Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, several years ago, my wife and I had the privilege of having a Liberian refugee stay in our home for almost a year.

This gentleman came from dire circumstances in his homeland, as his wife was brutally assaulted, and he was beaten and forced to leave his country. He still has scars from being beaten with the blunt end of a rifle.

Like thousands of other Liberians forced to leave their homeland, our

friend came to the United States under temporary protective status. One of the unintended consequences of the temporary protective status is it didn't foresee that civil war would continue in Liberia for several years, leaving refugees in America stuck in a state of flux.

Currently all Liberian refugees living in the United States under temporary protective status have until October of this year, and then they will be forced to return to Liberia.

The Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act of 2007, a bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Kennedy, Ellison and myself, would allow Liberians in the United States on temporary protected status the opportunity to apply for permanent residency status.

This bill addresses an urgent situation faced by Liberian refugees who have legally come to America.

I urge co-sponsorship and passage of H.R. 1941, the Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act of 2007.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a broad, bipartisan coalition that is working to implement a strategy for the restoration, protection, and sustainable use of the Great Lakes.

In addition to supporting a comprehensive bill that would help stop sewage contamination, prevent invasive species introductions, and restore wetlands in the Great Lakes, I am also supporting H.R. 553, the Great Lakes Asian Carp Barrier Act.

Asian carp consume large amounts of food and compete with native fish for habitat throughout the Great Lakes region. Our Great Lakes would suffer irreparable harm if the Asian carp enters Lake Michigan.

With other aquatic invasive species already wreaking havoc on our waters, the threat posed by Asian carp is not one Michiganders can afford to overlook.

We must act now and construct barriers to protect native fish and wildlife from these large, nonnative predatory fish. It is time for Congress to invest in restoring the Great Lakes, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill vital to maintaining these aquatic treasures essential to both Michigan and the entire Nation.

Mr. Speaker, one of the greatest national liabilities is our overwhelming dependence on Middle Eastern oil, and the men and women of

south central Michigan continue to stress to me the importance of diversifying our Nation's energy portfolio and advancing cleaner- burning, home-grown, renewable energy sources.

This week I will introduce legislation, the Energy Independence through Bio-Diesel Act, that will continue the process of moving our country towards energy independence.

Creating a national standard for bio-diesel will encourage the technology and economies of scale necessary to make America the leader in renewable sources of energy.

The Energy Independence through Bio-Diesel Act would create a 2 percent standard for bio-diesel and amend the Clean Air Act to require that within 5 years all diesel fuel sold contains a 2 percent industry average.

Fifty-five billion gallons of diesel were consumed in 2005, and a 2 percent standard would create a 1.1-billion-gallon market. This standard will help spur the necessary investments in facilities and technological advancements needed in this alternative fuel industry.

I urge my colleagues to commit to diversifying our energy supply and lessen our dangerous dependence on foreign energy by supporting the Energy Independence through Bio-Diesel Act.

Madam Speaker, time is running out to send our troops the funds and resources they need to continue their critical mission in Iraq.

The new congressional majority ensured the veto the President promised by submitting a supplemental loaded with pork and a timeline for retreat on our commanders in the field. Now it's time to pass a clean supplemental.

The National Intelligence Estimate released in January warned of the perils of an early troop withdrawal, stating: ``If coalition forces were withdrawn rapidly during the term of this estimate, we judge that this almost certainly would lead to a significant increase in the scale and scope of sectarian conflict in Iraq.''

Many on the other side of the aisle urge Congress to heed the words in this document; yet they stare blindly at it as they force a strategy of retreat and defeat. This leads me to believe that the new congressional majority would rather use our troops to make a political statement than work in bipartisan fashion to give our brave men and women in uniform the funding they need.

It's time we vote on a clean supplemental and give the troops the support they deserve.

Madam Speaker, since 1992, Michigan has not been able to control the millions of tons of trash entering our State from Canada, and the problem continues. Every day, over 400 trucks from Canada dump trash into our State. These trucks come barreling across the border without inspection and examination, raising a viable national security threat.

At this time, our State government has almost no say in whether or not Michigan should accept the over 4 million tons of trash and hazardous waste from Canada every year. Michigan instituted laws banning Canadian trash in 1988, but the Supreme Court struck down these laws a mere 4 years later and ruled that Congress has not granted such authority to our State.

