Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I offer a motion to recommit.

Yes, in its current form.

Madam Speaker, without question, as we have heard here today, there is need in this country for affordable housing, particularly for the elderly and the disabled. But when government- financed, low-income housing is occupied by able-bodied adults who have chosen not to work, they are displacing these very people who are the most needy; the elderly, the disabled.

In 1996, Congress and President Clinton agreed that able-bodied adults ought to be required to work if they are going to receive government welfare. Today the proposal that I am putting forward to amend this bill is to extend this same commonsense requirement to the new housing financed by this bill.

I just want to make it very clear, Madam Speaker, this proposal does not apply to the elderly or the disabled or single parents of children under 6 years of age who are unable to find appropriate and affordable child care, in addition to many others. But I think we can realize, if you are able-bodied, capable of working or even applying for a job, then American taxpayers expect that in exchange for this taxpayer- financed housing, you will commit to at least 20 hours of work activities per month. That is minimal part-time work. And work activities can include job training, community service programs, and even providing child care. The work activities requirement is taken from the current standard under the Federal welfare reform program.

I fully expect that the most able-bodied adults who occupy housing financed by this bill will already meet the standards laid out in my amendment. This amendment simply guarantees that taxpayer-financed housing isn't going to turn into free housing for able-bodied adults who are unwilling to work or contribute to society.

I believe that we should be in the business of providing low-income Americans who are struggling for stability with a hand up, not a handout.

If you were part of the bipartisan coalition who supported including work requirements in welfare reform, then I strongly urge you to support this proposal as well.

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

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a true American hero, Jimmie White from Yuma, Colorado. Jimmie volunteered to serve in the United States Military in the late 1960's. He was part of the MCB 10 Construction Battalion of the Seabees. He served two tours in Vietnam. The first tour (1968) was in Quang Tri during the Tet Offensive. His second tour (1968-1969) was at Camp Haines with detachments to Dan Nang, Dong Ha, An Lo, LZ Sally, Phong dien, Phu Bai (all close to the DMZ), and he supported efforts at Hill 937 (Hamburger Hill). During his time of service, Jimmie received the following commendations and medals: Good Conduct, Marine Commendation, Vietnam Service Medal, 2 Stars and a Presidential Citation from the late President Lyndon Johnson.

Jimmie came home, married and started a business. He and his wife Carol raised 4 children, Michelle Hewitt, Jeannine White, Tony White and Dawn Chancellor, and he never forgot his brothers and sisters who served and died for this nation. Jimmie has served as Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander for VFW Post 3378 in Yuma for a number of years. During his time as active Commander he has seen the establishment of a Color Guard that serves those who have died and reminds the living of the sacrifice of our military men and women around the globe at all times. Jimmie also gave a great amount of time and effort to draw attention to the healthcare needs of the Veterans living in northeast Colorado. A Community Based Outpatient Veteran's Clinic has now been approved with plans to open this fall in Burlington, Colorado. It serves as a reminder of what one man's persistence can accomplish. Some of the proudest moments of Jimmie's service with the VFW have come from his work with Roger Lair and Tom Valle. Together they have seen the beginnings of a Young Marines Chapter in Yuma, they have helped handicapped Veterans attend community events, and they have participated in a Veteran's Day meeting at the local middle school for Yuma area Veterans. One of Jimmie's crowning achievements, with the combined efforts of many, was the completion of a new Veteran's Memorial built at Veteran's Park in Yuma, Colorado. Fully paid for with private donations, it was dedicated this past July 4, 2007 to a large crowd of proud American citizens.

Jimmie White comes from the heartland of America and when the time came for him to serve, he volunteered. When time came for him to sacrifice, he did so without question. When the call came for him to hoist the colors of this nation, not on the battlefield around the globe, but in the heart and soul of his community, Jimmie White served Yuma County and the State of Colorado well. Our precious veterans are heroes who have left their homes to defend our nation, and then returned to be valued members of their communities, showing their children and grandchildren how to live meaningful lives of service. I want to take this brief moment to honor Jimmie White for the sacrifices that he made and his continued commitment to all of those who serve our great nation in the profession of arms. I applaud Jimmie for his courage and selfless dedication to duty. Jimmie truly is the embodiment of all the values that have molded America into the great nation it is today. May God bless Jimmie and his family, may God bless our precious veterans, and may God bless America.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the seventh annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival.

