Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of Ms. Evelyn Kowalchuk of Huddleston, VA, who passed away at the age of 93 on April 7, 2013.

A brave World War II flight nurse and a remarkable woman, Ms. Kowalchuk was one of only 500 nurses to serve in World War II, putting her life on the line to provide compassion and care for our wounded soldiers.

Ms. Kowalchuk served with the 818th Air Evacuation Squadron and helped evacuate the wounded troops from Omaha Beach just days after the D-Day invasion in Normandy. A life member of the Flight Nurses Association and Veterans of Foreign Wars, Ms. Kowalchuk received several awards and recognitions for her military service.

Having had the honor of meeting Ms. Kowalchuk, I know that this brave veteran embodied the selfless heroism that represents the best America has to offer. Her life will continue to be a reminder of our country's highest ideals.

Virginia's 5th District has lost a truly special lady and our thoughts and prayers are with Ms. Kowalchuk and her family. I ask that my colleagues join me in remembering Ms. Kowalchuk and honoring her bravery, spirit, and selflessness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the House budget plan that is on the floor today. I thank Chairman Ryan for his leadership on this positive blueprint for our future.

Much has been said about a balanced budget over the past couple of weeks; and while it is important to point out that the House budget balances in 10 years while the Senate's budget never balances, I believe the more important point is why we believe our budget must balance.

A balanced budget is critically important to all Americans and to the future of our great country.

We must balance our budget for our senior citizens, who deserve to have security in their retirements. A balanced budget will strengthen critical retirement programs so our seniors are assured that Medicare and Social Security will continue to be there for them and for their children.

We must balance our budget for our hardworking mothers and fathers across our country. A balanced budget is fundamental to a healthy and robust economy that creates good jobs that the American people need to support their families.

We must balance our budget for our students. Those who are currently in our universities and in our community colleges should feel confident that an investment in their education will lead them to good-paying jobs when they graduate. A balanced budget gives them that confidence that their futures will not be threatened by staggering debt.

Most importantly, we must balance our budget for our children and our grandchildren, who deserve the same chance at the American Dream that we have been given. Rather than handing them the bill for this generation's irresponsibility, a balanced budget will allow us to hand them a brighter future, an American future.

Our balanced budget represents a departure from the status quo here in Washington, and it represents the House Republicans' commitment to moving our Nation forward in a fiscally responsible way. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Chair, I was not present for rollcall vote No. 84. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Amendment No. 3 in the Nature of a Substitute Offered by Mr. Grijalva

I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I thank her for her leadership on this very, very important issue.

As I travel across Virginia's Fifth District, it is clear that years of failed policies--like the President's health care law, higher taxes, and stimulus spending--have impacted the people that I represent. Main Streets all across our rural district have seen our small businesses struggle. Families across our district have felt the pain as neighbors, friends, and family members have lost their jobs and tried to find work.

As our economy struggles, ensuring our unemployed and underemployed have access to the skills training that they need to improve their careers is as important as ever. However, the Federal Government workforce training programs, while well intended, are cluttered with bureaucracy, waste, and inefficiency. They're not helping those they were intended to help. Americans will not benefit from these programs until we ensure that they are both efficient and effective.

At a time when the national debt is skyrocketing, a 2011 study from the GAO found that taxpayers are spending $18 billion on 47 duplicative job training programs across nine Federal agencies. Our top priority in the House of Representatives over the last 2 years has been getting Americans out of the unemployment lines and into good-paying jobs. And today we are standing up to make those critical reforms.

By adopting the SKILLS Act, Congress will put words into action and take a critical step toward getting our communities back to work. This legislation will eliminate red tape that prevents workers from accessing job training, and it will ensure that support is tailored to the specific needs of individual workers.

A strong workforce is critical to this Nation. I remain committed to getting Virginia's Fifth District back to work. I urge my colleagues to support me in supporting the rule and the underlying legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize and honor the life of a remarkable public servant, my friend Major General Carroll Thackston, of South Boston in Virginia's 5th Congressional District.