For too long, Michigan has had its hands tied by the Federal Government, and it is time to let the decisions about the integrity and the safety of our land be made by those who inhabit the land. As a proud cosponsor of H.R. 518, I urge my colleagues to support the International Solid Waste Importation and Management Act and empower Michigan to make certain the beauty and safety of our land remains intact for generations of Michiganders to enjoy in the future.

Thank you, Congressman McCarthy. I certainly appreciate the opportunity to bring not only an update on Michigan, but to talk to the American public about concerns that I have about the budget and what goes on in these great halls.

Indeed, it has been a wonderful privilege to serve here. As I listened to colleagues on the other side of the aisle in the hour preceding, I would agree that it is a privilege to serve with men and women of sincerity, of character and commitment and of passion. And although we have disagreements, we serve in a body that has tremendous impact and tremendous history.

Yet even as I say that, I recognize that we are simply temporary custodians of the seats we hold in Congress, representing districts of people, taxpayers, citizens with great concerns. But even more importantly, as I have heard discussed maybe a bit too often about the extent of abilities that reside here in the Halls of Congress in each of our Members and the background and the training and the expertise that we share, yet I think that misses the point because indeed the greatness, the ideas, the generation of the economy and impact upon this world does not necessarily come from us, although we are part of it, but it flows from the people we represent.

That's the greatness of this country that allowed great men who journeyed from afar like de Tocqueville, to say America is great because America is good. But when America ceases to be good, it will cease to be great. I think de Tocqueville understood that goodness was not simply in the high morals of a country that he noticed here, it wasn't simply in the great work ethic of the people he saw on these shores. And as he walked across Michigan and came away, and it is reported that he called our State the Wolverine State because he indicated that any citizen who could put up with the swamps and the mosquitoes of Michigan at that time had to be a wolverine in tenacity. Hence, the Wolverine State.

Yet our great country of citizens have to be tenacious as well when we have a government that has grown too large, too grand, and too costly for them to keep up. The greatness of this country is not big, expansive, expensive government, but rather, the greatness of this country is its people.

And so this week we came to Tuesday, April 17, and it was imperative to us, and it was significant in its gravity that it was tax day again, a day that strikes fear and even anger in the hearts and minds of many, if not most, of our taxpayers. We sat here in Congress in these hallowed halls of constitutional responsibility having just come through passing the largest tax increase in the history of our country, $400 billion over the next 5 years. And we let our taxpayers go through another tax day paying more for big government.

Right now, taxpayers in south central Michigan, the district I am privileged to represent as the temporary custodian of its seat in Congress, people who are hardworking, people who have committed themselves to the task of being good stewards of the wonderful resources we have in the Great Lakes State, of being the former arsenal of democracy, of being a major manufacturing State and agricultural State and State of higher education, and yet a State that is struggling right now, I am sad to say, because of an administration that continues to push higher taxes and more excessive government regulation. We are saddled again with looking at what Congress has potentially done to us by passing this massive spending package called a budget with a $400 billion tax increase over the next 5 years.

Taxpayers in my district of south central Michigan are making tough choices every day to ensure their family budgets are balanced. They do so by cutting spending and having fiscal discipline, a concept we would do well to emulate.

It is time we make these same commonsense choices on a Federal level. The budget proposal introduced by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle and, in fact, passed by them imposes the largest tax increases, as I said, in American history: $400 billion over the next 5 years, $400 billion that the taxpayers of this country will pay, that the businesses will have impact upon them and their ability to give jobs and security to the taxpayers and their workers.

Like the Democrats', as I would call it, ``insecurity supplemental'' that telegraphed their plan for defeat to our enemies, this budget telegraphs their plan for economic failure if we continue down that path for this great country. Their plan institutes a $3,000 tax increase for the typical Michigander in my district and embraces a spend now-reform later mentality.

You just have to go to some of the basic concepts of their proposal. The Democrat budget would hit 115 million taxpayers with an almost $1,800 tax increase in 2011. In addition, 26 million small business owners would see their tax bill rise by almost $4,000 that year. Marriage penalty relief would be eliminated for 23 million taxpayers, who would see their taxes increase on average by $466 by 2011. Raising taxes on families with children, it would hurt 31 million taxpayers who would see their taxes increase on average by $859 by 2011.

