Floor Statements

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate the gentlelady from California for introducing this very important legislation, this commonsense legislation, to help the medical community but, more importantly, to help those who are medically ill throughout the United States and the rest of the world. So I support H.R. 1127, which reauthorizes two deserving programs through the end of this fiscal year.

Foreign citizens who participate in medical residencies in the United States on what is called the ``J'' visa exchange program must generally leave the United States at the conclusion of their residencies and reside abroad for 2 years before they can be allowed to return to this country. The intent is to encourage American-trained foreign doctors to go home to improve health conditions and advance the medical profession in their native countries.

In 1994, Congress created a waiver of this 2-year foreign residence requirement, and this waiver was available, if requested, by the State departments of public health for foreign doctors who

are committed to practicing medicine for 3 years in areas having a shortage of health care professionals. This program has been very successful, and Congress has extended the waiver on multiple occasions.

This waiver's current authorization expires this Friday. The gentlelady from California, with this legislation, reauthorizes the waiver until September 30, 2009, the end of the fiscal year.

This bill also extends the authorization for certain religious worker immigrant visas. The Immigration and Nationality Act makes available green cards each year to special immigrant religious workers. This program allows religious denominations in the United States to bring in needed religious workers--both ministers and those working in religious occupations or vocations--so long as the workers have been performing those functions for at least 2 previous years.

The non-minister categories were added by the 1990 immigration bill, and Congress has extended their authorization several times since then. However, the authorization also expires this Friday. This bill extends the program through September 30, 2009, the end of the fiscal year. These visas assist many American religious denominations to meet the needs of their followers.

Because this bill reauthorizes two worthy immigration programs, I urge my colleagues to support this.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee (Mr. Smith of Texas).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Immigration (Mr. King of Iowa).

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I support this resolution.

I yield back the remainder of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I should inform you that the Red Coats are coming! The Red Coats are coming! The United States Capitol once again has been invaded by the Red Coats. I am not talking about Prime Minister Gordon Brown who spoke to this assembly this morning. I am not talking about the fact that the British came and burned this building in 1814. No, not at all. But the Nation's Capitol is simply being taken away from the American people.

The new Capitol Visitors Center, the CVC as they call themselves, opened its

doors in December of 2008, and since that day many new bureaucratic rules have been decreed. These new regulations infringe on the American people's right to visit this Capitol. It is their building. It doesn't belong to us or to the Red Coats.

Mr. Speaker, there once was a time when a family would come from my district. They would show up at my office and they would ask to see the Capitol. Myself or a staffer would bring them over to the Capitol, take them through these mighty halls by showing them the statues of the two famous people from Texas, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, giving them a peak at the old Supreme Court Chamber, and they could spend as much time in this building as they wanted to. But no more. Apparently the good old times have been replaced by censored, controlled tours which can only be given by the CVC staff, the Red Coats.

Now, before a staff member can even help on a tour of this Capitol, that person must attend a 6-hour or 2-day-long propaganda school given by the CVC Red Coats. The actual tour that everybody must see before they come into this building starts with an opening video given by the Red Coats. It is a controlled and censored video and a controlled and censored trip through this building. The theme opens in the video by saying that the national motto of the United States is ``E Pluribus Unum'', which means, according to the video, ``Out of Many, One.''

Well, Mr. Speaker, I must have missed something. I thought that the United States motto was directly above your head, which says ``In God We Trust.'' But not according to the Red Coats. They just changed the national motto on their own. There is, in fact, no mention of those words or religious history of our country in the entire CVC complex. This includes their exhibit halls, which are supposed to chronicle the real history of America. But the Red Coats have rewritten the history of the United States and omit religion or any reference to God.

Once citizens watch the video, they are allowed into this building to go on their tour, as long as they do it on time and they are not late. You can't wander around and get away from the Red Coat tour guide like the old days. They get to spend a few minutes in the rotunda, a few minutes in Statuary Hall and a couple of minutes in the crypt. But that is it. There is no looking around at the paintings by Brumidi in the hallways. And if your State statue is not on the controlled tour, you are out of luck. You don't get to see it. Unfortunately, now one of Texas' statues is off the approved route. I guess my constituents will just have to become a Member of Congress before they will ever get to see it.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that we should make visiting our Capitol a safe and pleasurable experience for all constituents and all Americans everywhere, and these politically correct positions by the Red Coats are not the way to do it.

I recently signed a letter that is being sponsored by Mr. Kirk and Mr. Loebsack that outlines just a few of these ridiculous regulations. This letter, bipartisan, of course, goes to Mr. Ayers, the acting Architect of the Capitol, who is the chief Red Coat.

Member offices have little control over scheduling tours. Once in awhile somebody will just show up in my office and they want to go see this building. It is their first and only trip to Washington. You can't do that anymore. You have got to get on a list and you have got to make that request a month ahead of time at least before you can come into this building. Those ``dropin'' days are over, unfortunately, because the Red Coat police are in charge, and if they walk through the building and they get off the tour, the Red Coat police dress them down.

Late groups are often turned away. If a family misses their tour by a few minutes or the security lines are too long and they don't get there on time, they may be out of luck and not even get in this building. They are sent home to come back another time. Unless they are trained by the CVC, congressional staff members are no longer allowed to even give tours. And don't forget those ``reeducation sessions'' last between 6 hours and 2 days.

According to a letter I just received from the CEO of the Visitor Center, things are going pretty good, according to them. They say thousands of people are making reservations. Well, apparently that is true, because my staff assistant is having an impossible time booking tours for our constituents during the first week of April, spring break, when most of them are coming up here. And the Capitol, unfortunately, is not friendly anymore.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Capitol belongs to the American people. It doesn't belong to us. It doesn't belong to the Red Coats. It belongs to the American people. And I am disappointed in the new regulations from the CVC and the disrespect that has been shown to the American people and Members of Congress.

Mr. Speaker, the Red Coats have arrived and they are stealing the people's Capitol away from America. That ought not to be, but that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, in February this House passed two bills that are well over $1 trillion: the illusive Stimulus Bill that rewards special interest groups, and the Omnibus Appropriations Bill. Both were passed.

There are even more high-dollar government programs being planned in back rooms of this Capitol.

So how much is $1 trillion? Well, it's 1 with 12 zeros behind it. It will buy you 36 million Chevrolet Malibus. It's spending $1,000 a day at the mall for 2.5 million years. Or it will pay the college education for every high school graduate for the next 10 years.

Mr. Speaker, the problem with this spending is we don't have the money, so we're going have to borrow it or raise taxes. Both of those are bad ideas. This big government spending spree agenda is not helping our economy. The stock market keeps going down. Congress is forcibly taking money from Americans to spend on programs that don't work, and also acquiring debt that Americans yet to be born will have to pay for.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, I bring you news from the second front. As reported by Sara Carter, the enemy has more than 100,000 foot soldiers. And I'm not talking about al Qaeda and I'm not talking about the Taliban in Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm talking about the drug cartels south of the border in Mexico.

The Mexican army isn't much larger than 100,000; so the drug cartels have almost as many foot soldiers as the Mexican military. And the Mexican military, we understand, has been infiltrated by the drug cartels. And these drug cartels are violent.

There are two major ones. The Sinaloa cartel, also known as the Federation, and the Zetas cartel, which is known in America as the Gulf cartel. And they both operate down Mexico way.

There are four commodities that are being sold and traded across the U.S./Mexico border. Two commodities go north and two of them go south. Going north, operated by the drug cartels, of course, are drugs. Also, the drug cartels working with the coyotes are bringing people into the United States, both illegally done.

Going south are guns that the drug cartels end up using and, of course, that money, that filthy lucre that funds all of this process.

Right here, Madam Speaker, I have a photograph that was taken this past weekend in Juarez, Mexico, right across the border from El Paso, Texas. It's a population of about four times the size of El Paso. And the Mexican government has tried to do something about it. You see here federal police officers, a convoy, that goes for a mile, going into Juarez to try to control the drug cartels. Here you have peace officers or federal peace officers or military with M-16 rifles.

Madam Speaker, it's a war zone. It's a border war. And I commend the President of the Mexico for trying to

stop the violence on his side of the border. But we are naive to think it's not going to come to the United States because eventually it will. It is a national security issue, Madam Speaker.

