Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 548, the Tony Hall Federal Building and United States Courthouse

Designation Act, introduced by my good friend and colleague, Dave Hobson.

Tony Hall has a long and distinguished history of service to the people of Ohio, our nation, and the world. He served in the Ohio General Assembly and the Ohio Senate. Tony Hall then served 12 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives where he worked tirelessly for the interests of the residents of the third district of Ohio, the district I now have the honor to represent. Not only did he ably represent his constituents, Tony Hall was also concerned about the well-being of those who lived beyond the boundaries of his congressional district, and his work on hunger and human rights issues throughout the world have benefited the lives of many. His work for the less fortunate around the world is held in such high regard that he has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.

Today, Tony Hall serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. On a personal level, my wife and I had the honor to be Tony Hall's guest for dinner last Christmas in Rome. His hospitality and graciousness helped make this holiday very special, and is a typical example of how he treats people with openness and warmth.

We also share a unique connection: Tony Hall's father was once the mayor of Dayton, a position which I also held. As mayor, I was always conscious of the extraordinary reputation his father had earned in that office. Clearly, a sense of public duty, a commitment to high standards, and a passion for improving the lives of others was handed down from father to son.

The legislation we consider today properly honors a man whose accomplishments demonstrate how one man can make a positive difference in the lives of his countrymen and his fellow man throughout the world. I strongly urge the passage of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 26, honoring the Tuskegee Airmen for their bravery in fighting for our freedom in World War II, and for their contribution in creating an integrated United States Air Force. I thank my friend and colleague, Mike Rogers of Alabama, for introducing this legislation.

Dayton, OH, which I am proud to represent in Congress is the home of the pioneers Orville and Wilbur Wright, and is the birthplace of aviation. The Wright Brothers were pioneers of flight, as were the Tuskegee Airmen. But before they could fly, the Tuskegee Airmen had to overcome racial prejudice and segregation. And overcome they did. These brave Americans went on to become one of the most respected fighting units of World War II. Nicknamed the ``Red Tails'' because of the red tail markings on their aircraft, the tenacious bomber escort cover provided by the Tuskegee Airmen often discouraged enemy fighter pilots from attacking bombers they escorted.

The Tuskegee Airmen passed on the lessons they learned in flight to those who came after them: between 1941 and 1945, the Tuskegee Airmen trained over 1,000 black aviators for the war effort. The bravery and dedication of these airmen can be appreciated by their enviable service record of over 15,500 missions, in which over 260 enemy aircraft were destroyed, one enemy destroyer was sunk, and numerous enemy installations were damaged. The Tuskegee Airmen served with distinction and earned over 850 medals and throughout their storied history, the Airmen did not lose a single bomber to enemy fire in more than 200 combat missions--a record that is unmatched by any other fighter group.

There is a local chapter of an organization named for the Tuskegee Airmen at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio: The Mac Ross Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen. The chapter is named after Mac Ross, a Dayton native, and one of the first five African-American airmen to become Air Corps pilots in 1942. It serves as a reminder to all of us of the heroic tale of these airmen who fought in a world war, and at home, for freedom.

As a proud Daytonian, I am pleased to join my colleagues in honoring the Tuskegee Airmen, pioneers who braved prejudice at home and combat abroad and as a result did their part in winning World War II and creating an integrated Air Force.

Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for his leadership on this most important issue affecting our country. I am a cosponsor of the REAL ID Act that calls for necessary reforms in our driver's license processes to make it harder for terrorists to obtain driver's license to use them for acts of violence in our country.

Driver's licenses can be used by terrorists to enter buildings, obtain other forms of identification, and board flights. The loopholes that currently exist in issuing driver's licenses have to be closed to stop those who would use driver's licenses as a tool in committing terrorist acts on our own soil.

In fact, as we have heard, we know that many of the hijackers who attacked our Nation on September 11 possessed valid driver's licenses and many other state-issued identity cards.

The REAL ID Act would require applicants to prove that they are in this country legally. The debate here somewhat surprises me because I bet if you asked the American people if in order to get a driver's license, if you have to prove that you are in this country legally, overwhelmingly I believe the people in this country would believe that not only is it the right thing to do but they would be surprised to find out that it is not already a requirement.