Last weekend, thousands of people gathered at Denver's Sloan's Lake Park for 2 days of Asian cuisine, performing artists, crafts, and even a dragon boat race on the lake.

Over the course of its short history, the Colorado Dragon Boat Festival has seen a tremendous growth in interest from the community. The festival drew an estimated 16,000 spectators in 2001. This year, organizers expected over 100,000 people to attend the festival.

Since its inception in 2001, the festival continues to highlight Colorado's rich pan-Asian American heritage, This year the festival featured the ``Explore Asia'' area that will house educational displays and demonstrations from the Mongolian, Hmong and Vietnamese communities.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to represent a State with such a vibrant and active Asian-American community. The annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival does much to highlight the many contributions the Asian- American community makes to our State and our Nation. I urge my colleagues to join me in celebrating the seventh annual Colorado Dragon Boat Festival.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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

Mr. Chairman, this discussion is becoming very familiar as we go through these appropriations bills. This bill is $2.2 billion over the President's request. That is a percentage of 4.2 percent. It is $1.6 billion over last year's amount with an increase of 3.1 percent over last year. My amendment would take the increase from 3.1 percent to 2.6 percent.

Mr. Chairman, I have thought a lot about this. This has especially been on my mind today as we are getting ready to vote on the farm bill in the afternoon.

When I think about raising taxes to pay for these programs, there is not anyone in here that is doubting the worthiness of the way we are spending dollars in this bill. I personally have a son-in-law that is a police officer, so when you talk to me about bulletproof vests, that is something that I think about when I think about the young man that is married to my daughter and the father of my three grandchildren. So I want to say these are worthy things that we are spending these dollars on.

But we have to realize there is not an infinite supply of money that just falls out of the sky. We have taxpayers that fund all of these programs. And while the programs are worthy, and I support an increase, I merely want to take the increase from 3.1 to 2.6 percent.

As we get ready to consider the farm bill today, during the markup of the farm bill I offered an amendment, and my amendment basically said we would have a sense of Congress that the programs in the farm bill would not be paid for by a tax increase. Unfortunately, the chairman ruled that my amendment was out of order and it was not germane.

Yesterday, while we had a discussion with the Secretary of Agriculture over the farm bill, he said that perhaps Mrs. Musgrave's amendment was the most germane of all the amendments, because we are looking at an enormous tax increase to pay for the farm bill.

In the Fourth District of Colorado, we have about 2 million cattle. We are eighth in the country in total value of egg production. We have an enormous dependence upon agriculture in our district. The whole northeastern and southeastern part of the State depends on agriculture as the basis of their economy.

We were told all along during the farm bill discussion that we were not going to have a tax increase. In fact, if I may quote the chairman, when I offered my amendment, he said, ``Nobody is talking about a tax increase here.'' Now, today, we have the farm bill coming up on the floor, and we have a tax increase.

I had to call the Farm Bureau today, my friends at the Farm Bureau. I talked to the Farmers Union. I talked to the wheat growers, the cattlemen, corn growers, telling the folks that now the rug has been pulled out from under us on this farm bill. We had an agreement. We no longer have an agreement. We are looking at a tax increase. Rural America, not just the Fourth District of Colorado, is looking in today to see what we do with the farm bill, and I am very disappointed that now we are looking at a tax increase.

When we think about the taxpayer out there, just average Americans, they work clear up into April to pay their taxes. April 30 is ``tax freedom day.'' I would like to have each young person that is getting ready to enter the workforce think about that. You work all through January, you work through February, you work through March, you work through April before you get to quit paying for government. When you think about it, Americans work longer to pay for government than they do for food, clothing and housing combined.

We need to show some discipline here, just a mere 0.5 percent. Again, increase the spending for these worthy needs, but take it from 3.1 to 2.6 percent.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. King).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Tennessee (Mrs. Blackburn).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Westmoreland).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Chairman, I ponder much of what the gentleman has just said. I certainly know about the scourge of methamphetamine in my district. As I said before, I have a son-in-law that I love dearly that's a policeman, so, Mr. Chairman, I hope the other side is not implying that we do not have concerns about these issues, because we do.

