Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, today, I pay tribute to Little River County Judge Clyde Benton Wright. Judge Wright passed away on June 10, 2005 at the age of 63. I wish to recognize his legacy and lifetime of dedication to public service.

Judge Wright was born on October 30, 1941, in Little River County. Graduating from Foreman High School in 1959, he began a career in the United States Marine Corps with assignments that included Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Judge Wright specialized in and instructed escape and evasion tactics and trained Navy Seals.

Following a distinguished career in the military, Judge Wright moved to Los Angeles and began a career that spanned over two decades with the Los Angeles Police Department, where he earned a prestigious Detective Ill rank. Following a special request from the government, Judge Wright also taught courses to new Federal Bureau of Investigation agents.

In 1984, Judge Wright returned with his family to Little River County. In 1988, he was elected to the post of Little River County Judge, and served in that post for more than eight consecutive terms. As Judge, he helped to secure funding for improvement of local roads and the hospital, and furthered industrial development in Little River County.

Judge Wright led a lifetime of devotion to his family, to public service, and to the betterment of the lives of others. I am honored to have known him and counted him as a friend.

I extend my deepest sympathies to his wife, Barbara Lampenfeld Wright, their sons, Lonnie Benton Wright of Little Rock and Marshall Alan Wright of Forrest City, their daughter-in-law, Kristen Collier Wright, and six-week old twin grandchildren, Collier and Syble, and his father, Bud Wright.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this special order.

Mr. Speaker, as whip of the Blue Dog Coalition I rise this evening to talk about the financial condition of our Nation's government. There are about 35 of us that are fiscally conservative Democrats. We refer to ourselves as members of the Blue Dog Coalition and we are trying to bring some common sense back to our Nation's government as it relates to trying to restore some fiscal discipline to the way we operate our government.

Our Nation today is $7.769 trillion in debt. To put that another way, our Nation today is spending $160 billion a year simply paying interest on the national debt. That is about $500 million a day. In fact, it is $13 billion per month, it is $444 million per day, it is $18 million an hour, it is $308,000 a minute, or $5,100 a second. That is how much our Nation is simply taking tax money from you and me and using it to pay interest on the national debt.

I have got about $4 billion in road needs in Arkansas's Fourth Congressional District, which includes 29 counties and 150 towns and three interstate projects that are now under construction. Give me less than a week's interest on the national debt and I can put thousands of people to work and complete these road projects, like I-49, I-69 and I- 430, and four-laning U.S. Highway 167.

When we speak about the debt in public opinion surveys, it simply does not show up. It is like it is someone else's problem. But, Mr. Speaker, I contend this evening that it is every American citizen's problem, because every American citizen's share of the national debt equals $26,000. $26,000 is each individual's share of the national debt, including the children, the babies that are being born today. Every United States citizen would have to write a check for $26,000 in order to get our Nation out of this hole that we are in.

Yet our Nation continues to go further in debt. For a fifth year in a row, we are seeing a budget that provides this Nation with the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history, which means more interest on more debt, which means more priorities continue to go unmet. Again, we are spending $13 billion per month simply paying interest on the national debt. We could build 100 brand new elementary schools every single day in America just with the interest we are paying on the national debt.

Earlier today the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Taylor), a Blue Dog member, offered a proposal on the floor of this House to guarantee every National Guard and Army Reservist in America health care for life. These are men and women that are going to Iraq, they are going to Afghanistan. If they have not been, they are headed that way, and if they are coming back, they are probably getting ready to go again. Yet they are treated different than our full-time men and women in uniform at a time when we are really dispatching them the same. The reality is they deserve health care for life, they deserve health care like the full-time soldiers.

Yet this House rejected that proposal today because they said it would cost $1 billion. Because of the reckless spending going on in our Nation, we are spending that much money in about two days simply paying interest on the national debt.

I want to talk more about the debt and the deficit, but at this time it gives me great honor to introduce the Cochair For Policy for the Blue Dog Coalition to speak more about the debt and the deficit and how it impacts all of us as Americans, Democrats and Republicans alike, and that is my friend the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper).