The 9/11 commission stated that all but one of the 9/11 hijackers acquired some form of U.S. identification, and that for terrorists travel documents are as important as weapons. And their recommendation stated secure identification should begin in the United States. The Federal Government should set standards for the issuance of birth certificates and sources of identification such as driver's licenses.

Last year as we heard the steady beat to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations, certainly, their recommendation that the Federal Government have standards for driver's licenses is something that we ought to enact, and I support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to join with my colleagues in recognition of Catholic Schools Week.

My district is home to over 30 Catholic schools, serving a whole generation of young people and their families. My district is also home to the University of Dayton, one of the nation's ten largest Catholic universities and the largest private university in the state of Ohio. I am a proud alumnus of the University of Dayton, where I earned my MBA.

Catholic schools have enriched the lives of generations of students. These schools have attained a well-earned reputation for academic excellence, and it is appropriate that Congress pay tribute to their contributions to our country. Catholic schools welcome children from a variety of social and economic backgrounds, and many non-Catholic parents have turned to these schools to educate their children. The theme of this year's week is: ``Faith in Every Student.'' I strongly support the sound, values-based education Catholic schools provide.

I am proud to join my colleagues in support of H. Res. 23, honoring the contributions of Catholic schools in America and thank my colleague, Representative Mark Kennedy of Minnesota, for bringing this resolution to the attention of the House.

Mr. Speaker, when the processes that are meant to guarantee our freedoms are abused, they are weakened in meaning and the rights and privileges that they are meant to protect are placed in peril. Like the person who cried wolf for attention, who risked the safety of the herd by demeaning and diminishing the meaning of the alarm, the objecting Members today weaken the processes of objecting to a State's electoral votes and place in peril future real attacks on our voting rights.

If their goal today was to protect the right to vote, why object only to Ohio?

Why not pick a State that voted for John Kerry? Because the objection today is not about protecting our right to vote. It is about undermining our election process and our President.

Mr. Speaker, we are asking people in Afghanistan and Iraq to risk their lives to vote, and today we hear complaints about the time it took to vote in free elections in the greatest democracy in the world.

My hometown newspaper in Dayton, Ohio said, ``What's not in order is the suggestion of some great fraud where there is none. Some people will take advantage of the inevitable flaws of elections to confuse other people . . . Those people do harm, not good.''

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my chairman, the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter), on his leadership and efforts in making certain that this bill, as he deemed it to be, is indeed the ``year of the troops,'' supporting our men and women in uniform, making certain that we support our men and women in uniform with a pay increase, and making sure that they have the resources that they need.

The bill includes $728 million in up-armor for our Humvees and protection against IADs, $100 million for vehicle add-on armor kits. But also I am excited about the provisions that expand the health care to our Reservists and Guard. As the gentleman knows, I have introduced H.R. 2176, which would extend TRICARE health care benefits to our Reservists and members of our Guard. The GAO indicates that approximately 21 percent of all of our Reservists and Guard go without health care insurance.

This bill includes a TRICARE standard coverage for Reservists and Guard and their families who have been activated for more than 30 days since September 11, 2001, in support of a contingency operation; and then for every 90 days of consecutive active duty service, the member and their family are eligible for 1 year of TRICARE coverage with a nonactive duty status.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership and dedication of the gentleman from California (Mr. Hunter) to our men and women in uniform.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to speak on the amendment.

I am.

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

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the gentleman from Indiana offering the amendment, which I do intend to support. But the amendment, interestingly enough, requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to do a whole lot of things that we have already required the Secretary to do 2 years ago in the Homeland Security Act. I think the amendment, more than anything else, shows us how far we have to go in getting this Department of Homeland Security to do what we wanted it to do when we created the Department in the first place.

The Homeland Security Act already requires the Department to do everything that is in this amendment. Under sections 201 and 892 of the Homeland Security Act, we called upon the Secretary to improve information sharing, to ensure that all DHS personnel share appropriate information. Two years later, this has not been done, thus, requiring us to say it again, I guess, as the gentleman has in his amendment.

Our frontline forces in the Department of Homeland Security clearly do not have access to the full range of databases that they should have access to to do their job. If a border inspector or law enforcement officer has a suspected terrorist in front of them, they need to have access to the information about that person. They do not have it today.

