Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to a great Tennessee leader. State Senator Ben Atchley--better known as Gentle Ben--has served in the Tennessee General Assembly since 1972, where he began his service as Senate Republican leader in 1986.

It is appropriate that today we take time to thank Senator Atchley for his service and provide that the East Young High Pike U.S. Post Office in Ben's hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee be named in his honor. Senator Atchley graduated from Young High School, just down the street from this post office. When Ben and his wonderful wife Sue were first married, their apartment window looked out across the street to this very post office. Later, Ben worked next door to the post office, which will now be named after him. From high school student to Senate Leader, Gentle Ben has given back so much to his community and Tennessee.

I am pleased to recognize Senator Atchley for all of his many accomplishments and his work in the Tennessee General Assembly. The Tennessee congressional delegation and the U.S. House of Representatives proudly designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 137 East Young High Pike in Knoxville, Tennessee, most suitably, as the ``Ben Atchley Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak of a courageous woman in America's history, a woman who fought relentlessly for 69 years to establish equal rights for women, slaves, and the unborn. Her name, Susan B. Anthony.

She had a deep desire, dedication and passion that our country live up to its promise that everyone be treated equally. Her leadership helped lead to the adoption of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote.

On this 184th year following her birth, let us honor the woman who fought for equality for all by continuing her legacy today and voting for the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. This act recognizes the rights and values of women and unborn children, and Susan B. Anthony would be proud to see this extension of her life's work by protecting the defenseless and speaking for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Mr. Speaker, America has a long tradition of producing great generals; and Major General David Petraeus, the Commander of the 101st Airborne Division, has joined the ranks of America's great military leaders. Like his predecessors, Generals Washington, Patton, and Eisenhower, to name a few, he has spent a career defending our Nation and bringing freedom to people all over the world.

I have been to Iraq and I have seen General Petraeus' leadership firsthand, and the awards and distinctions that he has received in his career are not empty. The true meaning behind each of these commendations is crystal-clear when you meet the men, women, and children who would have lived a lifetime of terror under the old Iraq had the General of the 101st Airborne from Fort Campbell not helped lead Operation Iraqi Freedom. He is an example of why the American military is so great. He is a true leader.

Today, we join the newly-free people of Iraq to thank him for his dedication to our Nation and our belief that no people should be denied freedom.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to speak on the enormous deficit spending that is before Congress this year. It is expected to be between $477 billion to $530 billion. As a fiscal conservative, I find it unacceptable.

One of the core values of conservatism is to fight for limited government, wise use of taxpayer money, and fiscal restraint. This body falls short on being an example of these values. We need only to look to last year when we had several opportunities to cut out waste in government programs, but did not do so. One prime example is where Congress would not pass a simple amendment which would have prevented the funding of sexual arousal and porn studies granted through the National Institutes of Health. I voted for the amendment which would have prevented the use of taxpayer money for these ridiculous studies. I think most constituents agree with me on that. Also numerous amendments by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Toomey) were presented to reduce spending by across-the-board cuts. What a great idea. We failed to take measures there.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for us to realize the government will continue to borrow for the present by mortgaging the future.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of this rule to reauthorize the Community Services Block Grant Act. I oppose the substitute because it would repeal current law and strip faith-based organizations of their right to hire the candidates they feel are most qualified for the jobs. These same rights are guaranteed to faith-based organizations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and have since been consistently upheld in the courts.

Last year, I brought the Committee on Government Reform to Franklin, Tennessee, and we heard from groups of all sizes that helped the needy in Franklin and Middle Tennessee. One of those that testified was Onnie Kirk. He runs the Family Foundation Fund, an organization that helps fatherless children. He testified that they would not accept Federal funds if these funds compromised the character and the purpose of his organization. The amendment would remove those protections.

We should not bend to the false arguments and overburden the very organizations that serve the most needed needy in our society. These organizations have higher success rates than many government programs.