Another thing that I know, having talked to many police officers, one thing that they would really like to see is families raising their children, moms and dads caring for their children, nurturing them and teaching them and trying to steer them away from the very destructive path of getting on things like methamphetamine and just seeing their lives spiral downward.

So you know what I'm standing up for today, Mr. Chairman? I'm standing up for the American taxpayer. And, you know, maybe we do need a dictionary, and maybe we do need a thesaurus, and maybe we need to talk about semantics, but I want to say that we are looking at a situation here where the appetite is insatiable for increased spending. It's insatiable.

There is a day of reckoning. You know those charts that my dear friends, the Blue Dogs, put outside their office now. It's not $8.8 trillion. It's $8.9 trillion and growing. There is a day of reckoning. Those taxpayers that have to work until April 30 to get to tax freedom day, I mean, they're thinking about this spending in this Nation.

No matter how worthy the cause, we need spending restraint. We need to get on a path of fiscal discipline, and the American people understand that. No matter how worthy the cause for the spending is, there is a limited amount of dollars that the taxpayers can afford to pay.

So I'm hoping that we will move in the right direction, and I hope that we can have support for this modest 50 cents on $100 amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Chairman, I come tonight to this floor with a very similar attitude that most of us on this side of the aisle are feeling. We have worked together on this farm bill, worked in good faith with the chairman and the subcommittee chairman. And as the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Specialty Crops and Rural Development, I can say that the most important work in Congress that I have been doing is on this farm bill.

But in the markup committee process, Madam Chairman, I offered an amendment with a sense of Congress being that there would be no tax increases to pay for this farm bill. And the chairman of the committee, Madam Chairman, ruled it out of order, and his words were, ``No one here is talking about a tax increase.''

So, we've gone in good faith in developing this farm bill, but now all bets are off because we were not told the truth, and we find ourselves tonight in the very awkward position of having to oppose a farm bill that we helped craft because of the tax increase.

I thank the gentleman for yielding the time.

Madam Chairman, I stand in strong opposition to the Kind-Flake amendment.

We are looking at a time where we have concerns about trade. We have to realize that cutting direct payments raids our most WTO-compliant and nondistorting mechanism that stabilizes the United States agriculture and rural economies. These direct payments are decoupled from production.

Some people don't know this, but they do not encourage overproduction. This amendment would weaken us in our position in trade negotiations through a unilateral disarmament on agriculture policy.

I really believe that this threatens the long-term viability and competitiveness of U.S. agriculture in a global marketplace still characterized by subsidized foreign competition and continued trade barriers. In rural America, this would reduce our land values, our tax base, and cause potential disruptions and collateral for our farm loans.

Immediately, we would see farm equity disappear. The Americans have expectations of a safe, affordable food supply. Oppose the Kind-Flake amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Mr. Chairman, we've had an interesting discussion here tonight. I am offering an amendment that would propose to reduce the amount by one-half of 1 percent, a mere 50 cents on $100.

As we look at this appropriations bill, this is $3.2 billion over last year, or a 6.7 percent increase. My amendment would take it to a 6.2 percent increase.

As we think about this, I hear many things from my friends on the other side of the aisle about ``investments.'' You can use that word euphemistically when we talk about investments, because what I'm thinking when I hear that word is tax increase on the American family.

We hear many worthy things that this money will be spent for, but there is a philosophical difference in this chamber. And as my friends on the other side of the aisle, Mr. Chairman, talk about us being fringe Members over here, what they're acknowledging is that we were not part of the spending problem for our party. We were the folks in the back of the room raising our hand and saying, we are spending too much money.

We do not have a revenue problem. We have a spending problem. As we've seen in recent years under different Presidents and different Congresses, when we lower the tax rate, the revenues increase. So we don't have a revenue problem. What we have is this spending problem.

But my friends on the other side of the aisle, as they spoke tonight, Mr. Chairman, they talked about the needs of disabled people and elderly people and safety and highway issues and air travel, but what we have to admit in this Chamber tonight is that there is a finite amount of money, Mr. Chairman. And it doesn't matter how worthy the spending is. There is a finite amount of money.

When individuals in this country get up in the morning, get their children ready for school and then they go off to work, they realize that they have to work a long portion of the year to pay their taxes. And every time we have another appropriation bill in front of us, we're getting to the point in this Chamber where it's nearly $82 billion over last year's spending. And the American family knows that they're going to have to work longer in the year before they work long enough to pay their taxes, Mr. Chairman. And I think no matter how worthy the spending is, we need to exercise some fiscal discipline.

