Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, Camp Ashraf is a small little camp in Iraq made up of a few thousand Iranian freedom fighters. They are unarmed civilians who, like us, don't like the tiny tyrant in the desert.

But the Camp is under siege.

PM Maliki wants to close the camp by December 31.

If the Camp is closed, many of the residents could be killed.

You see, Iraqi soldiers can't be trusted. In 2009 and 2011, they killed dozens of innocent civilians in the Camp.

Now Iran is promising all sorts of goodies if Iraq closes down the Camp.

Iran hates anyone who disagrees with its regime, so it wants nothing better than to have all these people in the Camp forcibly removed and eliminated.

But there is one tiny problem with Iran and Iraq's dirty little scheme: The world is watching.

Since the massacres, Camp residents have applied for UNHCR political refugee status.

It will take the U.N. 6 months to process their applications.

The U.N. Secretary General just wrote me yesterday to say that he has personally encouraged Maliki to not close the Camp down.

Sixty-five of my colleagues asked President Obama to raise this issue when he met with PM Maliki yesterday--we don't know if he did or not.

Maliki could be tried with war crimes if there is a New Year's massacre.

It should be the official policy of the United States to urge the government of Iraq to protect the residents, not return them to Iran, and not close the Camp until the U.N. can finish its political refugee process.

I am thankful to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Foreign Affairs committee for their support of this policy.

We cannot allow Maliki to once again slaughter innocent civilians.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, some Americans worry about big labor; others worry about big business. But what really scares most Americans is the massive Federal Government snooping around, meddling and controlling every aspect of people's lives.

According to a Gallup Poll released this week, the overwhelming majority, 64 percent, of those surveyed think that Big Government will be the biggest threat to the country in the future. It's worth noting that about half of those people who participated were Democrats that agreed that Big Government is the problem. No surprise. When I meet with my neighbors in southeast Texas, their message for the Federal Government is clear: back off. Stop saddling expensive, job-killing, and unnecessary regulations on businesses.

The mere phrase, I'm from the Federal Government and I'm here to help you, brings fear and trepidation into the hearts and souls of small business owners and individuals throughout the fruited plain. After all, the Constitution says we the people are to control government, not the other way around. Government should not run roughshod over our personal liberty.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government is at war with the States over illegal entry. There is a real problem in this country: millions of people are living here illegally, and more illegally cross into America every day.

Schools, hospitals, and the justice system are burdened with the cost of supporting illegals, who do not contribute to our system. They reap the benefits and services off the backs of American citizens and legal immigrants. Twenty-seven percent of the people in U.S. prisons are illegals. In the border counties in Texas, according to the border sheriffs, over 30 percent of the people in those jails are foreign nationals.

All of this costs money. The safety of our citizens is also at risk, but the Federal Government chooses not to adequately enforce the law. The Federal Government is focused more on finding reasons why the law of the land should not be enforced. Case in point: the 20-point memo released this summer by ICE listed the criteria for illegal migrants who have been detained but

should not be deported. In other words, let them go.

As a result of Washington's inaction, several States have been burdened with the costs of illegal entry, from health care to incarceration costs. Arizona, South Carolina, Utah, Georgia, and Indiana have been forced to do the job the Federal Government just won't do--protect the citizens from the costs of unlawful entry into America.

Arizona implemented a law that requires authorities to check the immigration status of anyone who is already legally detained for some offense and when there is a ``reasonable suspicion'' the person is in the country illegally. But the administration says not so fast, that immigration enforcement is their job.

They just refuse to do it.

It also seems the government is more interested in smuggling guns to Mexico under the botched Operation Fast and Furious than it is in preventing the smuggling of people and drugs into the United States. Now the Department of Justice has gone into the business of using taxpayer dollars to actually sue States for doing the job the Federal Government won't do. Yesterday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of Arizona v. The United States. Governor Brewer of Arizona has said, ``Arizona and its people suffer from a serious problem without any realistic tools for addressing it.''

The Federal Government leaves States with no other choice than to do the job the Federal Government refuses to do. If Arizona is not allowed to enforce immigration laws and if the Federal Government does not enforce immigration laws, then Arizona and other States will continue on a dangerous path to becoming lawless territories with rampant illegal entry. Ignoring laws and open-door policies will only entice more people to come to this country illegally instead of using the front door.

Now, I fully support legal entry into America, and my staff spends a lot of time helping people come to the United States legally. The immigration model we have is a mess, and it needs to be streamlined and more efficient; but people should come here the right way or not come at all. After all, it is the law.

But the defiant Attorney General has made it clear that he will continue his crusade against the States that try to crack down on illegal entry. Why? Because the States want to uphold the law. Meanwhile, sanctuary cities get a pass from the Federal Government for ignoring the law.

We hear the rhetoric that illegals are here to do the jobs Americans won't do. Now State after State is getting sued for doing a job the American Government won't do--protecting the security of the Nation and enforcing the law. Arizona had to enact this law to protect itself because the Federal Government doesn't adequately secure the border.

It is time for Washington to stop its war on the States and to join with the States in enforcing the law of the land. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will rule the Arizona law to be constitutional.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the U.N. agency UNESCO sent a message to Israel loud and clear that the U.N. accepts the creation of a Palestinian state whether Israel likes it or not. UNESCO intervened in the peace process and formally recognized the Palestinian state by raising the flag in front of the whole world. No surprise there, just another day in the U.N.'s position of bigotry against all things Israel. Yet another reason to cut U.N. funding.

Israel is America's loyal ally and the lone free and democratic country in the Middle East. Its people are constantly under attack from the jihadists who wish to remove them from the Earth all in the name of religion. The same radicals who wish to kill innocent Israelis are also sworn enemies of America. Intimidation, terror, and murder are not acceptable and must be rejected by the entire international community, especially the U.N. The United States must make it clear that we stand with Israel in their fight against hate and extremism, whether the U.N. likes it or not.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court is the most important court in the world. However, very few citizens have the chance to watch the Supreme Court in action when historic lawsuits come before it. This is because the seating in the courtroom is limited. The Supreme Court will soon take up the health care bill and rule on its constitutionality. This monumental case affects every single American; yet only a select group will be able to attend the hearing.

Representative Gerry Connolly has introduced legislation that I support to allow cameras in the Supreme Court. A single nonintrusive- type camera, controlled by the Court staff would allow for greater access in the decisions made by the nine jurists in black robes. I know cameras can be placed in a courtroom without disruption because I was one of the first judges in Texas to allow cameras to film criminal cases.

A lack of seating capacity is no reason to deny the American people the right to see Supreme Court proceedings. The American people deserve an all-access pass to watch the High Court rule on the law of the land.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, the Justice Department appears to have gone rogue. Instead of enforcing the law, they seem to be recklessly encouraging violations of law.

The Justice Department, with the aid of the ATF, apparently facilitated the smuggling of over 2,000 weapons to the drug cartels south of the border--the national enemy of Mexico. Those weapons were used to kill at least 200 Mexican nationals and two U.S. law enforcement agents.

Who is responsible for this conduct? The Attorney General says he was unaware of Fast and Furious. He claims he either didn't get the memo or he didn't read it. That's a lame excuse. The Attorney General is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer in the country. If people under him violated U.S. or international law, they need to be held accountable, even if it means somebody goes to jail.

We need an independent special counsel to investigate the Justice Department and the ATF. The Department of Justice cannot be trusted to investigate themselves because the agency has lost credibility. Even Washington insiders responsible for Fast and Furious cannot hide from the long arm of American justice because justice is what we do in this country.

And that's just the way it is.

``Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States.''

The announcement of the President at the State of the Union is how Americans have come to know the House Sergeant at Arms, Bill Livingood.

This duty is just one of many responsibilities of the House Sergeant at Arms.

He most importantly ensures the safety of Members, staff, and visitors as the chief law enforcement officer in the House.

And sadly Mr. Livingood, the third longest serving Sergeant at Arms, is retiring.

Bill is a wonderful person and accomplished public servant.

He has served the House since 1998 through some of the most trying times in our history and previously served our country as a member of the Secret Service.

I've known Bill for over 25 years beginning when I was a Judge in Texas, and he was the head of the Secret Service field office in Houston. His agents would file cases that were sometimes heard in my court.

I am sad to see him go but he has made a mark on this institution with improvements in security and steadfast leadership that is a model for all who serve in the people's house.

Congratulations on your retirement, Bill, and thank you for your service to the House of Representatives and the United States of America.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, the sun was lazily rising on the horizon. It was around breakfast time on a stunning Sunday morning. It was quiet, peaceful, calm. People felt secure. There was a small tropical breeze as the American flag was being raised on a nearby flagpole.

It was this day that Luke Trahin, a 22-year-old sailor from southeast Texas, noticed large formations of aircraft darkening the glistening sky. He kept watching in awe until suddenly the aircraft broke formation, dove from the sky, and unleashed a fury of deadly, devastating bombs and torpedoes on a place called Pearl Harbor in the Pacific. It was this day, 70 years ago this morning, when Luke Trahin and his fellow sailors, soldiers, and marines saw war unleashed upon America. It was December 7, 1941.

The Japanese had caught America by surprise and took advantage of an unprepared nation. And after the smoke cleared on that morning of madness, 98 Navy planes and 64 Army aircraft were destroyed. Luke's unit, Patrol Wing One, lost all but three of its 36 aircraft. 2,471 Americans, servicemen, and civilians, were killed by this unwarranted invasion of terror from the skies.

The pride of the United States Navy, the battleships--West Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, Maryland, Nevada, and Arizona-- were trapped in the harbor. They made easy targets for the Japanese pilots. The sailors onboard these battle wagons fought with the courage of an entire legion of warriors when they were attacked by a skillful, fanatical, and tyrannical enemy. All of these fierce U.S. Navy battleships were sunk or damaged. Their guns, Mr. Speaker, are now silent.

The hull of the USS Arizona became the sacred graveyard in the peaceful Pacific for more than 1,177 American sailors and marines. I have seen, Mr. Speaker, the oil that still seeps to the surface from the hull of the battleship Arizona.

Luke Trahin and his Navy buddies in Patrol Wing One quickly got organized, prepared, and waited for 2 days for the expected land invasion by the Japanese. It never came. But America was at war. It was World War II, and the war was long. It spread from the Pacific to Europe to Africa to the Middle East to Asia. The Japanese, then the Nazis, seemed undefeatable. But even the Japanese were concerned about the spirit of America. The Japanese commander of the Pearl Harbor invasion remarked that what Japan had done was wake a sleeping giant.

World War II was hard. Millions served in uniform overseas; millions served on the home front; all sacrificed for the cause of America. The Nation woke from a somber sleep of neutrality and, with our allies, defeated the tyrants that would rule over the world. That was a time when Americans put aside all differences and united to defend freedom in our Nation. When the war was won, over 400,000 Americans had given their lives for this nation.

Mr. Speaker, I'm always intrigued by the stories of those war heroes and the folks of that generation. There isn't one of them that cannot recall the exact moment and place they were when they heard the news of Pearl Harbor. Both of my parents, barely teenagers at the time, still talk about what they were doing when they heard on the radio that broadcast that Sunday morning about the invasion.

Until September 2011, this was the deadliest attack on American soil. ``December 7, 1941, a date that will live in infamy.'' Those were the words of President Franklin Roosevelt that became forever embedded in the minds of patriots across our land igniting and launching a nation into the fiery trenches of battle throughout the world.

Those of that Greatest Generation proved that when freedom of this Nation is threatened, our people will stand and fight. They will bring the thunder of God upon our enemies. Defending freedom and liberty was the battle cry of the sailors, marines, and soldiers that died 70 years ago at Pearl Harbor.

We remember December 7, 1941, and the Americans who stood tall and kept the flame of America burning brightly. They were a remarkable bunch of people. They were the Americans.

My friend, Petty Officer Luke Trahin, stayed in the United States Navy for 38 years, either on active or reserve status. He wore his uniform every Memorial Day, every Veterans Day, and spent a lot of time speaking proudly about this country. He died 4 years ago on December 5, 2007. He was 89 years of age.

And that's just the way it is.

Madam Speaker, Sehar, a Pakistani woman in an arranged marriage, was constantly raped and abused by her husband. He accused her of becoming a doctor only to attract men. He blamed her for the miscarriage that she had, and he constantly beat her. He was angry when she gave birth to two girls rather than to two boys, and he was an abuser of the girls and his wife.

Sehar and her daughters were able to escape to the United States to find safety. She will not go back to Pakistan because her former husband's family says they will kill her.

Violence against women, unfortunately, is too common of a plight for women throughout the world. My grandmother used to tell me that you never hurt somebody you claim you love. As the leader of the free world, it is critical that the United States promote this simple truth throughout this country and other countries:

Every person has the right to a life free of violence.

I want to thank the gentlelady from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky) for bringing this to the attention of the Members of Congress as we reflect on this fact during these 16 days against gender violence.

And that's just the way it is.

The mere phrase ``the regulators'' brings fear and trepidation down into the hearts and souls of small business owners throughout the fruited plain.

Mr. Chairman, the Code of Federal Regulations is 150,000-pages long. That's a lot of pages. Those are a lot of regulations. According to the Small Business Administration, the annual cost of all Federal regulations in this country was almost $2 trillion in 2008.

Now, do we really need all of those expensive regulations? Good thing the Federal regulators weren't around when the Ten Commandments were written--no telling what additional regulations they would have added to those simple 10 phrases.

It is common sense that Congress should have a say on a regulation that

would have a drastic, expensive effect on our economy. So why do my friends on the other side, who are such big friends of regulations, not want the regulators to be regulated? I don't understand that.

Remember, we are elected.

The regulators are not.

Congress is the branch of government that is closely connected to the people, and if Congress approves unnecessary and burdensome regulations, we have to be accountable to our voters in our districts for that.

Who do the regulators answer to?

No one. They only answer to their supervisors, who are also regulators.

When the regulators go to work every day, like most people go to work, their work assignments are a little different. In my opinion, they sit around a big oak table, drinking their lattes, they have out their iPads and their computers, and they decide: Who shall we regulate today? Then they write a regulation, send it out to the masses, and make us deal with the cost of that.

All the REINS Act does is ask that the Congress be involved in these overburdensome regulations.

Madam Speaker, Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just around the corner. All throughout America, families will gather to celebrate the traditions and festivities, and be together and celebrate faith. But there are some American families that won't have their entire family with them this year. There will be an empty chair at their table. That's because their loved ones serve in the U.S. military in lands throughout the world.

War at Christmas is not new, and this year will be no exception for many of our warriors that are still on call, still on duty serving America. But there is a way to connect with our troops throughout the world, and it's a project that we are involved in in southeast Texas through the Red Cross and Operation Interdependence.

And here's how it works. It's a way of having young school-age children connect with troops not only in our war zone, but other places in the world where our troops are serving America.

It started several years ago when I had the opportunity to go see our troops in the Middle East about this time of the year. Before I left, my staff came up with the idea that maybe I should take some Christmas cards and holiday cards to our troops that were serving overseas. And so they did all the work and they were able to get schoolteachers to get their kids to volunteer to make handmade Christmas cards. I took about 6,000 of those handmade cards by third-, fourth-, and fifth- graders overseas.

On my way back from the Middle East, I stopped off at the Landstuhl military base. That's the place in Germany where our wounded warriors are taken before they're brought back to the United States. I distributed those cards not only in the Middle East but to our troops, and even our NATO troops, at Landstuhl.

But here is what happened on the plane when I was going overseas--I checked a couple of bags, but I took one bag on the plane with me. It was a night flight, flying overnight and arriving in the daytime. I started going through one of these suitcases that had all of these cards in it. I was looking at them, and the person next to me wanted to know what I was doing. I told him these were from schoolkids back in southeast Texas. He was passing them around. Before I knew it, these cards were up and down the aisles in that plane and I could hear sobbing and saw tears of emotion from some of the passengers on the plane reading those cards from schoolkids connecting with our troops overseas.

When I came back to the Landstuhl military base, some of our troops who were wounded opened the cards and wanted the nurses to put the cards on the wall. Even NATO troops that were there from foreign countries had these cards that were made from American youth.

Madam Speaker, there's something about a warrior from the United States opening up a handmade Christmas card from some kid in the United States. At that moment, the darkness of war seems to disappear because of the brightness of a child.

I have had the opportunity to have these cards made by the kids in southeast Texas now for 5 years. I say I've had the opportunity. I don't do the work. My staff does the work, along with the chambers of commerce and all the teachers. Everybody volunteers. When my staff does the work, it's not doing it on government hours. It's after work, it's on the weekend, planning and getting these cards from throughout southeast Texas.

Every year the number of cards that are either taken or shipped gets to be more. The first year, it was 6,000. The next year, 10,000 Christmas cards were shipped overseas. The third year, 16,000 cards. And, Madam Speaker, this year kids from southeast Texas are shipping to our troops overseas 35,000 handmade cards, wishing them well, giving them Christmas greetings, saying some of the most awesome things that only third-, fourth-, and fifth-graders could say.

So I want to thank those kids. I want to thank Rikki Wheeler and the chamber of commerce in Baytown. I want to thank Ross Sterling High School, Horace Mann Junior High, Highlands Elementary, and I want to thank those teachers. God bless our teachers who work to have these kids volunteer to make cards for our volunteers overseas who won't be home for Christmas, because there's an empty chair at the Christmas table where that soldier, that warrior, that sailor, that airman is not there because they're representing the United States in lands far, far away.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, freedom of choice is under attack by Washington. The government wants to control the light in homes and businesses throughout America. A new law bans the incandescent light bulb and will require Americans to buy the new, special $3 government- approved light bulb. Soon it will be against the law to sell Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulb--the symbol of American innovation.

This kind of government intrusion in our lives has left many Americans in the dark about what's next, and the government invasion into our lives is only increasing. Since the Federal Government has taken the power to choose away from Americans, people are flocking to their local Wal-Marts to hoard the last of the incandescent light bulbs.

Government controls so much of our lives in the name that government is smarter than we are; but for now, it's turn out the lights--the party's over for Thomas Edison's incandescent light bulb.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, on Thanksgiving, millions of Americans will sit down to a decorated table filled with turkey and all the

trimmings such as mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday. They will tell stories, laugh and enjoy conversation with their loved ones. But there are other homes around the nation where the dining room table will be accompanied by an empty chair. In that chair once sat a husband, father, brother, sister, son or daughter. It sat a graduate, a friend and a United States warrior. It is now an empty reminder of a courageous American hero who gave his or her life for this country. Today we say a prayer for those families with the empty seat at the table, and we thank them for their sacrifice to this country. At Thanksgiving, Americans must be thankful for the heroes--and the families that they leave behind--that volunteer to fight 365 days of the year all across the world so that the rest of us can be free.

Thanksgiving is about more than a turkey and sitting around a dinner table. It is about giving thanks to God for all of the blessings we enjoy, including our troops and our freedom.

Where did Thanksgiving come from? In 1620, the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Fleeing religious persecution, they vowed to make a better life for all in North America. The Pilgrims, unaccustomed to the Massachusetts winter, would not have survived their first winter without the help of the Indians, who brought them food, saving them from starvation. During the following year, the Pilgrims' conditions improved in Massachusetts, leading to a productive harvest season. To celebrate and give thanks to God for the harvest, the Pilgrims invited the Indians who had helped them the previous winter, and held a three-day feast. This feast was the birth of what is today known as Thanksgiving.

A common misconception about Thanksgiving is that it was annually celebrated following 1621. Actually, for the next 150 years, the American colonists would only celebrate Thanksgiving when there was cause to do so. In 1789, President George Washington declared a National Day of Thanksgiving for the American colonists. In his Presidential Proclamation, Washington stated: ``It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God . . . to be grateful for His benefits, and to (request) his protection and favor. I, President Washington, recommend to the people of the United States, a day of public thanksgiving and prayer . . . to show the many favors of the Almighty and especially the opportunity for this form of government.''

President Washington's belief in a National Day of Thanksgiving was not widely agreed upon or accepted throughout the colonies. For the next 70 years, a day of Thanksgiving was not routinely held. During the early 1800s, however, a female magazine editor named Sarah Josepha Hale began a 40-year campaign to institute a National Day of Thanksgiving. In November 1863, President Abraham Lincoln, agreeing with Sarah Hale, proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving for the last Thursday in November. Thus began the tradition of Thanksgiving Day. But, it was not until 1941, under President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, that Thanksgiving was declared an official national holiday by Congress.

No matter what Thanksgiving traditions have been enacted since Thanksgiving Day was first declared in 1863, and officially recognized a national holiday in 1941, Thanksgiving has always been about giving thanks to God for what we have and thinking of others who may not have what we do. This Thanksgiving Day, I invite this great nation to not lose sight of the true meaning of Thanksgiving and to do as the Pilgrims did before us: Offer a prayer of thanks to God for all of the gifts that he has bestowed.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, I recently received this email from John of Houston, giving the pulse of Texans:

``As one of the 9.2 million people whose livelihoods is supported by America's oil and natural gas industry, I am troubled by recent calls to raise taxes on our industry--one of the few bright spots in the American economy.

``Despite an economic slow-down, the oil and natural gas industry is creating jobs and can create many more.

``As Washington focuses on improving our struggling economy, Congress has an opportunity to take our economy in a new direction--one that leads to economic growth and energy security.

``By promoting policies that encourage domestic oil and natural gas production, we can create 1.4 million much needed jobs and generate $800 billion in additional government revenue by 2030.''

Mr. Speaker, John, a person who works for a living, understands better than Washington elites that our God-given natural resources should be used to create jobs for Americans.

Time to stop sending American money and jobs to Middle Eastern countries to buy their natural resources. Time to start supporting American energy workers and American businesses.

And that's just the way it is.

Mr. Speaker, according to The Washington Times, last December, five Mexican nationals armed with at least two AK-47 rifles were infiltrating the rugged desert--the American desert, that is. That's right, Mr. Speaker. Cartel soldiers were reportedly on our side of the border in Arizona ``patrolling in single-file formation'' with the goal of ``intentionally and forcibly assaulting'' Border Patrol agents.

They spotted and opened fire on four U.S. Border Patrol agents. Agent Brian Terry was murdered. Two cartel assault weapons found at the seen were connected to Operation Fast and Furious. Mr. Speaker, you recall that's the operation where our government facilitated smuggling weapons to Mexican drug cartels--the enemies of Mexico and the United States.

Military-type intrusions by the cartels will only increase. We need to defend our sovereignty and protect our Border Patrol and first responders. It's time to send military equipment coming back from Iraq to secure the southern border from the cartel soldiers. This veteran equipment includes Humvees, night-vision equipment, and more UAVs. Incidents like this will only continue to occur until Washington elites realize what happens in Mexico doesn't stay in Mexico.

And that's just the way it is.