Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, I rise today to share my concerns about H.R. 2346, the war supplemental bill. Our troops deserve nothing less than a clean war supplemental bill, free from unrelated spending. We must give our troops the resources necessary to ensure victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.

I visited Iraq over the Memorial Day recess, my first trip back since having served there with the United States Marine Corps in al Anbar province. I cannot, with that trip still fresh in my memory, allow the needed support for our troops to be used as the hook to carry unneeded and distasteful spending.

The bill now requires the United States to borrow money that we don't have to loan it to the International Monetary Fund. The International Monetary Fund can then loan this money to nations like Iran and Venezuela.

Madam Speaker, it is inappropriate to use our troops to cram through overseas bailouts. I will vote against this and ask my colleagues to join me.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor America's entrepreneurs, those distinguished individuals who support our communities, drive innovation, and keep our nation strong. Small businesses bring fresh ideas to the table, develop the resources to meet the demands of an ever-changing world, and make a meaningful impact on our neighborhoods. Entrepreneurs are responsible for providing 60 to 80 percent of all new jobs, giving them the potential to propel rapid economic growth and expand ever-developing fields. Some of the country's largest companies began as start-ups in small offices, homes and garages exploring these new fields. Limited only by their imagination, these firms performed cutting-edge work in emerging industries that have become the very foundation of our society.

As our nation and the world face the most difficult economic conditions in decades, entrepreneurs have the potential to lead us back to prosperity. The resiliency and adaptability shown by small businesses in past recessions demonstrate their capability to meet the challenges standing in their way and emerge stronger than ever. America's small businesses will drive the economic recovery from this downturn and our economy will rebound. Times may be tough, but America's entrepreneurial spirit is tougher.

To recognize the monumental achievements of our nation's small firms, the Small Business Administration (SBA) has declared May 17-23 as the 46th Annual National Small Business Week. The House Small Business Committee is celebrating all our country's hard-working entrepreneurs by saluting the Heroes of Small Business, those men and women who have shown the strength, leadership, and resourcefulness that keeps our economy moving forward.

I ask that you, Madam Speaker, and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join me in recognizing and thanking Mr. Stephen Reister for his tremendous accomplishments on behalf of small businesses. Mr. Reister has been with Steel-T Heating and Air Conditioning for nearly 20 years, joining the company after it was purchased by his family in 1989. The company is one of the leading heating and air conditioning contractors in the Denver and northern Colorado area. Mr. Reister's contributions to the industry have earned him a place on the national furnace PID team for Carrier Corporation, the world's leader in heating and cooling solutions, and several awards for raising awareness and sales of more environmentally friendly products.

Mr. Reister is an active member of his community, serving as a board member of the Columbine Valley Water and Sanitation District.

He is also involved in community organizations including the Colorado Fellowship of Christian Athletes CMT Board and The Gift of Warmth Program.

Madam Speaker, Mr. Reister has exemplified the remarkable accomplishments of which America's entrepreneurs are capable. This week, he will testify before the House Small Business Committee to share his story. I ask that you and the entire U.S. House of Representatives join with me in honoring him for the extraordinary work he has done for the small business economy. His efforts demonstrate that if given the right resources, America's small businesses can be the catalysts that lift our economy from the current downturn and put us on the road to recovery.

Mr. Speaker, millions of Americans are hurt by identity theft every year. My legislation, the Social Security Number Fraud and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009, H.R. 2472, will enable the Social Security Administration to work with the Department of Homeland Security in searching for records to identify individuals and employers who are using false names, false Social Security numbers, multiple individuals using the same Social Security number, the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers taken from dead people, and individuals who had applied and received a Social Security number but who are not legally entitled to work in the United States.

According to the most recent national survey by the Federal Trade Commission, 8.3 million adults in the United States were victims of identity theft and 1.8 million adults in the U.S. reported their personal information fraudulently used by somebody else. This legislation, H.R. 2472, will end a bureaucratic loophole that keeps Federal agencies from cooperating in the fight against identity theft. I strongly urge its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I stand before you today to express my strong support for this important piece of legislation. As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and a member of the Acquisition Reform Panel, I was honored to be appointed to this Conference Committee.

As an active participant on the panel, I appreciate this opportunity to help ``fix'' an obviously flawed defense acquisition system. My emphasis on the Panel has been how to achieve the best use of taxpayer dollars to provide the right equipment, at the right time for our marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

Maintaining a strong national defense, while maximizing taxpayer dollars, and reining in out of control cost growth in the development of major weapons systems. As a combat veteran, I realize from personal experience just how critical a well-functioning acquisition system is to our nation's servicemembers--especially our warfighters in the field.