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee. If I understand the gentleman correctly, what the gentleman is telling us is that basically the government of the United States of America as we know it today ends in 2040 if we continue down this path of reckless fiscal spending?

Mr. Speaker, it sounds outlandish, until you stop and look at history. No country has stood forever. Every country has undergone changes. What the gentleman is saying is according to the Government Accounting Office, not some Democratic Party group or some Republican Party group, but according to the Government Accounting Office, if we continue to spend at the rate that we are spending today, if we continue to borrow at the rate we are borrowing today, what the gentleman is saying is that the Government Accounting Office is saying, we are not saying this, the Government Accounting Office, not a bipartisan, but a nonpartisan Federal agency, is saying that beginning in 2040, every dime of every tax dollar in America will simply go to pay interest on the national debt?

Just 5 years ago. Ever since I was a small child growing up in Hope, Arkansas, I heard people talk about how it was the Democrats who spent all the money; yet it was President Clinton that left this Nation with a balanced budget from 1998 to 2001. Now, this administration, this Republican Congress has given us the largest budget deficit ever in our Nation's history for a 5th year in a row.

It started in 2001. The deficit was $128 billion, with Social Security, and what I mean by that is they borrow money from the Social Security Trust Fund to pay for government spending that is above and beyond what tax dollars bring in. No wonder they are talking about the need to reform Social Security. No wonder they would not give me a hearing on a vote on the first bill I filed as a Member of Congress back in 2001, which was a bill to tell the politicians in Washington to keep their hands off the Social Security Trust Fund.

In 2002, the deficit was $157 billion. In 2003, it went to $377 billion. In 2004, it went to $412 billion. In 2005, it went to

$427 billion. That is counting the money that is borrowed from Social Security. If it was not for Social Security, those numbers would be much larger. If it was not for the money being borrowed from the Social Security Trust Fund, last year's deficit would have been $567 billion; this year's deficit, $589 billion.

Now, where is this money coming from that we are borrowing? Japan, $702 billion. We have borrowed $702 billion from Japan. Mr. Speaker, $250 billion from China, the Caribbean Banking Centers, I have never heard of such; $103 billion our Nation has borrowed from the Caribbean Banking Centers to do what? To run our government where we are spending more than we are taking in.

Now, some people may want to pause and say, well, America is at war. Well, that is true, and no one supports our troops any more than I do. I have a brother-in-law in the U.S. Air Force, I have a first cousin in the U.S. Army, and I am so very proud of them. Last August 11, I was in Iraq to see some 3,000 National Guard soldiers from Arkansas; and as long as we have troops in Iraq, I am going to support them and provide them the funding they need to get the job done and to get home as safely as they possibly can.

But that makes up about 20 percent of this deficit. Eighty percent of it is coming from reckless spending and from tax cuts. This is the first time in America's history that we have cut taxes when America is at war. So we are asking these men and women to take a year to a year and a half away from their jobs and away from their families and go to Iraq and fight this war, and then come home, go back to work, and pay taxes to pay for the war they fought. This is the first time we have ever cut taxes when America is at war. It may make for good politics, but it makes for bad, it makes for horrible fiscal policy.

I did pretty good off of tax cuts last year, but my kids have to pay for them someday, because we borrowed the money from the Caribbean Banking Centers to give me a tax cut. And the list goes on and on. Korea, we have borrowed $67.1 billion. OPEC nations, I mean, we wonder why gas is over two bucks a gallon. OPEC nations have loaned our Nation to fund our government and our tax cuts $65.3 billion. Germany, $59.5 billion; Taiwan, $59.1 billion; and Mexico, for crying out loud, has loaned the United States of America $40.6 billion to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest people in this country, and then ask our men and women to go to Iraq, fight this war, come home, get a job, pay taxes, and pay for the war that they have fought.

There is so much more that we could talk about, but before I get too carried away, I would like to yield back to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper).

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Tennessee joining us tonight as we talk about this huge crisis facing America, the debt and the deficit, and the Blue Dog Coalition's desire to try to restore some common sense and fiscal discipline to our Nation's government. This is not a Democratic issue or a Republican issue. This is a commonsense issue, and this is about trying to restore some fiscal discipline and common sense to our Nation's government.

