Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, big, snoopy government agencies can read emails that are over 180 days old without a person's knowledge or consent. That is just wrong. It takes a warrant to eavesdrop phone conversations, but no warrant required to peruse a person's email?

If Peeping Tom-crats can't listen to phones without a warrant, they shouldn't be able to read emails. That's why Congresswoman Lofgren, Congresswoman DelBene, and I introduced the Online Communications and Geolocation Protection Act. It would require a search warrant to seize a person's email.

When a person mails a letter, the government cannot open the mail from the time it is placed in the mailbox, travels throughout the fruited plain, and ends up in another mailbox. The law protects the privacy of this snail mail.

When a person sends an email through cyberspace, the government should not be allowed to seize the content without a search warrant. At a time when we see more and more government invasion of privacy, Congress should ensure that government does not press the delete button and eliminate the Constitution.

And that's just the way it is.

Benghazi bungled--propagandacrats misled citizens-- change talking points 12 times. People die. White House denies knowledge. Lower-level operatives blamed.

IRS intimidates, targets, and audits conservative opposition groups. White House denies knowledge. Lower-level operatives blamed.

Government snoopers secretly seize phone records of 100 journalists to locate their sources. White House denies knowledge. Lower-level operatives blamed.

AFT smuggles guns to Mexican drug lords. White House denies knowledge. Attorney General held in contempt of Congress for with ``holdering'' evidence. Lower-level operatives blamed.

Meanwhile, the President self-righteously proclaims citizens should trust his government. Americans distrust and fear government, especially the ``Infernal Revenue Service,'' because the President professes ignorance of actions of lower-level malcontents, then doesn't adequately hold them accountable. Heads need to roll. People need to be fired. Others need to go to the jailhouse. That's what Americans expect of the so-called most transparent administration in history. Then this administration that is incredible with words can earn credibility with its deeds.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, driving around Houston, there's an endless amount of things that you can do. You can take in an Astros game, visit some of the best museums in the world, or if you're feeling a bit adventurous, kayak Buffalo Bayou. But, if sometimes you just need to get away from the big city life, Old Town Spring is an excellent option.

At one time, Old Town Spring played a vital role in Texas. It was first settled by the Orcoquisac Indians, who depended on the abundant resources they found there. Then, Spanish and French traders arrived. They too recognized the importance of the region and established trading posts that worked closely with the natives.

In 1836, Texas won its independence from Mexico. With this independence came droves of new colonists seeking to make a living in the wide open spaces of Texas. This influx of colonists led to the city of Houston being founded in 1836, just months after independence. Ten years later, the great Republic of Texas became the 28th State of these United States.

The entrance of Texas into the Union brought even more people to the City of Houston and the surrounding regions, such as Spring. This flood of people only increased in the 1870's when railroad tracks were laid, connecting Houston to the rest of the United States. It was at this time that Spring, Texas got its name. Railroad workers building the line to Houston arrived in the area at the end of an extremely harsh winter. In their excitement at the end of winter, they dubbed their new home Camp Spring. Luckily for us, the ``camp'' part was dropped in 1873 when an official settlement for railroad workers was established by the I.&G.N. Railroad. A bustling railroad town was born.

For the next 50 years, Spring continued to grow. In 1901, it became a crossroads for two railways. As a major railroad switchyard, Spring began to attract businesses of all sorts. Unfortunately, this attraction soon faded when the town was dealt a series of devastating blows. In 1923 the railroad moved its headquarters from Spring to Houston. This move forced local businesses to move or close their doors. Those that stayed were soon put out of business by the Great Depression.

After years of quiet, businesses slowly started coming back to the town in the 1960's with the oil boom in Houston. Through growth and investment the area began to resemble itself once again. Since 1980, one section of Spring, Old Town Spring, has been very popular. It is continually voted as one of the top attractions in Texas every year. Through its Victorian style buildings and turn of the century feel, Old Town Spring harkens back to the days when the railroad dominated the landscape of the west.

Today, Old Town Spring features hundreds of mom and pop shops and restaurants, which provide great places to shop for antiques or simply to bathe in the nostalgia of times past. These small businesses exude a sense of family and tradition that wouldn't be possible without them. Thus, Old Town Spring stands

not only as a vibrant reminder of the storied past of the area, but also as an impressive example of how family owned small businesses must be kept alive. Without them, exciting events like the Texas Crawfish and Music Festival, held annually in Old Town Spring, wouldn't be possible. Ultimately, if we want to preserve treasured pieces of Texas history, like Old Town Spring, we must fight to keep small businesses alive.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, this week we honor our local, state and federal law enforcement officers by recognizing National Police Week. From May 13-17, communities across the nation will hold ceremonies, honoring the peace officers who protect them and remembering those who lost their lives in the line of duty. We take one week a year to thank them for their service, but we are grateful year- round.

Peace officers have protected Americans for the last 221 years, but our nation has celebrated their service and remembered their sacrifices since 1962 when President John F. Kennedy first proclaimed May 15 as National Peace Officers Memorial Day.

Nearly one million peace officers serve our communities selflessly nationwide. Every day, these brave men and women put on their uniform, pin on their badge and put themselves in harm's way. Their daily job is to protect our communities, our lives and our property. When the outlaws--the drug dealers, child molesters, wife beaters, robbers, bandits, murderers and street terrorists--threaten our communities, peace officers are the first ones to track them down. With their service, comes risk and

sacrifice. We remember the 120 officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice with their lives last year while in the line of duty.

Peace officers separate us from the outlaws. They separate anarchy from law and order. They help bring justice to crime victims, and peace to communities that crime has affected. We must support our peace officers because they support us, the home-front. And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, early last year, I spoke with businesswoman Catherine Engelbrecht, also founder of True the Vote and King Street Patriots in Houston, Texas. True the Vote is a nonpartisan organization whose purpose is to train poll workers to uphold voter integrity at the polls, because, despite what many say, voter fraud is rampant in America. King Street Patriots is a group of liberty-minded, patriotic individuals in Houston who meet weekly to discuss what's going on here in Washington.

Catherine told me that both of these groups and her family had not only been harassed by liberal progressive groups but also by the Federal Government. It all began when Catherine applied for nonprofit status in 2010 for True the Vote and King Street Patriots. So began the tidal wave of government inquiries and harassment.

In a recent interview, Catherine said this:

We applied for nonprofit status in 2010. Since that time,

the IRS has run us through a gauntlet of analysts and

hundreds of questions over and over and over again. They've

requested to see each and every tweet I've ever tweeted and

each and every Facebook post I've ever posted. They've asked

to know every place I've ever spoken since our inception, and

to whom, and everywhere I intend to speak in the future.

We have learned that the IRS has even asked these groups, Mr. Speaker, for donor lists.

Mr. Speaker, this level of detail goes well beyond the business of the IRS, and it didn't stop there. The Federal Government's snooping included six visits by the FBI, as well as multiple unannounced visits from OSHA and, yes, even the ATF. Mr. Speaker, you may remember the ATF. Those are the ones responsible for smuggling guns into Mexico. How ironic it is they want to audit American citizens but lose track of guns where they were purposely sent to the drug cartels.

In any event, in addition to True the Vote, Catherine and her husband were also personally audited. Keep in mind Catherine and her husband have owned a small family business for 20 years and have never been audited by the IRS until all of this. Why now? It seems very coincidental.

I asked that question when I submitted a FOIA request on behalf of True the Vote and King Street Patriots to FBI, OSHA and the ATF asking if they were under criminal investigation. The reply from these agencies was that none of these individuals were under criminal investigation. Well, if they're not, why are they being treated like criminals? Just because they question government.

Mr. Speaker, Catherine is not alone. The IRS has admitted to systematically targeting certain groups who have opposing views from the administration. According to USA Today, between February 2010 and May 2012, only one Tea Party group was granted tax-exempt status from the IRS. But during that same 2-year period, the IRS has approved dozens of liberal and progressive groups for their tax-exempt status. Coincidence? Yeah, right.

Not only does this behavior of the IRS threaten individual freedom and violate the Constitution; I think it may be criminal. It is unlawful for any Federal agency to use its law enforcement and its investigation power as a means to harass and target certain individuals whose political views differ from any administration. It would appear that such actions are also in violation of Federal law and the equal protection and due process protections guaranteed in the Constitution.

Private citizens should not be punished for questioning government. This is America, not a Third World dictatorship or the Soviet Union.

This type of government oppression and political opposition is disturbing. I've written Attorney General Eric Holder to request him to direct the U.S. Office of Special Counsel to investigate any potential violation of the Hatch Act that may have occurred by IRS employees. I've also asked Attorney General Holder to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate all of this.

No government should be requiring citizens to furnish their schedules, donor lists, personal communications or political beliefs to any government agency. No government agency--whether it's the IRS, the FBI, the ATF, or OSHA--should be used as a tool to suppress those who are considered ``opposition groups'' and dare to question our government.

The IRS is abusing its power to tax by harassing and punishing those who have been ``taxed enough already.''

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, there's a troubling pattern here in Washington. When wrongdoing occurs involving Federal Government employees, blame falls away from the White House and the wrong-doers get a pass. No one is held accountable.

Exhibit A: Fast and Furious. Government walks guns into Mexico. Two Americans and hundreds of Mexican nationals are killed. White House blames Bush and a low-level employee. Employee resigns; government gets a pass.

Exhibit B: Benghazi. Government denies request for support before and during the attack. Four Americans are killed. Investigation is bungled. Blame is placed on a YouTube video. One Federal employee placed on leave, but still getting a paycheck. Government gets a pass.

Exhibit C: IRS target list. IRS unlawfully targets conservative organizations. Blame is placed on low-level employee, and we're waiting for accountability.

Exhibit D: DOJ subpoenas reporters' phone records to silence a leak. Attorney General Holder recuses himself. We're waiting for who's responsible.

Mr. Speaker, this is a disturbing pattern. The so-called most transparent administration in history appears to be obstinately blocking the truth from the American public. America is tired of unaccountable escape artists in the Federal Government.

This ought not to be, but that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, when I went to the Soviet Union in the 1980s, the Communist leaders told me that they believed in and had a free press and they also had free speech. However, I also learned that Soviet law prohibited these freedoms when they jeopardized state secrets--or national security, as we call it in America. The state- secret provision was so broad the Soviet press and speech were gagged and shackled. They certainly were not free.

Now we learn that our Department of Justice improperly seized without notice phone records of over 100 Associated Press journalists--all in the name of national security concerns.

To me, this is a clear violation of the spirit and letter of the First Amendment. These actions border on the Soviet method of legalizing these freedoms but never allowing them. So it's time to revisit U.S. law and require in all cases judicial review where these types of records are seized.

We cannot allow our government to arbitrarily abolish the First Amendment in the name of ``state secrets.''

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Benghazi whistleblowers have spoken publicly: the administration failed before, during, and after the terrorist attack in Benghazi.

Head of diplomatic security in Libya, Eric Nordstrom, testified his calls for more security before the attack were dismissed by a negligent State Department.

During the attack, counterterrorism official Mark Thompson said that the rescue team was told to stand down instead of trying to save Americans under attack.

Deputy chief of missions in Libya, Greg Hicks, said in his chilling testimony that when Ambassador Stephens frantically called him, they both knew this was a terrorist attack.

The information was reported to Washington; but back on the ranch, the administration ignored the obvious terror attack and blamed the situation on a video. What a yarn. The Libyan President even told our government that this was a terrorist attack, and he was ignored.

The result: four Americans murdered; an administration missing in action that didn't attempt to rescue Americans; a bungling State Department that misled us; and a Secretary of State testifying, What difference does it make?

The difference it makes, Mr. Speaker, is four Americans were left behind. Shameful.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, Victor from Huffman, Texas, writes me this:

I work. I pay my taxes. In order to earn that paycheck, I

work on construction projects. Every morning we file into a

job site like cattle. We are searched, scanned and tested.

But the government hands out our money to those who don't

work for free houses, cars, food, and the list just gets

longer. I work 84 hours a week just to make ends meet. The

more I work, the more I get taxed. We have families that we

only see at night, if at all. We work outages, turnarounds,

and shutdowns. If I don't pay my taxes, I go to jail. If I

don't do my job, I'm fired. We work extra to have extra, not

so we can pay for more government programs.

Mr. Speaker, workers are tired of their taxes going up just so the government can get more people dependent on government.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, a few weeks ago, Congressman Israel and I asked Speaker Boehner to invite President Park Geun Hye (``Gun Hay''), South Korea's first female president, to address a Joint Session of Congress.

Tomorrow, we officially welcome her here in this Chamber.

Her visit is important to both of our nations, but also to my district in Texas where a vibrant and engaged Korean American community lives in Spring Branch and Houston.

In stark contrast to its neighbor to the North led by media-hungry dictator, Junior,--South Korea shines as a beacon democracy and freedom.

S. Korea is also an important trading partner--America's 7th largest--and with the implementation of our Free Trade Agreement, our trade relations will only get better.

Tomorrow, we celebrate our friendship and partnership, or as President Park recently said: ``the most successful alliance in history.''

I couldn't agree more.

America is here to help South Korea, as they are here to help us.

That's what friends do for each other.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, Sunday is Mother's Day where we honor our Nation's mothers. My mom is still alive. I got to know my grandmothers, both of them, until they died in their nineties, and my three daughters all have children.

But I want to talk about a mother that most Americans probably have never ever heard of. Her name was Mattie Ripkowski. Let me tell you a little bit about her and her family.

She was a first-generation American-born Polish immigrant. Back in the 1800s, the Polish community came into Texas through the Port of Galveston. They settled there while Texas was an independent country. In fact, some Poles fought at the Battle of San Jacinto where Texas won its independence from Mexico in 1836.

Mattie Olbrich was born in 1896 in Texas. At the age of 17, she married Stash Ripkowski--both newlyweds--another small-town guy from New Waverly, Texas. They started raising a family, Mattie and Stash. And after several years, this was their family. Yes, Mattie Ripkowski had 16 children--4 daughters and 12 sons. They were all born by natural childbirth with a midwife, except one. This whole family lived in southeast Texas on a small, 200-acre farm near Dayton, Texas.

Mattie--the mother, the wife--made sure that during the Depression all the kids never went hungry. She taught them the basics of life: true grit, a work ethic, a belief in the Almighty. They worked hard, everything from picking cotton to tending to animals to hauling corn. And every child was expected to do their work on the farm, which was self-sufficient.

When two of the Ripkowski boys got to be in high school, they were excellent football players. And you know, Mr. Speaker, Texas is known for its football teams all the way back to the 1800s. Two of them were so good that the local high school football coach, who knew that they had to work on the farm, had the school hire two farmers to take the sons' place and work the farm. Then the two high school football stars could play for Dayton High School. Dayton is a small Texas town that loves football. The 5,500 people there that go to Friday night football, the stadium seats more than the entire town population.

But anyway, back to the Ripkowskis. They never missed a meal. In fact, Mattie was so adamant about family that they all ate together three times a day. Now, can you imagine preparing a table three times a day for 18 people--16 of them kids and 12 of them sons?

As the Depression ended, World War II came. And as World War II came, Mattie, having taught her kids service to America, all 12 of her sons joined the United States military. They served in all branches of the military. They served either in World War II or Korea, or both.

Every night, Mattie would write one of them a letter. She would say the Rosary every night for all 12. She would pray for all of her sons. Miraculously, all 12 of her sons who went to war for America came back. There has never been another family with that many sons from the same parents who joined the United States military. She instilled in them those important values of country, God, and family. The Ripkowski family is quite a remarkable clan of Texans.

Mrs. Ripkowski--Mattie, as they called her--her kids grew up to all marry. She knew all of their spouses and many of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The fruits of Mattie Ripkowski's labor produced honest, hardworking, God-fearing patriots.

One test of motherhood, Mr. Speaker, is how a mother's kids turn out. Well, Mattie passed the test 16 times with her 16 children. They all turned out to be wonderful people. In fact, six of them are still alive. I had the opportunity recently at a dedication where we honored a Vietnam veteran who received the Medal of Honor by naming a post office for him. Some of her kids came to that ceremony. The youngest, Anna Lee Campbell, who is now 80, and I talked about her family, about Mattie, about growing up with this remarkable woman. And she showed me numerous photographs of their family.

I was also there with one of the sons, Mike, who talked about their family, Polish immigrants, and how they have all turned out to be successful and how they fought for America. Before the conversation was over with Mike I asked him, ``What did you call your mother all those many years?'' He said, ``Well, of course I called her mama, and I also called her ma'am.'' No kidding.

Remarkable lady, Mattie Ripkowski. We honor her and all of America's mothers this Sunday for their lives and dedication to motherhood.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, Kara was in the third grade when the school notified her parents about her difficulty in processing words. Her speech pattern was different. It affected every aspect of her life, including her self-esteem.

Kara's third grade teacher, Mrs. Morgan, at the Oaks Elementary in Atascocita, Texas, was determined to help the little girl speak better, so the teacher and the pupil worked very hard together on talking. The success of both of them occurred this way:

Later, that little girl who couldn't speak very well walked off the stage in high school as valedictorian. She also obtained her bachelor's degree, her master's degree, and today she is an associate professor at Baylor University in the department of--yes--English. The little girl with word problems is teaching about word patterns.

I come from a family of teachers. My mother, my mother-in-law, my wife, and my three daughters are teachers by profession--and Kara is one of those daughters.

So today, being Teachers Appreciation Day, we thank Mrs. Morgan and all of America's teachers for helping our kids be what they want to be.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, ``Benghazi happened a long time ago.''

``What difference does it make?''

``Let's get done with this, folks. I don't think anybody lied to anybody. I do not want to spend the next year coming up here talking about Benghazi.''

Mr. Speaker, these are statements made by the President's Pinocchio puppet press secretary, Jay Carney, and both the current and former Secretaries of State.

Americans are learning the White House bungled Benghazi, and now it faces accusations by whistleblowers of intimidation and hiding the facts.

Fearful of a terrorist attack, Ambassador Stevens asked for more security; calls for help were ignored; the cavalry never came; and he and three others were murdered. But the White House spinmaster said after the attack it was a ``spontaneous protest'' caused by a video. That was a made-up yarn. The attack was a carefully coordinated and calculated terrorist attack.

So why did the administration intentionally and knowingly mislead Americans?

The President told a graduating class over the weekend to reject those who say our government can't be trusted. Well, Mr. Speaker, Benghazi is a perfect example of why the national motto is not ``In Government We Trust.''

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, this week, the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) received the Ronald Wilson Reagan Public Policy Award as part of the Department of Justice's National Crime Victims' Service Awards.

Since its founding in 1982, TAASA's work has changed the lives of sexual assault survivors in Texas and throughout our great country.

TAASA serves as a powerful voice for the Texas sexual assault movement.

Their work in prevention, training, and advocacy is unparalleled.

TAASA has successfully advocated for legislation to protect and serve victims of sexual assault on the federal and state level.

Like true Texans, they fight hard and do not back down when they know something is right.

Most recently, TAASA played a critical role in the passage of the bipartisan SAFER Act, which I introduced to help reduce the rape kit backlog, bring justice to victims of sexual assault and put perpetrators behind bars where they belong.

As co-founder and co-chair of the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus, it is reassuring that there is such an effective group advocating on behalf of victims. And, of course I'm proud that they're from the great State of Texas.

I congratulate TAASA on their award and commend their important work.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, several years ago in Salt Lake City, Utah, there was a happy family--a mom and a dad, six kids--happy as they could be. On the typical summer day of June 5, 2002, the kids and the family had their prayers. Two of the girls went up to their room. The older girl read to the younger girl. They went to sleep.

And then the nightmare began.

In the middle of the night, the older girl, who was a 14-year-old child, was awakened. The man who woke her up had a knife to her throat. The younger girl woke up, too, but was in fear and shock and terror and could not physically even move. So the kidnapper took the 14-year-old girl, climbed out the window with her, and at knifepoint, they left in the middle of the night. Finally, the younger girl was able to get some type of composure and tell her parents what had happened.

The police get involved, and they start looking for Elizabeth Smart, but they didn't find her that night, and they didn't find her the next day because Elizabeth Smart had been kidnapped by an individual who took her to a secluded place. The first thing he wanted to do, of course, was to abuse her--and he did. He sexually assaulted her, and he sexually assaulted her, and he sexually assaulted her. He tied her between two trees, Mr. Speaker, and sexually assaulted her. He did everything he wanted to do to her for 9 months.

That 14-year-old girl was gone, kidnapped--parents scared to death and worried about one of their six children. The police were looking, but they never found her, not for 9 months.

This evil person who kidnapped Elizabeth arranged a fake marriage to try to marry her even though he was married to another individual lawfully. So the wife, the abuser, and Elizabeth Smart stayed in hiding in the Salt Lake City area. The abuser occasionally would leave and take Elizabeth Smart with him, but he would tell her, ``If you ever scream and tell anybody, I will kill your family.''

She believed that. A 14-year-old girl obviously would believe that, so she never cried out because she didn't want anything bad to happen to her wonderful family. Meanwhile, Mom and Dad and the brothers and the sisters every day hoped--but no results in finding her.

When she would go out with the evildoer, forcibly, he would even put a wig over her head and a veil. He would disguise her so that, if people in the Salt Lake City area knew Elizabeth Smart, they wouldn't recognize her.

Finally, after 9 months, Elizabeth Smart was with the evildoer who sexually assaulted her--and with his wife--and a police car stopped. The police officer started questioning Elizabeth Smart. She didn't say anything because she remembered that the evildoer said he would kill her family. Unbeknownst to Elizabeth, her sister had given the police a sketch of the person who had kidnapped her. The police took Elizabeth Smart to the police station, and after a few minutes, in comes her father.

She was rescued after 9 months--The criminals went to prison.

Elizabeth Smart is now 27 years of age, and she has used this awful tragedy of being kidnapped and sexually assaulted as a child in order to help other sexual assault victims in this country. She started the Elizabeth Smart Foundation. A couple of weeks ago, she was in Houston. She spoke very forcefully to a group of women--several hundred--about being abused.

So, this Victims' Rights Week, Mr. Speaker, I want to honor Elizabeth Smart and all of those other sexual assault victims--especially children--who have been assaulted by evil people in this country, and let us remember to support them totally in their recovery.

And that's just the way it is.