Some say that Mexico will be a failed state because of the drug cartels' influence, and it's certainly a tough situation for Mexican nationals that live along the border. I've been on both sides of the border, and I've seen it's a tough situation for people who live there because they live in fear because the drug cartels are fearless and they would do anything to bring those drugs into the United States.

Our own State Department has issued a spring break advisory: Don't go to Mexico. It's not safe to go down there. There are beheadings of local and law enforcement officers. There are kidnappings of not only Mexican nationals but Americans that are being kidnapped now on our side of the border. It's a violent place, Madam Speaker. The United States now says that only Pakistan and Iran are more of a national security concern than Mexico. That's serious, and we should be concerned about it.

We now understand, of course, about the corruption in the Mexican Government. Even though President Calderon is trying to do what he can, you see, those drug cartels pay their criminals a whole lot more money than these federal peace officers get paid, and they switch sides and some of them even work for the federal government in Mexico. So he's put troops on the border. I'm talking about the President of the Mexico. He's put several thousands of troops on the border. Several thousand went into Juarez to try to stop the drug cartels from operating there.

More importantly, Madam Speaker, this is a national security issue for the United States. Both sides of the border are violent, and we need to do everything we can to deal with this problem.

The first thing we need to do is realize it's going on. In last year's election, neither person running for President ever mentioned the border problem. They didn't want to talk about that. It wasn't politically correct.

We have to deal with this issue. We have to help the Border Patrol. We need to change the rules of engagement. The Border Patrol, right now they can't shoot anybody unless they're shot at. They have got to take the first bullet; so they back off.

We need to help the sheriffs. One of the sheriffs down in Texas told me that the drug cartels outgun them, out-finance them and out-man them. They've got better equipment, more money, and more people. A deputy sheriff in South Texas makes about $12,000 a year. A guy running drugs or guns across the border will make that much in 2 weeks. It's important that we help them.

And, of course, I think that we ought to put our troops on the border. If we put our troops, the National Guard, on the border, people will quit crossing. Mexico is doing what it can with its military, but we won't do that because we might offend somebody.

Down the road the United States has to deal with the real problem, and that's the tremendous addiction Americans have for illicit drugs. We have to deal with that or this is all going to continue. But until we fix that problem, we need to stop the crime from coming into the United States.

It is time, Madam Speaker, that we realize the truth because the first duty of government is not building roads and bridges and sending money to museums and foreign aid. The first duty of government is to protect the people. That's the people of the United States. And our government needs to get with the program and send the National Guard to the border.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, this day, March the 2nd, 1836, marks the day Texas declared independence from Mexico and its dictator, Santa Anna. Texas became a free, independent nation for 9 years.

March 2 also marks the birth of the person who led Texas to independence, Sam Houston. Born in Virginia in 1793, he fought the Creeks with Andy Jackson, became a Congressman and a Governor from Tennessee.

He went to Texas to champion the cause of Texas liberty, and was the commander of the outnumbered Army of Texas that defeated Santa Anna. General Sam became President of the Republic of Texas and, later, Governor and U.S. Senator when Texas was a State.

When the War Between the States broke out--ironically, on Sam's birthday and on the 25th anniversary of Texas independence, March the 2nd, 1861--Texas left the Union and joined the Confederacy. Houston refused to take the oath to support the South, so the Texas legislature removed Governor Houston from office.

Houston is the only person to have served in Congress from different States, as Governor of two States and as president of a nation. His last words were ``Texas, Texas.''

And that's just the way it is.

I thank the gentleman for yielding time.

This bill is about history, American history. And sometimes we forget our own history, no matter what it is. But if you recall, it all started in 1861, the War Between the States. And after the smoke cleared, there were 600,000 Americans from the North and from the South killed--250,000 from the South, 350,000 from the North, and many more died years later from wounds that they had received.

Many of those battles that took place took place in Virginia. One such battle was the Battle of the Wilderness on May 5-7 of 1864. In that battle, 145,000 troops from the Union and the South fought each other. Madam Speaker, that's the number of troops we have in all of Iraq. They assembled together in Orange County, near Fredericksburg, to do battle.

