Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in remembrance of Harriet Howard, a great Tennessean who recently passed away.

Harriet Howard, of Rutherford County, is known throughout our community for her tireless efforts on behalf of our military veterans. Not only did Harriet devote countless hours to volunteer work; she helped ensure that veterans in our State have access to the care they need and deserve.

Harriet launched a well-known public communications campaign that led to female veterans receiving quality medical coverage. She set up a petition drive to prevent the Alvin C. York VA Medical Center in Rutherford County from closing. Today, the hospital remains open as a direct result of her efforts. Finally, she raised more than $125,000 for the Tennessee Fisher House for a new facility in Murfreesboro. Harriet also served her country in the military as a Navy clerk for more than 39 years.

Our State owes an immeasurable debt of gratitude to Ms. Howard. I know she is missed by countless veterans and their families.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend an extraordinary young man from Tennessee's Fourth Congressional District. Eric Wolf was accepted to and is now attending the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.

Since middle school, Eric has been preparing for a career in the military. He follows the path of both his grandfathers--one who was a marine, and the other a World War II veteran.

Eric said that he felt the call to serve his country after reading the book ``Lone Survivor,'' which led him to look at what he was doing to give back to our great Nation.

In addition to his appointment, Eric built a solid reputation in his hometown of Cleveland, Tennessee. He graduated from McCallie High School with a 4.1 GPA and was a star athlete.

Eric's drive and unabashed patriotism exemplify the best of our country. I wish him the best of luck and know that he will make us all proud.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the extraordinary life of Admiral Frank Benton Kelso, II, a great American and true son of Tennessee. On Sunday, June 23, Tennessee's Fourth Congressional District and our country lost this great American hero.

To describe Admiral Kelso as honorable, principled, and dedicated would be insufficient. His achievements and individual character are matched only by his patriotism and love of country.

Admiral Kelso's 79-year life included a gallant and decorated 42-year career in the United States Navy.

Admiral Kelso graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1956 and began his illustrious career in the Navy by joining the nuclear submarine program, where he would later command two nuclear submarines.

In 1986, the Admiral commanded the Atlantic Fleet, planning military actions against Libya that significantly curbed Muammar Qadhafi's terrorist activities.

In 1990, he earned the position of Chief of Naval Operations, the Navy's top uniformed officer. During this time, he successfully led naval operations in the Persian Gulf War.

In addition to his distinguished naval career, Admiral Kelso was a family man. He was happily married to Landess McCown Kelso for 56 years until she passed away last year. Together, they had four children and eight grandchildren.

He retired from the Navy in 1994, and in 2003 he returned to his hometown of Fayetteville, Tennessee, where he would spend the last 10 years of his life. These years were filled with love for his family and friends and service to his community.

I believe that there is no greater example of commitment to one's country than the life of Admiral Frank Kelso. His legacy of integrity and courage truly exemplify the best of the United States Navy. To quote the celebrated song of our Navy, ``Here's wishing you a happy voyage home.''

Mr. Speaker, the current United States sugar program is a clear example of government intrusion into a market. Nowhere is there a larger gap between the U.S. Government's free-trade rhetoric and its protectionist practices than in our sugar policy.

The most prominent argument I hear from the other side is this program is of no cost to the taxpayers. That simply isn't true. It was reported yesterday the USDA intends to purchase sugar off the domestic market, costing taxpayers nearly $38 million. The government then plans to sell this sugar at a loss to ethanol companies. And who is ultimately footing the bill for this not-so-sweet deal? The taxpayers.

But the most egregious point is that other countries actively try to lure U.S. companies to relocate. An official Canadian Government brochure states:

Canadian sugar users enjoy a significant advantage--the

average price of refined sugar is usually 30 to 40 percent

lower in Canada than the U.S.

When a government program becomes a recruitment technique to lure away our manufacturers and move U.S. jobs abroad, I believe reform is not only necessary but essential.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate and promote the work that is being done in Tennessee's Fourth District by Bridgestone North America, Motlow State Community College, members of the local manufacturing community, and local and State governments.

Our economy is hindered by a skills gap that hurts both the businesses that need well-trained workers and those workers looking to better themselves and their families.

Seeing this problem 5 years ago, Motlow Community College's president, Mary Lou Apple, set out to erase this skills gap. A mechatronics program was brought to Rutherford County which combined mechanical, electrical, and computerized curricula to allow local high school students the opportunity to gain high-demand skills in manufacturing, health care, and the financial industries.

