Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today I reintroduce a bill to amend the Sikes Act to improve natural resources management planning for State- owned installations used for the national defense. I reintroduce this bill, with minor technical changes, at the request of the Department of Defense (DOD). The amendments proposed by DOD will improve coordination between DOD, the Department of the Interior and State, Territorial and local partners for the protection of fish and wildlife resources on DOD lands and State-owned installations used for the national defense.

In the 111th Congress, as then Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans and Wildlife and as a member of the Committee on Armed Services, I held an oversight hearing on this legislation. During testimony, the DOD and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service highlighted the significance of codifying this language as an important step forward with an agenda of promoting responsible environmental stewardship. DOD controls nearly 25 million acres of valuable fish and wildlife habitat at approximately 400 military installations nationwide. These lands contain a wealth of plant and animal life, vital wetlands for migratory birds and habitat for nearly 300 federally listed threatened and endangered species. For 50 years, the Sikes Act has helped the commanders of these installations

balance their use of air, land and water resources for military training and testing with the need to conserve and rehabilitate these important ecosystems. In past National Defense Authorization Acts, Congress has made improvements to the Sikes Act and my bill, the Sikes Act Amendments Act of 2011, continues this progress by proposing two significant improvements to the law.

First, my bill clarifies the scope of the Sikes Act by extending its provisions to State-owned National Guard installations, including the requirement to develop and implement Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans (INRMP) that are already required for federally-owned military installations. Another provision in this bill would make several technical and clarifying changes to the U.S. Code to make it consistent with other subheadings and titles.

As the NDAA and this legislation advance through the legislative process, I will continue to work with the DOD, and my colleagues in Congress, to modify this language to make permanent the successful invasive species management pilot program on Guam, authorized into law in 2004, and appropriately expand its scope to all military installations. The Department of Defense has supported this initiative and it is an important part of the ecosystem approach of the Sikes Act.

I want to thank Chairman Buck McKeon of the House Armed Services Committee for his leadership on issues affecting management of military installations and the readiness of our military forces. I also thank Chairman Doc Hastings of the House Natural Resources Committee for his working with me to provide additional hearings and input on the effect of this legislation. I look forward to working with my colleagues in both the Natural Resources Committee and the Armed Services Committee in receiving testimony, support and views on the Sikes Act Amendments Act of 2011.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Monica Okada Guzman for her years of outstanding business leadership and community involvement on Guam. Ms. Guzman is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner of Galaide Group, a full service communications and public relations firm on Guam. She was recently named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Women in Business Champion of the Year for Guam.

Ms. Guzman partnered with local artist Ron Castro in 1998 to form the Galaide Group, which provides services that combine Chamorro culture, art, and language with public relations and advertising campaigns on Guam. Under Ms. Guzman's leadership, the Galaide Group has grown to 45 employees, more than half of whom are women. The Group has expanded its services to provide a full range of communications and public relations services to public and private sector clients on Guam. Ms. Guzman's efforts with the ``We Are Guam'' project through the Guam Visitors Bureau indentified many women leaders on Guam to serve as Village Ambassadors and promote Chamorro cultural traditions. Her business has also focused on developing small business opportunities on Guam, and it helped to coordinate the Guam Industry Forum series and the Guam Economic Forum. These projects promoted awareness of business opportunities on Guam and helped to form partnerships between local small businesses and off-island firms.

Ms. Guzman is actively involved in a variety of community organizations on Guam. She has worked with the Guam Women's Club, Women in Movement, and the Guam Make-a-Wish Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities and TASI, an organization dedicated to the preservation of traditional canoe construction, sailing, and navigation practices.

I congratulate Monica Guzman on being named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Women in Business Champion of

the Year for Guam. I join the people of Guam in commending her for her award and thanking her for her contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Albert Wu for his years of outstanding business leadership and community involvement on Guam. Mr. Wu is the Executive Partner of FADA Investment LLC, a small business that owns and manages numerous real estate properties on Guam. He was recently named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Minority Small Business Champion of the Year for Guam.

Albert Wu was born in Taipei, Taiwan to Chuck C. Wu and Shiu Fong Wu. He and his family moved to Guam in 1972--when he was just 11 years old. After completing his secondary education in the Guam public school system, Mr. Wu went on to attend California State University in Los Angeles; he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. After graduation, Mr. Wu worked for several California businesses, but he returned to Guam to assist with his family's business, Sunny Wholesalers. In 1991, Mr. Wu married Shana Wu, and they have three children: Stephanie, Alexander, and Sophia.