After that battle was over with, between 18,000 and 20,000 died in those 3 days of battle. And that is one of the areas that this bill would affect. It would help preserve the surrounding community to sellers that would willfully sell their land to help preserve the battlefield.

One such location near Fredericksburg is a location where the profit motive is moving in. None other than Wal-Mart wants to build a Wal-Mart on the very spot where Union troops assembled before that battle started. And this bill would help protect and preserve that location.

This bill is especially important to me and this battle is especially important to me because, although the casualties were great on both sides, the State of Vermont lost a great percentage of the soldiers from Vermont that fought in that battle. And being from Texas, Texas had the same result on the south; 86 percent of the Texans that went to battle in those 3 days were killed or wounded. And it would be important that battles such as the Battle of the Wilderness and all the other battles from the War Between the States be preserved for our heritage because history, Madam Speaker, is what we do in this country.

Madam Speaker, today is March the 2nd; and on March 2, 1836, my native State, Texas, declared independence from Mexico.

It all started back when Texas was a part of Mexico. Mexico revolted from the Spanish empire, won that revolution, and then Texas became a part of northern Mexico. And there was a constitutional republic in Mexico, it was the Constitution of 1824, drafted somewhat after the American Constitution. But things turned sour when a guy by the name of Santa Anna became dictator of Mexico, abolished the constitution, and eliminated civil rights. And people who lived in Texas, both white, brown and black, were offended by that, and so in 1835 revolution started in Texas, or northern Mexico. And on March 2, 1836, Texas declared independence from Mexico.

It was an interesting time of the year because, you see, on March the second, there were already 187 volunteers in a beat-up old Spanish church not far from where Texas independence was declared, that being Washington on the Brazos. In that beat-up old Spanish church, a mission, it was called the Alamo. And those 187 volunteers from every State in the Union, from 13 foreign countries, including Mexico, of all races stood defiant against Santa Anna's invading Army of about 6,000 that came in to quell the revolution.

We all know what happened at the Battle of the Alamo. For 13 days those 187 volunteers withheld the onslaught, and finally on March 6, 4 days hence, the Alamo fell.

The Alamo was commanded by my favorite person in all of history, William Barrett Travis. He was a 27-year-old lawyer from South Carolina, then Alabama, and then came to Texas. And one of his last letters from the Alamo pleading for other Texans to come to his help and help Texas' independence was written on February 24, 1836. It goes like this, Madam Speaker:

``To the people of the world and all of Texas, I am besieged by a thousand or more of the enemy under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment and cannon fire for over 24 hours, but I have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded surrender at its discretion. Otherwise, the fort will be put to the sword. I have answered that demand with a cannon shot. And the flag still waves proudly over the wall.

``I shall never surrender or retreat. I call upon you, in the name of liberty and everything dear to our character, to come to my aid with all dispatch. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself for as long as possible and do what is necessary for my honor and my country. Victory or death.

``God and Texas, William Barrett Travis.''

That was one of the last letters he wrote, and except for 32 men from the small town of Gonzales, no one came to

Travis's aid, and the Alamo fell on March 6, 1836. All 187 Texans were killed and about 10 times that number from the Mexican army fell as well.

Texans started fleeing to the east to get away from the invading armies, and General Sam Houston was elected as the commander in chief to try to rally what Texans were left to do battle. And on April 21, 1836, where Buffalo Bayou meets the San Jacinto River in what is now Houston, Texas, they did battle with Santa Anna's invading army. It took place in the afternoon on April 21. Madam Speaker, we all know that battles take place in the morning, but yet this battle took place in the afternoon. The outnumbered Texans caught Santa Anna's army sleeping, and in 18 minutes it was complete victory and Texas won its independence. It became a republic. It claimed not only Texas but part of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming, all the way to the Canadian border. Texas remained an independent nation for 9 years. Then in 1845, it was allowed into the Union by one vote. Some wished the vote had gone the other way. But be that as it may, Texas was an independent republic for 9 years.