I recently toured the Bridgestone North America facility to see how these students are graduating from high school not only with college credit and technical credentials, but, most importantly, real world experience.

I look forward to the great work this program and its students will continue to accomplish in the future, and certainly we need more like them.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. Bob McKay, a lifelong resident of Maury County, Tennessee, who was recently inducted in the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame.

On December 7, 1941, Mr. McKay listened to the radio accounts of the attacks on Pearl Harbor, and realized

just how important radio is in keeping us informed. He filed with the FCC to open a radio station but joined the Army shortly after to serve his country in the Pacific. Before leaving, he gave his application to his father and said:

If I'm lucky enough to get back, I'll want that radio

station for Columbia.

Mr. McKay returned home in 1946, and started WKRM. Its success allowed him to open three more stations.

In addition to broadcasting, Mr. McKay chaired the Maury Regional Hospital Board of Trustees, was a founding member of the Tennessee Association of Broadcasters, and served on the boards of numerous charities in Columbia. He retired in 2008 after 62 years in the broadcasting industry. In his work and personal life, he has always followed the highest Christian principles.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1911. This commonsense bill, aptly named the Smarter Solutions for Students Act, brings the student loan interest rate program back to reality.

Instead of coming back each year to partake in the Washington tradition of putting last year's failures off to the next year, this bill gives students and their families the certainty that their loan rates won't be subjected to the whims of bureaucrats in Washington or legislators on Capitol Hill.

This legislation ties student loan interest rates to the 10-year Treasury note. In fact, the President's fiscal year 2014 budget request included language very similar to this bill. H.R. 1911 goes even further toward protecting students and families from high interest rate environments by including caps on interest rates.

I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I thank Chairman Kline and Virginia Foxx and their staffs for their hard work in bringing this commonsense legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, at the conclusion of congressional business on Friday, May 17th, I was unable to cast three rollcall votes and voted erroneously on one amendment due in order to travel back to Tennessee in time to make it to my son's high school graduation ceremonies. On rollcall vote No. 157, Representative Hurt's amendment to H.R. 1062, I am recorded as not being present. I would like the record to show that I would have voted in favor of this amendment. Next, I mistakenly voted in favor of rollcall vote No. 158 thinking the vote was still open for the rollcall vote No. 157, and I would like the record to indicate I intended to vote against rollcall vote No. 158. Lastly, I would like the record to indicate that I would have voted against rollcall vote No. 159, the motion to recommit with instructions and would have voted in favor of rollcall vote No. 160, passage of H.R. 1062.

Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today to voice my support for H.R. 1406, the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013.

Working families all across America face difficult choices every day over how to balance their responsibilities at work with their duties to their families at home.

Government employees have always had the option to convert accrued overtime into time off from work. However, private sector employees do not have this option. Today's rigid and archaic wage-and-hour laws force these employees to take vacation days or simply not work when confronted with sick children, responsibilities to aging patients, or even seemingly mundane, yet time-consuming, tasks like running errands.

H.R. 1406 would provide private employees that same flexibility that government workers enjoy while protecting both the rights of workers and their employers.

I ask my colleagues to support working families and vote in favor of this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, this week, many of my constituents filed tax returns. Unfortunately, their taxes weren't the only thing that they had to pay. Hardworking Americans will spend $168 billion completing their taxes under our country's 4-million-word Tax Code.

America's tax system is broken and simply doesn't meet the needs of the 21st century economy. It is time for a simpler, fairer, flatter code, one that eliminates special interest loopholes to ensure that everyone pays what they owe. But what we don't need is higher taxes.

The government is already poised to take in record revenues this year, yet the President insists on calling for another $1.1 trillion in new taxes. Levying more taxes on families and businesses won't create jobs and won't lead to economic prosperity. Rather, we need to cut spending, balance the budget, and rein in excessive government.

Comprehensive tax reform is something that the American people overwhelmingly support and something that House Republicans remain committed to addressing.

Mr. Speaker, President Obama's budget is 65 days late and trillions of dollars short. And while his plan contains plenty of tax increases, budgetary gimmicks, and stimulus-style spending, it fails to adequately address our Nation's unsustainable deficits and debt. In fact, the President's budget would never balance.

I share President Obama's view of a thriving middle class and strong manufacturing base, but the policies put forth in his budget show the White House is more focused on increasing the size of government than growing the private sector. If the President is truly serious about building a 21st century economy, then he should work with House Republicans in eliminating the roadblocks to innovation and entrepreneurship. That means reducing government red tape, creating a fairer and flatter Tax Code, and ending the deficit spending.

