Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, over the past 6 weeks, more than 1 million Americans have demanded action, and House Republicans have listened. Unfortunately, the majority in the House has not. While there are many issues that these people in this body disagree on, there are some issues that we should all agree on.

We should agree that skyrocketing debt is a priority. We should agree that we cannot continue spending money that we don't have. We should agree that it is wrong for taxpayers to pay for the salaries of employees who answer to unions instead of to the American people, and we should agree on this very simple bill that says union activities should be funded by unions.

I urge my colleagues to stand with the American people, to vote to save $1.2 billion and to end the abuse of taxpayer money.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt Iran is working right now to acquire nuclear weapons. We must stop them.

The underlying bill if passed and strongly enforced by our President would impose smart crippling sanctions on Iran's nuclear program and would make it drastically more difficult for Iran to continue its illegal nuclear dealings.

Make no mistake Iran's development of nuclear weapons threatens not only our friend Israel and the Middle East it threatens the entire world.

I urge my colleagues to support the underlying bill to impose sanctions and to stand for the safety and security of freedom loving nations around the world.

Mr. Speaker, the U.S. has lived beyond its means for too long, and it will take commonsense ideas to restore responsible spending in Washington. But we can start by identifying what we need to fulfill the duties of the Federal Government and eliminate everything else.

The Federal Government is the largest property owner in the U.S. According to the OMB, we have $18 billion in assets that we do not need. Rather than selling unnecessary assets, like the American people do to live within their means, the Federal Government gives property free of charge to other government entities and nonprofits, including a building in Las Vegas to use as a mob museum.

The American people have spoken. We cannot continue ignoring our debt. I urge my colleagues to stand with the folks at home to use common sense and vote to sell excess Federal property and take a necessary step toward a sustainable future.

As a CPA, I've counseled folks who are in debt. The first step is to acknowledge the problem. The second step is to develop a budget that maps out the path to solvency.

Our children, who stand to inherit a national debt level that is unsustainable, should require Congress to adopt a similar approach. Apparently, the majority is afraid to admit that Washington has a spending and borrowing problem, and they plan to avoid even discussing a budget. In 2008, then-candidate Obama told Joe the Plumber, ``We need to share the wealth.''

I was concerned then, but now I am appalled, because who are we sharing the wealth with? The Chinese. Sending nearly a trillion dollars to foreign nations to pay debt service on reckless spending is not what our kids deserve. Our kids deserve a Congress that will do their job and make the tough decisions to get our fiscal House in order, which starts by developing a responsible budget.

Short line railroads located in my district, including those in Chanute, Pittsburg and Humboldt, serve a critical role in transporting grain, cement products, steel and other industrial-based products to the national freight rail network. The short line tracks in Kansas and across the Nation have benefited from the section 45(g) short line railroad tax credit which expired at the end of 2009. Without this credit, short line railroads would lose critical resources used to upgrade infrastructure or create jobs, and rural businesses would not have the rail services they need to compete. That's why we must find a responsible way to extend the tax credit, like H.R. 1132, that would extend it until 2012.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation to ensure short line railroads continue to thrive and provide valuable services on Main Streets across America.

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

Madam Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 2546, the Blue Star/ Gold Star Flag Act. This bill ensures the rights of an individual to display the Service flag on a residential property without limitation.

The Service flag, also referred to as either the Blue Star or Gold Star flag, is an official banner authorized by the Defense Department for display by families of members serving in the Armed Forces during a period of war. Since World War II, the Blue Star and Gold Star Service flag has been a way for families and the communities they live in to show their pride and concern for our troops in the field.

Each blue star on the flag represents a servicemember on Active Duty, while a gold star signifies a servicemember who was killed in action or who died in service. The Service flag may also be displayed by an organization to honor the members of that organization serving during a period of war or hostilities.

We must do everything we can to show our support for our troops. For the men and women serving in our military and their families, the Service flag has significant meaning. This flag is a symbol of the sacrifices that our military men and women make as they put their lives on the line to protect our country. Their family members should be allowed to fly the flag in honor of those sacrifices, no matter where they live, and H.R. 2546 ensures the rights of an individual to display the Service flag on residential property without limitation.

The bill we are considering today is similar to the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act of 2005, which passed the House by a voice vote and was later signed into law.

Madam Speaker, I too want to thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri) for championing this important legislation. H.R. 2546 ensures that our America's military families are able to honor their loved ones' service to our country by displaying the Service flag no matter where they live.