We must always fully take the ``end user'' into account whenever we address the acquisition process and to this end, I was pleased my amendment giving the Combatant Commanders a more defined role and input into the process was included. This legislation institutes a much- needed level of focus and precision regarding the input sought from Combatant Commanders to best inform the Joint Requirements Oversight Council as to whether a new program is truly needed and what its benefit to the warfighter will be. Such precise input aims to prevent the DOD from going down the road of spending billions of dollars on unnecessary programs of no real value to those in the field.

S. 454 addresses acquisition organization, oversight of cost estimation, performance assessment, and weapons acquisition oversight, and fully takes into account the current problems within the Department of Defense Acquisition process.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this well-crafted and critical piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, I demand a recorded vote.

I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) who has said, and I agree with him, that we can make this bill a better bill if we open up the amendment process. I certainly agree with my colleague from the great State of Colorado (Mr. Perlmutter) who says that this is not a perfect bill.

One provision of this bill gives U.S. taxpayer dollars to the Gaza Strip in the aftermath of the fighting between Israel and Hamas for reconstruction aid. It does this by giving $119 million to the United Nations. In 2004 Peter Hansen, then commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency remarked that, ``I am sure that there are Hamas members on our payroll, and I don't see that as a crime. Hamas as a political organization does not mean that every member is a militant. And we do not do political vetting and exclude people from one persuasion against another.''

Hamas is a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization. The United Nations might not consider having Hamas members on their payroll a problem, but it certainly is a problem for the United States and Israel.

The supplemental before us provides up to $119 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency to spend in Hamas-controlled Gaza, which means that Hamas members on the U.N. payroll will effectively be on the U.S. payroll.

I intend to vote against this rule because it does not allow the chance to amend this provision. I filed an amendment that would have instead provided $119 million for humanitarian relief to go to USAID. The rule before us would bar this amendment from being offered.

I appreciate the attempt at additional oversight placed on the U.N. in this supplemental, but it is simply too little too late.

Thank you.

I wrote Secretary Clinton in March, along with 21 of my colleagues, noting there is no way to spend money in Gaza without inappropriately benefiting Hamas. Unfortunately out of the several ways to save money that might inappropriately benefit Hamas, we are choosing one of the worst.

Mr. Speaker I would urge a ``no'' vote on the previous question and a ``no'' vote on the rule.

I rise in support of H.R. 2101. This legislation respects the needs of those who serve in defense of our freedom, as well as the taxpayers who are asked to burden the cost.

Mr. Speaker, I am a combat veteran, with service in both the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps. One aspect of this legislation that is extremely important to me is a provision that formally requires the input of our combatant commanders on the acquisition decisions for weapon systems and equipment.

This will require the views of the end users that are deployed soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen in making their voices heard so that they can better perform their missions at the least cost in lives.

Madam Speaker, I stand before you today to express my strong support for this important piece of legislation. As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, and a new Member of Congress, I was honored to be appointed to the Acquisition Reform Panel.

As an active participant on the panel, I appreciate this opportunity to help ``fix'' an obviously flawed defense acquisition system. My emphasis on the Panel has been how to achieve the best use of taxpayer dollars to provide the right equipment, at the right time for our Marines, soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

As a combat veteran with two tours in Iraq, I realize from personal experience just how critical a well-functioning acquisition system is to our nation's servicemembers--especially our warfighters in the field.

We must always fully take the ``end user'' into account whenever we address the acquisition process and to this end, I was pleased my amendment giving the Combatant Commanders (COCOMs) a more defined role and input into the process was included. This bill institutes a much needed level of focus and precision regarding the input sought from Combatant Commanders to best inform the Joint Requirements Oversight Council as to whether a new program is truly needed and what its fungible benefit will be in the current and future battlefield. Such precise input aims to prevent the DOD from going down the road of spending billions of dollars on unnecessary programs of no real value to the warfighter.

Our legislation addresses acquisition organization, oversight of cost estimation, performance assessment, and weapons acquisition oversight, and fully takes into account the current problems within the Department of Defense Acquisition process.

I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this well-crafted and critical piece of legislation.

Madam Speaker, missile defense is critical to the protection of our Nation. It requires constant improvement and innovation in order to meet the growing challenges by those who may wish to destroy us.

Iran is currently focused on developing nuclear weapons, and North Korea is hard at work, extending its military capability into space and, correspondingly, achieving a status where they can pose a threat to the security of the United States.