My friends on the other side of the aisle have said it half jokingly, but referred to us as fringe Members of Congress. And I have to tell you, sometimes we have to be tenacious about reminding our colleagues how we're going down a road where we're going to have that fiscal train wreck. And I am happy to offer this modest proposal tonight to cut this increase, to lower the increase from 6.7 to 6.2 percent increase and exercise the fiscal discipline that I truly believe the American families, the citizens of this country that pay these taxes want us to have.

Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I'd like to yield 4 minutes to my friend from New Jersey (Mr. Garrett).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 5 minutes to my friend from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).

Mr. Chairman, could I inquire as to how much time is remaining?

Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to yield 3\1/ 2\ minutes to my friend from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).

Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Shadegg).

Mr. Chairman, may I inquire as to how much time is remaining.

Mr. Chairman, as I listen to this discussion tonight, I think about how varied the Members of Congress are. There are Members, I dare say, in this Congress that have never had a job, particularly a job that is menial labor.

I grew up in a home where we were poor, and at the time that was very difficult; but I look back on that and I'm happy that I learned to work. I'm happy, as a parent, that one of the values that we taught our children was to work and to work hard.

It was interesting to watch the experience of my teenagers when they had their first job outside the home. They worked really hard. And some of them had a pay schedule where they got paid after 2 weeks of work. And to see how they responded when they got their first paycheck, because they were startled about how much was taken out of their paycheck because they were anticipating a certain amount of earnings, and they didn't get all that money because they had to pay quite a bit in taxes. And I just am asking for a modest restraint here, one half of 1 percent.

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

What I would like to say to the citizens in the Fourth District in Colorado is that I'm very willing to take the increase from a 6.7 to a 6.2 percent increase.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Offered By: Mrs. Musgrave

Amendment No. 34: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Offered By: Mrs. Musgrave

Amendment No. 1: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following new section:

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the patriotism and self sacrifice of Air Force COL Danley Elson Straight of Longmont, CO, for his service to both his community and to his country during World War II, the Korean war, and the Vietnam war.

Straight was born in Greeley, CO, on October 8, 1922, the 11th of 12 children. After graduating from Greeley High School he earned his bachelor of arts and master of arts degrees from Colorado State College of Education. He also served in the Air Force during three wars and retired with more than 30 years of service as a full colonel command pilot. During his career, ``the colonel'' as he is

affectionately known, flew more than 29 types of aircraft, including Flack Bait, which is on display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.

Straight's years of service to our country are complemented by his service to his community. After retiring from the Air Force in 1976, Straight volunteered with various groups including the American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts, the Longmont Rotary Club, Masons and Shriners, the Patient Advocacy Team, St. Vrain Photographic Society, the Salvation Army, Westview Presbyterian Church, and the Rollins Pass Restoration Association, for which he served as president for more than 25 years. Straight's motto was ``Never give up.''

On February 7, 2007, Danley Elson Straight passed away at the age of 84. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Juanita Watson Straight, his 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and 8 great-grandchildren.

Madam Speaker, I am honored to represent Mr. Straight and the other men and women who have given so much for our freedom. Like so many other members of the ``greatest generation,'' I urge my colleagues to join me in expressing my heartfelt gratitude and sincere appreciation for the patriotic service of Danley Elson Straight.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Madam Chairman, the amendment that I'm offering today to this appropriations bill would make a cut of just one-half of 1 percent of the overall funding of the bill.

You know, my friends on the other side of the aisle, Madam Chairman, are talking about how we are ``fringe'' Members of the House of Representatives. You know, when I go into my district and I talk to people, one thing that they really want Congress to do is rein in spending. We hear lots of individuals say, you know, we have to live within our family budget, how come Congress doesn't have to do that? I was proud to be in the State legislature in Colorado where we had an amendment to our Constitution forcing us to live within our means, so to speak, in the State of Colorado. We could not spend money that we didn't have.

Well, here in the Federal Government, it seems that even though as I walk down the hallways of the office buildings, the Longworth House Office Building, I see many signs on easels out in the hall talking about our $8.8 trillion debt. We are being constantly reminded of that. And you know what? I think that is very appropriate. I think every American ought to see that placard and see what we have, $8.8 trillion debt.