Likewise, the Department of Homeland Security legislation we passed 2 years ago required the Secretary to ensure appropriate exchanges of information with the private sector, which is also called for in the gentleman's amendment. Unfortunately, the Department still does not provide owners

of critical infrastructure with the intelligence they need. I appreciate the gentleman pointing this out by offering this amendment.

According to the Department's Inspector General, the Department has the lead responsibility to coordinate the terrorist watch list information, but thus far they have failed to provide the leadership to do it.

Here we are, 2 years after the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, we still do not have a unified terrorist watch list available to any agency of our government, as required by the Homeland Security Act, evidenced by the Department of Homeland Security's own Inspector General report.

Mr. Chairman, it is interesting to read in the amendment that the gentleman requires a report to list all of the offices in the Department that have the responsibility for collecting, analyzing and sharing information. Again, 2 years ago, the Homeland Security Act made the Department's Information Analysis Directorate responsible for this mission. Unfortunately, the gentleman is right in suspecting that the Information Analysis Infrastructure Protection Directorate has failed in the responsibilities that we gave them 2 years ago.

My colleague's amendment raises a number of very serious oversight questions for the Department. In fact, the amendment is nothing short of an admission of failure of the Department to carry out the mandates of this Congress which we put into law 2 years ago.

So I thank the gentleman for his amendment. I will join him in supporting it.

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

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 469 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

So the previous question was ordered.

The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4632) to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 19504 Linden Boulevard in St. Albans, New York, as the ``Archie Spigner Post Office Building''.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 4632, a post office designation act sponsored by the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks). The legislation before us honors Archie Spigner, a man who has been a political institution in Queens and indeed all of New York City for more than a quarter of a century.

Archie Spigner served a respected tenure on the New York City Council from 1974 until 2001. Mr. Spigner ultimately became the second highest ranking member of the council as he rose to the post of deputy majority leader. In addition, he served on the advisory board of the National League of Cities, an urban advocacy organization.

Mr. Speaker, I know the gentleman from New York considers Mr. Spigner a close friend and political ally. That is why I am pleased to join with him today in urging passage of H.R. 4632. The post office in the legislation is appropriately located within Archie Spigner's former district at Linden Boulevard and 196th Street in Queens.

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

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4632, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to

the resolution (H. Res. 717) honoring former President William Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 58th birthday.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I gladly wish former President Bill Clinton a happy belated birthday. Last month, on August 19, President Clinton turned 58, and House Resolution 717 salutes our Nation's 42nd President on that occasion.

Mr. Speaker, our well-known honoree today was born in the small town of Hope, Arkansas, as William Jefferson Blyth, IV in 1946, 3 months after the death of his father. After his mother remarried a few years later, the future President took the name of his stepfather, Clinton, as a teenager. He came to college here in Washington at Georgetown University and later earned a law degree at Yale. He entered politics and went on to become Attorney General and then Governor of the State of Arkansas.

Then, Bill Clinton, the little-known chief executive of Arkansas, shocked the world when he sought and was elected to the Presidency in 1992. Four years later, he became the first Democrat since Franklin Delano Roosevelt to win a second term. His depth of policy knowledge and poignant speaking ability served him very well while he presided over the Nation for 8 years.

A key event of Clinton's Presidency was the brokerage of peace in the Balkans. The Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in the Balkans, were negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, located in my district. Today, the Dayton Peace Accords remains a significant foreign policy achievement of the Clinton administration.

Mr. Speaker, today it is especially gratifying to wish a happy birthday to President Clinton because of all that he has gone through in recent days. As we all know, the former President underwent a 4-hour quadruple coronary artery bypass operation in New York City a week ago today.

Fortunately, we understand President Clinton is doing well and should make a full recovery over the next few weeks. Without question, the thoughts and the prayers of the House of Representatives are with President Clinton.

Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to wish President Clinton a happy birthday at a time when he has been on the minds of so many Americans.

I thank my colleague in the Committee on Government Reform, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), for introducing this House resolution.

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

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

It was during the Clinton administration when Congress was controlled by Republicans that the Federal deficit started to shrink. It was not until the fiscal year 1995 that the Republican budget was in place that deficits turned into surpluses.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House Resolution 717 that honors former President William Jefferson Clinton.

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

Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives took recorded votes on H. Res. 591, H.R. 4363, and H. Res. 660. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes'' on each of these items.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 417, honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution in creating an integrated United States Air Force, the world's foremost Air and Space Supremacy Force introduced by my fellow Armed Services Committee colleague, Representative Jon Porter (NV-R).