Those are just highlight scenarios of what is going on with that tax increase.

Congress needs to pass a balanced budget bill without raising taxes. We need to make tax relief permanent for hardworking American families and implement a commonsense policy for the future. That is why I was proud to support the Republican alternative budget proposal.

The benefits of our proposal, just a few highlights, 113 million taxpayers will see, if this were passed, their taxes decline by an average of $2,200. A family of four earning $40,000 will receive tax relief of over $2,000. More than 5 million individuals and families will see their income liabilities completely eliminated. Forty-five million families with children will receive an average tax cut of almost $3,000. Fifteen million elderly individuals will receive average tax relief of almost $3,000. Twenty-seven million small business owners, the breadbasket of the economy in my district, will save on average $4,700. A total of 7.6 million new jobs would be created under this proposal. An average of 168,000 new jobs a month could be created as well.

I think the message is clear, Mr. Speaker. This is the direction we need to go for this great country that has taken on challenges not only within our borders, but to continue doing what we are accustomed to doing as the greatest and most benevolent nation on this Earth because of what we have done to encourage wealth and prosperity and responsibility and accountability and benefits from all of that. That blessing that goes beyond our shores and makes an impact upon people that I had the privilege of seeing, whose beneficiaries came from sources that I talked with in Walter Reed Hospital today, the young men and women who served valiantly for us, who sacrificed for us to continue the progress and continue the benevolence of this great people.

Mr. Speaker, the American people long for a Congress that puts our fiscal house in order on a Federal level, but they want it done without expanding the size and scope of Federal Government.

They are asking for the greatness to continue within the people of this great country which would include this great government if we would indeed recognize where that greatness comes from.

So what a privilege again to be a temporary custodian of this seat in Congress, but what a huge responsibility to stand firmly for principles that will, if enacted, as we have seen historically 100 percent of the time, expand the economy, expand the opportunity, and offer freedom, opportunity and prosperity for our citizens and others all around this Earth.

Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and the gentleman from California, Congressman McCarthy, thank

you for putting this Special Order together this evening.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for yielding and for putting this together.

And I would agree with my colleague from Ohio. And it is tough for a Michigander to agree with anyone from the Buckeye State. We have wonderful rivalries that go on. But he is absolutely correct. We are talking about the future. We are talking about our kids.

I have a grandson, Micah, that I want to invest for by leaving a country that he indeed can have invested in for himself from his parents and the opportunity for them to use their resources to provide for him and provide for others in the process.

I have become greatly concerned with the concept that we have heard from the other side of the aisle too often about investing in our great economy. And ``investing'' in their vernacular means tax increases, spending more of government dollars which, in fact, are taxpayers' dollars.

We need to get away from that and allow our taxpayers, the generator of the economy, of a small business, of the manufacturer, the entrepreneur to be able to invest in themselves to make this great country stand not on its government but stand on its independence, its freedom. Because, Mr. Speaker, I am sure you and I would agree on this, that our responsibility here, as Members of Congress, is to fight for and defend and continue the freedom of this great country. And that comes with the ability for people to invest, to save, to spend, to enjoy their property, to be responsible and experience the virtues of hard work, of loyalty, of faithfulness.

I believe Jonathan Witherspoon said, ``A republic must either preserve its virtue or lose its liberty.''

It is a virtue for this country to reward its citizens for being responsible. It is a virtue for this country to applaud people who work hard, who save, invest, who create the economy. And it is a virtue for that same group of people, our citizens, to say to a government, we respect you for leaving that responsibility to us. That is freedom.

And, Mr. Speaker, I am deeply, deeply indebted to the people of my district for giving me the privilege to fight for that very thing along with colleagues like you have heard tonight on this floor.

Mr. Speaker, over the past few weeks Americans across our country have taken time out of their busy schedules to complete their 1040s, 1099s and W-2s by the April 17 deadline.

They did so in many different ways. Some planned ahead and mailed in their forms well before the deadline, while others are scrambling to finish work on their taxes until late tonight.

Today, taxpayers in south central Michigan are still working to meet their tax obligation for 2007. While tax day may be today, the average Michigander will have to work until April 29 of this year just to pay his or her individual tax bill.