Mr. Speaker, when we talk about the deficit this year, $589 billion, someone the other day asked me, they said, Mike, what is $1 billion? I put that number in my calculator and get that little E at the end. Well, a billion seconds ago, Richard Nixon was President. Mr. Speaker, 6.8 billion seconds ago, President George Washington was sworn into office. A billion minutes ago was just after the time of Christ, and to count out 1 billion nonstop without sleep or eating would take 38\1/2\ years.

So we are talking about a number with a lot of zeroes, and we are talking about money that is going down this deep, dark hole to simply pay interest on the national debt due to reckless fiscal policies that could be going to build new elementary schools, to invest in education, to invest in our teachers, to provide our National Guard and Reservists with health insurance, not just during a time of war, but all the time. We could build roads, we could create jobs, we could create economic opportunities in this era where 9 million people are out of work. None of these things are being done because of this horrible, reckless, irresponsible fiscal policy.

To talk more about this, a fellow Blue Dog member, another one from Tennessee, Tennessee is full of fiscally conservative Democrats, and that is my colleague, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis), and I yield to the gentleman.

I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis). And just to quickly quote, I believe the newspaper there in Tennessee is called The Tennesseean, and on May 9, in an editorial they said this: ``If Members want to get serious about addressing deficits, they should take an approach more like those proposed by the Blue Dog Coalition, which includes Tennessee Democrats John Tanner,'' one of the founders of the Blue Dogs, ``Jim Cooper,'' who has been with us here tonight and will return, ``Lincoln Davis,'' who just spoke, ``and Harold Ford, Jr. The Blue Dogs not only emphasize the need to balance the books, they advocate bringing down the national debt, which has climbed to more than $7 trillion and is becoming a national security issue since much of the debt is in the hands of foreign investors.'' Again, the Tennesseean editorial on Monday, May 9, 2005.

As the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis) indicated, this is not about partisan politics. I do not know about you, but I am sick and tired of all the partisan bickering that goes on at our Nation's Capital. It should not be about whether it is a Democratic idea or Republican idea. It ought to be about is it a commonsense idea, and does it make sense for the people that sent us here to be their voice and to represent them.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Davis) for joining us this evening and for his commitment to trying to restore some fiscal discipline to our Nation's government.

You know, when you hear about the Blue Dogs, this group of fiscally conservative Democrats, a lot of people think we are all from the South, and they all think we sound kind of like I do. And that is not the case at all. We stretch from California to Long Island.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield as much time as the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) might consume. The gentleman from New York will talk more about this crisis that we find ourselves in, and in a little bit we will be coming back as a group to talk more about this 12-point plan that we have to try and help get us out of this hole that we find ourselves. But at this time I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel).

Mr. Speaker, I would advise the gentleman to continue to join us if he will.

The gentleman speaks to us on these veteran issues and these military issues with a lot of authority as a member of the House Committee on Armed Services. And I want to thank the gentleman for what he does for our veterans and our men and women in uniform as we continue to try and advance health insurance around the clock for our men and women in the National Guard and our Reservists.

I think what the gentleman from Long Island has basically summed up for us this evening is about priorities. It is about, do we want another $106 billion in tax cuts when we borrow 45 percent of that money from Japan and China and the Caribbean banking centers and Korea and the OPEC nations and Germany and Taiwan and Mexico? Or do we want to do right by our men and women in uniform, by our veterans?

Do we want to build the kind of roads we need to create jobs and economic opportunities for the future and do we want to fix Medicare? All this talk about Social Security, if we do not touch it, the first reduction in benefits happens when I am 91 years of age. And yet Medicare, which is what our seniors count on to stay healthy and get well, is bankrupt in 14 years. And yet no one is talking about that.

These are priorities that are important to those of us in the Blue Dog Coalition. And we understand that as long as we continue to borrow money from foreign countries, as we continue to borrow money to the tune of $1.1 billion per day, think about that, as a Nation we are spending $1.1 billion a day more than we are taking in.

