Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from California and the gentlewoman from California.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to offer this resolution today to honor all of the athletes of the 2010 U.S. Paralympic Team, including my constituent Josh Pauls, the youngest member of Team USA. Josh Pauls of Watchung, New Jersey, is a remarkable young man, a real American hero, and I am proud to recognize him before the United States Congress and the American people.

During the Paralympic Games and every day of the year, Paralympic athletes like Josh demonstrate great American spirit, courage, and achievement. I am proud we are able to work in a bipartisan fashion to bring this important measure to the House floor for final consideration, and I am proud of athletes like Josh Pauls.

Josh was 10 years old when his father first took him to a sled hockey game at the Bridgewater, New Jersey, arena. Soon after, Josh began playing locally and showed so much talent that his team manager recommended that he try out for the national team. He took that advice and successfully made the team. Now Josh is on the ice 11 months out of the year, both locally and traveling as far as the U.S. Olympic Center in Colorado Springs to train with his national team teammates. This is a sacrifice made not only by Josh but by his loving and supportive parents, Debbie and Tony Pauls. Josh and his teammates brought home one of four gold medals won by Team USA in the 2010 games and one of 13 overall medals won by this inspiring team.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution, honoring not only Josh but all of the members of Team USA, the United States Paralympics, and the athletes, families, schools, and communities that support these athletes year-round and not just during the Olympic Games.

These athletes are the very best at what they do and should serve as an inspiration for all Americans for the dedication and tenacity they show in representing the United States of America.

Madam Chair, I rise in support of Congressman Garrett's amendment also sponsored in a bipartisan capacity by Congressman Adler on the other side of the aisle and by me. This is bipartisan in nature, and, of course, we believe that across the country, veterans and their families

are dealing with the hardships of overcrowded and unkempt State cemeteries.

For example, in New Jersey there is only one State veterans cemetery that is currently available for new burials--the Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, in southern New Jersey, not in my district and not in Congressman Garrett's district, but this is bipartisan in nature on our side of the aisle; and certainly we think that this amendment will help fund these projects and reduce existing backlogs in the State veterans cemetery grant program.

I certainly concur with Congressman Garrett's point of view that the funding is already over what has been requested by the administration and we believe strongly that this is in the best interest of the United States.

Mr. Speaker, over the Fourth of July district work period, I met with small business leaders in central New Jersey. We discussed the state of the economy and how New Jersey's job creators are in dire need of free market solutions that will help them create jobs. Instead, Congress has put forth job-killing policies that include higher taxes, unchecked spending, and new health care mandates that continue to put a drag on small businesses across the Nation.

That's why I have joined a number of my colleagues from the Northeast in authoring a small business assistance plan that provides important tax relief, reduces paperwork requirements, and boosts small business lending. Our proposed measure focuses on letting small business owners keep more of what they earn to hire workers, buy new equipment, expand their companies, and spend less time filling out paperwork created by Federal mandates.

I urge my colleagues to help small businesses across the Nation and cosponsor H.R. 5554.

My thanks to Mr. Sessions; to our ranking member, Mr. Bachus; as well as to the chairman and to the gentleman from Colorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my opposition to the rule for the financial bill that gives Wall Street firms the potential of permanent bailouts, that institutionalizes ``too big to fail,'' and that will ultimately constrict lending to consumers and small businesses at the worst possible time for our economy.

The underlying measure does not fully audit the Fed, and it does nothing to rein in housing giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which have already cost U.S. taxpayers $145 billion and counting.

The Troubled Asset Relief Program funds, by the original law, were supposed to be used to reduce the deficit, not to be used as a funding source for new spending, and the increase in the premium reserve ratio at the FDIC should not be used for anything other than protecting depositors in bank failures. Yet the Democratic majority has chosen the fiscal path of more spending and more borrowing--this at a time when the Federal debt is $13 trillion and rising rapidly.

The American people deserve a better plan that puts an end to bailouts, that audits the Fed, that reins in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and that takes the government out of the business of picking winners and losers. This bill fails on all of these accounts. I oppose the rule and the underlying bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on leaders in Congress to put forth a congressional budget and allow a meaningful, open debate on the important fiscal issues facing the Nation.

Producing a Federal budget blueprint is one of the most basic responsibilities of Congress. Yet, as of today, no such budget exists.

The failure of presenting a budget to the American people is a failure of leadership by the Democratic majority to govern and a missed opportunity to put forth a budget blueprint that puts our Nation on the path to fiscal responsibility.

Never before in the modern era has the House of Representatives failed to pass a budget; but never before has our Nation seen this type of unprecedented, runaway congressional spending, deficits, and debt.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service, the Congress has never failed to consider a budget resolution since the current budget rules were passed in 1974. Yet for the first time in 36 years, the Democratic majority has chosen irresponsibly to avoid the hard budgetary choices New Jersey families and small businesses must make every day.