Major General Thackston had a distinguished military career spending six years in the United States Army and 35 years in the Virginia National Guard, where he served as inspector general, commander of the 116th Support Battalion, state military personnel officer, chief of staff, assistant adjutant general, and adjutant general following his 1994 appointment by Governor George Allen.

As adjutant general, he provided encouraging words as he visited Virginia National Guard members; he helped those in need as he engaged in state emergency response operations; and he provided leadership as he oversaw the transition of Virginia National Guard operations to Fort Pickett.

The recipient of two Virginia Distinguished Service Medals, Major General Thackston will be remembered for his unwavering loyalty and true devotion to serving and protecting his fellow Virginians.

In addition to his role as a highly respected military veteran, Major General Thackston was also known for his service to his local community. He was a member of the South Boston Town Council and served as Mayor of South Boston. He also served on several boards including the Halifax County Chamber of Commerce, the Richmond and South Boston United Way, the South Boston School Board, and the YMCA.

Major General Thackston was a dear friend and he will be missed by our community. I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a great Virginian and a truly dedicated public servant who not only made an impression on the lives of those of us in the Fifth District, but a man who made a difference in the lives of all Virginians.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of World War II veteran and military broadcaster, and a dear friend, Colonel Robert S. Cranston, of Bedford County, Virginia.

In November of 1942, Colonel Cranston signed up to serve. At 22, he was promoted to sergeant major of the 51st Signal Battalion and by 1943 he was named a second lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps. He bravely fought in Normandy following the D-Day invasion and was later wounded at the Battle of the Bulge. And he served side by side with General Eisenhower as he commanded the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Col. Cranston dedicated his life to serving our nation and to keeping our troops and all Americans informed through broadcast media. Our community has suffered a great loss and I ask that my colleagues join me today in honoring the life of Col. Cranston for his selflessness, courage, and sacrifice and for his important role in history as a source of information to our men and women in uniform fighting abroad to defend our freedoms at home.

I was not present for rollcall vote No. 43. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Stated against:

Amendment XI:

``The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by citizens of another State, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state.''

Amendment XII:

``The electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by ballot for President and Vice President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same State with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and

in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Virginia Industries for the Blind, an Ability One organization that began in Charlottesville that empowers blind and visually impaired Virginians in achieving their maximum level of employment and career development.

With 19 locations throughout Virginia, the organization employs approximately 150 people, including over 100 whom are blind or visually impaired.

In May, I had the opportunity to witness firsthand the good work that Virginia Industries for the Blind does for our local communities. Virginia Industries for the Blind operates retail stores on military bases and in federal buildings throughout Virginia. From making the mattresses used by our heroes in the United States Navy to the reflective vests that hard-working Virginians depend on for safety, Virginia Industries for the Blind gives back to our community in more ways than one.

Today, I hope my colleagues will join me in commending Virginia Industries for the Blind for their service to our local communities.

Mr. Chairman, I thank you for your leadership on this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House plan to stop this massive tax hike on the American people that is set to take place at the end of this year.

The people of central and Southside Virginia know that our economic outlook is bleak. Spending is on the increase, unemployment is high, high fuel prices have left lasting damage to our economy, and the government take-over of health care is raiding our pocketbooks at a time when we can least afford it.

And now, Mr. Speaker, they want more. Now the President and the Senate say that they want to raise taxes and dig deeper into the pockets of the hardworking American people.

I have said time and again that we have a spending problem in D.C. We don't have a ``we don't tax people enough'' problem. This is now more clear than ever as our national debt ticks upward towards $16 trillion.

Now is not the time to raise taxes on anyone. It will only lead to more job loss and more spending at a time when the American people are counting on us to get our economy back on track. And while we have addressed this tax issue in the House for today, it is equally pressing that we address the issue of our long-term prosperity.

This country has long needed comprehensive tax reform. History has shown that temporary tax extensions will not fix the problem; they simply apply a Band-Aid. That is why the House plan has taken a thoughtful approach to stopping the impending tax hike and laying out our framework for reforming the Tax Code in a way that will make it simpler and fairer.