All things relating to aviation have a special meaning in Dayton, the birthplace of powered manned flight. From the Wright Brothers designing the first machines that lifted man from the security of Earth and into the era of powered flight, through the modern day when Wright Patterson is regarded as one of the Air Force's finest bases, aviation has long played a central role in Dayton. The Tuskegee Airmen also have a special place in the hearts and minds of Daytonians for their exceptional contributions making the U.S. Air Force the world's foremost Air and Space Supremacy Force.

Last July, Dayton combined a 17-day festival called Inventing Flight with its 22nd annual Black Cultural Festival by including a Tribute to the Tuskegee Airmen. Because of Dayton's ties to aviation and the Tuskegee Airmen this was a natural combination.

Dayton has links to the origins of the Tuskegee Airmen. Chauncey Spencer and Dale White set out to promote black aviation. In 1939 they rented an old airplane and set out on a 10 city goodwill tour that was supposed to end in Washington where they hoped to meet with Congressional leaders. Three hours into their first day a broken crankshaft forced them to land in a farmer's field. Two and a half days later the flight was resumed; however, shortly they were grounded again. Hearing of their misfortunes the publisher of an African- American newspaper in Pittsburgh gave them $500 and letters of introduction to Congressional. representatives.

Spencer and White met Senator Harry S Truman, who upon seeing the plane they flew

said, ``If you guys had the guts to fly this thing to Washington, I've got guts enough to see you get what you are asking.'' He promised to help open the doors for African-Americans to serve in the Air Corps. Shortly afterwards, the Tuskegee Experiment was established. By the end of WWII, nearly 1,000 African-Americans had completed their flight training at Tuskegee Army Air Field and nearly 450 went overseas as combat pilots.

The Tuskegee Airmen were nicknamed the ``Red Tail Angels'' because of the red tail markings on their aircraft. They had an enviable service record of over 15,500 missions, destroyed over 260 enemy aircraft; sunk one enemy destroyer and damaged numerous enemy installations. The Tuskegee Airmen served with distinction and earned over 850 medals.

Chauncey Spencer and Dale White became Dayton residents and both served at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. There is still a local chapter of an organization named for the Tuskegee Airmen at Wright Patterson: The Mac Ross Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen. The chapter is named after Mac Ross, a Dayton native, and one of the first five African-American airmen to become Air Corps pilots in 1942.

The Tuskegee Airmen overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II. Their achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.

Today's all-volunteer Armed Forces identify with the sense of pride and commitment exhibited by the Tuskegee Airmen some 60 years ago.

As an American, and a proud Daytonian, I am pleased to offer my support of H. Con. Res. 417, honoring the Tuskegee Airmen and their contribution in creating an integrated United States Air Force, the world's foremost Air and Space Supremacy Force.

Mr. Speaker, I'm honored to join my colleagues in support of H. Res. 664, honoring the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States. As is the case for so many speaking in this chamber today, Ronald Reagan was one of my personal heroes.

Although we are all deeply saddened by the passing of President Reagan, Americans today are still touched by his legacy and his steadfast belief in the promise of this great Nation. By using his famous wit, he knew how to make us believe in ourselves again. Each of us has our favorite examples of the Reagan wit. My favorite quote is, ``Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.''

To Ronald Reagan, ``America is a shining city upon a hill for all to see and to follow and reach to, something toward which mankind should strive.'' Reagan brought convictions and determination as well as a genuine, hopeful and optimistic outlook to the office of President. Ronald Reagan never doubted his convictions. He never lost faith in America. His reassuring tones were comforting even in difficult times. With Reagan as president, it was indeed morning again in America.

Just prior to Ronald Reagan assuming the presidency, many people wondered whether this country's best days were behind us. Reagan insisted: ``America's best days lie ahead.'' By the time he left office, the United States was enjoying the longest peacetime economic expansion in our history. President Reagan's most long-lasting legacy is his role in winning the Cold War. While the common doctrine of the time called for containing Communism, Reagan boldly predicted it would soon be ``left on the ash-heap of history.''