Some 25 countries and counting are acquiring domestic missiles, many capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction. Despite all this, the Obama administration plans to cut the Missile Defense Agency's budget for fiscal year 2010 by $1.4 billion.

The reduction in missile defense should be of concern to all Americans. Without an investment in missile defense today, given the complexity of the science and engineering involved in developing new systems, we will not be able to respond to the threats to the United States of tomorrow.

Thank you, Congressman Akin.

I was just in a discussion with the Armed Services Committee, which we both sit on. And it is interesting that the discussion today was on missile defense, and that those who were opposed

to saying that missile defense is a strategy, wish to rely on the Cold War strategy of mutually assured destruction.

I think the problem with that strategy----

Yes. And it surprises me. I am not sure why or the origins of the partisanship.

Well, there is some thawing of that, some signals of change. But certainly the majority still fall, unfortunately, on the other side of this issue. And the thinking is that nation states will behave rationally and that they will not attack the United States because the United States could in fact retaliate in kind, and that their nation would be destroyed.

The difficulty, I think, with that is if we look at a nation state like Iran gaining nuclear weapons capability, if we look at Pakistan, should the government be destabilized and fall into radical Islamist hands, will those nation states behave in a rational way? Will North Korea continue to behave in a rational way?

Thank you, Congressman Akin. I think that Congressman Franks is right in discussing that this administration is de-emphasizing missile defense at the

very time when we need it the most in the uncertain age, international environment, security environment that we're coming into. And I think to say that, well, if we develop it anyway, they will develop the capability to overwhelm the system I think presupposes that we're not going to be able to continue to improve technology as we always have been.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of House Resolution 339.

I am pleased to join my colleagues, Peter Welch and Jim Langevin, as well as the many cosponsors of this resolution, in expressing the pride of the United States House of Representatives regarding the heroic actions of Captain Richard Phillips, the crew of the Maersk Alabama, and the professionalism and skill of the crews of the USS Bainbridge, the USS Boxer, the USS Halyburton, Patrol Squadron (VP) 8 and the U.S. Navy SEALs.

On April 8, 2009, in what has now become a well-known story, a group of armed Somali pirates hijacked the Norfolk, Virginia-based Maersk Alabama, which is a cargo ship sailing under a U.S. flag. The Alabama was on a mission to deliver over 8,000 metric tons of vital food aid to Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. This food aid had been provided by U.S. taxpayers through the United States Agency for International Development. It was highly ironic, then, that the Somali pirates targeted a vessel destined to provide relief to their home country.

When the Alabama came under attack, it was also the first such attack on a U.S.-flagged vessel in modern history. But the surprise that the crew of the Alabama must have felt did little to deter positive action on their part. The crew of the Maersk Alabama overpowered one of the pirate attackers, and the ship's commander, Captain Richard Phillips, offered himself up in return for the safe release of his crew and ship.

Captain Phillips' courageous action is a credit to him, his 20 years of maritime experience, his alma mater, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, and his hometown of Underhill, Vermont.

Four of the Somali pirates fled with Captain Phillips to an 18-foot lifeboat and set off for the Somali coast. The length of the Somali coastline is vast, roughly the same length as the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.

Despite the diligent efforts of the international community and the U.S.-led Combined Task Force 151 counter-piracy operations, military vessels cannot be every place at once. As a result, the nearest U.S. ship at the time of the incident was more than 300 nautical miles away.

In response to the distress call from the Maersk Alabama, the United States Fifth Fleet immediately dispatched maritime patrol aircraft to locate, positively identify and monitor the Maersk Alabama to direct the closest U.S. Navy ship to the rescue. The United States Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge, which had been patrolling the region due to the increase in pirate activity, soon arrived. The Bainbridge, under command of U.S. Navy Commander Frank Castellano, monitored the conditions on the lifeboat and prevented the pirates from escaping. Commander Castellano also served as the on-the-scene coordinator for the combined rescue efforts of the State Department, Federal Bureau of Investigation hostage negotiators, and the United States Navy.

While being held by pirates, Captain Phillips attempted a daring escape--

diving into the ocean and trying to swim to safety before being captured. Captain Phillips' ordeal cannot be understated. The pirates held him at gunpoint for 5 days until the U.S. Navy SEALs, who had quickly deployed to the scene onboard the USS Bainbridge, rescued Captain Phillips, demonstrating their extraordinary valor and skill.

The captain and crew of the Bainbridge were supported by two additional U.S. Navy ships. The USS Halyburton, an Oliver Hazard Perry- class frigate, assisted the USS Bainbridge with the rescue operation by ensuring that the pirates were blocked in their attempts to reach the Somali coast. The USS Boxer, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, assisted in the rescue operation by standing by to provide immediate medical support, which was, thankfully, not needed in this operation.