In the early 1990s, Mr. Wu founded AAA Cellular, which later became HafaTel GSM Telephone, a wireless communications company on Guam. HafaTel provided affordable telecommunication rates to over 15,000 subscribers and revolutionized Guam's wireless communications industry as the first provider of GSM and SMS texting services on the island. Mr. Wu helped to serve minority groups on Guam by providing multi- lingual services and offering affordable fees for clients to communicate with family and friends off-island. In 2007, Mr. Wu sold HafaTel and founded FADA Investment LLC, a real estate property management firm.

Mr. Wu is an active member of our island community. He has been involved in several charitable and civic organizations, including the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, the Chinese School Foundation, and the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Through his involvement in these organizations he has helped to improve our island community.

I congratulate Alfred Wu on being named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Minority Small Business Champion of the Year for Guam. I join the people of Guam in commending him for his award and thanking him for his contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Ms. Reanna A. Cruz for her years of outstanding financial expertise, business leadership, and community involvement on Guam. Ms. Cruz is Assistant Vice President and Commercial Loan Officer for the Bank of Guam. She was recently named the Guam Financial Services Champion of the Year for 2011 by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).

Ms. Cruz graduated from the University of Guam in 2001, with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance and Economics. Shortly thereafter, she joined the Bank of Guam as a management trainee. In 2003, she joined the Commercial Banking Group and helped increase its SBA lending portfolio. Ms. Cruz was selected to receive special training in SBAExpress and Community Express Loan Programs. Helped in part by her expertise, the Bank earned the SBA Lender of the Year in 2010. Further, in her role as an assistant vice president, she assisted community organizations and the Small Business Development Center assess ways to improve the relationship between financial institutions and small businesses.

Ms. Cruz also serves as a mentor to junior loan officers, one of whom was named the 2010 SBA Loan Officer of the Year. Her contributions to the small business community and her understanding of modern financial services tools have helped the Bank of Guam grow and adapt to changes in the industry. Additionally, Ms. Cruz is an active volunteer for the Soroptimist International of the Marianas, where she helps women entrepreneurs navigate the challenges that many small business owners encounter.

I congratulate Reanna Cruz on being named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Financial Services Champion of the Year for Guam. I join the people of Guam in commending her for her award and thanking her for her contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Vicente D. Ada for many years of outstanding business leadership and contributions to our island community. Mr. Ada is the founder of Ada's Mortuary, Inc., a family-run funeral service on Guam. His company was recently named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year for Guam.

In 1972 Mr. Ada founded Pacific Funeral Home, which was renamed Ada's Mortuary, Inc. in the mid-1990s. Under his leadership, the mortuary has grown from a small, home-based business with limited inventory into a full-service operation that provides funeral services for more than 300 families on Guam every year. Throughout its history and growth, Mr. Ada has maintained Ada's Mortuary as a family-run business--with many of his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and their spouses getting their first real-work experience there. Mr. Ada has successfully guided Ada's Mortuary from a small, family-run, operation into Guam's most successful funeral service business.

Mr. Ada has been actively involved in public service to our nation and on Guam. He is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a former Senator in the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Guam Legislatures. Mr. Ada has also focused his business to supports youth development by participating in school-to-work programs, which allows youth to gain work experience at the company. Ada's Mortuary also provides caskets and funeral services, at no cost, to certain religious orders, unborn children, and families who cannot afford to bury their loved ones.

I congratulate Vicente Ada on being named the U.S. Small Business Administration's Jeffrey Butland Family-Owned Small Business of the Year for Guam. I join the people of Guam in commending him on this award and thanking him for his contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Cencio Tan C. Vy for his years of outstanding business leadership on Guam. Mr. Vy is the President of Benson Guam Enterprises, a locally-owned construction materials and hardware supplier. He was recently named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Person of the Year for Guam.