It is about priorities. And until we get our fiscal house in order, we are not going to be able to meet the needs of our children, our grandchildren and the future of this great country.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield at this time to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cooper), the cochair for policy for the Blue Dog Coalition. I thought we could engage in a colloquy to discussing the 12-point reform plan. We do not just want to beat up the Republicans for bankrupting this country. We want to offer a solution, and we have got one.

Mr. Speaker, this is important to note, and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel) mentioned it earlier this evening, those of us with families, we get around the kitchen table and we have to balance the family budget. My wife and I own a small-town family pharmacy with 12 employees back home. We have to have a balanced budget. Forty-nine States in America, I was in the State Senate in Arkansas for 10 years; 49 States in America require a balanced budget.

Is it asking too much of the politicians in Washington to give the citizens of this country a balanced budget? That is what we are talking about doing here.

So the gentleman is saying that under President Clinton that we had what was called pay-as-you-go rules in place, which meant that if you are going to raise spending, you have got to cut spending somewhere else, which led to the first balanced budget in 40 years; and now that no longer applies to the House here?

If the gentleman will yield for a moment there, I want to go back and make sure I understand. When you talk about requiring agencies to put their fiscal houses in order, you are talking about Federal agencies?

It is my understanding that the Government Accounting Office found that 16 of 23 major Federal agencies cannot even issue a simple audit of their books.

That is the agency that spends $800 on a hammer and $600 on a commode seat?

So you are saying, if the gentleman will continue to yield, that the Federal Government cannot account for $24.5 billion that it spent in 2003; and what this plan would do is it would say to those agencies that we are going to freeze your budget until you learn how to be fiscally responsible?

So if the gentleman will yield, right now, with the leadership in this House, under the gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), they will allow a voice vote without an actual rollcall vote on millions, if not billions, of dollars of taxpayer money being spent; and what we are saying here is, if you are going to spend $50 million or more of taxpayer money to fund our government, it requires a vote of the full Congress?

If the gentleman will yield on that, I think it is so important that we do have a rainy day fund. We have had natural disasters every year since I have been here. We either have droughts or floods, and sometimes both depending on where you live; and we have to be there for our farm families if we want to have a safe and reliable source for food and fiber, which I believe is every bit as important to our national security as oil.

But what is so important about the need for a rainy day fund, I believe, is it helps stop the deficit spending. You have money set aside in a fund knowing that something is going to happen.

And the gentleman raised the issue of the $82 billion supplement. Most folks think that went to support our troops. I supported it, because a large part of it did go to our support our troops. But the reality is during that same week on the floor of the House we did two things: we passed a budget that included $500 million in cuts to farm families in this country, and in the same week we passed $82 billion, and most people think it was all to support our troops. I supported it because part of it was and I support our troops, but what most people do not know is that that bill included a $266 million buyout, you have heard of tobacco buyouts, to do a buyout of opium farmers in Afghanistan.

Now if we cannot find Osama bin Laden hiding in the hills over there in Afghanistan, how in the world are we going to police what thousands of Afghan farmers are or are not growing? Just one example of what the gentleman is talking about that goes on that I believe people need to be held accountable for.

If the gentleman will yield, he is absolutely right. It took 200 years to go $1 trillion in debt, and now we do it every 20 months in this Nation. But in terms of raising the debt limit, it is my understanding that what the gentleman means by that is it is kind of like a credit card with a credit limit. And when the Federal Government reaches its limit, the Congress has to vote either by voice vote or rollcall to raise the debt limit before we can exceed whatever it was before.

And it is my understanding that we exceeded the debt limit back in October of 2004, but we really did not want to bring attention to it. The leadership here did not want to bring attention to the fact. They did not want to bring us back to raise the debt limit weeks before the election, so they literally used Federal employees' 401(k) savings contributions to fund our government for 2 or 3 weeks, to buy time until the election was over and bring us back up here.

As a small business owner, if I do that with my employees' 401(k) plans, I go to the Federal pen. And yet it is my understanding that is how we ran our government in late October and early November of 2004.

Mr. Speaker, I would thank the gentleman from Tennessee.

Mr. Speaker, one of the 12 points is to ensure that the Congress reads the bills we are voting on. We cannot pass a law to make Members of Congress read a bill, but several examples have been given this evening of what we are talking about here.

