Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the Administration to join in the international effort to reach a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus as a bi-zonal and bi-communal federation. This continued dispute has real regional and global implications. It threatens effective NATO- EU cooperation, affects regional stability, and also remains an obstacle to Turkey, our key partner and ally, gaining full membership to the European Union, which the United States has long supported.

I continue to believe that a just and viable solution to the longstanding Cyprus problem is not only achievable, but also urgent and necessary. The key to the settlement in Cyprus is the renewal of the Partnership between the two equal co-owners and co-founders of the ``Republic of Cyprus'', as established in 1960: Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots. As a matter of fact, Turkish Cypriot people have long proven their readiness to renew the Partnership State. In 2004 they demonstrated the necessary political will for a comprehensive solution by voting strongly for the UN Settlement Plan in the separate and simultaneous referenda, a proposal that was overwhelmingly rejected by the Greek Cypriot side.

Since assuming the European Union term presidency on July 1, there is no better time for the Greek Cypriot government to take the long- awaited substantial steps towards a comprehensive settlement with the Turkish Cypriots. I hope this new EU role for Cyprus will not hinder the continuation of reunification talks. In fact, I believe that Cyprus' six-month term in the presidency of the EU brings extra responsibilities to show sincere efforts towards peace.

The international community and the United States will have to answer a fundamental question in the days ahead: Are we going to put in place all necessary efforts in order to reach a comprehensive solution in Cyprus, and thus demonstrate the political will to that effect, or are we going to let an achievable settlement slip away once again, all the while perpetuating the illegitimate and unjust isolation of the Turkish Cypriot people? A continued status quo in Cyprus is not beneficial to any party, and the time is now to solve a dispute that has lasted for more than forty years.

In light of recent actions by Syria and others in the Middle East, Turkey has continued to operate as an important U.S. ally in the region, and all parties acknowledge that Turkey's membership to the European Union cannot be achieved without first tackling these issues in Cyprus. Therefore, all sides should return to the table and set a timeline for action, and this Administration should work with all stakeholders to ensure that any agreement respects human rights and ensures the fundamental freedoms for all Cypriots.

While the people of Cyprus must ultimately decide their own fate, there is no better time for the international community to support such reunification efforts. As all eyes remain on Cyprus during its term with the EU presidency, and continued talks would signal to the world that both parties are committed to establishing a peaceful and prosperous future for all Cypriots.

Mr. Speaker, this weekend, the whole country was struck with the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. A deranged individual murdered 12 citizens and wounded 58 others.

My mind went back to the day that Gabrielle Giffords was shot-- another deranged individual. What it says to me is we need to spend more money, not less money, on mental health issues. There are a lot of mentally disturbed people out there who need mental health treatment, and this Congress has been cutting funds for mental health and for clinics and for health care. And we need more law enforcement and more protection.

There are cuts that can be made to protect our country's fiscal health, but to protect our Nation's physical health, some funds need to be maintained. Let's think before we cut.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, this is an amendment we should be able to come together on. The administration requested $101 million for the operation

and upgrading cruiser ships used by the United States Navy. That's what the Pentagon and the administration requested, $101 million.

However, what's been recommended is $607 million. That $607 million is an increase of over $500 million from what the Pentagon asked for, five times what the Pentagon asked for. At a time when so many of my colleagues are calling for a decrease in the spending on the Federal Government side, it seems that they should heed the requests of their constituents, the budget, and the advice of Congress and will refrain from throwing $500 million at this program that the Department of Defense is trying to phase out.

Now, my amendment would allocate $235 million of that 506 excess to defense health programs. The rest would be toward deficit reduction.

Americans would be better served if that $235 million didn't go to a program of buying cruiser ships that the Department of Defense doesn't want, and rather have this money go to health care research, which the Department of Defense does in the area of cancer research, breast cancer research, prostate cancer research, and other cancer research.

The Department of Defense has a strong cancer research program and can always use more money to save lives. I have been a strong supporter all my life of putting money into research in the National Institutes of Health and joining with Senator Specter in getting an additional $10 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the National Institutes of Health.

One day, through research dollars, we will have a cure for cancer, a headline we want to see, a headline that cancer scientists find the cure for cancer. It may come because of an appropriation like this and not Congress passes five times the amount of money the Department of Defense wants for cruiser ships.

My goal in offering this amendment is to see that the cancer research programs are benefited, that they are doubled; and this investment in health care research is an investment in our Nation's future and an investment in every human being here as a potential victim of cancer. There are other diseases which the National Institutes of Health look at. Whether it's Alzheimer's, diabetes, heart disease and others, cures need to be found and government should be investing monies in those places.

This is one place where the Department of Defense emphasizes cancer research. Even with the doubling of investment of cancer research, this amendment does reduce the overall cost of the appropriations bill. At a time when we have seen cuts to other research programs like the National Institutes of Health, it's important to identify every single dollar that can be used to further research efforts.

A vote for this amendment is a vote in favor of furthering our country's cancer research and protecting all citizens out there who are potential victims of this awful disease and reduce the overall cost of this legislation as well.

I urge you to vote ``yes'' on this amendment, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I'm not going to repeat some of the arguments that were made by my colleague from Rhode Island, but I understand them.

There is, indeed, a large need for infrastructure in our country. We're falling far behind, and we've invested a lot of money in Afghanistan that has been wasted; a tremendous amount of money has been wasted. The most recent report I saw said that we cannot even begin to approximate how much money has been stolen and wasted in Afghanistan.

We're not providing infrastructure for the people. We're providing a ruling class, a limited--we talk about the 2 percent here--we're talking about the one-tenth of 1 percent in Afghanistan, if that, and giving them the opportunity to put money in their pocket that should be going to the people.

I ask the gentleman on the other side of the aisle who opposed the last amendment to consider this one, which almost passed last year, same basic amendment. This takes 175 million out, leaves 200 million in the fund, but it says they have got to prioritize, pick their projects and pick what they do.

It doesn't decimate the fund; it just prioritizes and takes 175 million out of the Afghan infrastructure fund. We rebuilt Iraq. They're partners with Iran now. Didn't do us a lot of good.

Most of us have been to Afghanistan or, at least, better yet, many of us have. We could do all the infrastructure in the world. It will go to waste. They can't even maintain it.

They don't have vehicles to use the roads. It's crazy to build them roads to go from point A to point B when they don't have cars. They have got oxen and carts.

So I would say that we reduce it by 175 million, we leave 200 million. Certainly I want our troops out. I went and visited with 124 soldiers, Guardsmen in Memphis, who were going down to Camp Shelby before they go to Afghanistan. I went down to visit with them yesterday when they went off, all police people.

I suspect that one of those people may not come back. I hated the idea that those people were leaving Memphis to go to Afghanistan. It will be the last troops going over.

I want them out. If Mr. Young understands, I guess, there is some magic to this money, there would be $200 million left. If it's roads to get them out and airports to get them out, fine. But I can't believe they need all 375; and I have to submit that I think that a lot of that money is for roads, infrastructure, hospitals, grids, whatever that has nothing to do with our troops getting out. It has something to do with some people who continue a policy that has failed to really build up goodwill toward America or to see that the monies go where they belong.

I ask that we think of America first, we get our troops out, we leave $200 million in the fund. I ask you to approve this amendment and reduce the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund by $175 million. I urge my colleagues to support the amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Will the gentleman yield?

I didn't know, in your statement to the gentleman from Rhode Island, why are these funds needed to get our troops out? Do we not have airplanes, roads, boats and whatever to get our folks out?

I said, in response to the gentleman from Rhode Island, you have said these funds, all $375 million, were needed to get our troops out of Afghanistan. Are we building, like, runways to get all our troops out, roads to get them out?

Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. Speaker, the passage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act is the culmination of an American political journey that started a century ago with Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 with the Bull Moose Party--also a Republican--and picked up years later by Harry Truman and other Presidents, including Richard Nixon, another Republican. The most recent groundwork for reform was laid in part by the former Republican Presidential candidate, Robert Dole, as an alternative to Hillary Clinton's plan, and by the present Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney. I commend them for championing the concept of the individual mandate back when it wasn't quite as unpopular on their side of the aisle.

The history of reforming our Nation's health care system is a strong one that has historically been championed by lawmakers on both sides of the political spectrum, until this Congress. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle have wasted hours upon hours debating and voting upon the various versions of the legislation that would repeal the Affordable Care Act.

My colleagues know that these initiatives are fruitless. They know that voting over and over and over again--more than 30 times total--on measures to repeal the Affordable Care Act is a waste of time, but they keep calling for these votes. Do you want to know why? Because they want to distract the American public from the fact that they are so committed to unseating our President, Barack Obama, that they haven't passed any effective jobs-creating legislation since they took over the majority in this House in 2010.