Thank you, Congressman Smith.

Mr. Speaker, I join several of my colleagues this evening to pay tribute to Robert D. Franks, a former New Jersey Member of the House of Representatives whose compassion rightfully earned him praise and respect from both sides of the political aisle. Bob died late in the evening on Friday, April 9. He was 58 years old.

Bob's death at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan was caused by an aggressive sarcoma which was diagnosed in February. He was surrounded by his wonderful wife, Fran; their three young and beautiful daughters, Sara, Kelly, and Abigail; his mother, June; his sister, Judy; brother-in-law, Jeremy; and niece, Mary Hannah.

Bob was a brilliant political tactician and a natural candidate.

Born in Hackensack, he had been deeply involved in politics since his youth serving as State chairman of the New Jersey Teenage Republicans and going door-to-door as a 13-year-old in 1964 in suburban Chicago, where his family was then living, for Charles H. Percy's campaign for Governor.

Mr. Franks was graduated from DePauw University in Indiana in 1973. And after receiving a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, he directed campaigns for Governor and Congress in New Jersey before being elected as a State assemblyman in 1979, representing Union County for 13 years.

Congressman Bob Franks served twice as Republican State committee chairman and helped bring the Republican Party to veto-proof majorities in both Houses of our State legislature.

Elected to Congress in November 1992, Bob Franks was a fiscal conservative who served on the House Transportation Committee and was known as a tireless advocate for New Jersey's transportation sector. In the fall of 1994, Bob helped bring Republicans into the majority by championing congressional reform measures.

But while Bob Franks relished the game of politics, he was also respected for his willingness to work with the opposing party. Former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean said, ``He loved the sport of politics, but he also thought politics was there for better government.''

Bob was pragmatic, but he stood on principle. I think that State Senator Kevin O'Toole may have said it best when he said of Bob Franks that he ``combined being a policy wonk and a politician, that resulted in one incredibly well-armed and extraordinarily effective elected official.''

Bob lost a close United States Senate race in 2000 but won the hearts of all Jerseyans with the tenacity of his campaign. He was serving as president of the Health Care Institute of New Jersey at the time of his death, and he was a relentless and compassionate champion for New Jersey's health care industry and the patients it served.

Bob was a good friend to me, a trusted colleague, and a mentor. He dedicated his entire public life to making New Jersey a better place for all of its residents. His work ethic, his values, his relentless optimism, and his unshakable good humor will be greatly missed by all of us who knew him. And he stands as a shining example of public service not only in the State of New Jersey my colleagues and I represent, but across the United States.

As we mourn his loss, we celebrate his great life; and to his beloved wife, Fran, and their beautiful daughters we extend our deepest sympathy. A person, really, who furthered the American tradition of public service and certainly known and loved by the residents of New Jersey.

Thank you, Congressman.

Madam Speaker, it is with deep regret that I inform the House of the passing of a former Member, Robert D. Franks of New Jersey. Bob Franks died late Friday at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan at the age of 58.

His distinguished career of public service included membership in the New Jersey General Assembly, where we were colleagues, chairman of the State Republican Party, and from 1992 until 2000, as a Member of Congress from New Jersey's Seventh Congressional District where he was succeeded by Mike Ferguson.

In this decade, Bob has served extremely ably as the president of the Health Care Institute of New Jersey. A graduate of DePauw University in Green Castle, Indiana, and Southern Methodist University Law School in Dallas, he is survived by his wonderful wife, Fran, and their beautiful young daughters, Kelly, Sara and Abigail.

A devoted friend, colleague and mentor to me, Bob's passing at such a young age is particularly poignant, but his shining example as a public servant will burn brightly for decades and serve as an example to us all.

I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Madam Speaker, I believe on a bipartisan basis Members of the House of Representatives favor health care reform, and I certainly want to be a voice of reason in that regard. Nobody in America is satisfied with the current situation. I am part of a group of House Republicans, the Tuesday Group, that has put forth an eminently sensible proposal, Madam Speaker: purchase of policies across State lines; making sure no one is denied coverage based upon preexisting conditions; coverage of young people on their parents' policies until age 26; and most important of all, medical malpractice insurance reform, not contained in the proposal we will be voting on this weekend or at the beginning of next week.

Number two, Madam Speaker, the proposal on which we will be voting, over the next 10 years is a proposal where there is only 6 years of benefits, but we begin paying for it in tax increases immediately. Regarding the scoring by the Congressional Budget Office, Madam Speaker, what is not in calculation is roughly a quarter of a trillion dollars, the so-called doctors' fix, that will clearly be a cost associated with this because we need to compensate physicians appropriately.

Let us review commonsense alternatives, and please let's not vote on this bill based upon procedure instead of an up-or-down vote that is, I believe, required constitutionally.

I thank the gentleman from California and the gentlelady from Guam.

Madam Speaker, I certainly rise in support of the legislation under discussion. I also rise today as a proud cosponsor of H.R. 2788, the Distinguished Flying Cross National Memorial Act.

The creation of a memorial to honor Distinguished Flying Cross medal recipients is long overdue. These brave men and women are being honored for their heroic and extraordinary achievements during flight.

This diverse group of service men and women includes pilots from all five military branches and veterans from every U.S. military conflict from World War I to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm honored to represent several of these heroes who have received the Distinguished Flying Cross medal.

One of the awardees is James Pressman of Clark, New Jersey. Born in Elizabeth and raised in Rahway, Mr. Pressman served as a U.S. Army pilot and has been decorated with three Distinguished Flying Crosses for his valiant efforts.

In 1967, he graduated from the Army ROTC program at Rutgers University, where he was enrolled in the Army

flight program. Upon graduation, Mr. Pressman attended Infantry Officer Basic School and Flight School and then served in Vietnam from March 1969 to March 1970.

Mr. Pressman flew UH-1H helicopters as a member of C Troop in the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry of the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Phuoc Vinh, Vietnam. After safely returning home, he taught for a year as a flight instructor at Fort Wolters, Texas. Once Mr. Pressman retired from the Army, he served 6 years in the Army National Guard in Westfield, New Jersey.

Mr. Pressman resides in Clark as a retired real estate agent and substitute history teacher at Westfield and Arthur L. Johnson high schools. It is my privilege, Madam Speaker, to recognize him today along with all of the other courageous servicemen and -women who have been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

I thank the sponsor of the legislation, Congressman Ken Calvert of California, as well as the chairman and ranking member of the Natural Resources Committee, for bringing this legislation to the floor.

With that, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for passage of the legislation.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate the Junior League of Summit, New Jersey on celebrating their 80th Anniversary as a women's volunteer organization dedicated to serving the communities of Summit, Berkeley Heights, New Providence, and Chatham.

March 26, 1010 will mark their 80th Anniversary and I hope to join the Junior League of Summit and its members at their planned celebration.

The Junior League of Summit is comprised of more than 400 women in Union County, who are united by a common goal of helping others. Specifically, the organization promotes volunteerism, develops the potential of women and improves the community through effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.

Over the years, the Junior League of Summit has made significant contributions to community service throughout Central New Jersey. In fact, the League has many accomplishments of which to be proud.

For example, the League has raised more than $3 million through its Summit-based Thrift Shop and returned those funds to the community by way of grants, special projects, scholarships and programs. And Junior League members have logged more than one million hours of community service.

Junior League members have volunteered to help scores of causes in New Jersey, including local area schools, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics of New Jersey, Children's Specialized Hospital, Interfaith Council for the Homeless, Union County Parks and Recreation, CASA of Union County, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation and the AIDS Resource Foundation.

Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate all of the members of the Junior League of Summit for their outstanding efforts to help others and make a difference to the larger community.

I am also pleased congratulate the Junior League of Summit on its 80th Anniversary as a distinguished community organization. I am proud to share the League's good efforts with my colleagues here in the United States Congress and with the American people.

Madam Speaker, today, The Washington Post bore a headline that should be of grave concern to all Americans: ``House may try to pass Senate health care bill without voting on it.'' The Post article said, ``After laying the groundwork for a decisive vote this week on the Senate's health care bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggested Monday that she might attempt to pass the measure without having Members vote on it.''

Despite deep reservations of a majority of Americans, congressional leaders plan to ram through their 2,700-page, nearly $1 trillion proposal, by using a parliamentary maneuver that is both politically treacherous and likely unconstitutional. Article I, section 7 of the Constitution clearly states that a bill must pass both the House and Senate to become law.

I call on leaders of Congress to adhere to our Constitution's requirement of democratic accountability and allow a straight up-or- down vote on the majority party's health care proposal that is opposed by the American people.

I thank the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from Washington.

I rise today to recognize Willard S. Boyle and George E. Smith from Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, in my congressional district. Drs. Boyle and Smith, along with Charles Kao of Standard Telecommunications Laboratories and the Chinese University of Hong Kong, were awarded the Nobel Prize for physics for the invention of the charge-coupled device, an imaging semiconductor circuit.

The work of Drs. Boyle and Smith represents a breakthrough in telecommunications that may bring about revolutionary changes in the near future. Their significant achievements have helped advance the United States as the world leader in scientific research and development.

It should come as no surprise that their work was completed at Bell Laboratories. Founded in 1925 by the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, Bell Laboratories is an internationally renowned research organization. Work at Bell Labs has led to the invention or advancement of such groundbreaking technologies as the transistor, photovoltaic cells, the laser, the UNIX operating system, and the CCD sensor. In fact, seven Nobel Prizes for physics have been awarded for research conducted at Bell Labs.