The Community Services Block Grant Act did not and still does not permit Federal funds to be used for the purposes of promoting religion. It allows faith-based groups to use Federal funds for secular purposes, feeding, clothing its needy, helping the out-of-work find jobs, without compromising their essential character. We should keep it that way.

I ask my colleagues to join me in opposing the substitute to H.R. 3030.

Mr. Chairman, I would like to rise in support of the amendment and to commend the chairman of the Committee on the Judiciary for offering this important amendment.

As we have noted, last March this body did pass important bankruptcy reform; and that is very important to my folks in Tennessee, but unfortunately it has languished over on the Senate side. I have heard from credit unions and banks in Tennessee. Their message is very clear. Bankruptcy is all too often used as the first resort instead of the last resort, and this makes it increasingly difficult for them to operate in a State where small business is our major employer. As the number of bankruptcy filings continues to rise, bankruptcy losses have a heavier impact upon those credit union members and on the banks who are fiscally responsible. What we have seen since 1998 when bankruptcies topped 1 million in their filings, they are up over 150 percent. We know the trend is continuing upward.

I do feel this amendment is a compassionate one. People who seek bankruptcy because of job loss, medical problems, divorce and other personal problems will be unaffected.

Mr. Chairman, it is time for us to move forward.

Announcement by the Chairman

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an incredible citizen of the 7th district of Tennessee.

Jim Ayers is the founder of the Ayers Foundation; since the fall of 2000, the Ayers Foundation has given as much as $4,000 a year in scholarships to every high school graduate from Decatur County who agrees to go to college or technical school. Yes, I said every high school graduate.

Jim is a success in the health care, banking, real estate businesses to name a few--however, he has never forgotten his native Decatur County. Every community would be fortunate to have a Jim Ayers.

It took Mr. Ayers about eight years to put together an endowment and a staff of counselors to work with the students of Riverside High School and Scotts Hill High School. The benefits that the students of these schools have received is evidence that Jim Ayers is doing a great thing for our young people.

Only 25 percent of Riverside graduates pursued some form of postsecondary education before the scholarships were available. But the participation rate immediately shot up to 75 percent when the Ayers Foundation began. And now 90 percent of students at this school are able to further their education beyond high school.

He not only provides financial assistance to the aspiring high school seniors, he has a direct talk with the students--telling them ``if anyone is going to take care of them, it's got to be themselves.''

It is with great appreciation that I honor Mr. Jim Ayers for his service to community and for his commitment to education.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to congratulate Governor Schwarzenegger on his efforts to ``clean house'' in California. Since he took office last month, he has been implementing many reforms to California's economic and security problems. He has rescinded a $4 billion car tax, called for a constitutional amendment to limit State spending, and worked with the legislature to repeal the law that allows illegal aliens to obtain driver's license. Instead of hiding his head in the sand as his predecessor did, he has shown the courage to balance the State's budget without raising taxes and to protect the security of the State.

I would also like to speak on another admirable Californian, Judge Janice Brown. Judge Brown is the daughter of a sharecropper who has beat the odds to become one of the finest judges in America. Critics claim she is an extreme conservative who is outside of America's mainstream, but they are the ones who are outside the mainstream. These critics have intentionally disregarded her judicial opinions that have upheld due process rights for criminal defendants and consumer protection for Californians. This body must stand with Californians, like Governor Schwarzenegger and Judge Brown, who are working to make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 648, I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to talk a little bit about the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, which is in Clarksville, Tennessee, and in my district. And I have visited with General Petreaus, commander of the 101st, and members of this elite group of American soldiers in Mosul where they are working to stabilize Iraq. Their work in Iraq is absolutely astounding. What they have accomplished is astounding, and it is a testament to their training, to their dedication, and to their love of liberty.

For the past 2 weeks the activity has absolutely broken our hearts. We have lost some of our Nation's finest, and Fort Campbell has lost some loved ones. And to the family, the friends, and their colleagues, we offer our thoughts and our prayers. And we want them to know that America is grateful not only for their service but certainly grateful for their sacrifice.