And on this day, March the 2nd, we from Texas celebrate the Republic of Texas and Texas' independence and that spirit that gave all Americans what we have today: a free and independent Nation. And we also honor the likes of William Barrett Travis, Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, Jim Bonham, and Jim Bowie.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

The motion was agreed to; accordingly (at 2 o'clock and 50 minutes p.m.), under its previous order, the House adjourned until tomorrow, Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at 10:30 a.m., for morning-hour debate.

Madam Speaker, Americans are still under vicious attack in Mexico. How violent is it on the border? Last month, Marines at Camp Pendleton were barred from visiting Tijuana, Mexico. Lt. General Samuel Helland of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton restricted Marines from traveling to Tijuana because they are concerned for the safety of Marines. Our United States Marines, Camp Pendleton Marines, who have toured in Iraq and Afghanistan can't travel 60 miles to the Mexican border because it is too dangerous.

In 2008, over 800 people were killed in Tijuana, compared to the 2007 death toll number of 337. Organized, violent crimes continue to spread south of the border. Currently, the U.S. Department of State's travel alert still exists for Mexican border towns. The State Department reports that ``Mexican drug cartels are engaged in an increasingly violent fight for control of narcotics trafficking routes along the U.S.-Mexico border . . . recent drug cartels have taken on the characteristics of small unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and, on occasion, grenades.'' I have been down to the Texas- Mexico border now 14 times, and I have talked to local sheriffs who testify to the wild, Wild West border style wars that take place in these towns and corroborate with the U.S. Department of State's warnings to Americans.

These are dangerous, deadly times on the U.S.-Mexico border, dangerous enough to ban United States Marines. It is time we deal with the lawlessness on the U.S.-Mexico Border.

Madam Speaker, Abraham Lincoln believed that ``the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to a man.'' For 100 years The Gideon's, a non-denominational evangelical group of professional businessmen, have labored to extend this heavenly gift by distributing Bibles throughout the world. I commend the Gideon's as January 2008 marks their centennial anniversary of serving God and sharing the gospel of Jesus.

``Of the many influences that have shaped the United States into a distinctive nation and people, none may be said to be more fundamental and enduring than the Bible.'' Because of this the Gideon's are an undeniable part of American history. From their humble roots in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, three traveling businessmen devised a plan called ``the Bible project''. Their mission was to simply furnish a Bible in hotel rooms throughout the United States. One hundred years later The Gideon's presence in America and across the globe has grown tremendously. They have now placed more than 1.3 billion Bibles in more than 180 countries around the world.

The Gideon's patriotic spirit is truly realized through their quest to give all military personnel serving in the United States Armed Forces a small, pocket size New Testament. They also distribute Bibles to patients in United States Veterans hospitals. Their distribution of Scriptures, touches the lives of many people regardless of age, gender, income, or need and for that they are great patriots.

For the past 100 years, Gideons International members have given so much time and service to their communities, state, nation and the world. In so doing, they have brought the Gospel message to life by distributing God's Word. I invite you to join me in honoring all Gideons for their continued faithfulness and service to God.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the outstanding achievements of the Air Force Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Flying Tigers of Klein Collins High School in Klein, Texas. I want to thank the AFJROTC Flying Tigers for their service to second district of Texas and to congratulate them on their many accomplishments that led them to be chosen to perform in this year's presidential inaugural parade.

Their selection to this high honor is a testament to their mission statement ``to develop the best Air Force leaders and citizens of character, dedicated to serving the Nation.'' I am proud that a well- qualified group of cadets from Klein--Collins will be representing the state of Texas on Pennsylvania Avenue.

The KCHS AFJROTC has a history of success in their nationally acclaimed armed and unarmed drill team competitions. Under the direction of Colonel Daniel Crum and Sergeant Ray Watson, the cadets do much more than drill competitions and marching in parades. They are involved in serving their school and community through many different service projects and duties performed throughout the year.

The cadets have participated in numerous community projects that have respectfully earned them as many as 3,200 ``man hours'' in the 2007/ 2008 school year. I want to recognize several projects that the JROTC participated in this year. They have provided color guard presentations at many events around town. At Christmas time, the cadets sent care packages to our soldiers overseas. Locally, they sponsored as many as eighteen ``angels'' during the holidays to help provide impoverished families with presents. They have collected canned food for several needy families. They have participated in a local fall festival held at one of the Klein Elementary schools. Many of the cadets have served on individual service projects at their local churches, animal shelters and the YMCA. There are countless other service projects this group participates in throughout the community, all of which testifies to the quality of students in the great state of Texas.

The cadet's service and patriotism to our nation sets them apart as role models to other students. I know that the residents of the Spring Klein area are proud of their many accomplishments and happy that the Flying Tigers were chosen, out of thousands of applicants, to march in the 56th inaugural parade. It will be a momentous occasion for the students, school district and the patriotic communities in the second district of Texas. I applaud them for their tremendous achievement and wish them the best of luck in the future.

Madam Speaker, today I am proud to pay tribute to the Julie Rogers ``Gift of Life'' Program and the recipients of their ``Spirit of Love'' awards for their commitment to the fight against cancer and dedication to assisting the medically underserved in Southeast Texas.

The Julie Rogers ``Gift of Life'' Program, established in 1994 by Regina Rogers, began as a tribute to her mother, a breast cancer survivor. Originally providing free mammograms to women, shortly afterwards they expanded to prostate screenings for men and cancer education outreach. Since then, they have provided over 13,500 mammograms and over 4,500 prostate screenings while conducting over 450 educational presentations. The Program has helped extend the lives of more than 135 people who found cancer after one of their screenings. They grew from their humble beginnings into one of the largest cancer screening and awareness organizations of its type in Texas.

Each year at their annual board meeting, the ``Gift of Life'' Program presents both an individual and corporate ``Spirit of Love'' Awards to honor those that have gone above and beyond the call of duty to help fight cancer and spread awareness. This year, the late Todd Christopher was awarded the Julie Rogers ``Spirit of Love'' Award, while the TOTAL Port Arthur Refinery was presented with the Corporate ``Spirit of Love'' Award. Both deserve the recognition for their dedication and commitment to the community.

Todd Christopher was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. After graduating from Texas A&M University, Todd moved back home with an entrepreneur spirit and co-founded four businesses, bringing hundreds of jobs to the area. He served on a number of boards across the area and as co-chairman of the Julie and Ben Rogers Cancer Foundation Drive. He somehow found enough time to dedicate a large part of his life to his wife Gerry and children Clayton and Gary. He has coached their sports teams and supported their scholastic endeavors. Cancer tragically cut Todd's life short in 2008 but his spirit lives on. The work he did for Southeast Texas will last forever.

The TOTAL Port Arthur Refinery was recognized for exhibiting outstanding community leadership and reducing health disparities among Southeast Texans. The refinery, built in 1936 and acquired by the French company TOTAL in 1973, has taken a proactive role in fighting cancer. Through their annual sponsorship of ``Gift of Life'' breast and prostate cancer initiatives, they have provided over 600 women and more than 1,800 men with free mammograms and prostate screenings. They alone have helped extend the lives of seven women and nine men whose cancer was detected at ``Gift of Life'' screenings. They have also made a commitment to Southeast Texas by embarking on a $2.2 billion dollar expansion of their refinery, increasing their refining capacity and adding 60 new full time jobs.

On behalf of the Second Congressional District of Texas I would like to thank the Julie Rogers ``Gift of Life'' Program, the family of Todd Christopher, and the TOTAL Port Arthur Refinery for all their work in fighting cancer and spreading awareness. Their efforts have made Southeast Texas a better place to live and work.

Madam Speaker, one element lost throughout the fight to free Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean is the weakened morale it brought throughout the entire ranks of the Border Patrol and its possible detrimental effects on border security. Everyone in the agency knows it could have been them standing guard along the border in Fabens, TX that February day in 2005. Faced with a similar situation, would they have made the same call as Ramos and Compean? The question is an important one because when placed in future similar situations, agents will pause and hesitate and will think long and hard about what course of action to take and if they take a certain course of action, will their government back them up or will they face scrutiny and prosecution? The border is a dangerous place full of dangerous bad guys who don't contemplate these things. Their job is to get their drugs across the border and will fight with everything they have to accomplish that task. Agents are taught to use their training to help them in the face of danger but even the most trained agent is human and most if not all will pause long and hard with thoughts of Ramos & Compean. Officers who hesitate to act not only risk safety to themselves but they risk losing control of our border to the bad guys. The problem is, the other side knows this and their behavior has been growing ever more hostile and ever more assaultive to see the length they can take.

Agents who take aggressive action to hold their border line and protect themselves and their fellow colleagues are constantly looking over their shoulder. The Mexican government has aided in that fear. They constantly are directing pressure from their consulates to local and national offices of the U.S. Attorney's office and FBI to stomp out what they consider are aggressive Border Patrol actions against their citizens, even if they know those citizens are there to commit crimes against the United States.

Our government needs to be on the right side of this border war. Our government needs to defend our agents who face hostility from a violent enemy. Our government needs to be less concerned with protecting criminals and more concerned with how agents actions will prevent further crime. Enemies throughout time respect only one thing and that is action and defiance. If we allow our agents to show that force and take it to the enemy instead of being gun shy, perhaps we will once again restore order on the border.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act:

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Byrne Discretionary Grants

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Houston Police Department

Address of Requesting Entity: 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002

Description of Request: I have secured $350,000 for the Houston Police Department to purchase more LiveScan equipment, enabling them to capture electronic fingerprints and be part of the IAFIS (Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System) program which enables them to determine in seconds as opposed to days the alienage and criminal history of those they apprehend through the federal Law Enforcement Support Center. Previously, Houston has gone through the Texas Department of Public Safety which has received approximately $26 million in grants from the National Criminal History Improvement Program (through the Bureau of Justice Statistics) since 1995; however, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the National Criminal History Improvement Program services the entire state and they are limited in the amount of funding it can provide to Houston. Houston has 6 Livescan machines working. Funds obtained last fiscal year helped them buy 7 additional machines. Houston still needs 9 more machines to be fully electronic under IAFIS city wide.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Byrne Discretionary Grants

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Houston Police Department

Address of Requesting Entity: 1200 Travis Street, Houston, TX 77002

Description of Request: I have secured $150,000 for the Houston Police Department to purchase 50 additional mobile AFIS (automated fingerprint identification system) handheld devices that would be given to police officers away from their desks to quickly capture biometric information of suspects and quickly determine their criminal histories, outstanding warrants, whether they have an order of removal or bench warrant for a failure to appear for an immigration proceeding from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, etc. from ICE's Office of Detention and Removal's deportable felon database.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Corps of Engineers, Investigations

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Sabine-Neches Navigation District

Address of Requesting Entity: P.O. Box 778, 2348 Hwy. 69 North, Nederland, TX 77627

Description of Request: I have secured $478,000 to complete the feasibility study phase of deepening and widening the Sabine-Neches Waterway which will include beginning the Planning, Engineering, and Design (PED) phase of the General Investigation of deepening and widening the waterway.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Department of Energy, EERE

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: University of Houston Center for Clean Fuels and Power Generation (CFPG)

Address of Requesting Entity: 4800 Calhoun Road, Houston, TX 77004

Description of Request: I have helped secure $475,750 to focus on the synthesis and development of clean and sustainable fuels, their combustion for efficient generation of portable power, and their exhaust after-treatment for minimal impact to the environment. CFPG is one component of a diverse portfolio of programs focused on energy at UH, which is strategically located in a vast regional petrochemical complex and port system, as well as the center of the international energy industry. CFPG program activities include: cross-cutting multi- scale research in the sciences and engineering, technology transfer and integration, and educating a diverse scientific workforce in fields key to the success of the U.S. economy.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Corps of Engineers, O&M

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Chambers-Liberty Counties Navigation District

Address of Requesting Entity: 1801 Trinity Street, Liberty, TX 77575

Description of Request: I have secured $994,000 to maintain navigation along the lower Trinity River in Texas. The Trinity River Project is a 47 mile shallow draft waterway beginning with the Anahuac Channel which extends for 5.6 miles from the 6 foot depth in upper Trinity Bay to the Mouth of the Trinity River at Anahuac Texas. From the mouth of Trinity River, the channel to Liberty proceeds for 41.4 miles along the meanders of the Trinity River to the Port of Liberty. Also included is a 9-foot depth channel extending from the Houston Ship channel along the east shore of the Trinity Bay, to a point 1 mile below Anahuac, Texas. Maintenance is needed to allow shallow draft barge access to support the current industrial residents at the Port of Liberty and to attract new ones. The combination of rail and barge traffic at the Port of Liberty creates a powerful synergy to propel the economic development of our primary rural community.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Corps of Engineers, O&M