I'm very proud to commend Drs. Boyle and Smith on winning the Nobel Prize in physics and in sharing their scientific achievements with colleagues in Congress, with Garden State residents, and indeed with the American people. I also thank my colleague, Congressman Rush Holt, also from New Jersey, for his efforts to recognize this remarkable achievement and recognizing Bell Labs.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina and the gentleman from Georgia.

Madam Speaker, I rise today as the proud sponsor of House Resolution 812, legislation to honor and recognize the significant contributions made by military working dogs to the United States military and to our Nation.

Dogs have been used by people to help protect themselves and their property since ancient times. Trained dogs have been used by most of the world's military forces since the first military units were organized. From these ancient beginnings, the U.S. Armed Forces adopted the Military Working Dog Program, called ``the K-9 Corps,'' shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, when dog owners across the Nation donated their noble pets to assist soldiers and sailors in the World War II effort.

Since that time, military working dog training has been continually refined to produce a highly sophisticated and versatile extension of the warrior's own senses. Military working dogs are trained in explosives detection, narcotics detection, sentry, patrol, tracking, and other specific areas. Even the most complex machines remain unable to duplicate the operational effectiveness of properly trained working dogs.

The branches of the United States Armed Forces as well as several other governmental agencies incorporate military working dogs into their operations, including, as has been mentioned, the Secret Service, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Transportation Security Administration.

The United States military utilized more than 10,000 dogs in World War II. More than 1,500 military working dogs were employed during the Korean War, and 4,500 in the Vietnam War. Since September 11, military working dogs have served not only in Iraq and Afghanistan but also in detection work as part of homeland security and defense efforts. Approximately 2,000 military working dogs currently serve at nearly 170 U.S. military bases worldwide, including bases in 40 U.S. States and three U.S. territories. Over the past six decades, these dogs have helped prevent injuries and have saved the lives of thousands of Americans.

This resolution to honor these brave canines was inspired by a military working dog that was adopted by a family in Fleming, New Jersey, in my congressional district. Military Working Dog Ben C020 was retired from the Air Force last July after nearly 11 years of loyal service in the military. Ben, trained as a narcotics and patrol dog, served with a security unit at Bolling Air Force Base. As the premium narcotics dog in the unit, he was selected to deploy to Texas to assist the United States Customs and Border Protection agency, where he detected and prevented 300 pounds of marijuana from being smuggled into the U.S. in one month. Ben also worked in law enforcement, foot patrols, and resource security to keep employees, residents, and visitors at the Air Force base safe. In September, the Air Force awarded Ben with a medal of commendation to recognize the major achievements that he has achieved throughout his career.

House Resolution 812 also recognizes community organizations for their efforts to assist in the adoption process of retired military working dogs. J.T. Gabriel, a constituent of mine and Ben's new owner, is the chief executive officer and founder of K-9 Soldiers, a nonprofit organization that supports military K-9 troops worldwide. In addition to providing support for active military working dog units, K-9 Soldiers and many other community groups work closely with the adoption program at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas to help secure a home for military working dogs once they retire. Thanks to their efforts, hundreds of retired military working dogs have been able to find good homes and continue to lead happy and healthy lives after their years of loyal service to the Nation.

I thank the chairman and the ranking member for allowing us to bring this resolution to the floor, and the Members who are cosponsors of House Resolution 812. I encourage all of my colleagues to support this resolution and honor the thousands of active and retired military working dogs that have helped save lives and protected the members of our Armed Forces in harm's way.

Mr. Speaker, the American people are frustrated with the ideas coming out of Washington by the Democratic majority to fix our broken economy: higher taxes, more spending, record debt, more regulations, and government-run health care. That is not a plan to create jobs and jump-start our ailing economy.

I am proud to be a sponsor of a 5-point jobs plan introduced by my colleague from Florida (Mr. Buchanan) that provides meaningful tax relief for individuals and businesses, assistance for those struggling to find employment, real reforms to curb frivolous lawsuits, and a plan to reduce Federal spending and lower our national debt.

Tax relief, debt reduction, and legal reform to help create jobs-- that is a fiscally responsible plan to get our economy moving again. I urge the American people to visit lance.house.gov/jobs to learn more about this important job creation proposal.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this bill, a $2 trillion increase of our debt limit to more than $14 trillion. Over the past 3 years, it is the Democratic Party that has controlled both Houses of Congress, and we have seen the debt limit increased dramatically, six times, totaling $5.3 trillion, an increase of 60 percent in only 3 years.

In fiscal year 2007, the Federal Government spent approximately $2.7 trillion; in 2009, $3.5 trillion, and last week we were sent a new budget proposal by the President that would even break that record. We must take concrete action to get our spending under control and get our economy moving again.

I fear that unless we take such action, the government's bond rating will be reduced, an event that could have catastrophic results for our markets.