The Supreme Court of the United States upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, and it's time to face the facts. Earlier today, a gentleman from Virginia said, Oh, it was just 5-4. Bush v. Gore was 5-4. We accepted that the person who got the least votes and lost Florida was President of the United States for 8 years, but the consequences we still have to face.

The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land. As a result, millions of Americans who were previously uninsured or underinsured have access to affordable, high-quality health care. In fact, the number of Americans uninsured is equal to the population of 25 of the 50 States.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, millions of Americans and small businesses have already benefited from lower health care costs, increased access to preventive care, and stronger patient protections.

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 12.8 million families will receive rebates that total over $1 billion from insurers next month, in August, because the law requires companies to provide value for their premium dollar. Never before has that happened.

Community health centers in my district have received over $10 million to deliver health care services to underserved and impoverished Memphians, and 170,000 households in my district will get a premium credit so they can afford quality health insurance coverage.

Women no longer are considered a preexisting condition, and insurance companies can't charge them more, which they did, by 40 percent.

Medicare beneficiaries now have access to preventive care and services without any copay.

And 64,000 people in my district will go from uninsured to insured.

32.5 million seniors nationwide received one or more preventive care treatments in 2011.

The doughnut hole is being closed; 50 percent discounts on covered brand-name generics.

Annual and lifetime caps on health care coverage are now illegal, meaning insurance companies can't kick you off the plan just because you get cancer or are in an accident or have a heart attack.

Our children are now protected because insurers are prevented from denying coverage to children under 19 for preexisting conditions. This means up to 17 million children with preexisting conditions are now protected from discrimination.

Young adults can remain on their parents' insurance until they're 26, providing some protection in this uncertain job market.

It's now affordable for small businesses to provide insurance to employees. The tax credits cover up to 35 percent of the cost of coverage and will go up to 50 percent in 2014. In fact, in 2011, 360,000 small employers used the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit to help them afford health insurance for 2 million workers.

One of the most misleading arguments by my colleagues concerns that penalty that will be assessed on those financially-able Americans who choose not to purchase insurance, thereby not taking responsibility for their health care. Responsibility. That's one of the keynotes of the Republican side.

But if an uninsured person in my district gets into a car accident or comes down with an aggressive illness, they're taken to a public hospital in Memphis called The MED. The MED treats everybody because they have to, and when The MED takes cares of those people, the property owners, the responsible people, pay for it through higher property taxes, or you pay for it with your insurance, if you have it, because it's uncompensated care if you go to a non-public hospital.

The time and effort put in by nurses and doctors and assistants at The MED aren't free. The medical devices and supplies that The MED used to treat those uninsured people aren't free. Every single resident of Shelby County pays for those services when a person seeks emergency services there, and the taxes go up.

People who choose not to buy insurance for themselves and their families, even with the Federal Government providing incentives and credits, are irresponsible free riders, and it's the free riders that the other side's trying to talk about, not the conscientious and responsible people who take control of their own lives and their own destinies.

Not taking responsibility for the health of yourself and your family is reckless. The free riders have been a burden on our national health care system for far too long, and it's time they take responsibility for their actions and their health. This penalty, which will be equal to no more than the estimated cost of an insurance premium, is the way we do it.

It's long past time we implement the health reform initiated by Teddy Roosevelt and championed by people of both parties. It's time Americans realize and take advantage of their right to quality healthcare. And it's long past time my colleagues stop playing partisan politics and start working on behalf of the American people, not giant corporations, once again.

Madam Speaker, yesterday the United States Senate approved the nomination of President Obama, upon my recommendation, of John T. Fowlkes, Jr. to be the new Federal District Court Judge in the Western District of Tennessee. It was a moment of bipartisanship, where Senators McConnell and Reid worked to get the nomination up, and my Republican Senators, Corker and Alexander, sponsored and supported that nomination.

Judge Fowlkes is an outstanding jurist and was an astounding attorney. He was a public defender, a State prosecutor, a Federal prosecutor, a chief administrative officer for our county government, and a current criminal court judge.

I empanelled a group of lawyers--bipartisan, just about every representation you can imagine--to advise me on the person to recommend. Everybody felt John Fowlkes had the temperament and disposition, judicial experience, and was the right person for the job.

I was proud to recommend him. I'm pleased the President nominated him. I'm thankful the Senate acted in a bipartisan way so we can work down our caseload. We need more judges, and the Senate needs to approve more.

I appreciate the time.

I was a history major in college, and oftentimes I'm in this Hall and I think about the history. We've been in this Hall for nearly 150 years. And I think back. When there was an attempt to pass Social Security, the Republicans were against it; and they're still against it. They want to give it to Wall Street and let it be invested. And then the great next major historical social advance in our country's history was Medicare. And the Republicans were against it. And now they're against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

It seems what's happened is every Republican voted against it. Every Republican lines up, saying ObamaCare, and talking about Speaker Pelosi. They're lined up pretty well like ducks at the Peabody Hotel going in a line to the fountain. And Democrats, on the other hand, are concerned about children and women and life and the deficit in the long-run because of health care. And it seems like there's a continual battle in this House between people who look out for the haves and the other group that looks out for the haves who have conscience or vision and the have-nots. And I was taught well by my parents, I believe, and it was to always look out for people who needed something and you could help.

Daniel Webster's words are inscribed in this Capitol, right in this Hall, about doing something worthy to be remembered. That's what we're here for. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is something worthy to be remembered: to care for and help people survive. Next month, it's going to provide $1.1 billion for over 12 million people who have been overcharged by their insurance companies.

President Obama said this was insurance reform on steroids. It is. You want the insurance companies to run your life? Well, for you 12.5 million people that are going to get $1.1 billion back, this is just the beginning of something great when you have some controls over the insurance company.

I'm appreciative of doing something worthy to be remembered.

Mr. Speaker, today is a great day. It's a great day for children who want to stay on their parents' health insurance until they're 26--or parents who want their children on their health insurance until they're 26. It's a great day for seniors that are concerned about the doughnut hole, for women who have been discriminated against in health care, for all people who don't want to have copays for preventative care. It's a great day for people who don't want lifetime caps on their insurance or to be denied because of preexisting conditions. And it's a great day for America because the rule of law has been upheld.

Justice Roberts rightfully ruled that this was appropriate and constitutional. Let us not forget Justices Ginsburg and Sotomayor and Kagan and Breyer, the five Justices who upheld the Supreme Court belief that the American people have that it is a rule of law and that the Court is not political.

It was a great day for American health care and for American law and jurisprudence.

Madam Speaker, tomorrow the House is intending to vote on the contempt of our outstanding Attorney General, Eric Holder. It's because the Republicans have been obsessed with Fast and Furious.

Fast and Furious was a plan that went awry. It was started by the Bush administration, and it went awry. It was fatally flawed, and it resulted in the tragic death of a border agent. But nothing in this resolution will get to the bottom of it, and nothing will change it.

The fact is Fast and Furious is misnamed. Fast and furious is what the Republicans--starting with Senator Mitch McConnell--have been doing since President Obama was elected. In a fast and furious way they've tried to do everything they can to taint the President of the United States and to taint anybody associated with him. That's what they are doing with Eric Holder. They want to blemish him and blemish the President.

Their fast and furious attack on the health care bill, which will save lives in America, and on this administration, is shameless. We should be creating jobs, helping the middle class, and putting America on the road to recovery. Instead, what we've been doing is a fast and furious attack on this administration.

Thank you, Mr. Rush. I appreciate the time.

Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to H.R. 4480. This is a bill that is totally a giveaway to Big Oil.

The fact is, if we want to be energy independent, we can't drill our way to energy independence. We can get there by having alternative green energies that will create jobs and make us independent. We can have wind and solar, and we can have higher fuel standards for automobiles. That's the best thing we can do is reduce the demand for oil by having higher fuel standards, which we don't have in this bill. Regarding the price of oil and making ourselves energy independent, it's not going to happen.

My colleagues on the other side--at least some of them--have for quite a while, about 2 or 3 months ago, blamed the rising prices of gasoline on President Obama. Gasoline has come down considerably since that time. Has one person had the veracity, the bipartisanship to say, Mr. President, thank you for bringing the price of oil down?

No, they haven't, because the President didn't bring the price of oil down, just like he didn't take the price of oil up. It's political rhetoric to say he caused the prices to go up, and it would be wrong to say he brought them down.

There are world markets, demand in China, demand in India, demand even in Bangkok; and those demands have put the price of oil up. The situation in Iran with Israel has created concerns about the future of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Because of that, prices went up. That situation has been rectified.

This bill is only a giveaway to Big Oil. It threatens people's First Amendment rights because it says they have to put up a $5,000 bond simply to protest. It threatens jobs. In many industries--the outdoors industry--it threatens public health and people's opportunity to be free from air pollution. It threatens hunting, fishing, and recreation and grazing because it violates the multiple-use doctrines established in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act.

This is not a good bill for America. And to be energy independent, we need to find green energy and green jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 147th anniversary of Juneteenth and the 19th annual celebration of the Juneteenth Freedom and Heritage Festival in Memphis, Tennessee. This past weekend, we celebrated Juneteenth, which is the oldest known celebration of the ending of slavery. Juneteenth commemorates African- American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement.

On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, and announced in the town square that all slaves were free. Although this came nearly 3 years after the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the newly freed men and women rejoiced in the streets with jubilant celebrations, and thus, the Juneteenth holiday was born. The theme of this year's Memphis Juneteenth festival is ``Saluting Black Educators.''

Memphis has a long history of excellent black educators. During the Civil Rights Movement Memphis needed a powerful voice to stand up and push for equality in the Memphis City schools. After being denied admission to Memphis State University because of her race, Maxine A. Smith joined the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and soon became an agent for change as she was instrumental in desegregating Memphis schools. In 2003, alongside President Clinton, Maxine Smith received the Freedom Award from the National Civil Rights Museum.

Memphis has had its fair share of outstanding black educators in recent years as well. In 2009, the White House honored Melissa Collins with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. Melissa Collins is a second grade teacher in Memphis, and during a time in this country where math and science teachers are scarce, Melissa Collins exhibits the teaching skills necessary to inspire our children to learn. In February of this year, Velma Lois Jones received the Drum Majors for Service Award from the White House. Velma Lois Jones was the first black classroom teacher ever elected as president of the Tennessee Education Association and she was also a board member of the National Education Association.

Mr. Speaker, it is in the spirit of these great individuals that I ask my colleagues to join me in observing our nation's 147th anniversary of Juneteenth and the celebrations in Memphis. This is a time to celebrate the end of slavery in America and to recognize the many contributions of African-American citizens.

Much emphasis has been put on the deficit and that we do need to deal with the deficit. But at the same time, one way to deal with it is to stimulate the economy. There's no better way to stimulate the economy than a transportation bill that repairs our infrastructure, puts people to work here in America, and improves the ability of industry to move its product and for consumers to get product. Yet the transportation bill that's been passed in the House and passed in the Senate--differing bills--is stuck in a conference committee.

We need to pass a transportation bill and put America back to work with American-made products by American workers. My city of Memphis is a transportation center. We know highways and runways move product and move people and make sense. So I urge our leaders to see that the conference committee comes back, doesn't have extraneous provisions, and does what is necessary to put America back to work and passes the highway bill.

Yesterday, there was a historic program at the White House where 13 great people of the world were recognized with Presidential Medals of Freedom. They ranged from former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens to Bob Dylan to John Glenn and others. But nobody stood out more than Pat Head Summitt, the great athletic coach for the University of Tennessee Lady Vols--greatest basketball coach of all time.

But now, facing her greatest battle, Alzheimer's, she stands as a public statement that a cure must be found, and the caregivers must be recognized and taken care of. She's raising money for Alzheimer's. She's raising money for those that face this problem, like she does, but she's facing it with courage and trying to help others.

This is her greatest battle. She is a great American. I thank the world for Pat Head Summitt, not for her coaching ability but for her courage as a human being.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate May 19 as a significant day in the history of our friend and ally the Republic of Turkey.

In Turkey, May 19 is celebrated as the commemoration of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the Founder of the Republic of Turkey. It was on that day in 1919 when Ataturk landed in the Black Sea port of Samsun and the war of independence began. After the war, he dedicated May 19 to Turkey's youth as a reminder that their ``first duty is to preserve and defend forever Turkish independence and the Turkish Republic.''

He was an exceptional leader who understood that Islam and modernity are not inconsistent--an important factor to reinforce today with democratic leaders throughout the Muslim world.

Ataturk went on to build a republic based on universal values, secularism, equal rights and democracy under the rule of law--from a disintegrating Ottoman Empire. He understood that advances in women's rights, education, science and technology were crucial to his vision of creating a nation as proud members of the group of civilized nations.

His reforms inspired President John F. Kennedy who said, ''The name Ataturk reminds mankind of the historical accomplishments of one of the greatest men of this century. His leadership gave inspiration to the Turkish nation, farsightedness in the understanding of the modern world, and courage and power as a military leader.''

Recognizing the importance physical activity has in the health of our nations, the United States and Turkey have a shared vision of promoting the well-being of their nation's youths. Coinciding with Ataturk Youth and Sports Day, President Barack Obama has designated the month of May 2012 as National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. These celebrations promote the value of physical activity in the pursuit of a happier, healthier and more productive nation.

May is a very important month for the United States and Turkey--it's a month where we both honor the importance and health of our youth. What started on May 19, 1919 as a great leader beginning his inspirational journey to transform his people, has culminated in a yearly celebration of his vision becoming a reality. We should all learn a lesson from this man's life. A leader with motivation and determination can lay the roots for a great future.

Madam Speaker, Glen Campbell is one of the great singers and guitarists in our United States history. He suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Despite that fact, he continues to tour; and he is giving his farewell tour now.

Last night, some of us were privileged to hear him at the Library of Congress. He is still performing well. He is performing to bring more attention to Alzheimer's, a disease that strikes 5 million Americans and will strike another 10 million as baby boomers get older. It is a serious disease which has no cure, and there is no real knowledge of the origins of it. We must find a cure.

President Obama announced the launch of the National Alzheimer's Plan, which is hopefully going to find a cure and prevent and treat Alzheimer's by 2025. We need to support the appropriations for such in this body, support Francis Collins at the National Institutes of Health, and we need to support the caregivers who treat Alzheimer's victims. It is an urgent problem that we must deal with today.

I thank Glen Campbell for his courage in performing and bringing more attention of the American people and the world to this terrible illness.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this motion to instruct the conferees. I'm a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and we would like to see our bill passed.

And I represent a city, Memphis, Tennessee, that is the transportation and distribution center of America. Transportation jobs are extremely important to the city of Memphis.

It's been 958 days, nine extensions, nearly 3 years since the last surface transportation bill expired. The Keystone proponents insist this language be in this transportation bill, which is language, if it's anywhere, should be in an energy bill, not a transportation bill. But by doing so, they will end the hopes of transportation workers throughout this country, let alone Memphis, to have a transportation reauthorization bill passed. We will, instead, have a 10th extension and even more uncertainty in the transportation business.

The Senate's made it clear they're not going to accept the bill with the Keystone pipeline extension and so has the President of the United States, the same President of the United States who allowed the extension, the southern extension of the Keystone XL to go through. He's not against pipe lines. He's not against oil. But he's against this one because it hasn't gone through the proper processes. And at that time, he'll make a decision, pro or con. But it needs to go through the proper processes, so we don't need to defeat the scientific judgment and environmental studies that are necessary before we approve a pipeline.

But what's happening is the proponents of the Keystone pipeline are paying homage to their patron saint, their patron saint, Big Oil. What Big Oil wants, Big Oil often gets. And it's Big Oil, not the people of Canada, our friends with the hockey pucks, our friends who have got a long-time good relationship with this Nation. It's Big Oil that will make the profit and control the oil. And Big Oil wants to sell it where they will make the most profit.

There is a greater demand in this world for oil than ever before because of a burgeoning middle class in China and India and other parts of this world where people are starting to get cars and need gas to drive those cars. Because of that, the price of oil has gone up.

While the middle class in America has shrunk, the middle class around the world has grown, and they want that oil, and that's where it's going to be sold. It doesn't have to go to Port Arthur, Texas, to go to other places. But it's going to be sold on the international market where it gets the best price for the oil companies who are already getting great tax breaks from this Congress, and that won't help the American people one iota.

The fact is we need to end our addiction to Big Oil. We need to get away from fossil fuels, and we need to think about the next generation.

James Hansen, a leading NASA climate scientist, has called the pipeline the fuse to the biggest carbon bomb on the planet. Game over. Give up future generations. Forget the flora and the fauna. Forget what we've known in the past.

But the real issue besides that is this is just not relevant and pertinent to this bill. What's important is that we pass a reauthorization bill that builds our highways, improves our transportation system, gets more people into buses, finds alternative forms of energy, has bike lanes and encourages people to get around without burning fossil fuels, and gets our transportation bill passed and puts people to work.

It's the best thing we could do for the economy is to pass the bill. And the conferees' suggestion that the Keystone pipeline be kept alive as an issue just keeps the passage of this bill further down the road, keeps American workers unemployed, keeps commerce stalled.

We need to not approve this recommendation. I ask us to vote ``no.''