This bill deserves our support, and I urge the adoption of H.R. 2546, the Blue Star/Gold Star Flag Act.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Paulsen), my friend and colleague.

Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lee), my friend and colleague.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1177, the 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act, and I commend the gentleman from Kansas, Representative Moore, for introducing this legislation. The Command and General Staff College was founded at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1881. It is an educational center for excellence, and one of the most prominent leaders in military education and training. The school is the intellectual center of the Army. And in addition to training U.S. military officers, allied nations from around the world send their military officers to train at the staff college.

In fact, over the past 129 years, more than 90,000 U.S. military officers and 7,000 foreign military officers from 153 countries have graduated from the staff college, including Generals Colin Powell and David Petraeus. And upon graduation from the staff college, the majority of the international students attain the rank of general within their respective countries.

This legislation will direct the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in recognition of the five men who have achieved the rank of General of the Army, including Generals George Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight Eisenhower, Henry ``Hap'' Arnold, and Omar Bradley. These five generals led our forces to victory in World War II, but they also taught or studied at the staff college.

The proceeds from the 5-star generals commemorative coin will help fund the Command and General Staff College Foundation to ensure military officers will be able to train there for years to come. The staff college is critical in the education and training of our military officers during times of war and peace. At a time when our Nation is working to extend the hand of friendship to nations abroad, there is no better place to fulfill that mission than at the staff college because of the first rate intercultural exchange that the students experience.

Fort Leavenworth is in my congressional district, and I have spent a great deal of time learning about the successes of the staff college over the past 16 months. So today I would like to thank the chief executive officer of the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Col. Bob Ulin, who has championed this legislation from day one, and who hopefully is watching this debate and hopeful passage of the 5-Star Generals Commemorative Coin Act.

I would also like to thank chairman of the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Lt. Gen. Bob Arter. The commitment of Col. Ulin and Gen. Arter to educating and training the best and the brightest military officers who attend the staff college, and their support and tireless efforts to move this legislation forward, is deeply appreciated.

It is for these reasons that I urge all of my colleagues in the House to support this legislation to honor our Nation's military officers.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kansas, Representative Tiahrt.

(Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Kansas, Representative Moran.

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

Mr. Speaker, this motion to recommit is concerning to me, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote.

I would just like to highlight one provision because there has been a great deal of press lately about the misuse of government computers and the waste of time and taxpayer dollars by Federal employees at the Securities and Exchange Commission who are spending as much as 8 hours a day viewing pornography on government computers. However, this problem is not limited just to the SEC. The Inspector General at the National Science Foundation, which is authorized by this Act, found similar problems there. So what happened to these employees? According to the Inspector General, and I quote, NSF issued a formal proposal followed by a decision suspending them for 10 calendar days without pay. Ten days' suspension, unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve better.

This motion to recommit is simple. If you're a government employee, and you are disciplined for viewing, downloading, or e-mailing pornography, including child pornography, on government computers or during work hours, you will no longer be paid. You will be fired. If you think a couple of days of suspension, a reprimand, a transfer is the right response when someone uses government computers to spread pornography, then vote against this motion. But if you think spreading pornography with a government computer is an act that should lead to dismissal, then vote for this motion. I urge a vote for this motion.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support this resolution supporting the goals and ideals of Financial Literacy Month, and I commend the gentleman from Texas and the gentlelady from Illinois for introducing this resolution and for their commitment to financial literacy.

During my service as Kansas State Treasurer, I was proud to partner with financial institutions across our great State to increase financial literacy for Kansans of all ages. As a certified public accountant, I'm committed to this cause and believe it is critical to equip our students with good financial habits at a very young age. The lesson that must be learned as our Nation emerges from this financial crisis is that additional regulation is meaningless if personal responsibility is not our primary objective.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution and to support increased financial literacy--not just this month, but always.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this flawed health care bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the Motion to Concur in the Senate Amendments to H.R. 3590 and to H.R. 4872--Reconciliation Act of 2010. Over the past year, I have worked on and supported a health care reform plan that would bring down costs for families, address the issue of pre-existing conditions and improve availability of care without destroying what works in our current system. Today, it appears the Democrat majority will take an entirely different approach and I will not support that plan. A plan that increases taxes by nearly $570 billion, a plan that cuts Medicare by more than $520 billion, a plan that increases premium costs for Kansas families by more than $2,100 annually, and a plan that, according to the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, is ``betraying America's veterans.'' The American people want healthcare reform, but they do not want this bill. Kansans, and all Americans don't deserve this. They deserve much better. So, today, I pledge that as long as I am here, I will listen and fight for what Kansans want. Not the special interests. Not a President or a Speaker looking to create a legacy. Just Kansans.

There are many problems with the Senate's government takeover of health care, problems with cuts to Medicare, problems with the Cornhusker kickback, problems with the massive job-killing taxes, problems with Federal funding of abortion, but the latest problem is that the majority doesn't have the votes to pass it.

Rather than finally listening to the American people's rejection of this misguided bill, the majority is planning to abuse the legislative process to

pass their government takeover without a single up-or-down vote.

As a mom, I would never allow my kids to deem their rooms clean; so it is disgraceful that the majority plans to deem their $2.5 trillion government takeover of health care as passed without a vote as provided for in the Constitution.

I urge my colleagues to do the truly courageous thing and demand a clean vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the University of Kansas men's basketball program and to congratulate them on a tremendous accomplishment. Yesterday, the Jayhawks defeated Texas Tech to pick up their 2,000th victory. The only other schools to reach this milestone are the University of Kentucky and North Carolina, and it should be noted that the basketball arenas at both of those schools are named after native Kansans and former Kansas basketball players. From James Naismith, the inventor of basketball, to the legendary Forrest ``Phog'' Allen, to current coach Bill Self, KU is a proven perennial power in college basketball.

This year, the Jayhawks will compete for their sixth national championship. In commemoration of this impressive accomplishment, I ask my congressional colleagues in the Congress to join me in a hearty, Rock Chalk Jayhawk, go KU.

Health care costs are unsustainable. They are bankrupting families. They are bankrupting small businesses, and if they are not reformed, they will bankrupt our government. No one denies we need reform, but what Americans do not want is for D.C. politicians to centralize health care decisions in Washington and create another entitlement program when everyone knows we haven't paid for the entitlements we already have.

Instead, what Americans need are reforms that actually reduce health care costs for families, help folks with preexisting conditions, and make it easier for small businesses to provide health care. The American people have rejected a government takeover of health care. So I urge my colleagues to support commonsense plans to fix what's broken without throwing out the rule book and without destroying what works for millions.

Mr. Speaker, last year when President Obama signed into law the so-called ``stimulus package,'' we were told that it would cost $787 billion and that it would create 33,000 Kansas jobs. Unfortunately, the facts paint a different picture. Since the stimulus became law, the cost has increased to $862 billion, and over 47,000 Kansans have lost jobs.

The same rings true: Making promises builds hope. Keeping promises builds trust. That's why I will keep my promise to Kansas by supporting a no-cost jobs plan to put Kansans back to work, to keep taxes low for small businesses, to increase international markets for American products, to practice fiscal restraint, and to restore confidence in the Federal Government.

Kansans need jobs, not more broken promises.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to voice my support for H.R. 4095, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 9727 Antioch Road in Overland Park, Kansas, as the ``Congresswoman Jan Meyers Post Office Building''.

I would like to also congratulate my colleague and fellow Kansan, Mr. Moore, the sponsor of this bill, for his service to our state. And thank Mr. Moran and Mr. Tiahrt, the other members of the Kansas delegation who joined me as the original co-sponsors of this bill.

Mr. Speaker, We Kansans are proud of our pioneering spirit and Congresswoman Jan Meyers is a great example of that spirit. Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, Jan attended public schools in Superior, Nebraska before receiving a bachelor of arts from the University of Nebraska in 1951.

After moving to Kansas, Jan served on the City Council of Overland Park, from 1967 to 1972. She then served in the Kansas Senate from 1972 to 1984 and in 1984 she was elected to the House of Representatives where she served until January 3, 1997. During her time in this body, Jan chaired the Committee on Small Business in the 104th Congress, the first woman to serve in that capacity in more than 20 years.

Jan's commitment to fiscal responsibility made her a regular recipient of the Golden Bulldog Award from Watchdog of the Treasury for her work to eliminate wasteful in government spending she was regularly named Taxpayer Hero by the Citizens Against Government Waste.

Jan is also an advocate for children and was a leader for health care reform. A committed conservationist, Jan was essential in the creation of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, 10,894 acres of protected Kansas tall grass prairie, which forms the only unit of the National Park System dedicated to the rich natural and cultural history of this cherished ecosystem that is in our state.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, Jan Meyers is a great Kansan who served our State and this Nation with distinction and I consider myself lucky to call her my friend.