It is also remarkable to note that the namesake for the USS Bainbridge is Captain William Bainbridge, one of the United States' earliest naval officers who became the country's most famous pirate hostage.

In October 1803, Captain Bainbridge was in command of the USS Philadelphia, a 36-gun frigate, on a mission to blockade North African pirate ships from Tripoli. Following an unfortunate grounding of the Philadelphia on a shallow reef near shore, Captain Bainbridge and his crew of 300 were taken hostage and held in captivity for nearly 2 years. When Captain Bainbridge finally returned to this country, he continued to serve in the U.S. Navy and went on to distinguish himself in the War of 1812.

Now, 200 years later, pirates continue to operate along the coast of Africa, and the U.S. Navy ship named in his honor has played such a critical role in thwarting their efforts.

In conclusion, I urge the international community, as well as President Obama, to apply both private and government means to combat piracy. While the U.S. military can have a significant deterrence on piracy and can play a key role in disrupting pirate attacks, a long- term solution to this problem cannot be found through military force alone.

I also urge my colleagues to adopt House Resolution 339 to recognize the bravery of the crew of the Maersk Alabama, commend Captain Phillips who selflessly placed himself in harm's way to protect his crew, congratulate the United States Navy, the crews of the USS Bainbridge, Boxer, Halyburton, Patrol Squadron 8 and the Navy SEALs on the scene for their decisive action that resulted in the rescue of Captain Phillips and join all Americans in expressing great relief that the crew has returned home safely.

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to further comment on the issue of piracy and how we address this in that I feel that there is a cost-effective solution available to us.

Right now, in trying to patrol 1.1 million square miles of ocean, we have deployed a carrier strike group and an additional combined task force; and it is a sledgehammer going after a fly when all we need is a flyswatter.

I would like to propose that the administration consider placing a small detachment of United States Marines or sailors with cruiser weapons aboard U.S.-flagged merchant ships sailing through these waters. There is an average of one U.S. flagship per day sailing through the Gulf of Aiden. And so the Department of Defense response was that we are stretched in resources, and it would be difficult to deploy a squad of marines or the equivalent of sailors aboard this one U.S.-flagged merchant ship going through the Gulf of Aiden on a daily basis. Yet, we are deploying over 10 ships on a daily basis in these

waters, which require far more resources than a small detachment of U.S. marines or sailors.

The precedent for this is certainly during World War II, when we did so to protect our U.S.-flagged merchant shipping. I believe the situation exists today where we have cause to do so. And this is not simply a criminal activity. In 1803, when Captain Bainbridge was in command of the USS Philadelphia, President Thomas Jefferson saw fit to see the actions of the Barbary pirates as an act of war, and I view the conduct of the Somalia pirates as the same.

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

Madam Speaker, I know that the whole House joins the Colorado delegation in their sorrow at the tragic events of 1999. The Nation was horrified. This was an event that changed the Nation and still casts a shadow on our culture. The community around Columbine still deals with this event, and I believe it is appropriate for us to pause and reflect on what happened that terrible day.

I would now yield to my colleague, Ms. DeGette.

Madam Speaker, to my colleagues, please join me in a moment of silence for the victims and their families.

Thank you. I think that what is most alarming about the level of borrowing, as a freshman Congressman, in our orientation process, we had economists of all ideological stripes, and I think that they differed on what was stimulative spending. They maybe differed on the amount of deficit spending that might be required for the recession. But one thing that they were all in agreement with is that we had to close that deficit gap. We had to control our spending within certainly the next 2 or 3 years because if we don't, and this plan that we're talking about that you have just referenced does not in any way close that spending gap, then we are going to have government borrowing competing with private sector borrowing as we try to move out of this recession and it's going to lead to high interest rates, high inflation rates. And if you overlay these taxes that are envisioned in this budget plan, you've really got a recipe for 1979/ 1980: stagflation, double-digit interest rates, double-digit inflation, slow to no growth in the economy.

Only my worry is, again, unless we control spending, it's not going to be temporary as it was in 1980 and then, of course, we got the Reagan tax cuts and we moved out of it, but that we are not going to return to prosperity and we are going to have some real problems.

Congressman Akin, you know, I think that it is best categorized as generational theft. I had a high school senior when I was back home over this Easter recess and met with a high school, with a government class, and she said something very interesting. She said, I don't think this is fair to me, what the Congress is doing.

I tried to describe it to the class as saying it is like if your parents with their credit cards were given no limit on their credit cards and signed you up as the guarantor for that debt. So in trying to put it in something they can relate to, it is very hard to relate to this extraordinary amount of debt that I think the majority in the Congress is thinking about today, and not thinking about tomorrow. To use the financial crisis as an excuse for their going into debt in the third year and the fourth year and the fifth year and the sixth year absolutely doesn't make sense.

Well, thank you Congressman Akin. I think

if you wanted to hurt small business, unfortunately, where you would start is certainly by increasing their tax burden.

Well, Congressman Akin, I think one of the issues we are going to be debating very soon in the Congress that is in the budget plan is certainly cap-and-trade, that tax on carbon, putting a burden across America from the standpoint of consumers as well as businesses in terms of a carbon tax. I think that is going to lead to the greatest export of America will continue to be jobs overseas. It is an economic development tool for India and China.

Well, thank you Congressman Akin. We are truly in a challenging time, and the American people have to hope that this budget is not fully implemented, that we in the Congress wake up and stop this madness of spending and taxing. I think it has been certainly said before that this budget spends too much, taxes too much and borrows too much. Again, it is a generational theft.

Congressman Akin, I think what the budget fails to realize is how much the American people are suffering, that the level of stress on small business and the level of stress on the average American family, that it is Congress' first responsibility to stabilize this economy, to end this steep descent into a recession. And then afterwards, we ought to have a debate on energy policy. We ought to have a debate on health care. We ought to have a debate on global warming. We ought to have a debate on all these other things. But our first and foremost responsibility is to stabilize this economy.

And I think that the President's Chief of Staff said it well; that a crisis is a terrible thing to waste, and words to the effect that we need to use it as an opportunity to do other agenda-driven items. And in doing so, I think they compromise the value of the stimulus and stabilizing this economy.

Mr. Speaker, Sunday night a candlelight vigil was held at Columbine Memorial at Clement Park in Littleton, Colorado. Yesterday, April 20th, marks the 10-year anniversary of the shootings at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. This senseless act of violence touched all Americans. As a community and Nation, we were in shock and disbelief that such a horrific incident could take place anywhere in the United States.

The volunteer members of the Columbine Memorial Foundation have dedicated themselves to preserving the memories of those who were lost on that terrible day. I am proud to recognize their tireless efforts in establishing the memorial.

The Columbine Memorial Foundation gives a description of the events that occurred immediately following the shootings at Columbine on April 20, 1999, that eventually led to the establishment of the memorial:

``At first, there was an outpouring of flowers, notes, poems, ribbons, stuffed animals, pictures and other objects that were brought to Clement Park to pay tribute to those who had died, were injured or traumatized. From the initial outpouring of emotions and disbelief came the concept of establishing a permanent public memorial near the high school. This memorial should serve to honor those innocent victims, but also provide an historic record of this tragedy and to deliver a message of hope for many generations to come. This memorial is dedicated to honor and remember the victims of the April 20th, 1999, shootings at Columbine High School.

``The Columbine Memorial consists of an inner ring of Remembrance with unique personal remembrances submitted from the families of those who were murdered. The outer ring of Healing is for all those who were injured on April 20th, 1999, and for the larger community who was touched by the tragic events at Columbine. A variety of general text gathered from interviews of students, teachers, the injured and their families and other community members tell diverse stories of healing, changes in the community and hopes of the future.

``There are overlooks along and on top of Rebel Hill providing panoramic views of the Rocky Mountains, the eastern plains and the Columbine community.''

The candlelight vigil was a moving tribute to the memories of the students and the teacher who had fallen and to their families and to the members of this community who have suffered so much from their loss.

We will never be able to thank the members of the Columbine Memorial Foundation enough for their leadership in making the memorial a reality. Through their extraordinary personal contributions to preserve the memories of the lives lost that day, we will never forget the tragic events of April 20th, 1999, at Columbine High School.

Madam Speaker, President Barack Obama used a prime time news conference last night to defend his $3.6 trillion budget plan. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the President's budget would run up a $9.3 trillion debt over the next 10 years. This budget spends too much. Middle class families and small businesses are making sacrifices when it comes to their own budgets, yet Washington continues to spend trillions of taxpayers' dollars on bailouts and other government programs.

The budget taxes too much. It contains the largest tax increase in American history. The budget borrows too much. Unchecked spending will result in borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars from China and the Middle East

Madam Speaker, the American people deserve a responsible budget from their President. This budget will guarantee that our economy will never fully recover.

Madam Speaker, I was unavoidably detained. If I voted, I would have voted ``nay.''