Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I do rise to support the Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act. It's a commonsense piece of legislation, much like Mr. Walden's process reform bill for the FCC that was passed in this House in March on a bipartisan vote.

The FCC Consolidated Reporting Act, as Mr. Scalise said, will streamline eight annual and triennial FCC reports into one single biennial communications marketplace report. The effect is to ease some of the reporting obligations while providing the FCC a better platform to analyze the converged nature of today's competitive communications marketplace.

It's important to get the reporting in check because the FCC has control over one-sixth of our Nation's economy. This legislation would simply bring back some efficiency and transparency to an agency that is clearly lacking in both categories. We need to redirect the FCC away from its antiquated approach to regulatory policymaking. A streamed and consolidated reporting system that better reflects today's competitive marketplace is necessary to help in this process, especially for those who understand that

we need wholesale change and deregulation at the Nation's leading communications governing agency.

I support the legislation to simplify the FCC's reporting measures. I encourage my colleagues to support the legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the greatest acts of true and chosen service require sacrifice. From time to time, these acts of sacrifice are small and yet noble. Then there are the moments where the act is total and complete, ultimate in its finality and lasting in its devotion. I rise today to honor Army Specialist Jason K. Edens for his fidelity to freedom and freedom's cause.

Spc. Edens was a 2007 graduate of Franklin High School. Determined to join the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, he joined the Army to improve the chances of achieving his dream. He was deployed in the Global War on Terror and assigned to the 1st Squadron, 13th Calvary Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division in Fort Bliss, Texas. He was wounded in an enemy attack in Laghaman province in Afghanistan and died at Walter Reed Hospital in Maryland.

A beloved member of the Williamson County community, Specialist Edens will be greatly missed by his wife, Ashley, his parents, his family, and all who knew him. I ask my colleagues to join with me in honoring Spc. Edens as we remember all those who have given the ultimate act of sacrifice for their country.

Mr. Speaker, at this moment, there are more than 400,000 young Americans in the foster care system. They face both enormous chances of hope and opportunity, but also hardship. Like all children, they need guidance and they need an advocate.

During National Foster Care Month, we work to improve the reality of our Nation's foster youth and especially honor the dedicated foster families who care for these youth. All children deserve loving, safe, and stable homes. Each year there are thousands of foster youth who age out of the system without a permanent family. Studies show that these youth are more likely to end up homeless, commit to a life of crime, or suffer from undiagnosed or untreated mental health challenges. Within the foster care system, there are bright stars of help and hope.

Today I'd like to share a story of one such extraordinary foster parent: Mrs. Eula Gardner Dowdy. Over the years, Eula Gardner Dowdy of Clarksville and her late husband have brought more than 100 children into their home as foster children. The Dowdy house became a home to children regardless of age, race, creed, or ability. Backgrounds changing, the one constant for these children was their need for love and caring, and Eula's willingness to welcome them into her family. The 2006 Tennessee Foster Parent of the Year, Eula has received many deserving accolades for her contributions to the Clarksville community.

There are countless Eula Gardner Dowdy's in our great country whose love enriches the children that enter their homes. I rise today to thank all those who bring foster children into their hearts and make a lasting and powerful difference in lives of those children. During National Foster Care Month, I ask my colleagues to rise with me in thanksgiving for the many foster parents who are wonderful examples of devotion to the youth of today so that they may have hope for a better tomorrow.

Mr. Speaker, the scriptures tell us there is no greater love than one who would lay down his life for a friend. Each day, our families, friends, colleagues, and neighbors live in safety because there are those willing to lay down their lives to protect their communities. Law enforcement officers not only protect and defend; they are a beacon of light for this country and our towns are made better by their valiant service.

Their service is not without sacrifice. Often their families and friends carry their burdens as the law enforcement officers carry ours. Too often, some who wake every morning in service to their communities do not make it home. This year, there will be five more names added to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while protecting and defending the great state of Tennessee. I join with those gathered, and the families of those lost, to honor Patrolman II Timothy Warren, Deputy Sheriff Richard Bellar, Trooper Andrew Wall, Captain Ralph Braden, and Sergeant James Tim Chapin.

A senator from ancient Rome wrote that in valor, there is hope. I ask my colleagues to join with me in thanking those who protect the liberties of this great nation. As we pause to mourn the lives of the 177 law enforcement officers lost in the line of duty last year, we give thanks for the dedication and legacy of the five Tennesseans who sacrificed their lives and sacred honor for our great state. May the words from Rome remind us all of our duty to service, and may they offer us a light of gratitude for those whose service does not lead them home.

Mr. Speaker, a lasting democracy is built on an active citizenry; a citizenry that serves, leads, and protects for the greater good of their community. I rise today to honor one such citizen whose life was lived in service to his community and whose noble act of bravely is the model of all who seek to protect and defend.

Decaturville Fire Chief Kenny Fox will be remembered for his loving personality, great sense of humor, devotion to his family, and his heroic actions in the last things. The hour of the morning didn't alter Fox's response. Answering the call to duty, Fox rushed to the Oak Hill Cafe to protect the business from a raging fire. Pushing his brothers in service out of harm's way, Fox lived out the scriptures' definition of the greatest love as he laid down his life for his friends.

Kenny Fox was an outstanding fire chief, a valuable member of his community, and a loving part of his family. I join with his wife, children, family, community, and fellow firefighters in honoring Kenny's service, dedication, and valiant sacrifice. I ask my colleagues to join with me as we remember Chief Fox for his courage and seek to serve our communities with the same sense of allegiance and purpose.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for her leadership on the rule.

I also want to thank Congresswoman Sandy Adams from Florida for her leadership on the issue. I think it is so instructive to all of us as women of the House that we have had a female law enforcement officer who has been a leader in domestic violence policy in addressing this issue to help walk us through what works, what doesn't, and where we need to tweak this.

Many Members of this House, and many women are like me. They've worked on establishing domestic violence and child advocacy centers. And to hear from Congresswoman Adams the specifics--to bring more accountability to bear and to make certain that funding gets to the victims has been her priority, and a job well-done on that.

Some of the stats indeed tell us why we need to do this. In Tennessee, where I'm from, 52.1 percent of all crimes against persons are domestic violence.

Madam Speaker, I urge support for the rule.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, this is a very straightforward amendment. What it says is that you cannot use taxpayer funds to defend ObamaCare, PPACA, the Affordable Care Act. And there is a reason for doing this, for bringing this amendment forward.

If you will look at today's Gallup Poll, the May 9, 2012, Gallup Poll, this is what you would find in that poll: 72 percent of all Americans believe this law is unconstitutional. They want to see this law off the books. And that includes 56 percent of Democrats and 94 percent of Republicans that were polled.

So, Madam Chairwoman, what we find is individuals saying, We don't like this. We don't want it on the books. We hope the Supreme Court finds it unconstitutional.

Indeed, many of us feel it will be found to be unconstitutional. And what we're doing is saying to the Department of Justice, You cannot use taxpayer funds to defend this law. We know that that is the right step to take because it is important that we defend and prevent DOJ activism. Certainly, you have heard Members stand on this floor today and talk about the activism that exists in that Department. So taxpayer funds should not be used to defend this law.

Now, some of you may feel like you've heard this before, and, indeed, you have. The Republican Study Committee has brought this idea previously as we have had continuing resolutions.

We feel that it is appropriate. This is not a bill the American people have wanted. It is a law that is too expensive to afford. Indeed, we have seen that as we've reviewed appropriations, as we're looking at Health and Human Services, as we're looking at CMS. What we're staying to DOJ is, You cannot use taxpayer money to defend this law. We do not want our taxpayer funds to become a legal defense fund for ObamaCare.

So it is a very simple amendment. It is a total of eight lines long. I urge individuals to support the Blackburn amendment and to prohibit DOJ from using taxpayer funds.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I bring this amendment forward tonight, just as I do every single year for these appropriations bills, because it is so important that we get the out-of-control spending here in Washington, D.C., under control. We all know that at this point in time, we are borrowing 40 cents of every single dollar that we spend. And as we look at this appropriations bill that is before us, we're talking about another $51.1 billion. So the amendment tonight makes a 1 percent across-the-board haircut. It would be $511 million.

Now I know all of the arguments. Since I have been doing these since I came to Congress, I know all of the arguments that I am going to have: Well, this is a carefully crafted bill. We have worked diligently on this bill. We have sought to get the costs down in these appropriations.