Cencio Vy came to Guam in 1980 to help manage Benson Guam Enterprise, a construction materials supplier founded by his father, Tan Beng Chiat, in 1976 to help rebuilding efforts in the wake of Super Typhoon Pamela. One year later, at the age of 19, Mr. Vy was given full responsibility for business operations, and he grew the company, developing his business model through mentoring by his father and his own innovations. Under his leadership, Bensons has grown from five employees to 50, and his company is one of the largest construction materials suppliers on Guam. Over the years, Bensons has been able to weather both natural and economic headships, including several devastating typhoons and economic recessions in the Asia-Pacific region and the United States.

Mr. Vy is married to Noriko Vy and they have three children: Hardy, Mikkel (deceased), and Cefani. Aside from managing Bensons, he opened and operates Guam's only commercial golf driving range, which he opened in 1991. In 1997, Mr. Vy entered into a joint venture with his brother- in-law and Japanese investors to open two semi-conductor factories in Japan.

I congratulate Cencio Vy on being named the 2011 U.S. Small Business Administration's Small Business Person of the Year for Guam. I join the people of Guam in commending him for his award and thanking him for his contributions to our community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and pay tribute to Brigadier General Philip M. Ruhlman for 31 years of service and dedication to the United States Air Force. He currently serves as the Director of Manpower, Organization and Resources in Washington, D.C., and will retire from active duty on May 1, 2011. He will be missed by many.

Brigadier General Ruhlman graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1980, and earned his wings the following year. He received his first assignment as a jump-qualified battalion air liaison officer and forward air controller, flying the O-2A Skymaster. He transitioned to the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and has since flown every version assigned to the Air Force. In 1987, he earned a master's degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has also served as a National Defense Fellow and Air Force Fellow for the National Defense University, and as a Senior Executive Fellow for the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

A command pilot with more than 3,200 flight hours, Brigadier General Ruhlman has led a fighter squadron, fighter operations group, and two wings--including the largest operational F-16 fighter wing in the Air Force. He flew 43 F-16 combat missions over Iraq and Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, and served as a wing weapons officer, instructor pilot, and Chief of Standardization and Evaluation. His staff assignments include joint element, major command, direct reporting unit, Air Staff and NATO levels serving at home and abroad.

Throughout his career, Brigadier General Ruhlman's exemplary service earned him numerous awards and military decorations. During his command of the 36th Wing on Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, he was instrumental in resolving road access issues for landlocked properties contiguous to the base. His efforts to find solutions to these issues demonstrated his commitment to building and maintaining a positive relationship between the civilian and military communities. In addition, I wish to recognize Brigadier General Ruhlman's efforts in implementing the Joint Region Marianas--a collaboration between the Air Force and the U.S. Navy that provides installation support for all components of the Department of the Defense on Guam and in the Northern Mariana Islands. Brigadier General Ruhlman was always a staunch advocate for Guam and understood the need for greater collaboration with the local government to make the military build-up a success. His efforts were successful, in great part, because of the leadership and guidance that he received from leaders in the Air Force like retired General Howie Chandler.

Mr. Speaker, Brigadier General Ruhlman distinguished himself as an exceptional leader during his career with the U.S. Air Force. His commitment and dedication will be remembered for many years to come. I trust my fellow members of the House will join me in wishing the very best to General Ruhlman, his wife Lina, and son, Alex on their future endeavors.

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

H.R. 1246 is an innocuous-sounding bill that proposes to help reduce Federal spending and reduce waste by cutting 10 percent of the Pentagon's printing and reproduction services budget. I believe most of us would agree that the goal of H.R. 1246, to reduce dependence on paper copies in a time of proliferating electronic media, is one that most of us would find reasonable.

In effect, however, the bill does little to address the much more serious deficit issues facing our Nation today, including issues in the defense arena that should be thoughtfully debated by Members of this Congress. The bill is estimated to save some $35.7 million in fiscal year 2012, and then another $180 million over the next 5 fiscal years, which hardly makes a dent in the multitrillion-dollar deficit facing our Nation.

One could also argue that the bill is ill-timed, coming on the heels of increasing requests for the Department of Defense to produce documents for oversight being conducted by congressional committees. Indeed, requests from the Congress for required reports, including, Mr. Speaker, from our own House Armed Services Committee, number in the hundreds and thousands. So it would seem somewhat hypocritical of us to be cutting funding for printing and reproduction services when we, we Members of Congress, are asking for more and more and more reports.