And as I think about that, I'm just offering the Members of Congress yet another opportunity to do the right thing, the right thing being exercising fiscal discipline, just a modicum of fiscal discipline, 1.5 percent. So the increase in this bill would go from 4.8 increase to 4.3. Now, some people would

miscategorize that as a cut. It is not a cut. It is still an increase in spending of 4.3 percent.

So I would ask my colleagues to identify with the American people who admire people who can live within their means, who don't spend money that they really don't have, but show the discipline to do the right thing.

And I'm asking for this cut today. How many people can visualize a $100 bill? You give someone a $100 bill and say I want you to spend this wisely, but let's just save 50 cents of that $100 bill. How many people would say that that was unreasonable?

Madam Chairman, I'm saying today that this Congress needs to start on the right path. I'm asking for a .5 percent amendment to this appropriation bill.

Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I won't be at the Fringe Festival this weekend, I will be going home to Colorado. I will be talking to the folks that are working hard every day, raising their children, trying to make ends meet, and worrying about higher taxes. And I think they should be worrying about higher taxes because when we have increases like this, we're going to see those placards in the hallway with a national debt ever increasing.

Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to my friend from Minnesota (Mr. Kline).

The public education system in Colorado is funded by tax dollars, primarily coming from property taxes.

Well, there is a thing called ``Orwellian speak.'' And when we have a bill that has a 4.8 percent increase and we go to 4.3, that is not a cut.

Well, if the gentleman would yield, that funding is increased in this legislation, and you know it.

What is at issue here is how do you define ``cut''? 4.8 to 4.3 increase.

Madam Chairman, I think what I should do is purchase a dictionary and have my friend on the other side of the aisle look up what a cut is.

When you go from 4.8 percent increase in spending and you take away .5, you end up with a 4.3 percent increase in spending. That is what this legislation does. Even with this modest amendment that I offer, it would still be a 4.3 percent increase.

Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Akin).

If I may answer your question, first, I would like to point out that, I just realized this, up here to my right in the front of the room, in the front of the Chamber, there is a dictionary. Perhaps the gentleman would like to look up the word ``cut.'' Perhaps the gentleman would like to look up the word ``rationalization.'' Because the gentleman knows that there is still an increase of 4.3 percent in this bill, even with this modest amendment.

You know what? You can rationalize anything. You can be altruistic with someone else's money. We need to curb spending.

Madam Chairman, since we had a rudimentary arithmetic thing here, two plus two equals four, I just want to remind my friend, Madam Chairman, that a 4.8 percent increase minus .5 percent still equals a 4.3 percent increase in spending.

With that, I would like to yield 2 minutes to my friend from Florida (Mr. Feeney).

Madam Chairman, as I hear the comments from my friends on the other side of the aisle, I would almost remember when my children were small and they actually believed in Santa Claus. They thought that whatever they wanted, they could have. We had to learn some lessons. They had a wish-list, and then we had to live within our means.

When I think of the good things, and, by the way, I am very happy to hear that my friend on the other side of the aisle supports abstinence education, when I hear about spending in these areas, there is a finite amount of money. When you are promoting government programs, you are reaching into the pocket of the taxpayer. That is the only place we get our money, from the American taxpayer. And as we think about the largest tax increase in history, I think we ought to realize this burden, and I just picture this enormous burden on our children and our grandchildren that we are leaving.

In the meantime, we can be proud of our spending, because we are spending for very noble things, and there are very many noble things in this bill.

But what we are doing is we are crushing our children and our grandchildren with this $8.8 trillion debt, this $8.8 trillion debt that is growing under this majority.

I was one of the ones in the back of the room, you're right, my friends on the other side of the aisle are right. We spent too much. The Republican Party are guilty of that.

But there were those of us who were budget hawks then that said our party not only should cut taxes but should restrain spending. We were saying that and we are saying it now as we see the majority party going down the road at an even more rapid pace, spending more money, increasing that enormous burden on our children and grandchildren.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of SGT Nicholas Walsh and pay tribute to his patriotic service to our Nation.

As a team leader with Charlie Company, 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Sergeant Walsh bravely led fellow Marines on special operations missions in Iraq's Al Anbar Province. On May 26, while on a mission in Fallujah, Sergeant Walsh tragically lost his life.