The House plan also puts in place expedited procedures to insure that Congress does its job once and for all and addresses the dire need for comprehensive tax reform.

I was proud to support the legislation yesterday to stop the massive year-end tax hike, and I am proud to support this bill today to reform our Tax Code. It's the right thing to do for our country, and it's the right thing to do for our children and grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Leadership Alliance. The Leadership Alliance, which includes the 5th District's University of Virginia, is a national academic consortium of leading research universities and minority serving institutions with the mission to develop underrepresented students into outstanding leaders and role models.

In the 20 years since its establishment, the Leadership Alliance has mentored over 2000 undergraduates who have participated in the Summer Research Early Identification Program and over 200 alumni who have obtained their PhD or MD-PhD degrees as Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholars.

In the 5th District, the University of Virginia has mentored over 15 participants in the Summer Research Early Identification Program and the Summer Undergraduate Research Program in fields ranging from Education to Biomedical Sciences.

I am pleased today to congratulate and commend the Leadership Alliance and the University of Virginia for 20 years of mentoring a diverse and competitive workforce.

I thank the chairman for yielding, and I thank him for his leadership on this issue.

I rise today in support of this legislation that will save this country billions of dollars and create thousands of much-needed jobs.

Mr. Chairman, ``red tape'' is a word we hear all too often in Washington, but when you get back to places like Danville, Virginia, and talk with the people who are stuck in it, you gain a new perspective on what Federal regulations mean to everyone outside of the beltway.

As the Federal Government continues to grow in size and scope, our Main Street businesses continue to struggle. The President tells us that the private sector is doing just fine. The President tells us that if you've got a business, you didn't build it. But the President has not told us how he plans to help our small business owners grow and create the jobs our local communities need.

Our Nation has faced over 8 percent unemployment for more than 3 years. We're being crushed under a rapidly accumulating $16 trillion debt, and both of these things have everything to do with the policies set forth in Washington that grow the Federal Government and strangle our Main Street businesses.

Where others will not lead, the House will. That's why we remain focused on adopting legislation like the bill we consider today, legislation that will remove the Federal Government as a barrier to job creation. This package of bills will lead us to responsible regulations and ensure that the economic impacts of Federal regulations are accounted for. Most importantly, it will

give our small business owners across central and south Virginia the ability to hire and expand their businesses at a time when many are closing their doors.

This legislation is the kind this country needs to turn the corner from a struggling economy to the America that we have known for generations, a country of limited government and unlimited opportunity. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I thank the chairman for yielding.

I rise today on behalf of the people of Virginia's Fifth District. As I visit with central and southside Virginians across my district, they all echo the same sentiment: The burdens caused by high fuel prices in this stalled economy are negatively impacting their lives.

This issue particularly resonates in the Commonwealth because just last month, the administration announced that its 5-year energy plan will exclude resources off of the coast of Virginia. This announcement comes as a shock to the people that I represent. At a time when the Fifth District is suffering from 3 years of high unemployment, now the administration has said it will put thousands more Virginia jobs on hold. It also shocks us because it shows just how out of touch Washington is when it comes to the devastation that high fuel prices are causing at home.

Energy prices may have subsided for now, but now is the time to act. I am proud to support this legislation which replaces the administration's unreasonable and irresponsible energy policy. I believe that this legislation will bring jobs to Virginia, help keep fuel prices low, and move our country forward to spur economic growth in central and southside Virginia.

Mr. Speaker, I was not present for rollcall vote No. 383 on agreeing to the DeFazio Amendment to H.R. 2578. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Health Care Cost Reduction Act.

The American people know that the President's health care law is costing us more in premiums and more in taxes. It's costing us our constitutional liberties, and it is costing us American jobs.

One of the tax increases that will support this law is a $20 billion tax on our manufacturers that will result in thousands of lost American jobs at a time when our unemployment rate is over 8 percent for the third year in a row. Today's vote keeps faith with the American people as we continue working to repeal this law and to replace it with reforms that will deliver higher quality health care, lower costs, and that will preserve American jobs.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank the chairman and the committee for its work on this bill.