Floor Statements

I thank the chairman for yielding.

I am pleased to support this en bloc amendment which includes important language to put a stop to the practice of using drones to kill Americans and prevent any administration in the future from doing so as well. The only exception would be if a citizen is actively engaged in combat against the United States. Not plotting, not suspected, but currently engaging in combat.

Attorney General Eric Holder made it perfectly clear in a recent white paper that the administration believes that they have the right to be judge, jury and executioner of any and all American citizens.

My amendment would correct this dangerous overreach and defend Americans' God-given constitutionally protected rights.

However, while this will curtail the threat of drones, I'm disappointed that another of my amendments was not made in order to address another overarching issue.

Along with my colleague from California, Congresswoman Lee, I sponsored an amendment to sunset the Authorization for Use of Military Force in Afghanistan, a provision that has outrageously expanded the powers of the Federal Government. This law has allowed our government to engage in indefinite detention, extrajudicial targeted killing, warrantless surveillance and wiretapping activities, and the open-ended expansion of military operations abroad.

It's time for this provision to go. And if we need additional war authorizations, they should be narrow and clear, as our Founders intended. It's time to end this abuse of power by our Federal Government. I will continue working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to meet that goal and to restore liberty in America.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk, and I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the amendment.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment would completely eliminate funding for the Transportation Security Administration, TSA, and transfer that money to the spending reduction account, saving taxpayers nearly $5 billion.

Congress intended for TSA to be an efficient, cutting-edge, intelligence-based agency responsible for protecting our airports and keeping our passengers safe and secure, but today it has grown into one of the largest bureaucracies in the Federal Government. They've had a 400 percent increase in staff since they were created. A good portion of those are headquarters employees making six-figure incomes, on the average.

What's worse is that the American passengers aren't getting a good return on the more than $60 billion investment that they've spent on TSA. Reports indicate that more than 25,000--repeat, 25,000--security breaches have occurred in U.S. airports since 2001.

Plus, we have evidence today that terrorists on the no-fly list still have been able to board U.S. aircraft--terrorists boarding U.S. aircraft, in spite of TSA.

Furthermore, we've seen report after report on TSA employees displaying a lack of professionalism, being inadequately trained, and even engaging in theft and other illegal activities.

Just about the only thing that the TSA is consistently good at is using its extensive power to violate American travelers' civil liberties. Veterans, the disabled, the elderly, and even small children have been the victims of overly invasive searches by TSA officers. This is all evidence that the TSA has veered dangerously off course.

I've repeatedly asked that we use our resources to focus on intelligence and technologies that could be more effective when it comes to catching terrorists. I've called for the privatization of TSA, and so have many other of my colleagues. But we still have yet to see the necessary changes made to the TSA personnel or to its procedures that will ensure the safety and security of our airports and passengers.

Mr. Chairman, this amendment to zero out funding for the TSA forces Congress and the Department of Homeland Security to start from scratch on a leaner, more effective, and more focused and more productive system for protecting our U.S. citizens. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, my amendment would zero out our contribution to the brand-new NATO headquarters in Brussels and transfer that amount, more than $38 million, to the spending reduction account to help us deal with our debt.

This line item within the bill is the very definition of ridiculous. The U.S. is furloughing civilian military personnel and sacrificing our own military readiness here at home, policies with which I disagree. And yet, here we are, sending millions of dollars overseas to build a lavish new headquarters for the international bureaucrats in NATO.

Madam Chairman, the planned NATO headquarters is an unfortunate example of excess and waste. While every NATO member-nation is cutting back on overall spending, the new headquarters remains on track as a monument to bureaucracy. In total, the building will cost well over $1 billion to build, and it's taken 13 years just to finalize the plans.

If we are serious about confronting our spending problem, we must fundamentally re-evaluate our priorities. We don't need to help NATO build a new headquarters. We need to ask what are we doing in NATO in the first place. The Cold War is over. It's time to stop policing Europe and start worrying about our deficit.

I encourage all Members to support this commonsense amendment to help us reduce our spending and to pay off our unsustainable debt.

Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

My amendment would totally zero out the North Atlantic Treaty Organization Security Investment Program and transfer its nearly $200 million into the spending reduction account.

The world has changed dramatically since the creation of NATO. Its mission, as stated by the first Secretary General, Lord Ismay, is ``to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.'' I have a hard time seeing how this is relevant to our post-Soviet world and a post-Cold War world.

In this modern age and in this time of domestic fiscal emergency, it makes no sense for the United States to manage the defense of Europe through NATO. And it certainly makes no sense for us to pay such a large share of it. It's time for us to wind down our involvement with NATO instead of making up new justifications for this defense warfare.

Madam Chair, our Nation is broke. We have an unsustainable debt. We're spending money that's going to crush our children's future and make their future much dimmer than it is today. We have to reallocate our resources and put them towards what's going to deal with this unsustainable debt. We've got to stop this out-of-control spending. Both parties are guilty of doing so.

Though some would say nearly $200 million is just a paltry amount, when our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines are not getting the finances that they need and when Americans are struggling just to make ends meet and we have an economy that is really hurting and jobs are not being created and students are not having jobs when they graduate from college, we have to deal with this debt that's unsustainable. This $200 million would be transferred into the spending reduction account and help us to start--just a small start--to stop this out-of-control spending. It's absolutely critical that we do so.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

I appreciate the comments from my dear friend from Texas. He and I have been involved in trying to cut spending in many ways for a long period of time. In fact, I have a freestanding bill to zero out spending for the United Nations. I want to get the U.N. out of the U.S. and the U.S. out of the U.N. And so that's to come, I promise you. That will be coming. I'll give you that opportunity.

And you're exactly right, Social Security and Medicare need to be fixed so that our senior citizens and poor people have the proper help that they need. And I'm all for that, too. But we've got to cut where we can. I'm a marine. I was deployed to Afghanistan last year as a Navy reservist. And I believe in a strong military. I believe in peace through strength. And we've got to have the strongest military in the world. I don't believe our military should ever be in a fair fight. We need to be in a fight that's overwhelming.

But NATO is a relic of the Cold War. It's a relic that we need to look at. And when we have such a huge debt--almost $17 trillion--we need to cut wherever we can, whenever we can. I think it's extremely important for us to reorder our priorities, particularly across the world, and getting rid of this money for NATO is a way of doing that.

Offered by: Mr. Broun of Georgia

Amendment No. 7: Page 8, line 12, after the dollar amount,

insert ``(reduced to $0)''.

Page 63, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $199,700,000)''.

Offered by: Mr. Broun of Georgia

Amendment No. 8: Page 4, line 14, after the dollar amount,

insert ``(reduced by $38,513,000)''

Page 5, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert ``(reduced

by $38,513,000)''.

Page 63, line 6, after the dollar amount, insert

``(increased by $38,513,000)''.

Dr. Burgess, thank you for yielding.

The ObamaCare law must be ripped out by its roots, and it needs to be replaced with something that makes sense for my patients and my colleagues so that we can deliver good quality health care.

ObamaCare is a destroyer. It's going to destroy the doctor-patient relationship. It's going to destroy the quality of health care in America. It's going to destroy budgets: personal budgets, family budgets, business budgets, State budgets, and even the Federal budget. It's a big spending bill. We've got to stop this outrageous spending.

I just got off the phone with our Governor, Nathan Deal, and he told me that the cost of health care for State employees in Georgia has gone up 12 percent because of ObamaCare, and it's going higher. I just got an email from a businessman in Georgia who said that his premiums have doubled since last year because of ObamaCare.

We must rip it out by the roots and replace it with my Patient OPTION Act that's a market-based, patient-centered health care plan that will literally make health care cheaper for everybody in this country. It will provide coverage for all Americans, and it's going to save Medicare from going broke. ObamaCare is going to break the bank for everybody, and it just must be repealed and replaced with my Patient OPTION Act.

Will the gentlelady yield?

It's ObamaCare that's running the cost up, not the insurance companies.

Mr. Chairman, I'm amazed by the sheer ignorance of the economic disaster that our country is facing. Not only are our leaders ignoring this crisis, they're denying there is even a problem.

This week we'll vote on six budget options, and five of them actually increase spending above today's level. Simply reducing the growth of spending will do nothing to address the economic emergency that we face. The idea that we're increasing spending, but not as much as the other guy, is severely misguided.

We have to dig deeper and make real, targeted cuts, and there has to be a sense of urgency about it. Only the RSC budget actually cuts our baseline spending level and will lead to a balanced budget faster than the alternatives.

We must live within our means.

I thank my friend, Congressman Woodall, for recognizing that we need to cut the outrageous spending and offering this budget today.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today for a special purpose, calling us all to remember and honor the life of First Lieutenant Joseph Dennis Helton, Jr. On September 8, 2009, Lieutenant Helton was tragically killed in action while serving our country in Iraq.

Like many of our nation's heroes, Lieutenant Helton was an exceptional young man with a calling to be a part of something greater than himself. His desire to serve led him to the United States Air Force Academy where he graduated fifth in his class and was the recipient of numerous awards and distinctions.

Upon graduation, Lieutenant Helton was assigned to the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida. As exceptional young soldiers often do, he immediately volunteered for overseas duty, leading him to Iraq. Lieutenant Helton was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor for his fortitude, bravery, and courage and the Purple Heart for his ultimate sacrifice.

As we remember and honor Lieutenant Helton and his sacrifice for our freedom, let us not forget his parents, Joseph and Jennifer, his sisters, Jeanne, Jessica, and Jordanne, and many other loving family members and friends.

Mr. Speaker, may we as grateful citizens, and Members of this body, never forget the passing of this courageous young man and encourage all Americans to honor his sacrifice which was made in defense of liberty and of this great nation. I proudly pay tribute to his memory and hold his service in the highest esteem.

Last Congress, I supported more than $155 billion worth of real spending cuts. If Democrats are interested in finding a more targeted approach to avoiding the sequester, I'm more than happy to offer my suggestions. We only have to cut 2\1/2\ cents out of every dollar that we spend in 2013 to dodge the effects of the sequester. If we can't shrink spending by 2 percent without causing a meltdown, what does that say about the size of Washington?

Frankly, I don't think this administration wants to cut spending at all. The President is only interested in raising taxes, but this year, he has already levied $150 billion worth of new taxes on the American people. I wholeheartedly support making meaningful cuts, but there is a better way to go about doing it than with the sequester.

Congress needs to sit down and go through the budget line by line, and it needs to figure out what wasteful programs we can get rid of in the middle of this debt crisis. I hope that Democrats will work with Republicans to find a smarter way to cut spending while we also protect American jobs and our national security.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Ms. Toni Childress, a compassionate advocate for children and families in northeast Georgia. For seven years, Ms. Childress has served as executive director for Family Connection and Communities In Schools of Stephens County, Incorporated. The mission of the organization is simple--to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

Under her leadership, Family Connection and Community In Schools, FCCIS, has encouraged children to accomplish more than they ever thought possible through effective literacy and tutoring programs, as well as a powerful mentoring program. Of the latter, one student shared, ``My mentor has helped me to follow my dreams and keep my goals high.'' This sincere expression of one student is reason enough to honor Ms. Childress. However, she is one who goes above and beyond the required assignment.

Where Ms. Childress sees a need, she will rise to the occasion to find a solution. When a social worker approached her about the lack of warm winter clothing for several students, Ms. Childress organized a successful coat drive. Now, in its fourth year, FCCIS distributes more than seven hundred coats to children and adults throughout Stephens County. Similarly, when Ms. Childress learned that there is an alarming rate of child abuse and neglect in her community, she quickly organized monthly workshops with the acknowledgment that change begins with awareness.

For this reason, it is my honor to acknowledge Ms. Toni Childress for the significant contributions she has made to her community. Whether it is providing gift certificates for student vision exams or welcome bags for newborn babies, Ms. Childress is passionate about making a difference. On behalf of the United States Congress, I applaud her great work and wish continued success for Family Connection and Communities In Schools of Stephens County, Incorporated.

Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Madam Chairman, my amendment would strike $13 million in nonemergency funding for the National Weather Service's ground readiness project.

This funding, found in the Frelinghuysen amendment, is for work that is already underway as part of a yet unfinished state-of-the-art weather satellite system. It is my understanding that this particular amount is meant to speed up the preparations needed to get ready for data that will come from these new weather satellites, which are set to be launched 2 to 5 years from now.

Madam Chairman, our hearts go out to the victims that are suffering from the devastation from Hurricane Sandy.

However, in the wake of large storms like this, government's knee-jerk reaction is often to throw money at forecasting or storm modeling in order to prevent widespread damage in the future. Unfortunately, even with the best imaginable forecasting systems, we would not have been able to prevent the structural damages which resulted from this particular storm. Yet here we are debating funding for a project due to go online years from now in an emergency supplemental bill, which is meant to provide aid to those who are still suffering in the wake of Sandy.

For fiscal year 2013, the National Weather Service received a total of $991 million. That's $20 million over their initial request. NOAA is expected to ask for additional funding for this particular project over the next 2 years--nearly $15 million in fiscal year 2014 and $18 million in fiscal year 2015, the year the first new satellite is due to launch. It appears that the funding included in the Frelinghuysen amendment is simply meant to get the ground portion of this project finished just a little bit faster.

Madam Chairman, I don't wish to argue the merits of this project, and I agree that if we have the ability to improve our forecasting infrastructure, we ought to do it, but this is not the time nor the place. The time for this project--and other projects like it which are funded in the Frelinghuysen amendment--is during the normal appropriations process.

While I offered seven other amendments to the Rules Committee which would have removed similar nonemergent spending totaling over $300 million, unfortunately, only this amendment made it to the House floor. I'm disappointed that none of my other amendments to cut excessive spending were allowed. I was hopeful that the start of a new Congress would usher in a new dedication to cutting wasteful, duplicative, unnecessary spending. Unfortunately, it looks like it is business as usual.

That said, I'm hopeful this amendment will pass so this particular appropriation may be considered under regular order, as it should.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chairman, he just made my point. We all want good satellite weather forecasting. The satellites have already been funded and underway. This project is already underway. It's nonemergent spending. We should not have nonemergent spending in an emergent appropriations bill, particularly when we don't have any setoffs for this. There is no reason whatsoever, absolutely zero reason that this could not be considered in the normal appropriations process, as my good friend just stated.

My point has been that these types of projects should be considered under regular order. They should be considered the way that all funding, except for emergency funding, should be considered, and that's through the Appropriations Committee, the regular order, the way we're supposed to be doing things in this House. This is not one of those.

My amendment, if it is passed, is not going to shut down this new weather system. It's not going to ground the satellites. It's not going to ground the ground project. All it's going to do is just say we're not going to put this nonemergent spending in an emergency appropriations bill, and we will take it under regular order as we should. That's my big point. I appreciate my friend saying that we could take it under regular order, as we should be doing.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Chair, this is not going to delay data. It's not going to delay the implementation of this new satellite system. The current satellite that was just launched last fall has all the data-receiving capability that it can send out. So all this is doing is just saying let's wait until the regular appropriations process.

I urge passage of my amendment.

Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, we've reached the fiscal cliff not because we tax too little, but because we spend too much. We are focusing on whom to raise taxes and by how much. This debate really should be about outrageous spending.

Many people believe that what's happening in Greece cannot happen in the United States. But think about it, Greece kept borrowing and spending until eventually they couldn't pay their public workers, take care of the elderly and the poor, or deliver any of the services they promised to its people. The United States is headed down the very same path.

We'll be right back here having this same debate very soon if we don't cut spending. Instead of discussing taxing the top 2 percent, the next time it will be the top 50 percent, and so on, until we are all being taxed--everyone--but spending so much that we still cannot meet our obligations.

This debate should be about spending, not taxes, so that we can give the American people what they want--a strong economy and a guarantee that programs like Social Security and Medicare will remain intact.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and congratulate Major General Peter J. Boylan who is celebrating his twentieth year as President of Georgia Military College (GMC), and is the longest serving President of the college since its founding in 1879. General Boylan has worked wonders for GMC as he is responsible for restoring the reputation and financial stability of the school, which is now ranked one of the best community colleges in the nation. Through his unwavering determination, he planned and secured funding to rebuild and renovate every structure on the GMC-Milledgeville campus, made possible the addition of previously non-existent athletic fields and facilities, and renovated, relocated, or established-as-new every GMC distant learning and extension center in the state.

Not only is General Boylan a tireless leader and a staunch champion of the academics, he is also a distinguished military retiree himself. He served for more than thirty years in the United States Army which included two tours in the Republic of South Vietnam, and he also participated in the invasion of Grenada with the 82nd Airborne Division. General Boylan's devotion to his country led him to later work with the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the Pentagon and eventually as Deputy Inspector General of the Army. His list of achievements is monumental, which is a testament to how blessed the student body, staff, and faculty of GMC are to have him as President. Some of his most notable awards include the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart amongst many others.

General Boylan's academic accomplishments are equally as impressive. He has a Masters degree in engineering from the University of Michigan as well as a Doctor of Laws from Flagler College. For much of his tenure at GMC, General Boylan has stressed that character building is an integral part of a good education. Having also served, I understand the importance of teaching our youth these traits, and couldn't be more supportive of General Boylan in his efforts. Moreover, General Boylan still finds the time to be an active community servant and a faithful family man. He has been honored with the Floyd Harrington Community Leadership Award, he served on the Committee for the Selection of White House Fellows (New York Region) and was appointed by the Governor of Georgia to the Board of Directors for the Department of Juvenile Justice. Most importantly, he and his wife, Kathleen, have five children and thirteen grandchildren.

I know that GMC, the entire state of Georgia, and this nation are forever grateful to General Boylan for his unwavering love for his country, his dutiful service within the military, and his constant willingness to give back to our nation's youth. I am honored to stand here today and congratulate him on twenty years as President of Georgia Military College.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 579 had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a Southern Baptist minister in Georgia's Tenth Congressional District, Rev. William F. Harrell. After serving as Senior Pastor of Abilene Baptist Church for the past 31 years, Rev. Harrell, or Brother Bill, as he is lovingly referred to by his church congregation, is entering retirement.

Under his leadership, Abilene Baptist has grown to nearly 2,900 members, and the ministry includes a region-wide television program, entitled ``Strength for Today.'' Its building stands as a stunning landmark, and the reputation of its members is a powerful testimony to the greatness of God. The church's success and strength is due, in large part, to Rev. Harrell's faithfulness and care in serving the community of the Central Savannah River Area and first and foremost, our Lord Jesus Christ. He has served a total of 39 years in ministry, holding a number of positions in the Augusta Baptist Association, Georgia Baptist Convention, and the Southern Baptist Convention.

For this reason, and on the occasion of his retirement, it is my honor to acknowledge Rev. Bill Harrell, for his outstanding career and significant contributions to Christian ministry. Furthermore, I extend my sincere appreciation to a servant leader in whom I value his friendship and hold in the highest regard. Rev. Harrell is a man who is certain of his calling, consistent in his ministry, and committed to doing the work of the Lord.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the United States Congress, I applaud the great work of Rev. William Harrell and congratulate him on the occasion of his retirement.