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association

Address of Requesting Entity: 2010 Butler Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546

Description of Request: I have helped secure $29,586,000 to maintain navigation of selected Gulf Intracoastal Waterway reaches in Texas such as the Victoria, Cedar Bayou, and Harlingen channels. Funding also could include installing mooring buoys at selected locations along the waterway and repairs to the Colorado Lock near Matagorda, Texas.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Facilities and Services

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Lamar University

Address of Requesting Entity: PO Box 10001, Beaumont, TX 77710

Description of Request: I have secured $238,000 to Lamar University's Community and University Partnerships Service (CUPS) to help coordinate, plan and promote quality healthcare for underserved populations in Southeast Texas. CUPS will provide critical access to resources and expertise for quality healthcare coupled with traditional community-based delivery systems through efficient utilization of University resources and partnerships.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Facilities and Services

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Memorial Hermann Baptist Beaumont Hospital

Address of Requesting Entity: PO Box 1591, Beaumont, TX 77704

Description of Request: I have secured $190,000 for the Hospital's Behavioral Health Center to renovate the Center's appearance.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Economic Development Initiatives

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: City of Beaumont, TX

Address of Requesting Entity: 801 Main Street, Beaumont TX 77701

Description of Request: I have secured $190,000 for improvements to a 20 block area in downtown Beaumont, including Neches Street from Laurel to College Streets and Park Street from North to College Streets. Since the

downtown improvements are an ongoing project, the design and construction of the project would take approximately a year and could begin immediately.

Requesting Member: Congressman Ted Poe

Bill Number: FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act

Account: Airport Improvement Program

Legal Name of Requesting Entity: Houston Airport System, George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Address of Requesting Entity: P.O. Box 60106, Houston, TX 77205-0106

Description of Request: I have secured $712,500 for noise mitigation to include the continued residential acquisition and sound insulation program. The August 2000 Record of Decision for the Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport Runway 8L-26R and Associated Near-Term Master Plan Projects and Federal Actions identified a series of actions necessary to mitigate the environment impacts associated with the new runway and the related airport improvements. In terms of discernible community impacts, aircraft noise is the primary activity requiring mitigation. As noted in the Record of Decision (page 53), ``The primary responsibility for implementation of the mitigation measures lies with the Houston Airport System and the FAA will take appropriate steps through federal funding grant assurances and grant conditions, airport layout plan approvals, and contract plans and specifications to ensure that the following mitigation actions are implemented during project developments. The approvals contained in this Record of Decision are specifically conditioned upon full implementation of these mitigation measures.'' The measures identified in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and the Record of Decision are acquisition and soundproofing of residential properties exposed to significant noise impacts. Property acquisition and soundproofing have been underway for several years. To date, over $35 million has been invested in this program.

Mr. Speaker, the Chicago-based bank Northern Trust took $1.6 billion in bailout money. But last week the bank threw a high-dollar party in Los Angeles. The celebration included flying in guests and employees to stay at the Ritz and the Beverly Hills Wilshire.

The bank hosted a $6.3 million fancy golf tournament. Northern Trust partied all week by entertaining the rich and famous.

Nightly concerts were held that included the groups Earth, Wind and Fire, Chicago, and even singer Sheryl Crow.

One night, the bank rented the entire establishment of the House of Blues for $50,000 to enjoy the necessities of life.

When it was all over, the party animals received Tiffany gift bags. A good time was had by all.

Mr. Speaker, corporations can do what they want with their own money, but when banks take taxpayer money, they are responsible to the taxpayers. The bank says they didn't ask for the money. Well, if that's so, the bank should do the right thing. Northern Trust, give us back our $1.6 billion because you can't be trusted with our money.

The bank blunder bailout loan has come due.

And that's just the way it is.