Throughout the history of the 101st, this country has relied on these brave soldiers, these brave defenders of freedom, to keep us free; and today is no different. We ask that God bless America, that He bless our Fort Campbell families and our fallen heroes.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to one of Nashville, Tennessee's most beloved citizens. Through many years of public service, he is building a legacy of selfless devotion to his state, his home city and his state senate district.

Senator Douglas Henry is being honored this weekend by the Friends of Radnor Lake for his three decades of commitment to conservation issues. In 1973, Senator Henry worked tirelessly to be certain that Radnor Lake was named Tennessee's first state natural area. He has continued to work to protect the lake and the funding necessary to support the protection of the natural area.

Senator Douglas Henry could be honored on this floor for any number of reasons. He has chaired the Finance committee of the Tennessee senate for many years, he is a staunch supporter for the rights of women and children and has a deep interest in public policy affecting them. He has served as chairman of the Southern Legislative conference and the Council of World Regions, the Law and Justice Institute in Washington, DC. However, it is my pleasure to stand today and honor him, not only for these accomplishments but for the commitment to preservation and conservation that he has to his district and our state.

Mr. Speaker, we are coming up on Veterans' Day, and I rise today to honor and say thank you to the over 65,000 men and women who are veterans and constituents of Tennessee's Seventh Congressional District. I thank them one and all for their service, for their sacrifice, their valor and for their commitment to duty, which has been to stand vigilant, strong and to protect our freedom that we enjoy.

I also want to say thank you to our troops and to their families. Our Seventh Congressional District is home to many of the families from Fort Campbell, who are part of the 101st Airborne and the Special Operations Forces, and we are also home to many of the National Guardsmen and the Reservists and their families who are deployed and who are now defending freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We appreciate their sacrifice. We thank them for the job that they are doing so very well.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that it shall be in order anytime without intervention of any point of order to consider in the House H.R. 2535; the bill shall be considered as read for amendment; the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill, modified by the amendment that I have placed at the desk, shall be considered as adopted; all points of order against the bill, as amended, shall be waived; the previous question shall be considered as ordered on the bill, as amended, to final passage without intervening motion except, one, 1 hour of debate on the bill, as amended, equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking minority member of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; and, two, one motion to recommit, with or without instructions; and the amendment that I have placed at the desk shall be considered as read for purposes of this unanimous consent request.

Mr. Speaker, today I wanted to take time to honor one of Tennessee's most accomplished Memphians, Judge Kay Spaulding Robilio of the U.S. Circuit Court, Division 5, 30th Judicial District.

For more than 20 years of dedicated service as a judge and the 2002- 2003 president of the Tennessee Lawyers' Association for Women, Judge Robilio has committed her life to the pursuit of justice and equality for all. She has helped open the way for women interested in serving on the bench and in public office. And as a mother and volunteer, her dedication to the community extends beyond her profession. Her dedication to exploring legal issues surrounding emotional abuse claims is helping expand recognition of the problem and establishes her as a true pioneer.

Judge Robilio is an asset to Memphis and a shining light in our legal community. I want to thank Kay for her decades of service and let her know we look forward to many more years of legal excellence and integrity from her court.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman so much. You know, the gentleman just used the quote from former Secretary Madeleine Albright, and I heard some about this this weekend while I was back in Tennessee, people who were disappointed, Democrats who were disappointed that she had chosen to make that remark of saying that our policy and our President's policy was not good for America and not good for the world.

This past weekend, I was literally all over the State in Tennessee. We were over in Memphis, in Shelby County, which is part of my district, the seventh district of Tennessee. Also part of the ninth and eighth districts of Tennessee. And then I was over with our good colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Wamp), in his district, the fourth district, and up in Knox County, with our colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Duncan), in his district. And I can tell my colleague that I was very encouraged with the way Tennesseeans support our President, the way they support our troops, they way they support our leadership in fighting this war on terrorism, the way they recognize that this is a global effort to destroy terrorism.