I urge the President to join us in putting forth sound policies that will grow jobs and put our country back on a sustainable path.

Mr. Speaker, I come to the House floor today to voice my strong support for the House Republican fiscal year 2014 budget. And I want to commend my colleague, chairman of the Budget Committee, Paul Ryan, for his ongoing leadership on this issue.

There is simply no denying it: the Federal Government has a spending problem, a problem that has led to nearly $17 trillion of debt. For too long, Washington has shirked its responsibility in addressing this issue and punted the problem to future generations. As a father, I cannot in good conscience let this generational theft continue.

It is critical that we pass a budget that puts our country back on track through responsible cuts and reforms. The Oversight and Government Reform Committee, of which I am a member, has already identified numerous duplicative government programs. Yet rather than eliminating these programs, the government continues to pour more money into them.

Congressman Ryan's budget prioritizes our spending so that we protect important programs in the long-term by trimming the waste in government.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Josh and Julieanna Ogle, two outstanding citizens of our community and a respected couple in the field of agriculture.

Josh and Julieanna were recently awarded the Tennessee Farm Bureau's 2012 Outstanding Young Farmer Achievement Award and the 2012 Environmental Stewardship Award, for their strong commitment to strengthening Tennessee's agricultural industry.

Both Josh and Julieanna grew up on family farms and attended Motlow State Community College. They have been married for 14 years and have three young children, Levi, Abi and Travis. The Ogles have continued the tradition of farm and family by partnering with Josh's parents at D&J River Farms. It is here that their agricultural achievements are translated into produce, growing roughly 4600 acres of cotton, corn, soybeans and wheat.

The Ogle's success is the product of hard work, an exceptional level of dedication and a respect for others that is unparalleled. Josh and Julieanna come from the old school line of thought that ``it is better to give than receive.'' As such, they have volunteered untold hours at their local church and at cancer support fundraisers across the state of Tennessee.

While being highly-respected farmers, as well as a wonderful husband and wife, father and mother, the Ogles have still found time to impart their knowledge to farming's next generation by volunteering to speak to students of the Future Farmers of America organization.

Mr. Speaker, their work as mentors to young farmers is good news for Lincoln County as well as the entire state of Tennessee. If you think about all that the Ogles have been able to accomplish in their community and their industry, just think what will be achieved by future generations whose lives have been impacted by the Ogles.

On behalf of the people of Lincoln County, as well as Tennessee's entire Fourth Congressional District, I congratulate Josh and Julieanna Ogle as the 2012 recipients of the Tennessee Farm Bureau's achievement and environmental stewardship awards and I wish them continued success in the years to come.

I thank my colleague for his leadership on this issue.

This is the fourth time in 5 years that the White House has proven that it does not take trillion-dollar deficits seriously enough to submit a budget on time. In contrast, House Republicans, since taking the majority in 2010, have done that every year and will do so again in just a couple of weeks.

We still do not know when the President plans on actually submitting his budget. When asked, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that the administration favors substance over deadlines. Let me translate that for you: they don't have a solution to addressing the Nation's spending and debt crisis.

Today, the House will pass the Require a PLAN Act. I'm hearing comments that this is a gimmick, this is a ploy. Are you kidding me? We need to do our job. The American people get it. They want Congress to work together. They're not in love with Republicans or Democrats right now. They want us to solve this problem.

It's sad that we have to resort to a Require a PLAN Act to get the other side to work with us. Please work with us. We have submitted budgets. We need the Senate to submit a budget. Every missed deadline is a missed opportunity. We need to get serious about spending now. We cannot continue to delay choices that we need to make. We owe it to our future generations.

Mr. Speaker, it has been more than 4 years since the White House operated under a budget. It's not a coincidence that each of these 4 years has brought a $1 trillion deficit.

Tennesseans are frustrated over the fact that they must stick to a budget in operating their homes and businesses, yet the Obama administration cannot seem to do the same in running the country with our hard-earned tax dollars.

Last Congress, House Republicans passed two responsible budgets while the Administration and their allies in the Democratic-controlled Senate twiddled their thumbs.

In an effort to finally get this administration to act, Republicans have introduced the Require a PLAN Act. This commonsense proposal will mandate the White House produce a balanced budget within a 10-year window or submit a plan explaining in what year the budget would balance.

Unfortunately, it seems that we have no other choice but to force this administration to finally address the debt crisis that is destroying jobs and mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren.