Floor Statements

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2997, the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey

Bill Number: H.R. 2997

Account: Department of Agriculture; Natural Resources Conservation Service, Watershed and Flood Prevention Operations

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Paulding County (GA) Board of Commissioners

Address of Requesting Entity: 240 Constitution Boulevard, Dallas, GA 30132

Description of Request: The project will be a pump-fill reservoir located within the upper reaches of Richland Creek in northern Paulding County, Georgia. The funding granted in H.R. 2997 is to be used for engineering and design services for the dam structure and appurtenances, raw water withdrawal station, raw water pipeline, and for mitigation purposes.

Richland Creek Reservoir is a public water supply reservoir that is being proposed to fulfill Paulding County's water supply needs for the next 50 years. As Richland Creek has a small drainage basin, a raw water intake structure and pipeline must be constructed on the Etowah River to supply water to the 4.4 billion gallon reservoir. According to our 50-year water needs projections, Paulding County will need approximately 62 million gallons per day (MGD). Currently, Paulding County purchases 100% of its potable water from Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA). CCMWA has in its long-term plan to be able to supply Paulding with up to 27 MGD leaving an unmet need for Paulding County of 35 MGD. Richland Creek Reservoir is expected to fulfill the unmet water supply need of 35 million gallons per day (MGD) for Paulding County.

The $100,000 added to H.R. 2997 will be used in its entirety for Surveying, Engineering Studies & Permitting for the reservoir to help fulfill the water needs of Paulding County.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 131, a resolution urging the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the National Motto of ``In God We Trust'' in the Capitol Visitor Center.

The Pledge of Allegiance is an excellent example of national solidarity for all Americans and the foremost demonstration of America as ``one nation, under God, with liberty and justice for all.'' These words illustrate an eternal commitment to a nation unified by a common history, identity, and Constitution. The Pledge further represents that if God gives you a right, then no man should have the power to take it away. This is the premise of our nation, our rights, and our system of law, and it must be upheld in an effort to never lose sight of the fact that we are bound together as one nation--common in purpose-- endeavoring to provide an open and free democracy for all of mankind.

``In God We Trust'' was codified as our national motto in 1956 in recognition of the Judeo-Christian values upon which our nation is founded. Faith has always been a very important part of American history and culture, and I believe that it is imperative to uphold this cornerstone of our heritage to preserve the rights of all Americans to worship freely and openly. I am proud that my home state of Georgia has recognized ``God'' in its own Constitution and seeks to maintain a reliance on faith in God as one of its founding principles.

Mr. Speaker, I want to make clear that the Pledge of Allegiance and our national motto are two public illustrations of the values to which we hold firmly in America. These two principles are demonstrated in this very chamber by our opening of each legislative day with prayer and by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. One need look no further than behind the chair of the Speaker of this great body to see the inscription of ``In God We Trust.'' These two testaments of our founding must remain the stronghold of American values and continue to be espoused in every public meeting.

Therefore, it is with great pride and honor that I stand here today to advocate for the engraving of the Pledge of Allegiance and our national motto in the newly constructed Capitol Visitor Center. Displaying these two documents prominently in an open arena for all tourists and citizens is just one more reminder of the founding and enduring principles of our nation, of which we must be reminded daily. As lawmakers, we must never cease to instill the doctrine of democracy and freedom of religion for the entire world, and by displaying these words in our nation's capitol we are only reaffirming our dedication to this endeavor. I urge all of colleagues to support this resolution and to hold steadfast to the values upon which our great nation was founded.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information regarding the earmark I received as part of H.R. 2996, the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey

Bill Number: H.R. 2996

Account: Environmental Protection Agency; STAG Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Projects

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District

Address of Requesting Entity: 40 Courtland Street, NE Atlanta, GA 30303

Description of Request:

The $500,000 in STAG funding secured will be applied to this list of the Water District projects:

Cobb County

Sweetwater Creek Sanitary Sewer Extension--This proposed extension of the Sweetwater Creek interceptor will provide gravity sewer service to much of the unsewered portion of southwestern Cobb County, including several dry sewer subdivisions. It will also extend service into the Sweetwater basin in Paulding County, eliminating the need for an additional treatment facility and comporting with our regional plan. The project includes about 20,000 linear feet of large diameter sewer. Estimated cost of this project is $7,700,000.

Mack Dobbs Road Water Main Replacement--Replacement of 11,200 linear feet of existing 6-inch asbestos cement water main with 12-inch ductile iron between Cobb Parkway and Stilesboro Road. Estimated cost of this project is $1,200,000.

Low Flow Toilet and Urinal Retrofit for 127 Cobb County Public Schools--A water conservation project which consists of replacing approximately 5,782 older, inefficient toilets and urinals and 2,478 miscellaneous faucets and pre-rinse spray valves in Cobb County Schools. The estimated cost of this project is $875,000.

Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority

The Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority (CCMWA), a political subdivision of the State of Georgia, is a regional water wholesaler with 13 customers that serve over 790,000 people.

The customers include Cobb County, all of the municipalities within Cobb County, all of Paulding County, portions of Douglas County, Cherokee County, the City of Woodstock, and a small community in Fulton County.

Austell West Side Connector 24''--This pipeline project installs 8,000 feet of 24'' ductile iron pipe to connect existing transmission lines. The pipeline will improve system flow capacity and provide redundancy to Cobb Hospital and high growth area along East-West Connector. The estimated cost of this project is $2,549,800.

Five Million Gallon Steel Tank at Lost Mountain--This tank will provide enhanced fire protection. It will also increase system reliability by improving storage-to-production ratio and source water reliability for existing pump station. It will provide additional water storage for west Cobb County and Paulding County. The estimated cost of this project is $3,500,000.

Five Million Gallon Steel Tank at Pete Shaw--This tank will provide enhanced fire protection. It will also increase system reliability by improving storage-to-production ratio. This tank will provide additional water storage capacity to east Cobb County. The estimated cost of this project is $3,500,000.

Columns Drive Pipe Replacement--Replacement of approximately 600 linear feet of 36'' ductile iron pipe with 54'' restrained joint ductile iron pipe. This installation will eliminate a restriction in the main line from the Quarles Water Treatment Plant. The estimated cost of this project is $780,600.

Hall County

Low Flow Toilet and Urinal Retrofit for Hall County Government Facilities--A water conservation project which consists of replacing all older, inefficient toilets and urinals in County facilities not already fitted with low flow systems including; Parks, Fire Stations, Senior Centers, Prisons, etc. The estimated cost of this project is $190,000.

The City of Gainesville

Flat Creek Watershed Improvement Plan and Ecosystem Restoration--The City of Gainesville and Hall County have developed a watershed improvement and ecosystem restoration plan for the Flat Creek watershed which includes several projects involving stream restoration and construction of storm water best management practices. The City is currently designing the Upper Flat Creek Stream Restoration and Regional Stormwater Detention Pond project. The estimated cost of this project is $700,000. Other projects we are moving forward with would cost approximately $2,000,000.

Gainesville/Hall County Water Main Extensions and Improvements projects--These projects include approximately 25 miles of 8"-20" water line extensions/improvements throughout Gainesville/Hall County. Projects will extend water service to new customers and improve fire and water service by installing fire hydrants in new locations and improving flow capacity and quality in the water distribution system. The cost of these projects is estimated to be $13,200,000.

Rockdale County Water Resources

Distribution Waterline Replacements--A water conservation project to significantly reduce or eliminate unaccounted for water (i.e. reducing water leaks in public water supply distribution system). Estimated cost of this project is $15,000,000.

Wastewater Pump Station--To prevent sewer overflows and upgrade pumping station to meet current demands in a concentrated area. Estimated cost of this project is $300,000.

The City of Locust Grove

Water Supply Wells--The City of Locust Grove has drilled two additional wells for drinking water supply. These wells have already been drilled and permitted by GA EPD. The wells are needed to help supply enough water for current demand. The design has already been drawn. Estimated cost of this project is $250,000.

The City of Roswell

Municipal Buildings Water Conservation Project--The condition of Roswell's municipal building restroom facilities vary widely in age, use, quality and repair. An initial assessment of the restrooms found 106 urinals, 295 toilets and 265 faucets to replace. The proposed water conservation project will purchase and install high-efficiency urinals, and toilets for the City's administrative, public safety, public-works, recycling center and park buildings. Additionally the project could include low-flow faucets, eco-friendly sanitizer systems and to minimize restroom vandalism and maintenance the installation of stainless steel panels, new and replacement tile. The estimated cost for this project is $500,000.

The City of Alpharetta

North Park Improvements: Construct off-line sediment forebay--A sediment forebay will allow silt to fall out in a confined area just prior to the lake. During non-storm flows, the creek will flow naturally into the lake. When it rains and the creek rises, water will be diverted to the forebay. The forebay will slow down the water, allowing time for much of the silt to fall out before discharging back into the lake. The forebay will be much easier to clean out than the lake itself.

North Park Improvements: Construct three enhanced swales to treat water coming from the softball fields and two parking lots--Enhanced swales are state recognized water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs) that allow for more water to infiltrate and be treated prior to entering the creek. As part of the installation of the enhanced swales, the water from these areas will be diverted to directly enter the lake instead of entering upstream through very eroded gullies. The gullies are so large that it is actually more cost effective to install the BMPs and divert the flow than it would be to repair the gullies, which are over 20 feet deep in some areas.

North Park Improvements: Modify the outlet control structure of the lake--The current outlet structure of the lake clogs in nearly every storm event, requiring parks maintenance personnel to have to remove debris to restore drainage. The outlet control structure can be modified to reduce clogging and provide improved water quality benefits for the lake. This will reduce necessary maintenance and give the lake an overall better aesthetic appearance.

Total cost for these improvements is: $517,818.75. This price includes the cost to prepare conceptual and final design; construction of three improvements/BMPS; and model pollutant removal.

Mr. Chair, as we consider H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, I would like to say a special thanks to Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon-- as well as to subcommittee Chairman Abercrombie and Ranking Member Bartlett--for their tireless efforts in support of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who are bravely defending us at home and abroad.

While not a perfect bill, this legislation covers a wide scope of issues that are vitally important to our Armed Services, both active and reserve component, and it clearly addresses the most pressing needs of our troops in a very trying time for America. A 3.4% pay raise for all members of the Armed Forces will further reduce the military- civilian pay disparity. I am very pleased with the work the Committee has done this year to authorize $368 million for the advance procurement of long-lead supplies needed to build 12 additional F-22's in 2011. The F-22 is the world's most capable fighter, and these funds will go a long way towards providing stability for our forces and ensuring that America maintains air dominance for the foreseeable future.

While I applaud the work of the Committee in addressing pressing readiness issues, I am however concerned about the deep cuts to missile defense. A viable missile defense system is critical to deterring and countering emerging threats to our national security--especially as Iran and North Korea develop their nuclear capabilities. I look forward to working with Chairman Skelton, Ranking Member McKeon, and the rest of the Committee as this bill moves forward to address these program needs.

While there is much to be proud of in this bill, I am disappointed that the Rules Committee failed to make any of my four amendments in order. These were commonsense amendments, Mr. Chair, that would make the Department of Defense (DoD) more effective in carrying out its mission.

The first amendment I offered to this bill would have ensured that no detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility are transported to the United States. The American people have spoken on this issue with 55% of them opposed to allowing terrorists to be transported to American soil. Further, a June 12, 2009 letter from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons to my colleague, Trent Franks, stated that ``there is insufficient bed space in any high-security Federal prison to

confine these individuals. In addition, there are currently no beds available in our Administrative Maximum United States Penitentiary in Florence, Colorado, to confine any more Federal inmates, let alone any of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. If called upon to confine any of these detainees, we would most likely confine them in ADX Florence and in one or more high-security penitentiaries. Depending on the numbers, this might require us to transfer a sufficient number of inmates to other penitentiaries in order to create the necessary bed space. Such transfers would impose significant additional challenges on our agency.'' Clearly the transfer of these detainees to anywhere in America is dangerous and must be prohibited.

My second amendment would express the sense of Congress that active military personnel who live in or are stationed in Washington, DC, would be exempt from the District's firearms restrictions. On June 26, 2008, the Supreme Court of the United States in the case, District of Columbia v. Heller, held that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm for traditionally lawful purposes, and thus, ruled that the District of Columbia's handgun ban and requirements that rifles and shotguns in the home be kept unloaded and disassembled or outfitted with a trigger lock to be unconstitutional. However, the D.C. City Council has circumvented the Supreme Court ruling by enacting the Firearms Control Emergency Amendment Act of 2008, making a waiver necessary to ensure that our military men and women--of which there are 40,000 in Washington and who have been trained in firearm use--are permitted to safely carry a firearm in the District.

A further amendment would prohibit DoD civilian employees from using official paid work time for union activities, ensuring that American taxpayers are not subsidizing labor organizations. DoD was one of the largest abusers of using ``official time'' for union activity. Its total number of official time hours in FY 2008 was 331,099 (a 5.1% increase from FY 2007). OPM estimated the official time wage cost for the DoD was $12,141,699 for FY 2008, which is an $855,694 increase from FY 2007. This is just one example of union activity being subsidized by taxpayer dollars on official time.

My final amendment would have provided the Secretary of Defense with a waiver from section 526 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 regarding the procurement of alternative fuels if the Secretary feels that a waiver is appropriate to enhance the readiness of the Armed Forces. Section 526 prohibits all federal agencies from contracting for alternative fuels that emit higher levels of greenhouse gas emissions than ``conventional petroleum sources.'' DoD accounts for over 80% of all federal government fuel usage, and its annual fuel expense more than doubled between 2003 and 2007--from $5.2 billion to $12.6 billion. The Secretary of Defense needs a waiver from section 526 so that DoD's fuel costs can be kept low.

Mr. Chair, there is much to be proud of in this bill. I again commend Chairman Skelton and Ranking Member McKeon for their efforts to keep this bill focused on the needs of the war-fighter, a fact that I hope is not lost as we progress through the amendment process.

Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this rule and to the underlying legislation. I am just not sure to which I am more opposed. Americans are watching, as from Iran to North Korea, the forces of darkness are attempting to silence the voices of democracy and freedom.

The irony is, on this day, the democratic process and our Nation's economic freedom are under threat, not by some rogue state but in this very Chamber in which we stand. Good people may disagree on the impact of the merits of this bill, but no one can disagree with the fact that the Speaker and our Rules Committee have silenced the opposition of 224 amendments. Madam Speaker, one, and I repeat, one amendment was actually made in order.

Madam Speaker, I offered an amendment which was, of course, not made in order, that would have allowed a State to opt out of this legislation.

How can we not give them the ability to say that their citizens and their businesses simply cannot afford this Pelosi global warming tax? For some of them, this bill will be an economic death sentence.

And yet, Madam Speaker, this House will not have a chance to vote on this amendment or any of the other 222. They were banned from being debated and voted upon in this, the people's House.

I call upon every Member of this House, oppose and defeat this rule, not just for the sake of the democratic process, but for the sake of our Nation's economy.

Madam Speaker, we are at a crossroads. Our Nation faces significant challenges, with unemployment nearing 10 percent and trillion-dollar deficits piling up decades of debt for our children and our grandchildren.

However, congressional Democrats should not be so shortsighted to think that we cannot make a bad situation significantly worse by enacting legislation like this bill that will only knock more Americans off the assembly line and into the unemployment line.

This bill will impose the Pelosi Global Warming Tax on every single American household and business, raising home electricity costs and annual energy costs by almost $3,000 for every family, and the only reduction will be in our Nation's gross domestic product by almost $10 trillion and in the number of Americans employed by the millions.

Madam Speaker, Washington cannot save this country. Only the American people and American ingenuity can. Unfortunately, congressional Democrats have already allowed the Federal Government to take over our banking industry, the automobile industry, and now this House may very well vote to take over America's energy, with control over health care not far behind.

Let's stop the insanity and wake up to the reality imposed in the Global Pelosi Warming Tax and, in the words of another Californian, our distinguished former first lady, Nancy Reagan: Just say no.

Mr. Chairman, even though my former Rules Committee colleague and I couldn't disagree more when it comes to WHINSEC, he is my good friend and I always look forward to our spirited debates on this matter. Predictably, I rise today to take issue with his amendment.

The gentleman has stated today and in the past that the information on the WHINSEC students and instructors is always made available but that since 2005 disclosure and transparency have been lacking. To be clear, Mr. Chairman, the Department of Defense has provided to Congress the names, country of origin, and rank, courses, and dates of attendance of all students and instructors at WHINSEC since the year 2005.

Since we already know exactly who is attending WHINSEC, I am led to wonder, Mr. Chairman, what is the McGovern amendment trying to accomplish? Unfortunately, I believe that the release of personal information has less to do with transparency and more to do with the efforts to shut WHINSEC down, something that this Congress has repeatedly rejected. If transparency is the issue, Mr. Chairman, WHINSEC is open to visitors every working day. It invites people to sit in class, talk with the students, talk with the faculty, and review instructional material. This is perhaps the most open, transparent, and welcoming organization in the Department of Defense.

Mr. McGovern has also stated in the past that from time to time WHINSEC PR materials include pictures of students and instructors, so why the need to protect the identities of attendees? While this may be true, these are not the materials that end up in the mailboxes of narcotraffickers and drug lords in Central and South America; however, these criminals do search the Internet for the names of law enforcement personnel who stand in their way.

I would also note there's a big difference between the voluntary and involuntary publishing of the names of the WHINSEC participants. Obviously, an attendee who is an undercover counterdrug officer would be more reticent to have his or her name posted on a Web site than would someone who has since become a high-ranking public official.

Mr. Chairman, every Member of this body should know that WHINSEC is an invaluable tool for military-to-military cooperation between us, the United States, and Latin America and is a vital means for strengthening security cooperation in the region. Publicizing the names of WHINSEC students in their home countries could very well lead to hostile attention from nations, organizations, and individuals that may wish to do harm to the U.S., its friends and its allies. Such publications

could serve as a disincentive to Central and South American, and Mexican, yes, Mexican students who otherwise want to attend WHINSEC and could discourage nations from sending their students to the school.

It would undercut the effectiveness of WHINSEC as a tool for building hemispheric security cooperation and communicating the democratic values and respect for human rights we espouse. If our ability to influence the democratic trajectory of the region were diminished, it would be countries like Venezuela and China that would fill the void.

I therefore believe this amendment could potentially do much more harm than good, and I ask all my colleagues to oppose it.

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

I do rise in support of Representative Connolly's amendment, but this amendment, Mr. Chairman, doesn't go nearly far enough. Let me try to explain in the limited time that I have.