And, Mr. Speaker, the people back home are really watching this. They are listening to the news, they are getting their information on the Internet, they are paying attention. They know that there are numerous links between Iraq and terrorism, and they understand the importance that it is. They know that it is vital that we secure an ally with Iraq; that we help them build a free and open society; that we help them get the underpinnings and the foundation so that they have a productive and aggressive economy. And they are committed to working with us as we get through the war on terrorism. I even had one of my constituents this weekend say that they thought that it was only in this stratified Potomac fevered air of Washington that people did not have the courage and the commitment to see this war through.

Mr. Speaker, I was today reading some e-mails that had come to me, and one of them I thought was just terrific. It came from a gentleman who is a Vietnam veteran who said some things so very well, talking about how when he was serving in Vietnam that the liberal news media flamed the sparks of unrest and how that played on Congress and how Congress' decisions during that time affected him as a soldier.

It was interesting to sit here and to read all of this. He went on in his e-mail and he used the Patrick Henry quote that I absolutely love: ``Give me liberty or give me death.'' And as he has watched the war in Iraq, he said this had come back to him so many times and how he thought that that is so true, that without that personal freedom, which is the foundation of our constitution and of our society, then nothing else means as much, and how important it is that we recognize what a threat terrorism is; how important it is to win this war in Iraq; how important it is to build an ally with Iraq.

And, of course, we have talked much tonight about the gentlewoman from California, the minority leader, and her comments in December of 1998 when she gave her floor speech characterizing Saddam Hussein as a tyrant, which we all believe he is; and a threat to international security, which we all agree that he is. We have been through that quote tonight, but I want to go back into it. There is plenty of proof he had engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction. I agree with what the minority leader said at that time; we all do.

We need to realize that in 1998 Bill Clinton was the President. Today, we do have a different President. And President George Bush is leading us in this war on terror. Our colleague from Texas just talked about the great work that the men and women are doing over in Iraq and the difference that they are making. I look forward to going and seeing this firsthand.

Now the minority leader is coming along and she is questioning what we are doing in Iraq, and she is charging the administration with having a failed plan. The only thing this administration has failed to do, I believe, is to foresee how quickly Saddam Hussein's regime was going to collapse. To some extent, I think they have been victims of their own success. Because as our colleague from Texas pointed out, things have moved rather quickly. No one expected Baghdad to fall that quickly. They thought it was going to take months instead of weeks.

I would like to quote from another Member of the minority party, who, unlike Minority Leader Pelosi, is considering the big picture. This is a quote from the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), he is a Democrat, and he is considering the big picture. This is what the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton) had to say in September of 2003, this year, in the publication ``The Hill,'' and I quote.

``The media stresses the wounds, the injuries, and the deaths, as they should, but for instance in Northern Iraq, General David Petraeus,'' and I will pause here and say General Petraeus commands the 101st Airborne from my district, ``has 3,100 projects, from soccer fields to schools to refineries, all good stuff and that is not being reported. Failure is not an option. Should the reconstruction effort fail, Iraq would become a snake pit, a haven for terrorists.''

Mr. Speaker, we have learned the lessons of World War I. We learned from the successes of World War II. We know it is incredibly important that we see Iraq through to being firmly planted and seated on a firm foundation so they can be a success. I do not think it is patriotic for us to sit back and let terrorism take hold there or come over here and take ahold on our shores. I do not think it is patriotic to let tyrants kick dirt in our faces for a decade. I know the people in my district are tired of America choosing rhetoric over action, and they are pleased with the action that they are seeing. September 11 gave us cause for action.

There is a great song that one of my friends and songwriter, David Worley has written. The song is Have You Forgotten, and that song is a reminder to each and every one of us that September 11 occurred, that men and women lost their lives, that terrorism brought its war to our shores, and it is important that we support the reconstruction in Iraq and support our leadership as they lead through this.