After graduating from John Carroll High School in Birmingham, Alabama, Nicholas Walsh followed in the footsteps of a number of his family members and joined the Marines. Sergeant Walsh served four years before leaving the Marines. He married his wife Julie and started a family. Two years after leaving the Marines, Sergeant Walsh re-enlisted in the Corps he loved so much.

Like so many of our brave men and women in uniform, Sergeant Walsh often demurred at being identified as a hero. When asked if he would like to be buried at Arlington he responded: ``No way; that place is for people better than me. That place is for heroes.'' Madam Speaker, Sergeant Walsh is a hero.

He is a hero for his selfless service to our Nation. He is a hero for paying the ultimate price for freedom and liberty.

Today, I echo the words written by neighbors of Sergeant Walsh's parents, Maggie and Jerry: ``We know that no words we could say can comfort you, but our thoughts are with you and our hearts ache for you.'' Our hearts ache for Sergeant Walsh's wife Julie, his sons Triston and Tanner, and the many loved ones and friends Sergeant Walsh leaves behind.

Madam Speaker, Sergeant Walsh is a true hero. Today, with a heavy heart, I extend to Sergeant Walsh's family my deepest sympathies. I urge my colleagues to join me in honoring the patriotism and selfless sacrifice of SGT Nicholas Walsh.

I thank the gentleman for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I am opposed to this bill. I urge opposition of H.R. 980 because it will force unions' so-called representation on public safety employees.

Labor relations between States and their public employees have historically remained at the State level. H.R. 980 would impose Federal law on States that do not meet forced unionism standards defined in this piece of legislation. Furthermore, the bill fails to ensure a secret ballot election for public employees who would be given the right to unionize under this legislation.

H.R. 980 would deny thousands of police and firemen the freedom to negotiate directly with their employers. Those who attempt to negotiate on their own behalf could face fines and even firings. Unionizing a public sector workforce also requires hiring and training staff to negotiate with unions and administer union contracts which would impose unnecessary financial burdens on taxpayers.

Don't allow the Federal Government to impose costly and inappropriate requirements on State and local governments. State and local governments are capable of managing their own public employees. I urge opposition to H.R. 980, to ensure each State's right to define labor laws for their own public employees.

Madam Chairman, I offer an amendment.

Madam Chairman, the bill we are debating today will direct $300 million to the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. This is an organization that was founded to fight deadly diseases in the world's poorest countries.

Madam Chairman, I have learned that the Global Fund's former executive director was spending money on activities well outside of its intended mission. According to a Boston Globe article which broke a story last February, the former executive director of the Global Fund frequently used Global Fund dollars in ways most of us, especially the American taxpayers, would find reckless.

Global Fund documents say he spent between $91 and $930 per day for limousines in London, Paris, Rome, Washington and San Francisco, averaging $376 a day. He spent $1,695 for a dinner for 12 at the United States Senate dining room here in Washington, D.C.; $225.86 to rent a suit; $8,780 for a boat cruise on Lake Geneva in Switzerland; $8,436 for a dinner in Switzerland for 63 people; $5,150 for a meal and drinks for 74 staff members at a retreat in Switzerland. The Global Fund documents cited other spending that included buying flowers for staff members and champagne at a retreat.

Madam Chairman, this sounds like American tax dollars being spent to improve the lifestyle of Global Fund employees. If you add up all the lavish spending just listed in the Boston Globe article, it comes to $24,512.72. At a dollar a dose, that money could have saved the lives of 24,514 infants from dying from malaria. That money could

have protected almost 5,000 families from being infected with malaria for a year at the cost of about $5 to spray a house with the cheapest insecticide.

Madam Chairman, the United States has contributed almost $3 billion to the Global Fund since 2001. I want to make sure that the Global Fund knows that the American people are watching the way they are spending their hard-earned dollars, and I want the director of the Global Fund to know that he is accountable to the United States taxpayers. And that is why my amendment reduces his salary from $320,000 a year to $145,000 a year, which is equal to the salary of the United States Global Fund AIDS coordinator.

I ask for support for my amendment. This is a shot over the bow to let the Global Fund know that we want American tax dollars spent to save lives, not to give lavish lifestyles to the Global Fund employees.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Offered By: Mrs. Musgrave

Amendment No. 23: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following new section: