Floor Statements

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate, but the President has dropped a poison pill with his executive amnesty--of his own choosing, I might add--into the well of goodwill in this Chamber.

Now, before anything even gets sent over to him, he is issuing a veto threat on the front end. The President has now made it abundantly clear that he is willing to risk national security to protect those who have come here illegally.

What the President should be doing is exactly what the gentlewoman just mentioned a moment ago: working in a bipartisan fashion with Congress, through the rule of law, to pass immigration reform.

This debate is no longer about immigration reform. The debate, unfortunately, isn't even about homeland security. The debate has become about choices and the President's choices, about the choices that the President, himself, has made in regard to this issue. He will soon have another choice to make.

I wish this were just about immigration reform because I believe, quite frankly, that we can find a path forward on immigration reform, Mr. Speaker. We need to fix our immigration system. Every single person here, unless Native American, is a son or a daughter of an immigrant.

We need to address our immigration system to make it easier for people to enter our Nation legally and to make it more difficult to come here illegally. This appropriations bill does that very thing: it puts more guards on the border than ever before, and it creates security that is necessary.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage the President not to veto this piece of legislation but to work with this Congress to do this in the correct way, which is within the confines of the Constitution.

I encourage my fellow colleagues to pass this bill as fast and as quickly as possible.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Village of Suring, located in Oconto County.

Suring applied to the Oconto Circuit Court for its incorporation as a Village in 1914. Residents voted in favor of incorporation in January 1915 and immediately elected W.J. Thielke as the first Village President.

Today, Suring is a wonderful destination to live, work and visit in the northern part of the 8th District. Outdoor enthusiasts and families looking for recreational opportunities can visit Suring to hike the Nicolet State Trail, relax for a weekend at the local campgrounds, enjoy a few rounds of golf, or go for a ride on the snowmobile trails during the winter months.

This is truly a time for the village residents to reflect on their shared history, but also share in the excitement of their future and what the next 100 years may bring. As Congressman, I am proud to represent the citizens of the Village of Suring and encourage everyone to join me in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Village of Suring in 2015.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Francis X. Van Lieshout on his 87th birthday, which he celebrated on October 11, 2014. Dr. Van Lieshout has been an integral member of the Fox Valley community and I am proud to recognize his dedicated service to the people of Wisconsin.

Dr. Van Lieshout was born in Kimberly, Wisconsin on October 11, 1927. After graduating from Kimberly High School in 1945, Dr. Van Lieshout served for three years overseas in the U.S. Navy. Upon returning to the United States, he received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Marquette University.

Dr. Van Lieshout returned to Little Chute with his wife Josephine after graduating from medical school. There, he and his wife raised seven children. He practiced family medicine in Little Chute for 42 years, working long hours at the hospital and making house calls following work. After retiring from medicine, he dedicated his time to volunteering in the community, working at St. Vincent de Paul and St. Bernadette's parish in Appleton, WI.

He has received multiple awards for his service to the community, dedication to Catholic education, and service to the poor. In 1999, Van Lieshout Park was named in his honor in Little Chute.

Today, Dr. Van Lieshout and his wife live in Appleton, where he enjoys volunteering, spending time with his family and friends, and fishing. It is truly an honor to represent an extraordinary citizen who has dedicated his life to serving the people of the Fox River Valley in Northeastern Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 8th district of Wisconsin, I congratulate Dr. Van Lieshout on his 87th birthday and sincerely thank him for his service to Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

Article I, section 1 of the United States Constitution says: ``The Congress shall have the power''--I want to repeat--``the Congress shall have the power to make rules concerning the capture on land and water.''

December 26, 2013, the President of the United States signed into law the Congress' action on article I, section 8, regarding making rules.

The President had options on December 26, 2013. He could have signed it, as he did, accepted language that was in there, knowing it was in there--I am assuming someone over there read it. So he had an option to sign it. He had an option to send it back, and at that point the Congress could have done whatever they wanted to do. They could override it, they could rewrite it, they could revote on it and send it back again.

What the President didn't have the right to do was to change it. And, in fact, I have heard a couple of times today quoting of article II of the Constitution. I have read it probably a dozen times just sitting here today. It is relatively short. I am having a hard time finding the authority here, but I did find some interesting thing. Article II: ``Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or affirmation, `I do solemnly swear or affirm that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will to the best of my ability preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.' ''

Later it says that the President, he shall take care that the laws be faithfully--faithfully--executed.

The idea that the President can take the very law that he signed into existence by putting his name on it--the very law--as a suggestion-- whether or not any President before him did it--is tantamount to someone being pulled over for speeding and saying, I can speed because the guy in front of me did it.

Then there is no law at all. The laws that this Congress sends over there and the President signs are not recommendations. They are not suggestions.

Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States broke the law. No matter what another Congress does, or another Congress did, or what another President ever did is irrelevant to this today.

Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I am concerned about and I think every American is concerned about is the reputation of the Congress of the United States in the eyes of the American people. We know what our approval ratings are, and we are well aware of it; but we often don't take a moment and pause and say what are the things that we could do to have the American people once again view this Chamber, the people's House, as a place of honor, as a place that is actually doing the people's business.

Here we are, 48 hours away from a recess. We are going to be going back and talking with the people in our districts. Each one of us represents around 700,000 American citizens. We are going to go home and we are going to spend some time talking with those citizens, and I think that is appropriate. However, I also think it is appropriate for us to get our work done, and I want to talk this morning, Mr. Speaker, about a key fundamental requirement of the law of this Congress, and that is to provide the Nation and the American people with a budget that is fiscally secure and to provide

for spending bills under the law so that the money that the taxpayers are sending to Washington, D.C., they are aware of how that money is being spent.

This is 2014, Mr. Speaker. Leaving for the entire month of August was a tradition, as I have read, brought to this Chamber because of the extreme heat of Washington, D.C., prior to air-conditioning. But here we are in 2014, the building is air-conditioned and the lights are on. It is a relatively comfortable place to work. We could stay here and actually finish up some of the work of the people.

For example, in 1974, four decades ago, the Congress of the United States passed a budget act and the President signed into law a budget act that required the Congress to actually pass a budget and to do its spending bills and complete them by September 30. In four decades, here we are on the 40th anniversary of that law. In four decades, it has not happened even one time when the Congress did its work and completed its spending bills within the amount of time allotted under the law. The American people are struck by that.

How can the Congress of the United States ignore the law? How can the Congress of the United States say we are going to find ourselves in agreement, Democrats and Republicans, House and Senate and the President, and we are going to agree to do these things? Well, quite frankly, the law had one weakness: it had no enforcement trigger in it.

A few years ago, a good friend of mine, a gentleman from across the aisle, Congressman Jim Cooper from Nashville, Tennessee, wrote a piece of legislation called No Budget, No Pay. A couple of years ago, we finally signed that bill into law--a part of it into law--and for the first time since I have been in Congress, the Senate of the United States actually passed a budget because they found out that if they didn't, there would be an enforcement trigger that happened.

I have recently written a bill called the Do Your Job Act, which would require the Congress to do all 12 of the spending bills prior to the end of the year or they can't recess for more than 24 hours. They have to stay here and do their job so the American people can see firsthand what our priorities are.

I came to Congress in 2011, and in the 4 years I have been here, we have been required by law to pass 48 spending bills. The U.S. Senate, in those 4 years' time, has passed two. The House has done quite a bit better. They have passed 24. But they are required to pass 48. This year, the Senate has passed zero. They have done none. The House of Representatives has passed seven, and has referred another four out of committee that are ready to go. We ought to stay here and pass those bills and send them to the Senate.

Mr. Speaker, this is the people's House. We ought to be here doing the people's business for the good of the American people. We should stay here and do our job.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the City of Niagara. Founded in 1914, this community is located at the northern part of my district and has been referred to as a ``City of Scenic Beauty''. The name itself means ``thundering waters''. Smalley Falls and Piers Gorge are two highly visited places near the city. The beautiful Menominee River serves as a border between this city in my district and the State of Michigan. This part of the 8th District is a wonderful destination for travelers looking to get outdoors.

This community also takes great pride in some residents that have represented the City of Niagara well through their professional accomplishments. Anna DeForge, an alumnus of the Niagara High School basketball program, became the first resident to not only play for the WNBA but also played on the 2004 WNBA All Star Team.

Retired Major General Michael J. McCarthy, another Niagara native, served his country with distinction in the United States Air Force and completed his service to our country by working at the Pentagon. Major General McCarthy has been recognized with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Vietnam Service Medal as well as Vietnam Gallantry Cross, and Kuwait Liberation Medal, just to name a few.

The City of Niagara is planning to commemorate their centennial from June 25-29th with a giant carnival, live music, children's activities and a grand parade that will include the University of Wisconsin Marching Band. Again, I congratulate the City of Niagara for achieving this milestone, and wish the city and its residents all the best in the next 100 years!

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Town of Pembine, located in Marinette County.

The Town of Pembine certainly has a unique history starting with the Wisconsin State Legislature's efforts to create this township out of two separate communities in 1913. By the spring of 1914, the first town meeting was held at the Pembine jail and the township was officially formed.

The name of the community was derived from the nearby Pemebonwon River. Even before it became a township, Pembine played an important role in Wisconsin's early economy offering jobs in the logging and rail industries. According to Pembine resident Edmund Willis,

it was among these early loggers ``that many of the legends of the mythical Paul Bunyan and his daring exploits originated, as men gathered in their bunkhouses at the end of the day.''

Today, Pembine is a popular tourist destination in northern Wisconsin affording traveler's wonderful outdoor experiences like hunting, fishing and snowmobiling. In fact, Pembine has been referred to as a ``Sportsman's Paradise''. As Congressman, I am proud to represent the citizens of Pembine and hope that everyone in Northeast Wisconsin will join me in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Town of Pembine on August 2nd, 2014.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of the Village of Pound, located in Marinette County.

The Village of Pound was incorporated on December 8th, 1914. Early records show that 54 ballots were cast during the incorporation process. Thirty-five residents voted in favor of creating the Village, while 19 voted against it. Today, the Village of Pound, located inside the Town of Pound, is known as the community ``Where You're Always Welcome!''

It is interesting to note that both the Town and Village of Pound were named for a popular figure in Wisconsin's history. Thaddeus Coleman Pound, the grandfather of poet Ezra Pound, served as the inspiration for the community's name. As a prominent businessman in northern Wisconsin, Thaddeus Coleman Pound had the opportunity to serve in the Wisconsin State Legislature, as Lt. Governor of the great State of Wisconsin, and represented the 8th Congressional District from March 4, 1877 to March 3, 1883.

The Village of Pound is planning to celebrate its 100th anniversary June 27-28, 2014 with a Little League tournament, tractor pulls, live music and a fireworks display. Again, I congratulate the Village of Pound on their centennial anniversary and encourage all residents in 8th District to celebrate this community's history and heritage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 50th anniversary of the Town of Peshtigo Fire Department. The Town of Peshtigo, with the assistance of its neighbors in the City of Marinette, passed a resolution to purchase the necessary fire equipment to get started in 1963. The first meeting of the Town of Peshtigo volunteer firefighting company occurred on April 28, 1964. A few months after this meeting, the town board officially created the Town of Peshtigo Fire Department with Howard Rettke being named Chief.

Since the beginning, the Town of Peshtigo has continually made the safety of these firefighters a priority by investing in the most modern technology. The Town of Peshtigo Fire Department has worked closely with surrounding communities to foster better coordination and faster response times to better protect the lives and property of their friends, families and neighbors.

The department plans to mark this anniversary on June 21 at Badger Park in Peshtigo with live music, a pig roast and waterball competition with other firefighters from the greater Peshtigo area. As Congressman, I am proud of the work being done by fire departments throughout the 8th District and I encourage the residents in Northeast Wisconsin to join with me in celebrating the Town of Peshtigo Fire Department's 50th anniversary.

Mr. Chairman, they call it the Better Off Budget, but I am wondering who is really better off?

It is certainly not the small business woman from California who, under this plan, maybe she is earning $260,000 a year--not a billionaire and millionaire like they claim--and she will see her combined taxes, Federal taxes and State taxes, exceed 51 percent. She is certainly not better off.

How about the people she might have hired if she didn't have this tax increase? Well, they are not better off. Or maybe the people who work for her now who can't get a raise because she now is extended here? They are not better off. It is certainly not the businessowner who might provide a piece of equipment that this small business woman might buy but she no longer can afford. He is no longer better off. I can't see anybody who is better off under this system.

Here I would ask--and I want to talk a little bit about freedom in this last minute. Imagine this same businesswoman getting up on January 1, going to work and working all of January. She gets her paycheck, and it is zero because 100 percent was sent to Washington, D.C. she does it again in February, and it is zero because 100 percent gets sent to Washington, D.C.

She does it again in March and April and May, 100 percent of all her effort comes here. She doesn't get to keep a penny of it. All of the month of June, it all goes to government. This is not a free person. Mr. Chairman, I ask, is that free or is it indentured servitude?

We have a free country where people should, in fact, be better off, and the way to make them better off is to let them keep what they earn, and that is what the House Republican budget does, and that is why I encourage my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the Progressive budget and vote ``yes'' on the House Budget Committee's budget.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 100th anniversary of Wisconsin's 4-H Youth Development tradition. The very first meeting occurred on October 30th, 1914 in Walworth County in southeastern Wisconsin. 4-H stands for ``Head, Heart, Hands and Health.'' There are 350,000 youth enrolled in my state's 4-H Youth Development program, and the 8th District is home to more than 13,000 of these exceptional young leaders.

4-H's slogan is ``Learn by doing", and that is certainly true in Wisconsin. This partnership between the University of Wisconsin, U.S. Department of Agriculture and county government has a tremendous history of engaging youth to pursue excellence in the areas of leadership, citizenship and life-skills. The program offers youth experiences in large and small animal projects, dairy-related activities, tractor driving contests, different shooting sports and wildlife management. Wisconsin's 4-H Youth Development program has provided youth in rural and urban settings with a unique opportunity develop skills that will serve them well throughout their lifetimes.

As Congressman, I thank the many University of Wisconsin educators and volunteers that have contributed so much to this program over the last 100 years. As a proud Member of the House Agriculture Committee, I encourage residents in Northeast Wisconsin to celebrate this organization's rich history and tradition through the centennial events scheduled during the 2014 calendar year.

Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman, the gentleman from Texas. I want to thank the gentleman from Missouri for letting me come down here, for recognizing the sacrifice of a family from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

This is always a difficult time. I can hear the emotions of the voices of my colleagues as they speak about Justin and about Corporal Ross and his family and the sacrifice.

I have to tell you, Madam Speaker, there is probably nothing more difficult to do than to try to craft some speech, some words, some language here today that would honor Corporal Ross and his family in a way that is sufficient to the sacrifice that this family had.

You have already heard a little bit about Corporal Justin David Ross. He was born on September 14, 1988, and served in the Army Reserve. He was a member of the 863rd Engineer Battalion in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Tragically, he was killed on March 26, 2011. The anniversary of his death, Madam Speaker, is just 2 days from now. That will be 3 years since this family lost their son and this country lost its hero.

Corporal Ross was the first servicemember from the 8th Congressional District of Wisconsin killed in the line of duty after I began my first term in Congress in 2011. I was sworn in, in January of 2011, and 90 days later, Justin was killed.

He served his country honorably. He earned numerous awards for his service, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star and nine other meritorious service awards.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed this bill by a voice vote without any objection. It is also, as was mentioned by the gentleman from Missouri, supported by virtually every member of the Wisconsin House delegation.

So how do we go about honoring Justin Ross? How do we go about honoring his mom and dad, Ron and Debbie? How do we honor his brothers?

It is almost impossible to do so because we have a tendency to almost falsely believe that Justin was about a chevron on a sleeve, a medal on his chest, or a service ribbon that he wore on his uniform.

Those are the things that Justin did and the accomplishments that Justin had. They weren't really who Justin was. Justin did serve as a soldier in the Army, and he did die in the line of duty on behalf of his country, but he was more than that.

Imagine a family back in 1988 welcoming their son to this Earth and picking him up and cradling him in their arms, not knowing that they were cradling a hero. They couldn't possibly

have known 22 years ago what would happen to their son. I thank them for their sacrifice. This means a lot to our country. It means a lot to this family.

I am sorry I get choked up, but this matters to us. It matters to our country. The loss that was there is significant, every single one. I knew Justin. His dad was a pastor. His grandfather was a pastor.

He lived under the teachings of those two men who taught him in the book of Thessalonians to lead a quiet life. He did that. If you listen to the way his friends and his family talked about him, they often mention how quiet, almost shy that Justin was. He did that.

He followed the teachings of the apostle Paul. When the apostle Paul told us that no greater love is this than to lay down a life for a friend, not only did he lay down his life for his friends and his comrades, he was doing a clearance mission.

Madam Speaker, he was going in front of our troops, clearing out IEDs and making the way safe. He gave his life so others didn't have to. He gave his life for people that he loved. There was no greater love than this, as we are taught by the apostle Paul.

Jesus himself said to love your neighbor as yourself, and Justin did just that. All through his life, he lived by the teachings of his faith; but what his grandfather taught him, what his dad taught him, what his mom taught him, he lived those values out every single day.

Now, I know that Justin would want one thing because Justin cared a lot about his comrades. He would be embarrassed to think that we were naming this post office in his name alone. There were four other soldiers that were killed in the 8th District of Wisconsin.

I want to remember them today as well because it is about them, too. Sergeant Paul Atim from Green Bay; Staff Sergeant Matthew Hermanson from Appleton; Staff Sergeant Eppinger from Appleton; and Staff Sergeant Bear from Elton, Wisconsin, all of these soldiers gave their lives on behalf of this country. Their brave and selfless service deserves to be remembered.

So what do we do? We take the time, and we say thank you, and then we blazon Justin's name on a post office, so that when the citizens of De Pere, Wisconsin, go into that post office, they see their hero's name and remember. That is what we should do today.

I thank my colleagues for supporting this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss our Nation's broken budget process and ways we can begin to fix it.

The government shutdown is caused by the broken budget process. Funding our government with continuing resolutions is caused by a broken budget process. If we fix this, we could get away from this type of management of the taxpayer dollars.

Every year, Congress is required by law to pass a budget resolution. Every year, it is required to pass 12 appropriation bills by October 1, the start of the fiscal year. Yet, since 2001, Congress has managed to enact only 8.3 percent of our required appropriation bills on time. In the past 8 election years, Congress has failed to pass a budget resolution a full 75 percent of the time.

The Washington Post recently did an article about this process. It showed that this broken process allows Federal departments and agencies to develop a use-it-or-lose-it mentality. A full 20 percent of all Federal spending and contracting happens in the last month of the fiscal year. Look at how it spikes. It is not just one time. It did it in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The spending happens in the last month of the year and, in particular, the very last week of the year. This is true about contracting, as well. There were 156,000 contracts, 154,000 contracts, 149,000 contracts all done in the last few weeks of each budget year.

This use-it-or-lose-it mentality is costing the taxpayers millions of dollars. We must begin to fix this broken process, and that is why I have introduced the Biennial Budgeting and Enhanced Oversight Act of 2013. Overnight, it would cut this in half.

A biennial budgeting system, like the one my legislation creates, allows Congress to set budget and spending priorities in the first year and then do real oversight in the second year. This will allow Congress to better understand how the Federal Government is spending taxpayer money and be better equipped to make spending decisions in the future.

This biennial budgeting process has strong bipartisan support with 110 cosponsors so far. They range from the most progressive Member of Congress to the most conservative, painting a broad picture of support from Members of Congress and the Americans that they represent.

Here is a list of groups within Congress that have multiple Members supporting the legislation: the House Budget Committee, the Republican Study Committee, the Tuesday Group, the Blue Dog Democrats, the New Democratic Coalition, the Progressive Caucus, a broad cross-section of the Congress and the people that they are here to represent.

Not only that, every President since Ronald Reagan has supported biennial budgeting. Here is a quote from Jack Lew, the former OMB Director and White House Chief of Staff, our Nation's current Secretary of the Treasury:

The 2-year system is a good idea. The 1-year budget process

gives both the administration and Congress little time to

focus on implementing the programs.

It is time that we begin to address the serious nature of not managing the taxpayer dollars in following the requirements of the law. We need to fix this broken process this year. It is time to do it.

Mr. Speaker, if the past few months have taught us anything, it is that our current budget process isn't working. It is time to create a system that will help us budget responsibly, foster greater certainty in the U.S. economy, and save taxpayer dollars. We can do it in bipartisan fashion.

I urge all Members of Congress to cosponsor H.R. 1869 today and help us govern again.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the birthday of Beatrice Schaumberg Murphy who is turning 100 years old today. When Beatrice was born in 1913, Woodrow Wilson was President and her life has spanned sixteen presidencies.

She married Frank Murphy on October 28, 1934, and I'm told they celebrated more than 60 wonderful years together. Their marriage produced four sons, Franklin, Marvin, Jerome and David. Beatrice assumed the role of mother, homemaker and involved herself with the family dairy farm. She is also proud of her role as grandma having been blessed with 15 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren.

Beatrice contributes her excellent quality of life at her age to ``being positive, looking forward to things, being satisfied with what I have; which is good family and friends''. Beatrice also says, ``The ability to make friends is pretty important when you're my age. Many of my old friends aren't around anymore, so I have to keep making new ones!''

That is an outlook on life I hope we can all embrace. It is my honor to recognize this amazing woman on her 100th birthday. Beatrice, Happy Birthday!

Mr. Speaker, I am the youngest son of six sons, all children of an ordained Baptist minister. I have five older brothers, four who are still alive today. Three of them have responded to the call of ministry and are pastors. One of my own sons, Clint, is also a pastor. It's impossible to separate my faith heritage from my daily life. My brother, Dale Ribble, who is our guest chaplain today, is exactly the same.

From my earliest childhood memories, Dale was destined for ministry. As a child, I observed him countless times reaching out to people around him, both young and old, with a spirit of compassion and concern. He has a gift given to him by God for this purpose. The work that churches do in our communities change and affect lives for the positive. They reach out to the poor, the sick, and the hungry, improving the lives of whom they touch and enriching our communities. I've watched Dale do these things his entire life. I'm proud of his work and thank him for being with us today.