The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 has in it a section 526, which does not allow any agency of the Federal Government to use a fuel source that has one scintilla increased amount of carbon dioxide footprint other than just standard old bubble-up petroleum. The Department of Defense uses about 350,000 barrels of refined petroleum product every day, most of that by the Air Force in the use of jet fuel.

In this country, we have so much domestic source of nonconventional bubble-up petroleum, and I'm talking about things like shale, in particular, and the liquefication of coal, converting coal into petroleum. In this country, Mr. Chairman, we probably have a 150-year reserve of coal, and yet we cannot touch that even though the Department of Defense has done research on the clean liquefication of coal, the clean mining of shale. Shale is a rock that's just soaked, it's like a sponge, it's just soaked with petroleum, and there are literally hundreds of millions of barrels of petroleum within that shale. And yet, because of this section 526 in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, we cannot use it. We cannot use that at all.

So what we have found, of course, is that most of the petroleum that we import from foreign countries is not coming from OPEC; it's coming from Canada. And what's the problem? That oil that we get from Canada comes from tar sand. It's got a little sand in it, and it causes a little increase of production of carbon dioxide, a footprint that's more than conventional petroleum. So that's all the amendment does from the gentleman from Virginia.

I support the amendment, but what we need to do is eliminate section 526.

And I have an amendment that I signed on with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling) and the other gentleman from Texas (Mr. Conaway), and that's what we should have done. That amendment should have been made in order. We need to eliminate section 526 and take the handcuffs off the Department of Defense. We're talking about big bucks here, Mr. Chairman.

I do support the gentleman's amendment.

Madam Speaker, in accordance with House Republican Conference standards, and Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I submit the following member request. Funding for this request was authorized in H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey

Bill Number: H.R. 2647

Account: Army, RDTE

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Georgia Institute of Technology

Address of Requesting Entity: Institute of Bioengineering and Bioscience, 315 Ferst Drive, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0363

Description of Request: The $3,000,000 authorized for the Center for Advanced Bioengineering and Solider Survivability (CABSS) will focus on research in advanced tissue and bone regeneration and wound care and treatment issues relevant to military trauma care. Fundamental research advances in these areas can lead to technologies and techniques for better immediate clinical combat care as well as address long term care issues involving limb loss, tissue and organ damage, facial and dental injuries, and reconstruction. The funding will be paid out at pre- negotiated rates in accordance with Department of Defense policy. Specifically, funds will be used to: establish a seed grant program to identify novel technologies for treatment of musculoskeletal defects following trauma, develop oriented nano-fiber meshes for treatment of neurologic defects following injury to the extremities, develop biodegradable shape memory polymers for treatment of large bone defects, develop biodegradable shape memory polymers for craniofacial reconstruction, and test the effects of sustained delivery of osteoinductive proteins in tubular nanofiber mesh scaffolds on functional repair of large segmental bone defects. Georgia Tech will continue to leverage this request to obtain funding from other sources. The Georgia Research Alliance has pledged additional money to the project for infrastructure and equipment, and past Congressional funding has been leveraged to successfully obtain funding from DoD's Orthopaedic Trauma Research Program and its Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine, as well as funding from the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.

Madam Speaker, I rise to honor an American hero and a patriot who gave his life in defense of our Nation while serving with the Georgia National Guard in Afghanistan.

First Sergeant John Blair from Calhoun, Georgia, in my 11th Congressional District, was killed in action on June 20, 2009, just this past Saturday, when a rocked-propelled grenade struck his vehicle during an hour-and-a-half-long firefight with enemy forces after the convoy, which he was leading, was ambushed. Eyewitness accounts from soldiers serving alongside Sergeant Blair credit his actions with saving the lives of many of his fellow soldiers during the ambush. And as a credit to his leadership, his men kept their cool and they did their jobs, even after their commanding officer fell.

Blair has been described as a true leader, Madam Speaker, both for the American troops who served with him, as well as the 1st Brigade of the Afghan National Army's 203rd Corps who he was in charge of mentoring.

I want to quote a couple of lines that were written about Sergeant Blair in the military publication, ``Stars and Stripes'': ``Blair was their leader. He was tough, unrelenting. He cursed and reprimanded and gained not just their respect, but their fondness during the months of training for their deployment in Afghanistan. He could be harsh, but was fair and imparted to his men a sense of their potential.''

Other soldiers have echoed these comments, describing how Blair pushed them beyond their comfort levels to be their best and was even like a father figure for many of them.

Madam Speaker, Sergeant Blair carried these same characteristics to his service as a Gordon County sheriff's deputy and a Drug Task Force officer for many years in Calhoun, Georgia. In addition to his great service to our Nation and his community, John Blair was also a dedicated family man who was looking forward to spending quality time with his grandson when he returned home. What an amazing example of courage, selflessness and a love of country that Sergeant Blair provided, not only for his young grandson but, Madam Speaker, for all of us.

My prayers go out to his family. My deepest gratitude goes out to First Sergeant Blair for his selfless sacrifice for our Nation. I ask all Members to join me in honoring the distinguished memory of First Sergeant John Blair.

Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman from Texas, Judge Carter, yielding to me.

As the gentleman points out, this is a very, very serious time to be on the floor speaking to all of our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and Representative Carter and myself and others on our side of the aisle, as we bring these concerns to our fellow Members, Madam Speaker, it is not something that we do lightly. It is not something that we do lightly, and I hope my colleagues on both sides of the aisle understand that.

We have all grown up with the little sayings, the aphorisms or adages that you hear from your parents, or maybe at school or church, things like, If you live in a glass house, you shouldn't throw rocks. I remember my dad told me one time a story about Huey Long, the governor of Louisiana. I don't know whether it was in a reelection campaign or maybe even his first campaign for governor, he had a critic, maybe even an opponent in that race, a General Hugh Johnson, and General Hugh Johnson was awfully critical of Governor Huey Long and accused him of corruption and that sort of thing. Huey Long said to General Hugh Johnson something to the effect that, Don't criticize a speck in my eye if you have a plank in your own. In fact, Madam Speaker, that may be in Proverbs in the Bible as well. Maybe that is where

Governor Huey Long got that from. But the point is you are reluctant, aren't we, we are reluctant to bring criticism against our colleagues knowing that we are not perfect. No one, indeed, is; except the one true Savior.

So it is a very serious thing when we come and express concern on the House floor about the action of our colleagues. But yet we are here tonight. We are obviously here tonight, and we are speaking about that. Judge Carter, Madam Speaker, started off talking about the seriousness of the consequences of our integrity or lack of integrity as he talked about what happened years ago, and I remember it, too, in regard to the Korean Conflict, and then brought us into current time and talked about what is going on in North Korea now and what is going on in Iran.

The intelligence that we receive about things that are really bad things occurring across the globe has got to be wisdom, and it has got to be honest. You can't modify those two terms and say it is conventional wisdom or it is relative honesty. Wisdom and honesty don't have modifiers. It is either wisdom or it is not. It is either honest and truthful or it is not.

So as Judge Carter talks about this situation with our distinguished Speaker of the House of Representatives in regard to whether or not what she said about the CIA was honest and truthful, or whether the CIA was honest and truthful in regard to their response, in fact John Podesta, I think, basically said, Look, the CIA spoke the truth.

The consequences, Madam Speaker, are so serious to this Nation, and indeed, to the world, that it is important. If you ask any citizen of this country and you say, ``Who do you think you depend on most to tell the truth, would it be the Speaker of the House or the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency?'' I'm not sure how most people would respond, Madam Speaker. I'm not sure how I would respond. You expect both of them, at that level of government, to be honest and truthful.

So it is disturbing to me as a Member of the House of Representatives, it's disturbing to me as a citizen of this country, as a dad, as a granddad, as a husband, as a father, to find out that maybe the Central Intelligence Agency is not telling the truth. And even worse than that, Madam Speaker, that possibly there is a pattern of the Central Intelligence Agency not telling the truth. That is just about as frightening a concept as you can possibly imagine.

What can we rely on? Should we have done what we did in Operation Enduring Freedom in regard to taking out al Qaeda and the Taliban and that regime change back in 2001, 2002 before Representative Carter and I became Members of the Congress?

You know, it's a very, very disturbing thing, and that's why we're here tonight. And again, it is painful, but I'm not standing up here, Madam Speaker, I'm not standing up here saying that our Speaker, the Speaker, the first female Speaker in the history of this body who is now serving her third year as Speaker of the House of Representatives, I'm not saying that she was dishonest. I just simply am here to say we need to know, the American people need to know. And if the CIA lied once, even, but certainly if there was a pattern of giving misleading information to members of the Select Committees on Intelligence, then we've got some serious problems, Madam Speaker, we have some serious problems, and something needs to be done about that and needs to be done right now. Because, as Judge Carter was saying, these things that are going on in Iran, in North Korea, and in other parts of the world, this can't wait. If we've got a problem, we need to solve this right now. So that's why we're here tonight.

And again, I appreciate my colleague from Texas for doing this gutsy thing because he's not perfect, Madam Speaker, and I'm not perfect. And again, I may have a little speck in my eye, you know, and the house I live in may have too much glass in it, but on the other hand, if we see things, and again, I'm not suggesting anybody--certainly not suggesting that our Speaker, the Speaker was lying, but if there's a problem, it needs to be brought forward for the betterment of this body. We owe that to the American people. We owe that to the American people.

Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, it seems that our House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, the Ethics Committee, has been dysfunctional since the day I came here 7 years ago. I'm in my fourth term, Madam Speaker, and that body has been dysfunctional since the day I came here. It's supposed to be bipartisan. You have five members of each party, and yet we seem to be just sweeping things under the rug and not addressing problems like we should.

