, like millions of parents across the country, we were shocked last week by the ruling of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This ruling denies parents their right to have a say in the content their children are taught in school. In its decision, the Ninth Circuit said, ``We hold that parents have no due process or privacy right to override the determinations of public schools as to the information to which their children will be exposed while enrolled as students.''

Mr. Speaker, parents, not schools and certainly not the courts, hold the primary responsibility for educating their children, especially when it comes to more sensitive subject matters like sexual, moral, or religious instruction. But the Ninth Circuit, the same court that ruled the phrase ``under God'' in the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional, would strip parents of this fundamental role in their own children's lives.

Last week we addressed an errant court ruling on eminent domain and private property rights. Should this ruling stand, we will need to correct this wayward court yet again.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the outrage of the people of Indonesia with my colleagues regarding a case of horror that occurred this past weekend.

While walking to school on the morning of Saturday, October 29, in Central Sulawesi, three teenage girls were attacked by Islamic extremists. The attackers murdered the young ladies by hacking them with machetes and eventually severing their heads from their bodies.

Why this attack? They had done nothing wrong. They were simply teenage girls walking to school.

As this horrible tragedy affirms, the Indonesian government must crack down strongly and firmly on these barbaric extremists in Indonesia. Otherwise, these terrifying events will continue.

Photos are too graphic to show, but they show a young girl wearing a Princess Diaries t-shirt who will never again have the chance to dream like many little girls do of being a princess. Extremists have robbed her of her dream.

I urge the Indonesian government to spare no resource in rooting out these extremist perpetrators and other human rights violators from Indonesian society.

Mr. Speaker, our Founding Fathers devised a system of government which has served us well for more than 200 years. Ultimately, though, no constitutional system can survive unless it is respected by those who have sworn to protect it. We will find out in the coming weeks whether the liberals in the Senate value demagoguery more than the Constitution.

Judge Samuel Alito has every qualification and character trait you could want in a Supreme Court Justice. He has reverence for the Constitution, he has the humility to remember that his job is to judge, not to legislate. He has a brilliant mind, a compassionate character. He comes from humble origins, which will keep him rooted in the real values of this country. This is precisely the kind of person we need on our Court.

Unfortunately, there are a handful of Senators who are so obsessed with a few controversial issues that they seem bent on tearing down good people no matter what the cost to our democracy. I urge the other body to proceed fairly toward an up-or-down vote on Judge Alito's nomination.