Mr. Speaker, while I will not encourage my colleagues to oppose this bill, I consider it a bad use of valuable floor time that could be used to address legislation to put this country on a track toward greater fiscal responsibility.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to correct the previous speaker.

There are 435 voting Members of Congress, but there are 441 Members of the United States House of Representatives. Although I represent a territory and I am not allowed to vote, I do make requests during committee time for reports.

I just wanted to make that correction.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and pay tribute to Lieutenant General Wallace ``Chip'' Gregson, a retired Marine, for his more than forty years of public service. He most recently served as the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs since 2009, and will leave this post on April 1, 2011. His contributions to our military's posture in the Asia-Pacific region and leadership on a wide variety of issues will be missed by many.

Before he retired from active duty in 2005, General Gregson served as Commanding General of Marine Corps Forces Pacific and Marine Corps Forces Central Command, where he managed more than 70,000 Marines and Sailors in the Middle East, Afghanistan, East Africa, Asia, and the United States. Prior to his command of Marine Corps Forces in Japan, he was Director of Asia-Pacific Policy in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He has also served as the Chief Operating Officer for the U.S. Olympics Committee.

General Gregson graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1968, and received his first assignment the following year as a reconnaissance battalion officer in the Vietnam conflict. He later earned master's degrees in strategic planning from the U.S. Naval War College and international relations from Salve Regina College. He has also served as a military fellow for the Council on Foreign Relations, and was awarded an honorary doctorate in public service from the University of Maryland.

Throughout his career, the general's exemplary service earned him numerous awards and military decorations--including the Purple Heart. In his recent position with the Department of Defense, General Gregson recognized the strategic importance of Guam, indeed the entire region to our nation's economic and political security. He was a vanguard in leading efforts within the Department of Defense to address the needs of Guam so that the realignment of Marines from the III Marine Expeditionary Force from Okinawa, Japan is successful. He also immediately worked within the Department of Defense to address glaring issues with the realignment roadmap that could have been detrimental to the readiness of U.S. Marines in the Asia-Pacific region.

Further, General Gregson was instrumental in the development of the ``Green Guam'' concept which aims to conduct the realignment of Marines in an environmental responsible manner. Further it seeks to develop long-term economic and environmental sustainability benefits from this action. I also appreciated his efforts to provide a responsible framework in the most recent Quadrennial Defense Review to address broader training issues for all servicemen and women in the Pacific. I look forward to working with his predecessor and U.S. Pacific Command to continue addressing these matters.

General Gregson distinguished himself as an exceptional leader during his career in the Marines and as an Assistant Secretary of Defense. His commitment and dedication will be remembered for many years to come. I trust my fellow members of the House will join me in wishing the very best to the good general, his wife Cindy, and their two sons, on their future endeavors.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and service of Jose Espinosa Santos, former Commissioner of the Guam villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite. Mr. Santos passed away at the age of 77 on March 9, 2011 at Parkview Community Hospital in Riverside, California.

Mr. Santos was born in Guam on June 23, 1933 to Tomas Taitano and Joaquina Mata Espinosa Santos. In 1973, he was elected to serve as Commissioner for the villages of Mongmong-Toto-Maite, in Guam. After serving for four years as Commissioner, Mr. Santos continued to serve Guam in several capacities within the Mayors' Council of Guam, including Special Assistant to the Chief Commissioner, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Director. In addition to his public service, Mr. Espinosa was also active in the Catholic Community as an ordained Deacon for the Archdiocese of Agana at the Dulce Nombre De Maria Cathedral-Basilica.

I join our community in mourning the loss of Jose Espinosa Santos, and I offer my condolences to his wife, Pilar Rosario Cepeda Santos, his 10 children, 27 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren, and his many families, friends, and loved ones. May God bless the family and friends of Jose Espinosa Santos, God bless Guam, and God bless the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the bipartisan the Marine Debris Act Reauthorization Amendments of 2011 which was introduced earlier today by my friend and colleague Congressman Sam Farr, from California. I sponsored similar legislation in the 111th Congress and I commend Congressman Farr for recognizing the importance of this legislation and his efforts toward its reintroduction.