I'm going to yield back to the gentleman who controls the time here in just a second, but the point is just exactly what he said at the outset, Madam Speaker. I remember it so painfully well, because back in 2006, when we Republicans still were in the majority, I mean, every day, every evening during Special Order hours the then minority party, the Democrats, just pounded, pounded over and over again what they called a ``culture of corruption.'' And we did, on our side of the aisle, Madam Speaker, have a few Members--thank God not many, but three or four. That is too many, of course. One is too many--that were not conducting themselves in the manner that this House demands, that the sanctity of this House demands.

And by campaigning on that, along with, of course, the unpopularity of a prolonged conflict in Iraq and too much spending, absolutely too much spending, but of course it seems like a penny ante compared to what's going on now, but it caused us to lose our majority status, Madam Speaker, and it's painful. It's painful to find ourselves in this situation and to think that, Madam Speaker, and the Democratic minority at the time talked about, Ladies and gentlemen of the United States, you give us an opportunity, you let us control, and we will drain the swamp. We will end this culture of corruption.

And here again, I am mighty disappointed. We're not seeing any end to the culture of corruption, and it seems like more and more is being swept under the rug. And it shouldn't happen on either side of the aisle, and so that is why we're here. Again, it's painful, and we're not trying to hurt anybody. We're just trying to help the American people.

And I yield back to my colleague from Texas.

Of course I appreciate the gentleman's yielding, and once again I appreciate his having the courage, as well as the courage of my colleague from Iowa, Representative Steve King, to come to the floor and to talk about issues like this. As I said earlier in my remarks, it's very painful, very hard to do, but it is something that has to be done.

If the CIA, as I said before, if they are lying to someone who is third in line to the President, the Speaker of the House, and there's a pattern of that lying, we have got some serious problems. And it would seem to me that something of this magnitude would rise to the level of an Iran Contra issue or, indeed, a Watergate issue where you absolutely have to know who's lying, who knew what and when and who's telling the truth and who is not telling the truth. And we all know the consequences of those actions.

Again, I'm not suggesting, Mr. Speaker, that our Speaker, the Speaker, has lied. In my earlier remarks this evening, I misstated something. I said John Podesta. John Podesta is not the Director of the CIA. That's Leon Panetta. So we all have senior moments. I'm maybe a little older than the Speaker. I certainly look older. She's a very attractive Speaker, as we all know. But she could have had a senior moment in regard to this.

And, Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, don't you know that after this happened and she said that, don't you know that there was a meeting of the powers that be with the Speaker and with the CIA, with the Director of the CIA, and information was presented which would have shown that she either misspoke or didn't misspeak. And if she misspoke, how simple, Mr. Speaker, how simple it would have been to just say, ladies and gentlemen, not of the Congress, not of the House of Representatives, but more importantly ladies and gentlemen of the country, I was wrong about that. I didn't deliberately lie. I was just wrong about that. I didn't remember. I didn't remember that briefing. Or the opposite, that the CIA was wrong and didn't inform. And that puts the issue to rest.

Mr. Speaker, that's all our minority leader, the gentleman from Ohio, John Boehner, the respected leader of the Republican House conference, that's all he said that should be done. Let's get to the bottom of this thing, put it to rest, and tell the truth. The truth will always serve you well, and the truth is not painful.

If the gentleman would yield.

I thank the gentleman.

We were just before the Rules Committee, Mr. Speaker, submitting an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act of 2010, our National Defense Authorization Act, something like $525 billion. But $1.2 billion, as the gentleman from Texas was alluding to, was cut from the missile defense program. It was cut from the missile defense program at a time when Kim Jong Il is firing missiles and testing nuclear weapons, violating the nuclear test ban treaty. And our intelligence is telling us, as the gentleman from Texas just said, that these ballistic missiles that they're testing could reach Hawaii. Well, we are getting that information, Mr. Speaker, not necessarily from the CIA but from all of our intelligence agencies. Heck, there are 16 of them, and most of them are within the Department of Defense. The Defense Intelligence Agency is an example.

And, of course, we have a National Intelligence Director, which was insisted upon by the 9/11 Commission and the families of the victims. So, you know, it seems now to me, Mr. Speaker, that we are kind of getting a little

loosey-goosey about all this stuff and thinking gosh, you know, the Speaker of the House said that the CIA lies. You can't trust them. So maybe that's why we are so ready to cut missile defense. We don't believe the intelligence.

Just briefly, that is exactly right, that people in these 435 congressional districts, Republican or Democrat, they need to know how their Member would vote on an issue such as that, something that important to this country in this time, they need an opportunity to hear that debate on this floor. You know, up or down, they need to know how their Member votes, and the point made by the gentleman from Texas is absolutely on target, and I just wanted to emphasize that.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize two exceptional high school athletes from Georgia's 11th Congressional District who have distinguished themselves among our nation's top amateur baseball players. With the third pick in the 2009 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft, the San Diego Padres selected Cartersville High School outfielder Donavan Tate, and three picks later, another Northwest Georgian, East Paulding County High School pitcher Zack Wheeler was selected by the San Francisco Giants with the sixth pick overall.

Donavan Tate made quite a name for himself in high school while leading his Purple Hurricanes to back to back state baseball championships. In his senior season, he batted .474 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.

Zack Wheeler was also dominant in high school, striking out 149 batters in 76 innings this season and finishing with an unblemished 9-0 record and a 0.54 ERA--including a no-hitter in the state playoffs. Zack's fastball hovers in the high 90s so it is no surprise that the Giants used their first pick to bring this young right hander to their organization.

As an avid baseball fan, it is truly an honor to have two of the top six draft picks for 2009 call Georgia's 11th Congressional District home. I ask that my colleagues join me in recognizing the talent and hard work of these two athletes and wishing them the best of luck as they start this new chapter of their lives.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks as well as in accordance with Clause 9 of Rule XXI, I am submitting the following information for publication in the Congressional Record regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 2847, the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Act, 2010.

Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey

Bill Number: H.R. 2847

Account: Department of Justice; Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Law Enforcement Technology

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Cobb County (GA) Government

Address of Requesting Entity: 100 Cherokee St., Marietta, GA 30090

Description of Request: The project furthers the National Emergency Communications Plan Strategic goal of 2010, 2011, and 2013. Protecting the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens is a top priority for the local government. Cobb County is a key player in developing a regional interoperable communications system that covers 11 counties from Metro Atlanta to Alabama. The linking of like radio systems will expand coverage, coordinate responses, improve communication, and decrease response time in the event of natural or man-made disasters, including terrorism.

Cobb County continues to plan for, create, and promote communications interoperability. This fact is evident with the acquisition and installation of Homeland Security funded interoperability switch for Project 25 public safety radio systems' participation and connectivity to the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) interoperable communication system, working groups and governing body; intergovernmental cooperation with the City of Douglasville and the West Area Regional Radio System (WARRS); and participation and leadership in All Hazards Area 7 Communications Subcommittee for the State of Georgia.

This $1,000,000 added to H.R. 2847 will be used in its entirety for the purchase of the necessary software, hardware, and microwave equipment to connect Project 25 radio systems in Forsyth and Cobb County to establish regional connectivity. These funds will be used to establish microwave connectivity, link systems together, and upgrade the radio system's operating platform so that all systems are functioning at the same level.

Specifically, the Fiscal Year 2010 will consist of the following budget items: Operating System Equipment and Software ($400,000), Microwave Equipment ($400,000), and Engineering and Installation Services ($200,000).

Requesting Member: Congressman Phil Gingrey

Bill Number: H.R. 2847

Account: Department of Justice; Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Byrne Discretionary Grants

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of West Georgia

Address of Requesting Entity: 1601 Maple St., Carrollton, GA 30118

Description of request: Major incidents, whether they result from natural phenomena or are a result of criminal behavior, have devastating effects on learning and academic achievement. Federal studies show that emergency plans in many school districts remain unpracticed and are outside National Incident Management System (NIMS) guidelines. Furthermore, less than one third of school districts in the nation include any procedure for continuation of instruction in the event of extended school closure. This initiative would address these shortcomings and prescribe practiced solutions.

The $250,000 included in H.R. 2847 will allow the University of West Georgia to work with K-12 schools in surrounding high crime neighborhoods to prevent and respond to incidents of crime in these schools. In particular, the University will work with schools such as Bremen High School, Paulding County Middle School, Chattooga High School, and Polk County High School.

The establishment of an emergency response capability will help K-12 schools and other colleges and universities in many ways. It will aid state agency, school district, and local school personnel develop emergency preparedness plans that will help insure the safety of an otherwise defenseless population. This funding will be used to (1) provide technical assistance to support schools and districts in developing comprehensive plans reflective of the all-hazards approach; (2) provide evaluation services to help schools and districts improve already developed plans and to determine the feasibility of partnerships (with first responders) and procedures (evacuation of special needs students) necessary for effective implementation; and (3) assist schools and districts in developing capacity for maintaining continuity of instruction in the event of prolonged school closure.

The Fiscal Year 2010 funds will consist of the following budget items: Project Manager ($65,000), Equipment ($46,000), Supplies ($35,000), Training ($30,000), Evaluation ($44,000), and Administration and Accounting ($30,000).

Offered By: Mr. Gingrey of Georgia

Amendment No. 61: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall #335 on the final passage of H.R. 1234, I am not recorded. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''