Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, This year, I have the great pleasure of seeing one of the finest constituents of Second District of Kansas honored as an Angel in Adoption. This award was given by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption, of which I am proud to be a member. The story of the Second District's Angel in Adoption, Michelle Reed, is a story of hard work, commitment, and humility. It is a story that I am proud to share today.

In addition to adopting two children from Kazakhstan, Michelle has become an advocate for international adoption by facilitating support groups and by serving on the board of Two Hearts for Hope. Michelle is truly an Angel in Adoption.

Michelle's story begins in 2004 when a cousin and a friend announced that they were adopting children from Korea and China. To support her loved ones, she began looking into the process. As Michelle says, ``My husband and I had not discussed adopting. We had two children. My son, Jonas, was just starting high school in the fall and our daughter, Libby, was in middle school. The pictures of the children available for adoption were endless on the Internet. I began to think that we could give a home--a family--to one of these children.''

In March of 2004, the Reeds signed an agency contract to adopt their son Jess, who was 3 at the time, from Kazakhstan. They traveled to Kazakhstan in November 2004 and lived there for 6\1/2\ weeks. In May 2005, they signed a contract to return for a little girl that they met on their first trip who was also 3 years old. They left in October, 2005 and returned home in December with a new daughter, Jsera.

When Michelle returned from her adoption journey in Kazakhstan, she started working to help other families. ``After our first adoption, we both became passionate about helping those that were thinking of adoption.'' She is now the moderator of three Internet groups that provide support for families that are in the process of adopting internationally or integration assistance for those that have already adopted. They try to facilitate heritage knowledge, for example, by teaching parents to cook their child's native foods. Michelle and her family also hosted an exchange student from Kazakhstan this year who taught them so much about their children's heritage.

Michelle is also a board member of the newly formed organization, Two Hearts for Hope, which raises donations to send supplies to orphanages in Kazakhstan. Most of the supplies she works so hard to find are those that many of us take for granted, like shoes and warm clothing. ``The facilities aren't perfect--there are broken windows and sometimes there's no heat. Because it's just south of Siberia, the need for warm clothing is magnified.''

When speaking about her visits to Kazakhstan she said, ``Once you leave those other children behind, you are not allowed to forget them.'' The love, warmth, faith and passion for helping others that Michelle posses shines through when you meet her. I am pleased to say that once you meet Michelle, you are not allowed to forget her or the joy she has brought to others.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize CPL Kody Wilson of Erie, Kansas. Corporal Wilson was serving in our armed forces in our efforts abroad and was injured. Upon his injuries he was taken to Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

While at Walter Reed, Corporal Wilson was an inspiration to others. One individual was truly moved by his story and wrote a poem to honor this soldier. I would like to share this poem with you:

From Out of the West

(By Bert Caswell)

From Out of The West . . .

As over the years, as have come from so here . . . all of our

best . . .

Fine Women and Men, of honor so then . . . sons and

daughters who our nation have blessed . . .

As over the years . . .

Have been shed many a tear, for all those lost and injured

loved ones . . . so very dear . . .

Who are but all our finest daughters and sons, who so bring

us to tears . . .

Who but live by a code . . .

Who but carry that burden, who but teach us all so . . . as

they carry that load . . .

As now once again, such a very fine man . . . by the name of

Kody, so shows us the way . . .

What the word hero so means!

Like Bob Dole of Kansas, they are both one and the same . . .

Who from this great heartland the word hero can claim!

Without his one leg . . .

He lives by a code of honor and faith so strode . . . that

would make any heart beg . . .

For there in his darkest of pain, in what God has so left to

him . . . so remains . . . the greatest I say . . .

As we so watch him and learn . . .

As Kody so teaches us all to discern . . . how a heart full

of courage can burn . . .

As the leg he has lost, but like all our great heroes of the

past he accepts that great cost . . . in turn . . .

You see, he's got a life to live . . .

And so much more to this our world to so give . . .

To teach us, to reach us . . . as we so watch in wonder, as

his most magnificent heart gives . . .

For on this day . . . we must understand . . .

This Army Man, so shows us the way . . . as taller than most

he now so stands . . .

And if I have a son, I pray he'd be like this one . . . who

runs with his heart all the way to Heaven's sun . . .

From Out of The West . . .

Once, again . . . as here has so come one of our Nation's

best . . .

Who our hearts will so bless, who leave us breathless . . .

In Honor of Kody Wilson

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask that you join me in honoring CPL Kody Wilson, and recognize his courage, commitment and patriotism to serving the United States and the people of Kansas. I truly wish all the best for him in his future endeavors and will remain grateful for his service to our country.

Mr. Spreaker, the Department of Justice estimates that, in the last year, one in five children between the ages of 10 and 17 received a sexual solicitation or approach while they were using the Internet, With so many threats out there, Congress must provide a unified message that we, as a society, will not stand for anything less than a safe Internet. We will do that today when we pass five good pieces of legislation that will help keep our children safe. I am proud that my legislation, H.R. 4120, Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act will be a part of that message.

A man from Kansas, William Schaefer, was found guilty of both ``knowingly receiving'' and ``knowingly possessing'' child pornography that had been ``transported in interstate commerce, by any means including by computer.''

Sadly, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned this decision and the offender was not prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The Court ruled that just because images are obtained on the Internet, does not mean they were transmitted across state lines and issued the following statements:

We decline to assume that Internet use automatically

equates with a movement across state lines.

Congress' use of the ``in commerce'' language, as opposed

to phrasing such as ``affecting commerce'' or ``facility of

interstate commerce,'' signals its decision to limit federal

jurisdiction and require actual movement between states to

satisfy interstate nexus.

The Court essentially asked Congress to clarify its intent that the Internet is in fact Interstate Commerce and we did that with passage of the Effective Child Pornography Prosecution Act of 2007. This legislation closes the jurisdictional loophole that allowed a guilty man to escape punishment.

As concerned citizens, parents, and Members of Congress, we must do all we can to keep our children safe. That means we must make a commitment to being tough on crime--to make sure that those who violate the law are fully prosecuted--to ensure that the law is so clear that it deters such heinous crimes from happening.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Daniel Kay of Ottawa, Kansas. I want to extend my congratulations on his retirement and offer my gratitude for his 32 years of work for the Child Support Enforcement Division of Kansas Social and Rehabilitation Services (SRS).

Mr. Kay's dedication to his job has been a tremendous asset to the State of Kansas and SRS. I commend him on a career devoted to defending children in Kansas who can not defend themselves. The work he has done is greatly appreciated by the State, local communities, and families that have been reached with each child that he has protected.

Madam Speaker, I proudly ask that you join me in honoring Daniel Kay, and recognize his outstanding commitment to serving the children of Kansas. I know that whatever he takes on next in life, the people of Kansas remain grateful for his many years of faithful and hard work.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1421) solemnly commemorating the 25th anniversary of the tragic October 1983 terrorist bombing of the United States Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon and remembering those who lost their lives and those who were injured, as amended.

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

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

I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 1421. It solemnly commemorates the 25th anniversary of the tragic October 1983 terrorist bombing of the United States Marine Corps Barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and it remembers those who lost their lives and those who were injured.

On October 23, 1983, at approximately 6:20 in the morning, a large truck packed with explosives crashed through security and slammed into the lobby of the United States Marine Corps Barracks. The vehicle's driver, a suicide bomber, detonated explosives the equivalent of 12,000 pounds of TNT, crumbling the 4-story building and killing marines, soldiers, and sailors while they slept. Two hundred forty-one servicemembers lost their lives that day, making this day in October the single bloodiest day in the Marine Corps history since World War

Mr. Speaker, I would just like to acknowledge the leadership and the good work of my friend and colleague, Mr. Walter Jones of North Carolina. I think the American people sometimes don't see bipartisanship, and I would just like to congratulate him for the many things that he has done to work across the aisle on behalf of our servicemen and women and on behalf of the American people in keeping this country safe.

Too often, all the American people see is a lack of bipartisanship, and this is one where we come together on this resolution and on so many others on behalf of our servicemen and women, and, as I say, on behalf of keeping the American people safe and secure.

Mr. Speaker, at this time I have no further requests for time. I am prepared to close after Mr. Jones has.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I just wish to, before we close out, acknowledge the service of Mr. LaHood from Illinois. Again, a true patriot and somebody who has reached across party lines on a regular basis to find resolutions on some of the toughest issues. I just appreciate that, and I certainly appreciate the moment of silence. Thank you very much.

Again, on behalf of a very grateful Nation, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this very important resolution.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

I would just say God bless these families, and God bless the United States of America.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman.

Well, we are here. We are back again. It was about 6 weeks ago that this body passed the very bill that we are talking about today, with the looming shortfall in the highway trust fund. With no Senate action until yesterday, the shortfall is now here and now, and we have to deal with it.

Just last week, our Department of Transportation Secretary, Deb Miller, in Kansas, announced that KDOT would have to cut funds, cut programs and projects while the delay of the payment of funds was slated from the highway trust fund took shape.

Madam Speaker, we can no longer wait to act. The American people are so frustrated right now with Congress, and this is just one more of those things. It is about as crazy as I thought it would be getting here in Congress and watching what Congress can't do, with the opportunity today to do a two-for: We can fix this fund. We can fix this shortfall in the highway trust fund, and we can show the American people that in fact we can come together; in a bipartisan manner, we can work together. With that, I strongly support this bill.

I thank you so much, Mr. Chairman. I really appreciate all the work that we have been doing on this bill.

How many times have we done this now? We have been here time and time and time again, trying to say that this program of bringing trucks in from Mexico into the United States, when, as you so well pointed out, all the provisions that the American people expect with regard to drugs, with regard to training and maintenance, all of the things that the American people have come to expect out of our American trucking interests are now being put on the line.

And so what is this, the third time that we have tried to put this, bring this program, this crazy program that, in fact, is making just almost a mockery of this Congress, trying to bring this to its final conclusion.

It was a year ago, after we had made, we passed H.R. 1773 by 411-3, after the Senate had passed their bill as well, that we thought maybe at that time that this program was going to come to an end. And yet, on Labor Day, this time a year ago, on Labor Day the President said, no, we're going to go through with this bill, even though it is clearly against the will of the American people.

Now, Labor Day. Let's think about what happens on Labor Day. First of all, how many families do we have crossing on our highways trying to take families from one event to the next, out there? It's an issue of safety to keep our families safe on our highways. It was an absolute slap in the face of the American people, and it was also a slap in the face of our American trucking industry, who has worked hard to live up to the standards that we have in this Congress imposed on them with safety, training, maintenance and all the environmental controls that they have struggled to get, to be in compliance with.

And so a year ago, the President absolutely refuted the will of the American people and said, we're going to go ahead and do this anyway.

One of the heaviest traveling weekends for our families, they went ahead and did it anyway.

Now, let me just say that I spent many, many years working in the pharmaceutical industry. And my concern with this is there have been 500 trucks on our highways over the year. And, by the grace of God, we don't know of any fatal or serious accidents that have taken place.

But, Mr. Speaker, I think you will agree with me that the last thing we want to do is approve a drug that hasn't killed 500 people in a year, and certainly we don't want to take this and say that this program is now ready to be opened up into the broader sector.

We need to stop this now. The American people have spoken. It is about our jobs, it is about safety, it is just flat out about common sense. And I hope finally, Mr. Speaker, that after

all of our work on this that we are finally bringing this crazy chapter of having trucks from Mexico be on our highways with our families and our American trucks. I hope we are finally bringing this to a close.

Mr. Speaker, in contrast, I would like to just stand up and, again, like so many others, not rail on somebody, but to thank the bipartisan Energy Renewable and Energy Efficiency Caucus.

Our country is facing deep, deep energy problems, and I think the good people of Kansas certainly understand that the way that we're going to address that is coming and looking at the bipartisan commonsense solutions.

I want to just congratulate--this is a bipartisan group--the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Caucus. And I would like to specifically thank Representative Mark Udall and Representative Zach Wamp, a Republican, for coming together and making this such an important issue. It's over in the Cannon Caucus Room. And I certainly ask each of us to get over there and to support this bipartisan effort.

You know, I think people in Kansas are sick and tired of everybody railing on somebody else. It's time that we work together.

Thank you very much to my good friend from Texas, Mr. Chet Edwards, for yielding. We have worked quite diligently on many of the issues going on right in Kansas at the military bases, Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley, that I have the honor to represent.

I would just like to say that as a new Member of Congress, when I came, I had heard many, many promises made to veterans, and I had to wonder if they were going to be met. Many people said, Yes. Trust us. They will be met. And you can imagine as a new Member of Congress, and as a freshman, to have those promises to our veterans actually met meant so much to me, for

somebody who came to Washington to try to make a difference and, in fact, for the second year in a row we are really righting some of the real problems that we have seen with our Veterans Administration and we are proposing record funding for the second year in a row, and I am deeply proud and honored to be part of this Congress.

I understand that this is a bipartisan bill, and for that I am very grateful. We have plenty of floods in Kansas as well. There's a right time and a wrong time to bring that up. I believe that the Members on this side of the aisle have been very, very diligent to make sure that that is taken care of. I would like to see this committee particularly keep that same bipartisan air that has served this country so well.

Some of the things that are highlighting that are so important to the good people of Kansas and our veterans across the United States, an initial $4 billion for mental health, for TBI, for PTSD, for the drug abuse that we see way too often, for the suicides that are hitting our soldiers. That $4 billion of extra funding will make a huge difference in these soldiers' lives.

Mileage reimbursement. I come from the State of Kansas. It's a huge issue. The 41.5 cents a mile is a significant increase. I still would love to see it come up to be the full standard, but this is a significant increase that will mean a great deal to veterans from Kansas who have to travel a great deal.

Thank you, and congratulations on this wonderful and bipartisan bill.

Thank you so much, Mr. Davis.

Mr. Speaker, it shouldn't be difficult for Americans to interact with their government. But most citizen interaction with their government is through filling out forms, both paper and online, that are required to be filled out in order to receive grants, tax refunds, passports, and so many other things.

With so many forms, questions about what information is actually needed are bound to arise, but finding the right office to call is difficult. And to get the answers that people need in an orderly manner is, quite frankly, very, very difficult, and it shouldn't be that way. That's why I've introduced bill. And it's very simple. Any form that the government uses to collect information from Americans also has to include contact information--a phone number or a Web site--in which a person can obtain specific information on who to talk to about that form. Hopefully, when they call, a real live person will be at the other end of that line.

This bill also requires the Office of Management and Budget to report to Congress on implementation and a description of how the agencies are responding to complaints about it.

This bill is especially important to small businesses and owners, and the National Federation of Independent Businesses is a strong supporter of my bill. In fact, the idea for this bill came from some of the small businesses right there in Kansas, the good constituents that I get to represent. They were responding to a survey that was distributed to NFIB members in which they overwhelmingly supported legislation to help them get answers to questions about all the government paperwork that they have to fill out. And yes, getting that government paperwork reduced is certainly our first priority, but in the meantime, let's just get an access number so people can call and find out how to fill these forms out efficiently.

I've said time and time again that democracy is a team sport, and this is a perfect example of everyone working together to make our government more responsive. I would like to thank Mr. Towns and Ms. Watson for their assistance in getting this important legislation to the floor. And I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this very, very commonsense bill.

Thank you again, Mr. Davis.

When I went home to Kansas this weekend, I went to a couple of county fairs. And everybody was in a very, very festive mood, it's county fair

time. Clearly, there are many things that are challenging the American people and the Kansas people right now, but we have to rejoice that finally we started to see the price of this oil come down. And I think oil has come down by $25 now. Hopefully, today it's continuing to fall more.

I personally believe that that's for a couple of reasons: One, the Agriculture Committee last week--and I serve with Representative Foxx on that committee--we passed through the committee and will bring to the floor legislation that's going to really bring the light down on this speculation and manipulation. And I think we've basically called the bluff of the speculators and the people who are manipulating here, and that's having a real impact for which I'm very, very grateful.

But secondly, I think the thing that's having an impact--and the people of Kansas are grateful to see it come down, and yes, it needs to come down much more--is, quite honestly, we've called the oil companies' bluff and we've said ``drill.'' You have millions and millions of acres to drill. And we're not only asking you to drill, we're going to tell you if you don't drill, we're going to tell you to give those leases up and to give them to companies who will go out there and do it.

Unfortunately, as Ms. Foxx and I heard about a month ago in the Agriculture Committee, the oil companies do not have the drilling equipment. And I'm sure she was as surprised as I was a month ago to hear the American Petroleum Institute say with a totally straight face that they don't have any more equipment to drill onshore or offshore. They can barely keep up with the leases that they have now. And we're not expected to have any more for at least one, and probably two more years.

So we have seen the price of oil come down. We have to increase the supply of energy in this country, and I think we all agree on that. And I would reach across the aisle to my good friend and colleague on the House Agriculture Committee and say, let's work together to bring this price down. And yes, drilling will absolutely be a part of that, I think the American people and the Democrats understand that. I look forward to working together with the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) on that as we've been working on the Agriculture Committee. And I think some of the things that we've been doing have really made a difference.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Thank you so much, Mr. Chairman.

Madam Speaker, the American people are so frustrated right now with Congress. And this is one of the things. People ask me does anything surprise me. And I say no, it's about as crazy as I thought it would be on a given day. But a couple of weeks ago, I have to tell you that I was just shocked. This very bill that we're talking about today was brought in the FAA bill. The Parliamentarian said, it's germane. And we said we have a shortfall between now and 2009. Sure we have long-term problems, but we have this shortfall right now that has to be addressed. We got left with this train wreck, and we're trying to clean it up.

And when the good people in Kansas, and this certainly made the news, learned that because that got taken out of the FAA bill, quite honestly along partisan lines, it not only affected what people thought about our

ability to govern, but they wonder what on earth Congress was doing to not take care of this. And they understood ultimately that this was all about politics.

Today, we have brought this back together. Mr. Moran, my colleague from Kansas, and I have worked together and said, we're going to try to bring America together to do this very, very commonsense fix. Everybody knows we're using less and less gas. Hallelujah. And there's less money going into the trust fund. Everybody knows that the price of construction is skyrocketing and we have to do this. Let's get on with it. It's going to affect $120 million of funds right there in Kansas.

But I will tell you what else it does. It affects people's ability to think, can Congress come together and work? I believe that we can.

We have to do two things. We have to fix this. But today we have an opportunity to show the American people that we will put partisan politics aside and we are going to do the right thing for the American people.

I think we have got a twofer today. I strongly suggest and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill and do the people's work.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 415, and I offer it to clear up any misconceptions there may be about the impact of this bill.

As the amendment states, ``nothing in this act shall impact the supply of domestically produced energy resources.'' Those on the other side of the aisle have held up designating the Taunton River as a national scenic and recreational river because of supposed energy concerns.

I support domestic drilling, and I believe domestic oil production is important to our energy supply. This amendment makes it clear that we are not going to stop energy development in this bill, and we're not going to impede exploration of domestic resources. We're simply taking steps to protect the Taunton River.

We must drop the rhetoric and have a national debate about our real energy priorities by finding real solutions for the rising price of oil and gas. From the cost of fuel to increased fertilizers that are killing our farmers back in Kansas, everyone is hurting. We all know that our country needs a comprehensive energy plan to address our future.

The plan that was developed by Big Oil in the White House 8 years ago has brought us nothing but higher fuel prices, and we've sent trillions of our dollars to unfriendly governments overseas.

If you have heard me talk about the energy policy, then you have heard me talk about the three-legged stool. First and foremost, it's conservation. It's the cheapest, most fastest, and easiest piece of this puzzle. Second is an absolute determination by this country to finally break our addiction to oil through new technologies like plug- in hybrid vehicles that rely on wind or solar or nuclear or alternative sources.

Energy prices are driven by supply and demand, and we have to increase the supply of not only oil, but certainly of alternative fuels.

Third, even with these alternatives and with conservation, we must continue to have oil and gas to play a significant role in our energy policy. But we can use the lands, and we must use the lands that are currently open to drilling, like the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, and we need to invest in technologies that make it easier and more environmentally friendly to access.

My home State of Kansas holds wind, solar, biofuels, and yes, even nuclear

potential. If we take the simple step of just making a plug-in hybrid vehicle common and affordable, we can turn off the oil spigot and turn on the energy grid that's powered by alternatives to oil.

Today I think we've said it over and over and over again, Mr. Chairman. There are 68 million acres that are currently leased and are not being drilled. Today the leases are in place, the environmental hurdles have been cleared, but there's not drilling going on. And the American people, certainly the people of Kansas, they want to know why and so do I.

So let's talk about Big Oil's dirty little secret. They don't have the equipment necessary to drill. Eighty percent of the oil that's available on the Outer Continental Shelf is already available for offshore leasing and for drilling. But here is their little secret. There won't be any new rigs available for 1 to 2 years. According to the American Petroleum Institute, the API, that in time of increasing demand when they should have been keeping up with supply, they've been making an enormously high profit. The oil companies haven't even been growing their own stock of drilling equipment even for the lands they currently hold leases on. Mr. Chairman, I find it, and I think the good people of Kansas, as well as America, finds it just simply unbelievable.

My mom always taught me to clean up my plate before I asked for more. But the oil companies aren't following my mom's advice. They've been collecting lease after lease after lease, but they're not drilling on these lands. And it's time they get started.

The high price of oil, it's very clear that it certainly helps the big oil industry. And I don't debate that it's a very good decision to them to limit supply. But it's killing American families. It is hurting our farmers, and it is hurting our businesses.

Congress can't force these oil companies to go out and drill, but we can pass legislation that stops the hoarding of these leases on Federal lands. And we voted to do that here just 3 weeks ago. But like other important energy bills, it's gone right down partisan lines, and it's been opposed by the President.

As important as it is that we get this right, Mr. Chairman, let me go back and say, again, the people of Kansas are too smart to buy all of this. They know that ultimately, though we need that oil to bridge to the new alternative future that we're talking about in energy, we cannot drill our way out of this mess.

America uses 24 percent of the world's oil, yet we only have 2 percent of the world's reserves.

Mr. Chairman, I appreciate the time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to respectfully request unanimous consent to be removed as a cosponsor from H.R. 6264.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 6331, along with the National Community Pharmacists Association, the Kansas Pharmacists, the National Rural Health Care Association, the American Medical Association, the Kansas Medical Society, the American Hospital Association, the Kansas Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals, and on and on.

These people agree that passage of this bill is vital for Medicare and America's seniors, and certainly for people with disabilities.

Thank you very much, Mr. Inslee. I appreciate being able to join this group.

And it is a good day. I think it's a very good day for America. I know that it was a good day for Kansans when we got the news that the GAO report upheld the protest. There were certainly sighs of relief.

Let me make it clear what we're relieved about. First and foremost, we're relieved about our own national security, and that's what everybody has ultimately been most concerned about. Outsourcing our national security, outsourcing our technology, we all know that it's very hard to keep secrets, to make sure that that intelligence stays in our own hands.