Last year, before the election, there were 13 spending bills that had to pass to fund our government. Two were passed before the election. They brought us back up here after the election, saying that they could roll all 11 into one and call it the omnibus spending bill and pass it in 3 or 4 days, and they did.

The gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the majority leader, did. It was over 1,000 pages, over 12,000 local spending projects. We had just a few hours to read it. Sure enough, it was full of errors, including allowing congressional staffers to look at people's tax returns. And so all 435 Members had to fly back up here to fix that, among other things.

That is just one of 12 common-sense budget reform steps that we think have to happen before Democrats or Republicans can provide a truthful, meaningful budget again.

Mr. Speaker, in the hour that we have discussed the debt and the deficit, our Nation has borrowed $48 million. On top of that, our Nation has paid $18 million in interest on the national debt. That is $66 million that our Nation has spent during the 60 minutes we have been here.

It is about priorities. That money could have gone for better education, better roads, and better veterans' benefits.

Mr. Speaker, I raise these issues because my grandparents left this Nation better than they found it for my parents. And my parents left this Nation better than they found it for our generation, and I believe we have a duty and an obligation to try and leave this country just a little bit better than we found it for our children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 11 o'clock and 35 minutes p.m.), the House adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, May 26, 2005, at 10 a.m.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute and honor the life of John H. Johnson. Born in 1918 in Arkansas City, Arkansas, Mr. Johnson has set an example for us all by being both an entrepreneur and a philanthropist. I would like to recognize Mr. Johnson's contributions to Arkansas and our Nation.

Mr. Johnson is the founder, publisher, and chairman of Johnson Publishing Company, the world's largest African-American owned publishing Company. He is also the publisher of Ebony and Jet Magazines. Ebony alone has a circulation of 1.7 million people and reaches 11 million readers monthly.

In 1982, Mr. Johnson was the first African American to be named on Forbes' list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. Mr. Johnson's long list of awards and achievements include: the Black Journalists' Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Entrepreneurial Excellence Award in 1993, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996--the highest honor this nation gives to a citizen, the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Award in 2001, The Vanguard Award in 2002, and The Trumpet Award in 2002.

Arkansas City and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff have worked together to create the John H. Johnson Cultural and Education Museum. On Saturday, May 21st this museum will be dedicated in Desha County, Arkansas. This museum will capture Mr. Johnson's life by restoring his boyhood home and will include period memorabilia, printed material, and video chronicles about Mr. Johnson's life.

In addition to the museum, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff is in the planning stages of opening a learning center in Arkansas City and an academic complex at the University of Arkansas of Pine Bluff. These institutions will undoubtedly become a tremendous asset and staple of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

I am honored to recognize Mr. Johnson, and am delighted that the John H. Johnson Cultural Education Museum will be open for Arkansans to see firsthand Mr. Johnson's lifetime of work and contributions to our nation. His dedication, entrepreneurial spirit, and legacy will continue in Arkansas for the years and decades ahead.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge National Nurses Week. In honor of this week, I would like to take a moment to recognize and praise the tireless efforts and critical role that nurses play in the health and well-being of our communities across America. Nurses, like my late grandmother, are a cornerstone of health care in this country.

A nurse's role goes far beyond the hospital; nurses reach into charity clinics, in-home care, churches, and school volunteer health programs. Nurses conduct research, publish, review and continue to educate their peers and the public about their ever-evolving role and positive impact on the health care community. Nursing students seek guidance from nurse mentors and work alongside professionals not only in the scholastic setting but in the community at large, participating in educational offerings, community service projects, legislative endeavors, health fairs and many other activities.

Our Nation's nurses are a valuable part of our society and therefore deserve our continued support for their profession. Currently, this profession is facing some serious challenges. In Arkansas and all over America, we are faced with a nursing shortage. There are over 25,000 nurses registered in Arkansas, and over 1,000 of those are nurse practitioners. For a State with 2.5 million citizens, this is simply not enough. The low nurse to patient ratio is far below what it needs to be and therefore we need to do more to increase the number of nurses, while also supporting our existing ones.

Unfortunately, nursing programs are severely underfunded in the fiscal year 2006 budget. The president's budget has requested $150 million for nursing workforce development programs, including the Nurse Reinvestment Act. That figure represents a cut of $1 million over the FY 2005 funding level. With a predicted nursing shortage of more than 275,000 registered nurses by the year 2010, this is the wrong time to be cutting back our investment in this country's future nurses.

As a member committed to supporting our nurses, I, along with fellow colleagues, sent a request to the appropriations committee for $175 million that will go toward nurse workforce development programs, which will enable nurses to receive the proper training necessary to keep up with their ever-evolving profession. These funds would also be used to provide incentives for students and nurses to receive advanced degrees in the nursing profession and student loan programs.

Nurses are a critical component of health care in this country, offering support and providing assistance at every step of the health care process. I commend nurses for their hard work and tireless efforts, from school nurses to emergency rooms, and charity clinics to nursing homes. As a United States Congressman, I will continue to fight to ensure nurses are adequately funded and have the resources they need to continue to properly care for our Nation's children, working families, and elderly.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day, known in Hebrew as Yom Hashoah. May 5th marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and this year is especially important as the world marks the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II.

From 1938--1945, 6 million Jewish people, young and old alike, were systematically murdered as a result of ignorance and hatred. Nazi Germany also targeted gypsies, the handicapped, Political dissidents, and others because they were different.

In Jewish communities around the world, there is a simple saying in regards to the Holocaust, ``Never Forget.'' Let us never forget the atrocities committed against a people based on nothing more than their religious beliefs. Let us never forget the 6 million mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, grandfathers and grandmothers who were systematically murdered just 6 decades ago.

I join my colleagues in remembering wonderfully vibrant communities that were senselessly destroyed across Europe. I would also like to pay tribute to the thousands of Holocaust Survivors in the United States and around the world who continue to educate us on the atrocities of the Holocaust.

I implore all of us to take this Remembrance Day one step further and stand up against anti-Semitism, intolerance, ignorance, and discrimination in our nation and around the world today.

Let us never forget.

Madam Speaker, gas prices are rising at alarming rates across the country, and these costs are hurting America's working families. The average price of a gallon of gas in Arkansas is $2.11, up from $1.72 just a year ago. That is a 22.6 percent increase. This high cost not only affects our overall economy but also directly impacts individual families, seniors, and farm families. Our farm families are facing higher overhead costs and family vacations are being canceled for many working families.

Americans deserve more. They deserve to know why the cost of gas is skyrocketing. More importantly, Americans deserve a solution. We must reduce our Nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of Daniel Kemp Nall of Sheridan. Dan passed away on Friday, March 4th at the age of 85. I wish to recognize his life and achievements.

Dan was born on April 28, 1919 in Sheridan, and remained a citizen of Grant County for almost his entire life. Dan attended Henderson State Teachers College, and received bachelor degrees in history and physical education. Dan also earned a master's degree in History from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Dan served his country during World War II in the United States Navy. Upon returning to Sheridan, his career path took him to education and coaching, including tenures at Hendrix College, Morrilton High School, and Sheridan High School.

After Dan retired from education, he was extremely active in the Democratic Party of Arkansas and Senior Democrats of Arkansas. Dan served as Sergeant-of-Arms in the Arkansas State Senate during my time there, where I had the privilege of knowing Dan and counting him as a friend.

Dan's commitment to the Sheridan community and to our state did not stop with public education. He served as President of the Arkansas Athletic Association and as Postmaster of Sheridan. He also worked as a member of the Grant County Museum Board of Directors in its founding and was named Board Member Emeritus in February 2004.

Daniel Kemp Nall will forever be remembered as a terrific husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Dan's wife,

Muriel Cole Slaughter, passed away in 2001. My deepest condolences go out to Dan's son, Judge Kemp Nall and his wife Denice, his daughters Susan Nall Perry, and Dian Nall Taylor and her husband Tommy Taylor, his 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. He will be missed by his family and all those who knew him and thought of him as a friend. I will continue to keep Dan and his family in my thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Private Landon S. Giles, who died on February 26, 2005, in Iraq. Landon was just 19 years old and from Arkadelphia, Arkansas. I wish to recognize his life and achievements.

Landon graduated from Arkadelphia High School in May 2004, and left for the army the very next month to serve as an indirect fire infantryman. Landon was assigned to the Army's 6th Squadron, 8th Cav. Reg., 4th Bde., 3rd Inf. Div. based at Ft. Stewart, Georgia.

Landon had a thirst for playing sports and seeking new adventures. He played football in Junior High School, soccer at Arkadelphia High School, he loved to ski and snowboard, he played in local youth league baseball programs, and became a certified scuba diver at the age of 12. He went deep-sea fishing off the coast of Australia, surfed in Hawaii, rode an elephant through parts of Thailand, and even went on a jungle safari.

Joining the army and fighting for his country in Iraq, his family says, was Landon's next life adventure. While his family did not want him to go, there was no stopping Landon once his heart and mind seized upon an idea. He told his sister, Jenny, it was better for him to go than for a man with a wife and children. Landon heard news reports about the human rights violations occurring in Iraq and wanted to help people who were unable to help themselves.

Landon gave his life to serve our country and will forever be remembered as a brother, son, hero, and friend. My deepest condolences go out to his mother, Kim Giles; his father, Alan; two sisters, Jo Ann and Jennifer; stepmother, Cynthia Kay Giles; two stepsisters, Angela and Alana Giles; and a stepbrother, Geremy Giles. I know Landon was proud of his service to the U.S. Army and to our country. He will be missed by his family, fellow soldiers, and all those who knew and counted him as a friend.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of a devoted and well-respected Arkansan, Deacon Moses Summerville.

A native of Portland, Arkansas and the youngest of 12 children, Deacon Summerville married the late Lenora Vaughn on December 16, 1940. After accepting a job with the Crossett Lumber Company, Deacon Summerville and his young family moved to Crossett. Deacon Summerville quickly became involved with the First Baptist Church; later changing his membership to the young New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, where he served as Deacon and Trustee.

As a young child, Deacon Summerville had an avid interest in vocal music. He became involved with the music ministry at New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church and started singing bass in the Senior Choir, later becoming director of the choir. Deacon Summerville founded the Keystone Gospel Singers, and the group sung on stage with many famous quartet groups including the Staple Sisters. Deacon Summerville also taught music through the Southeast Arkansas District Association using the shape-note music notation for vocal music, and was honored by the American Quartet Convention in Alabama for his music ability.

In addition to music, Deacon Summerville had a profound interest in the welfare of Ashley County. A hunter and gardener at a time when most people raised vegetables out of necessity, Deacon Summerville devoted both time and effort to supplement the meals of many local residents. He raised fresh vegetables in his garden, and for years brought home many squirrels, rabbits and coons to Sunday Fried Chicken Dinners.

I extend my deepest and sincere sympathies to Deacon Summerville's five children, Ruby, Annie Pearl, Willie T., Sarah, and Bertha Sue, his friends, and colleagues. I will continue to keep Deacon Summerville and his family in my thoughts and prayers.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to have my name removed as a cosponsor of H.R. 623.

Madam Speaker, our Nation finds itself today in a financial crisis. This year, our deficit is projected to exceed $589 billion. Last year's deficit was $412 billion. Seventy percent of that money was borrowed from foreigners, including China and Japan.

We are spending nearly $1 million more every 60 seconds than we are taking in in this country. On top of that, we are spending nearly $1 billion a day simply paying interest on the national debt, a debt that today is $7.6 trillion and rising.

Yesterday, I joined my colleagues of the fiscally conservative Democratic Blue Dog Coalition to announce a new 12-point budget plan that promotes commonsense budget reforms. One of those reforms includes the support of a constitutional amendment that would require the Federal Government to balance its budget every year. American families strive every month to live within a balanced budget at home. I do not think it is asking too much to hold our government to the same standard.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join me in support of this 12-point, commonsense budget plan that will place our Nation on a path to restore fiscal discipline to our Nation's government.

Mr. Speaker, the Class Action Fairness Act could not be more inappropriately named, and this motion to commit shows why.

Since 1999, Merck has spent over $100 million a year to advertise Vioxx. More than 80 million people took Vioxx, and the drug generated sales of $2.5 billion for Merck.

Merck should take responsibility for the harm their products may cause. Thousands, literally thousands of American families believe they lost a loved one or suffered personal harm because Vioxx was unsafe.

These families believe Merck knew of the danger Vioxx was causing, but allowed the drug to remain on the market anyway. Maybe they are right. Maybe they are not. But the point is that the so-called Class Action Fairness Act does not give them a fair chance to make their case before a jury of their peers.

The Class Action Fairness Act makes it very difficult for those who feel they were harmed by drugs like Vioxx from getting the justice they deserve. We should adopt this motion to commit and pass a Class Action Fairness Act worthy of the name.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the life and legacy of Dr. H.D. ``Dave'' Luck, a statesman, a leader, a veteran, and a true gentleman who passed away on January 3, 2005 in Arkansas at the age of 79. Dr. Luck was a man who, in deed and action, distinguished himself as someone who set forth to make Arkansas a better place to live as a champion for civil rights and higher education.

Born in 1925 in New York City, Dr. Luck graduated from Bates College in Maine in 1945, and earned his M.D. degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. After doing post graduate work in medical education at the United States Naval School of Aviation Medicine in Florida, and at University Hospital in Little Rock, Dr. Luck eventually settled in Arkadelphia where he founded the Arkadelphia Medical Clinic in 1979.

Dr. Luck began a life of public service in Arkadelphia, where he served as President of General Industries Corporation from 1962 until 1968, the Arkadelphia Chamber of Commerce, and the Arkadelphia Kiwanis Club. He was awarded the Junior Chamber of Commerce Distinguished Award in 1963.

Dr. Luck continued an inspiring career of public service on the state as Chair of the Democratic Party. In 1964, he chaired the Committee for Voter Registration. Dr. Luck's passion was Civil Rights; he chaired the coalition that successfully created a constitutional amendment which abolished the poll tax and set up a system of permanent voter registration. In 1965, President Johnson appointed him to the White House Conference on Civil Rights. Like many reformers before him, Dr. Luck was driven by a cause that was met with adversity. He met each challenge and cause with fervor that mystifies and inspires us to public service.

In addition to Civil Rights, Dr. Luck was committed to improving Arkansas higher education. He served as Trustee of Henderson State University in Arkadelphia from 1970 until 1982. He was appointed to the Arkansas State Board of Higher Education by Governor Bill Clinton, serving from 1988 until 1994.

His service went far beyond civilian life; Dr. Luck served in the U.S. Navy V-12 program during World War II. He also served as a Naval Medical Officer during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953.

Arkansas will be forever grateful that such a visionary leader came along, at the time he did, to lead us into a new era. I hope that you are as inspired as I have been by Dr. Luck's relentless determination to fight for such important causes. While Dr. Luck is no longer with us, his legacy lives on by the way he improved the quality of life for all Arkansans.

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

I rise today in support of S. 2965, a bill to amend the Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 1999 in order to modify the termination date for mandatory price reporting.

The current authority for the USDA Livestock Mandatory Price Reporting expired on October 23 of this year. It is important to the U.S. livestock markets that we maintain a dependable flow of information to producers to help them price their products in the marketplace. The bill before us today provides for a simple 1-year reauthorization of the existing program, and I am not aware of any serious opposition to this bill.

I do regret that we have not taken the time to consider a more careful revision of the statute prior to this point. We should have taken up this issue much earlier during the 108th Congress and spent the time to consider corrections to the deficiencies various groups have noted in the program as it currently exists. But since that has not been done, this 1-year extension seems like the best alternative available to maintain a stable flow of information to our producers.

It is my hope that, during this 1-year extension, the Committee on Agriculture of this House will hold hearings on this topic and consider ways it might improve the USDA price reporting system. In the meantime, however, a simple extension seems to be the best way to serve the market information needs for our farmers and ranchers.

I encourage all Members to support passage of this Senate bill.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.