And I truly appreciate the diligence that goes into this. But I have to tell you, on behalf of the men and women that I represent, the mom and pop stores in my district--which are primarily run by mom at this point in time--on behalf of so many of our small farms, our realtors who are all cutting back more than 1 percent, more than 10 percent. Many have revenues that are off 25 or 30 percent. We need to require the bureaucracy to get in behind here and cut another penny.

It should be done for our children and our grandchildren. Indeed, if you want to look at what is happening to them, the share of the national debt for my two grandsons is $50,000 each. That is the burden that we are placing on them because we will not cut a little further. We will not reduce what the bureaucracy has to spend. We are not making the requirements of them that our companies and businesses and stores are having to make of the work that they do every single day.

Now we all know that across-the-board spending cuts work. We've seen them work in our States. We saw it work in Tennessee when a Democrat Governor went in and cut not 1 percent but 9 percent across the board. This is what you do when you want to get your spending under control. It's what we, as a body, should do to prevent DOJ activism because reining that in and preserving our Constitution is priceless. It is a step that we need to take and do that heavy lift. It is our job to be good stewards of the taxpayers' money. It is our job to make certain that we stop borrowing money and spending money that we don't have for programs that many of our constituents do not want and certainly our children and grandchildren do not want. It is time for us to make additional cuts into this budget. So I offer, again, the 1 percent across-the-board cut. It will make a $511 million reduction to the spending in this appropriation.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a beacon of light in Tennessee. Built five decades ago on the belief that ``no child should die in the dawn of life,'' St. Jude is a place where children afflicted with disease, and parents burdened by lost hope, can find healing and the promise of tomorrow.

In its first ten years, the hard working medical team of St. Jude brought to 50 percent the survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer. Building on that hard work and success, the research team of St. Jude continued to break through childhood disease barriers. Serving 7,800 active patients a year, the medical and professional staffs, along with volunteers around the country, serve the most vulnerable among us regardless of their ability to pay.

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a glimmer of hope to the families of children faced with medical lost causes. I am thankful for the noble work of all those who are a part of the St. Jude community and look forward to the next 50 years of healing and hope. I rise today in support of St. Jude and ask my colleagues to join with me as we celebrate half a century of service to our children.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer my praise to one of Tennessee's true living legends.

Born in Clarksville, Tennessee, in Tennessee's Seventh Congressional District, Coach Pat Head Summitt paved the way for women athletes at Cheatham County High School and then at the University of Tennessee- Martin. She was an exemplary student athlete, and today the gym at UT- Martin is named in her honor.

She took the reins at the University of Tennessee in 1974, and she has led the Lady Vols to an unprecedented 31 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In her time as a coach, she has coached 12 Olympians, 20 Kodak All-Americans, and 77 All-SEC performers. After 1,098 career wins over 38 seasons, Pat Head Summitt is the all-time winningest coach in NCAA basketball history.

Pushing excellence both on and off the court, Coach Summitt prepared her players to be successful women when they hang up their jerseys. We will remember her legacy at UT for two things: winning games and, most importantly, graduating players. Every Lady Volunteer--every Lady Volunteer--who finished their eligibility at the University of Tennessee graduated from college. That is a statistic to cheer about. Coach Summitt has dedicated her career and her magnificent journey to the great game of women's basketball and to the student athletes she has championed.

This week, we have welcomed Coach Summitt and her son, Tyler. They've been here in D.C. with us this week as we have saluted her career and as we cheer her as she now coaches millions of volunteers in fighting Alzheimer's and early onset dementia.

Thank you, Coach Summitt, for leading by example both on and off the court.

Mr. Speaker, the Government Accountability Office says that cyberattacks have grown by 650 percent in 5 years and that the annual cost of these attacks is estimated to be $388 billion. Allowing these trends to proliferate is bad for job creation, consumer protection, and the future of the Internet, whose future success will greatly depend on improving user trust and security online.

The U.S.-driven digital revolution has created countless opportunities, freedoms, and economies of scale. We're the envy of the world in that regard. This revolution is continuing to be driven by information and data. Data is really the natural resource that will power our Nation's future, but only if we safeguard it appropriately.