During the journey that was the Reagan revolution, he restored prosperity, confidence, optimism, faith and pride in America. While we will miss Ronald Reagan, his contributions to the world will be felt for generations to come. He came to Washington to change the country and ended up changing the world. As he said in his farewell address to the Nation from the Oval Office, ``A final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made. the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.''

Summing up an American icon, a giant, like Ronald Reagan is an enormous task. I am grateful for the vision Ronald Reagan taught me and the lessons about the power of convictions, the value of principled leadership, and the goodness and the decency of the human spirit. We'll miss the twinkle in his eyes and affable smile which have left this earth. However, the contributions he made to his country and to mankind remain with us, as vast as the great continent that the United States spans, and God willing, will outlast us all.

As an American, I want to join in offering my support of H. Res. 664, honoring the late Honorable Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th President of the United States.

Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Skelton), the distinguished ranking member of the Committee on Armed Services.

Mr. Chairman, I first want to congratulate you on your comments that you have made about the importance of our troops having the necessary equipment and protective gear. You have been a leader, as has our President, in making certain that they have the resources necessary in order to protect themselves, and that of course was not without opposition.

There has been significant opposition in supporting our troops and our funding, and our President has stood fast and so have you in making sure that they have had the correct armor, the Humvees had the correct armor, and that we work diligently to bring those supplies and equipment to our troops.

Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to travel to Iraq with the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Saxton) of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities under the gentleman's committee. We had the opportunity to go to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and Kuwait.

Throughout our trip there was not anyone that we met with in any one of those countries who did not identify Iraq as part of the war on terror. They all reported that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the safety in the Middle East, safety to the United States and safety of the Western civilized world, and understood how important it was that the United States win this effort and stick to this effort of stabilizing Iraq and of the removal of Saddam Hussein.

Now, everyone has their stories of when they were in Iraq as to what they saw. One that touched me the most, I served as the former mayor for the City of Dayton and I had the opportunity to talk with some of the mayors that were emerging for some of the towns and cities in Iraq, and they were able to talk to us about the path to liberty. These were men who were absolutely committed to serving their communities, who had the challenges that every community does, in dealing with the areas of infrastructure and sanitary issues, sewer issues, their police, the safety of their people, but had a glint in their eye of the commitment, of the understanding of what was more important of what they were doing.

They were not mayors who were just concerned about the public services that a city provides, but they were concerned about the path to liberty, the support the United States was providing to them and their ability to stabilize their country.

Each of them was serving at a tremendous risk to themselves and their family, knowing that the idea that they were standing for, the beliefs that they were standing for, of liberty, was jeopardizing their life and the lives and the safety of their family.

Now, recently, I had someone ask me why did I think the conflict in Iraq was increasing currently. I think we all know that as we take a look at Iraq and its path to liberty that there are those that benefited from the brutal regime of Saddam Hussein. There are those who benefited from this brutal dictatorship and they do not want to see this path to liberty this country is taking. They would prefer to have a brutal dictatorship that delivers out power and benefits to the few instead of the country benefiting from the freedom of all.

I think the President's efforts in Iraq are best shown in the efforts that we have recently seen in Libya. We know that as a result of Iraq and the removal of Saddam Hussein, that Moammar Khadaffi has come forward and offered up his nuclear weapons program to the United States and other countries, indicating that he is abandoning his efforts of pursuing the weapons of mass destruction, particularly in the area of nuclear weapons and that he was much more advanced than what we had thought.

What we know is by pulling Saddam Hussein out of a spider hole, in Libya we have seen that Moammar Khadaffi and the Libyans have coughed up their nuclear weapons program again to the greater safety of the world and to the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the chairman's leadership on this issue and for continuing to focus on the issue of protecting our troops.

Mr. Speaker, when I am asked this back at home about the issue of morale of our troops, I always tell everyone there are two components of morale. One is are you sure of your purpose? Two, do you want to come home?

Everyone I met with, of course, wanted to come home and had very compelling stories of the sacrifice they were making in being away from their families. But everyone was absolutely sure of their purpose, not just for the liberation of Iraq but for the absolute nexus of their work for their safety of the United States. They know they are on the front lines of the war on terror and the war on terrorism. They know the efforts they are doing is making America safer.

Every one of them when I asked about their commitment to being in Iraq, their desire to stay and finish the job, were absolutely committed to this, and from that I would say their morale was very high because they were doing what they love, which is defending our country and advancing the freedom and the safety of our country.