So number one, the people of Kansas were very, very happy that our national security today would be stronger tomorrow because we did not outsource this important contract. It's a huge, huge contract and obviously the implications for our country are tremendous.

When we look right now at the industrial base and we wonder sometimes why we're not getting enough equipment and why it has taken us so long to get equipment to Iraq and Afghanistan, our own industrial base is right here in America, and we need to keep it strong.

So, again, there was rejoicing in the streets of Kansas.

Let me make it clear, the first reason was for our national security, and keeping that technology here with that intelligence right here at home.

I think what the American people are learning is that Boeing has been in the tanker business for decades. You know, 50, 60 years, they have been the supplier of these tankers, and can you imagine what these tankers do. These tankers are refueling aircraft that are speeding across our skies. They're refueling them in midair. This technology is something that clearly has taken years to develop. It's been done extremely well and extremely safely right in Kansas in our Forbes Field in Topeka, Kansas, where we have the KC-135E model.

We just retired the oldest KC-135E tanker in the country. It was 51 years old, and quite honestly, with maintenance, it could have been maintained. It was time to put it to rest, to take it down to the bone yard. It had done its duty and it served its country very well. But that Boeing tanker has been out there making sure that our country is safe for the last 51 years, and that's what they brought to this.

The fact that it has the safety and the survivability should not be any real shock to anyone. They have perfected this technology. They have embraced this technology, and they've provided this technology to our Air Force and to our entire military for the last 50, 60 years. And clearly, they had a lot to offer, just the fact they've had this much experience.

So the survivability, you know, it's nice to see that there's data and the analysis shows that, but they've been doing this for decades. It's no big shock that the product that they were going to deliver was something that the United States can be more assured that it will be done on time and with the quality that's suitable for our military that are putting their lives on the line when they're up in the sky, doing this incredibly dangerous midair refueling.

I also say, too, I have the honor of representing two Army bases: Fort Leavenworth and Fort Riley. I represent the headquarters of the National Guard there in Topeka, Kansas, which is where Forbes Field is. We have an Army and Air Force unit that are there, and then we have McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita.

But what I hear from a lot of our military is just the statement that when you're behind something, when you're out there, whether you're in the Army, whether you're in the Air Force, whatever branch, that when you're picking up something, whether it's munition, whatever you're in, the fact that that's made in America means something to them. They want to know that what they're using to defend the country and to keep themselves safe, it means something. And I've heard from people that it's very unsettling to pick up something and to think that our military equipment or military goods are not made here in the United States.

Clearly, if our Air Force had chosen Airbus, they would have gone out and done whatever it took to keep our country safe, but I've heard over and over again they'd like to be out there using American-made equipment, and it doesn't seem like too much to ask.

I was just thinking, I think the American people are beginning to understand by now that specifications for this tanker, this refueling aircraft that is so important to us, there were some specifications that were given, this is what we want. And all of a sudden, here they come with this great big airplane, and now they want to be congratulated for not coloring in the lines, for not doing what they were asked to do. It kind of reminds you of a teacher that says you can write a paper, but it can only be 10 pages, and somebody wants extra credit for writing 13. Well, it was a 10-page paper assignment not a 13-page paper assignment.

So it's interesting that it has taken this long for the Air Force to understand that it was going to take this much more money to take this big tanker--it wasn't what the Air Force had asked for. The Air Force had asked for a tanker of the proportions and the specifications, and that's what Boeing did. They said, this is what you want. By the way, we've done this for the last 50 years, so we understand why you're asking for this. And they went about putting together a tanker that was the best deal with the very best equipment for the American people and for our military. And they did what they were asked to do. And all of a sudden, then all of this kind of bizarre math, this fuzzy math starts to come out, and some way or another it's going to be cheaper. It just never made any sense.

And let me finish by saying, I really applaud the GAO. I think many of us thought, well, it's going to be difficult for them to overturn that. But they sharpened up their pencils and they said, well, no, this doesn't make any sense. And so we've got to applaud the GAO for standing up and saying this is the right thing to do.

And as I understood it, too, one of the GAO findings was that the Airbus tanker wouldn't refuel all types of aircraft, too. So you had something that certainly was bigger. But what was found out was that bigger wasn't better in this particular instance; you needed longer runways to be able to land them. And so that limited the number of places.

But this Airbus tanker also wasn't even able to refuel as many different kinds of aircraft as the Boeing aircraft. And I will go right back on message of saying, I wonder why. Well, Boeing has been doing this for 50, 60 years, and they knew what they were doing. And so they understand the intricacies of what needs to be done and why you need to be flexible, and that flexible is finding that optimum way to do this. And the KC135Es were replaced by the Rs. They've been doing this and making these tankers and optimizing the whole process of making these tankers for decades.

I would just say when it comes to the issues, and clearly it just was nonsensical. Again I really appreciate the fact that before we're talking about these kinds of issues, we're talking about the plane on the merits. Because I think that's the main thing that the American people, they want a plane that works. So I think we have established that that was the better choice. But what just absolutely cooks people back in Kansas is the concept that we have agreements, and there is no real enforcement of them. It's just like they're not even worth the paper that they're on. And to just blow it off and to say that, yes, we're in the middle of a disagreement, we're in the middle of a trade violation with the same company, just as you were saying, I agree with you in what you have said. I would just add the one thing that in Kansas, people do not understand why we put together policies, why we pass laws right here and then we fail to follow through on implementing them or enforcing them, whether it's issues of trade. Certainly that is just a very, very raw one in my district, whether it's issues of just, I won't go in any myriad of issues that we probably ought not to start down that path tonight. But that is just what really chaps people.

We have these agreements. Why do we even bother to do them if we're not going to implement them? Not only within the letter of the law, but the spirit of the law.

And so certainly we have an enormous aircraft industry in the State of Kansas. And again I would as much as it's a huge economic impact for us, first and foremost, we have so much military in Kansas, and I would again come back and say that this was ultimately about making sure that we have what we need to keep our country safe and to keep the men and women who are serving in our military safe. That was first and foremost.

I would like to add just one other aspect, too, that we haven't really touched on too much. I serve on the House Armed Services Committee. And earlier this year, we had a hearing with the National Industrial Security Program we started back in 1993 to take the intelligence, again, and the intellectual property and to make sure that we were keeping classified information classified when it to came to the purchase and interaction with foreign companies.

And I asked the question, did they participate, what was their participation in this whole tanker contracting process, to make sure that this classified information about these tankers was being secured. And they really weren't very involved. I said, ``Well who is going to maintain the security? Who is going to see that there are trade secrets, there are national security aspects that are being, that should be maintained?'' And during the course, they didn't say this about the Boeing contracts specifically, but their own, the assessment was that the NISP had been so underfunded and so dismantled over the last several years that they said that their services overseeing foreign military contracts, they described it as Swiss cheese. So we have to look at the big picture here tonight and just throw that in as one additional thing.

There was not any real oversight for what we're going to do to maintain that intellectual property and to maintain that security, that classified and secure information I didn't see. And I was allowed to ask in a few instances, but there was no, I didn't at least find out what we were doing in order to keep or maintain that classified information. And the people that certainly seemed to be the ones that should be doing it said, no, they really weren't up to it or they weren't doing it. So another reason on top of everything else. I certainly appreciate the gentleman from Washington including me in this discussion tonight.

I would like to thank my good friend from Illinois (Mr. Hare). We are freshmen together. And it's at times like this that I really am glad to be part of this freshman class and add our voices together. We've worked on so many things, whether it's trade, so many issues that our districts have a lot in common. And so it's actually a pleasure to stand up and work with the good people here tonight. And I really appreciate both of you and our friend from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer). So thank you again to you both.