Your online presence and digital diaries are what I like to refer to as the ``virtual you.'' It's consistently growing and expanding as individuals and businesses operate online. We need to have the certainty that we can freely continue our business online without virtual Peeping Toms and digital thieves enjoying total, uncontrolled access on the online ecosystem. That's why I was troubled to read an article in

Politico yesterday titled ``White House Avoids Specific Positions on Cybersecurity Bills.''

We're being attacked by cybersnoopers and state sponsors of cyberespionage like China, Russia, and Iran. But the White House is throwing its hands up in the air, unwilling to lead. The President refused to take a position because advisers in the White House wanted to go farther in ceding authority to the Department of Homeland Security, which can't even manage the dysfunctional Transportation Security Administration. Washington always wants more power and more control.

My colleagues, Congressmen Rogers and Ruppersberger, have worked together in a very diligent and bipartisan manner to educate and articulate the need for cyberintelligence sharing and protections. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act will help us defend against advanced cyberattackers and hackers that want to steal our private or our government information. It also maintains protections for individuals' privacy. The bill's language is specific. It doesn't allow the government to use shared information for non-cybersecurity purposes. It requires an independent inspector general to audit voluntary information shared with the government, and it legally enforces restrictions on government uses of this information.

The voluntary information-sharing framework is preferable because incentive-based security works better than heavy-handed mandates, but the White House and the Senate Democrats disagree with the technology experts. They think there's a cookie-cutter way to address evolving cybersecurity challenges. But we shouldn't pretend to have all of the answers, and we shouldn't let DHS play Whac-A-Mole. We should not and cannot allow the government's massive bureaucracy to expand. It's constantly suffocating innovation and entrepreneurship in this country.

This legislation presents a framework that is flexible and dynamic, not one that is static and top-down. This approach is narrow, not presumptive. The tech industry wants to focus its energy resources and attention on real-time, dynamic threats, and responses.

Moreover, government shouldn't be telling anyone how to regulate critical infrastructure when it hasn't been able to get its own networks and systems secure. The Office of Budget and Management reported almost 42,000 attacks on Federal networks in 2010, an increase of almost 40 percent over the previous year. That's why I'm happy to see Congressman Darrell Issa's bill coming to the floor. Without a doubt, we need better oversight on our Federal information-technology systems.

Each day brings new challenges in the fight to protect our Nation's virtual space and technology innovation, but the cybersecurity bills before the floor this week are unlike the pro-regulatory frameworks that typically characterize Washington's policymaking. Let's move forward with the commonsense voluntary tools we need to strengthen our cyberdefenses, the Internet economy, and the ``virtual you.'' Let's show some leadership.

Mr. Speaker, the Tennessee 7th Congressional District is full of great land, great people, and great music. From the annual Fiddler's Convention in Clarksville to the Horseshoe Riverbend Festival in Clifton, this area of the country is known for its ``noted'' legacy. I rise today in celebration of another great tribute to our distinct sound, the Emissaries of Memphis Music.

In its fourth year, the Emissaries of Memphis Music honors those who grow the creative and musical culture of Memphis. From Estelle Axton at Stax Records, to the women being honored this year by the Memphis and Shelby County Music Commission, the function that women play in our musical legacy cannot be overlooked. Through writing, producing, recording, performing, or leading, women have long dedicated their time, talents, and treasures to expanding excellence in the music industry.

Their accomplishments differ from woman to woman, but their influence on and dedication to their craft remains steady. I rise to congratulate Ann Peebles, Wendy Moten, Anita Ward, Alexis Grace, Bethany Paige, Bev Johnson, Anita Makris, and Anne Pitts on their being named the 2012 Emissaries of Memphis Music. I ask my colleagues to join with me in celebration of the unique contributions each of these women offers to the great musical heritage of Tennessee.

President Obama's ObamaCare plan not only raises many constitutional questions, but it is creating an environment where younger Americans, like my little nephew, Preston James Hunter, who was born last night, will be forced to live in a world with less choice and higher health care costs.

As the cost of health care rises, we are seeing that taxpayers are on the hook for even more money. We all know that this bill pulled $500 billion out of Medicare, and now we're learning that over the next few years the States are going to have to pay another $620 billion for Medicaid expenditures. Yes, $620 billion for Medicaid expenditures. In Tennessee, my home State, TennCare estimates that the health care law will increase TennCare enrollment by 242,291 people. That is at an extra cost of $225 million a year. Those are just the estimates.

While the President and Democrats in Washington are raiding Medicare, Republicans in the House are fighting back and are working to protect Medicare for our seniors. As for the jobs-killing aspect of ObamaCare, we now find 20 new and increased taxes that are in this bill, taxes that are affecting American families and employers.

We simply cannot afford a forced health care plan that doesn't work, that raises taxes, and that many Americans believe is unconstitutional.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I find it so interesting, as we are here debating this bill, that this is only a 21-page bill. And I don't find, Mr. Chairman, in this bill, I don't find the words ``constrained'' and ``straitjacket'' anywhere. It does not exist in this bill. And as I've heard my colleagues talk about this bill, I think that they have not read the bill. So, unlike the 2,300-page bill that is being debated at the Supreme Court across the street, I would encourage them to pick up this little 21-page bill and give it a read.

I've also found it very interesting: the White House and this administration like to say transparency is the cornerstone of their administration, but I have seen them going to just extreme lengths, it seems, the White House and the Senate, to block bringing this process reform bill forward.

Yesterday, the White House released its Statement of Administration Policy, saying, and I'm quoting: ``It is generally recognized that the FCC has improved its practices and procedures to make it more effective.''

But the truth is, in the last 50 years, what we have seen is that their rules and regulations, their impact, their footprint, has grown 800 percent--not doubled, not a little bit a year, 800 percent. That is why we need this bill, and I commend the chairman for bringing the bill forward.

Let me tell you a few things that this bill does. I think that they are common sense. It would do a few things like allowing more time for public comments.

Well, my constituents want more time to weigh in on these issues. As they find out about these issues, more time is a very good thing. Measuring the Agency's performance with scorecards, our children have report cards. Knowing where you are and what you're doing and what kind of goal you're trying to reach, that is very healthy. That is a good thing.

Making sure the Agency doesn't attach extraneous regulations and conditions on business transactions, we're talking about jobs and the effect of regulation on jobs. It is such a positive thing to pull back regulation and free up free enterprise. That is what we should be about is making certain that we can move forward on these issues.

Requiring the Agency to do cost-benefit analysis for rules that cost more than $100 million, well, how about that? Cost-benefit analysis. Is a rule going to be worth the cost? Is it going to be worth the effort, or is it going to be too expensive to afford?

My goodness, we've had all sorts of things that they're too big to fail and too expensive to afford, so let's certainly make sure that we are evaluating these rules before they get put onto the books and before they have force of law. Let's make certain that we pass this reform bill.

Mr. Speaker, his parents sought this country and the great promise of America. As the child of immigrants, ingrained in Danny Thomas' very core was the belief that Americans should thank the United States for the gift of freedom. The life and legacy of Danny Thomas is marked by his fidelity to faith and his dedication to those who might lose hope.

Danny Thomas' legacy is one of acting, sports, family, and faith. An Emmy-winning actor, Thomas starred in one of the most successful and honored comedy shows, ``Make Room for Daddy.'' An original owner of the Miami Dolphins, he was, as well, an avid golfer and two PGA championships bore his name. Moved by the faithfulness of the Almighty, and Thomas' belief that no child should be turned away from medical care regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay, Danny began raising money for St. Jude Children's Center in the early 1950s. Pope Paul VI named Thomas a Knight Commander of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and President Ronald Reagan presented him with a Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. But Thomas' true legacy isn't the awards bestowed on him by world leaders, but the grateful thanks given by children around the world.

St. Jude is a place where children afflicted with disease, and parents burdened by lost hope, can find healing and the promise of tomorrow. Countless children, parents, families, and friends will forever be grateful for Danny Thomas and his vision as they receive superior medical care, the benefits of cutting-edge research, and an environment colored with optimism. As we celebrate Thomas' 100th birthday, and the 50 years of St Jude Children's hospital, by unveiling a postage stamp in his honor, we celebrate his dedication to serving the most vulnerable among us. I rise today to honor Danny Thomas and ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating all those whose noble work brings healing and hope.