Marine debris comes in many forms and from many sources, each posing as a threat to birds, fish and other wildlife, while also affecting navigational safety, and polluting our beaches. Once passed, this legislation will serve to reduce the adverse impacts marine debris has on our marine ecosystem, the economy, and public safety. NOAA's existing Marine Debris Program supports important projects throughout the country, including beach cleanups, derelict fishing gear location and removal, and educational campaigns. Oftentimes these projects will enlist the assistance of out-of-season fishermen and other members of coastal communities. The program helps to locate and track marine debris to avoid threats to navigational safety. This reauthorizing language would serve to streamline these programs by avoiding any overlaps or conflicts with other federal agencies.

NOAA's Marine Debris Program directly benefits the environment and the economy of coastal communities throughout the nation. Our fisheries, recreation, and tourism industries are dependent on clean beaches and healthy marine ecosystems.

Guam would greatly benefit from the passage of the Marine Debris Reauthorization as it would give states and local communities the additional tools we need to effectively protect our marine environments and wildlife. Again, I would like to thank Representative Farr for introducing this legislation, as well as Rep. Don Young, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, Rep. Donna Christensen, and Rep. Pedro Pierluisi for joining me as original cosponsors. I encourage my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to re-introduce a bill to expand the Federal Impact Aid Program to reimburse schools for the costs of educating students from the Freely Associated States (FAS), residing in the United States, including the territories. This legislation was H.R. 4695 in the 111th Congress and it enjoyed bipartisan support. Impact Aid was originally authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 to compensate local school districts for the costs of educating federally connected children. Examples of these kinds of students include those whose parents live on military bases, live on Indian lands, or are the children of accredited foreign diplomats. However, the Impact Aid Program does not compensate local schools for the costs incurred by educating students from the FAS.

The United States entered into the Compacts of Free Association with the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau and under the Compacts, citizens of these countries can enter the United States without a visa. Thus, children whose parents are citizens of the FAS are in schools in the states and territories under a special immigration category and are federally connected just as children of military families are similarly federally connected. This legislation would provide a means for the federal government to provide assistance to impacted local education authorities.

Mr. Speaker, the economic downturn has forced many local school districts to cut education budgets. This is a longstanding issue for affected jurisdictions and they need this to be redressed now more than ever. I will continue to make this, and all unreimbursed compact-impact funds, a priority in the 112th Congress. I would like to thank Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. Sablan, Mr. Pierluisi, Mr. Honda, and Ms. Hanabusa for their support as original co-sponsors. I will work with these cosponsors to pass this bill.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of amendment #488 pre- printed in the Congressional Record. My amendment is simple and straightforward. It would fence off 24 million dollars for the ground- based augmentation system (GBAS) which is a critical component of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) next generation air traffic control system.

GBAS is in the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Airspace System Enterprise Architecture and the Next Generation (NextGen) Implementation Plan and is a foundational operational capability for international aviation. Over time, as aircraft equipage increases, GBAS will allow the FAA to decommission other ground based precision landing aids. It also facilitates the publication of safer, more efficient and highly accurate terminal arrival, departure and approach procedures. These more efficient terminal procedures will help to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel burn over the long run. Further, because of the operational flexibility of a system it will allow airports to quickly recover from natural disasters that can greatly deteriorate those airports landing approach vectors. But, we need to invest in this technology to get it to a Category 3 operational standard and this takes a commitment from the Congress, the FAA and the airlines.

Since we are passing a year-long Continuing Resolution this will give the FAA a considerable amount of discretion in how it obligates funding for its facilities and equipment account. The significant cuts of almost $400 million to the facilities and equipment account could greatly hamper any true investment in GBAS or other critical components of the NextGen system. It is important for us to invest in the future safety of our skies now rather than later. To date, the FAA has shown a poor track record of supporting this critical part of the NextGen program and we want to ensure that the FAA knows Congress supports this important part of the program. I commend Congressman Tom Latham and Congressman John Olver, Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies for their support of this program in the Omnibus bill. I look forward to working with them to ensure GBAS gets the support it deserves from the FAA.

Mr. Speaker, today I have reintroducted a bill to enhance and reauthorize the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000. In the 111th Congress, I sponsored this legislation as H.R. 860, the ``Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2009'', which the House of Representatives passed by voice vote on September 22, 2009. The bill I have introduced today, with 12 of my colleagues, strengthens H.R. 860 without changing its original intent.

The conservation of coral reef ecosystems is essential to protect public health, ensure environmental sustainability, support thousands of American jobs, and guarantee the long-term economic progress of coastal regions across the nation. United States waters contain some of the world's greatest coral reef biodiversity. From the waters off the coast of Guam and islands in the Pacific, to Florida and the U.S. Territories in the Caribbean, our reefs provide habitat and shelter for fisheries and food and recreation for our residents. These ecosystems also protect us from storm waves and are the basis for marine tourism industries.

Today, however, our coral reefs, and the numerous ecosystem services that they provide, are under threat from pollution, climate change, and overharvesting, among others stressors. Unless the United States acts in conjunction with the global community to support focused, long-term action on coral reef education, research, and management, the state of our coral reefs will continue to deteriorate.

Since its enactment, the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 has sparked a greater commitment to protect, conserve, and restore coral reef resources within our waters. We now have improved our understanding of the condition of our coral reefs, and have better focused our management capabilities. The Coral Reef Conservation Act Reauthorization and Enhancement Amendments of 2011 would further strengthen the original legislation by improving the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's, NOAA, ability to respond to emergency or disaster-related situations and minimize the likelihood of vessel impacts on coral reefs. Specifically, the legislation would establish community-based planning grants for states and territories to support projects that address emerging threats to corals. In addition, the legislation would promote international cooperation by authorizing NOAA to engage with international partners to protect coral reef ecosystems.

This bill would also codify the United States Coral Reef Task Force established in 1998 by President Clinton through Executive Order 13089. The work of the Task Force, and its mission to coordinate the efforts of the United States in promoting conservation and the sustainable use of coral reefs internationally, is vital to our interests and coastal economies.

I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation, enhance and conserve our coral reef ecosystems, and protect coastal jobs.

Mr. Chair, I rise today to oppose the drastic and reckless cuts my colleagues in the Majority have included in H.R. 1. This legislation includes cuts that will destroy jobs, pollute our environment, damage our schools, threaten public safety and impact nearly every aspect of our economy. They will not strengthen our nation, they will negatively impact our natural resources and inhibit future generation's ability to compete and innovate in the global economy.

Specifically, H.R. 1 would reduce NOAA's operating budget by more than $450 million dollars, severely diminishing NOAA's ability to protect marine ecosystems, manage our nation's fisheries and provide weather monitoring data to weather sensitive industries. In addition, it will cut programs that provide life-saving services in every state and district. These irresponsible cuts will jeopardize thousands of jobs, threaten public safety and have lasting effects on our national and regional economies.

Of particular concern to coastal regions like Guam, are threats to coral reef ecosystems and the fisheries and tourism industries they support. The US commercial fisheries industry alone accounts for more than $100 billion in annual sales and supports 1.5 million jobs, while the coastal recreation and tourism industry serves as one of the nation's largest employers. These industries are critical to the long- term economic success of coastal regions however they are significantly threatened by coral reef degradation due to pollution, and climate change. Without healthy coral reefs, fishery levels plummet, and tourism declines.

Reducing NOAA's operating budget will further jeopardize these important industries. Without sufficient funding, NOAA cannot adequately protect our coral reef resources and could be forced to reduce public access to National Marine Sanctuaries and other recreational areas. In addition, H.R. 1 would significantly deteriorate NOAA's law enforcement abilities against illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing. The weakening of these programs would cause both immediate and long term job losses within the commercial fisheries and tourism industries. I strongly oppose all proposed cuts to NOAA's operating budget, it is too important to our economy and preserving our marine resources for future generations.

Another reckless cut included in H.R. 1 is more than $217 million to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA provides critical grants to universities around the nation, supporting food and agriculture research promoting economic growth and environmental protections. The research yields national value and is especially significant to food security, nutritional health, and increased agricultural production.

Specifically important to Guam, is the Tropical and Subtropical Research program, T-STAR. In 2010, the T-STAR program supported 46 research projects at the University of Florida, the University of Hawaii, the University of Puerto Rico, the University Guam, the University of the Virgin Islands, and at American Samoa Community College. These projects are critical to sustainable agriculture, pest control, and disease research. Funds provided by T-STAR are leveraged by a commitment of local resources, further improving public health, protecting agro-ecosystems, and saving taxpayer dollars over time. They offer a high yield on investment and funding for the NIFA and T-STAR programs should be made a priority. I strongly oppose the majority's irresponsible cuts to these programs.