The $400 billion tax increase recently passed by Congress represents the largest tax increase in American history and could lead to a crippling economic recession.

Americans know best how to spend their hard-earned money, and rather than increase the tax burden, Congress needs to make tax relief permanent for hardworking American families.

By putting our fiscal house in order, this Congress can go a long way in restoring the trust of the American people and build a better, brighter future for our country.

Right now, taxpayers in south central Michigan are making tough choices every day to ensure their family budgets are balanced. They do so by cutting spending and having fiscal discipline. It's time we make these same commonsense choices on a Federal level.

This week in the House, we will begin debating a budget plan for the fiscal year 2008. A budget proposal introduced by my colleagues on the opposite side

of the aisle would impose the largest tax increase in American history, nearly $400 billion over the next 5 years. Their plan would institute a $3,000 tax increase for every typical Michigander and put off needed entitlement reform for at least another 5 years.

Congress needs to pass a balanced budget bill without raising taxes. We need to make tax relief permanent for hardworking American families and reform unsustainable entitlements. The American people long for a Congress that puts our fiscal house in order on a Federal level, but they want this done without expanding the size and scope of the Federal Government.

I urge my colleagues to oppose any budget plan that proposes a ``spend now, reform later'' mentality.

Madam Speaker, a recent analysis by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy compared Michigan's per capita income to the national average and revealed the Great Lakes State reached its lowest level in 75 years. At the end of 2006, Michigan had the second highest unemployment rate in the Nation and since January of 2001, Michigan has lost over 205,000 jobs.

Certainly many of Michigan's problems have been caused by State policies, but the men and women of my district continue to stress to me they want Congress to put our fiscal house in order on a Federal level.

Right now, taxpayers in south central Michigan are making tough choices every day to ensure their family budgets are balanced. They do it by cutting spending and having fiscal discipline. It's time we make these same hard choices on a Federal level. Congress needs to pass a balanced budget bill without raising taxes. We need to make tax relief permanent for hardworking American families and reform unsustainable entitlements.

By putting our fiscal house in order, this Congress can go a long way in restoring the trust of the American people and build a better, brighter future for our country.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a special young lady, a constituent of mine, Ms. Melissa Morgan of Hillsdale, Michigan. Ms. Morgan is a recipient of the highest level of the ``Presidential Service Award,'' the Gold Level, honoring her dedication to Hillsdale community through her volunteer efforts.

Ms. Morgan is a student at Hillsdale High School where she has been involved with several extracurricular activities which include: soccer, basketball and volleyball, as well as cross country. Melissa was the Vice President of the Hillsdale High School National Honor Society, senior class representative for student council and also a participant in the Student Statesmanship Institute. This is just a short list of the activities Melissa has participated in at Hillsdale High School.

Madam Speaker, those activities which I have just named are impressive, however, Ms. Morgan's volunteer efforts are the heart of the ``Presidential Service Award.'' In his 2002 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush called on all Americans to increase volunteerism within their communities. From this call to action came the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation in 2003 which sought out ways to recognize outstanding volunteers, such as Melissa Morgan. The Council created President's Service Award Program and the Presidential Service Award.

The Gold Level of the ``Presidential Service Award,'' requires young adults, such as Ms. Morgan, to volunteer two hundred fifty hours or more of their time. Ms. Morgan has eclipsed this threshold almost five times, netting just below 1200 volunteer hours. I will highlight just a few of Melissa's volunteer activities; Spanish assistant and tutor--180

hours, Key Club volunteer--200 hours, 40 hours dedicated to organizing and running a children's sports camp raising money for Hurricane Katrina victims and 10 hours volunteered with Habitat for Humanity.

Melissa Morgan is a great example of everything right with America and is a reflection of the spirit of a true Michigander, selfless and fighting for a cause greater then themselves. I am pleased to congratulate Melissa Morgan on her achievement of the ``Presidential Service Award,'' and I commend her for her work.

Madam Speaker, I would like to submit to the record that my vote on H. Res. 228, Recognizing the 186th anniversary of the independence of Greece and celebrating Greek and American Democracy, was not recorded yesterday. May the record show that I would have voted ``yea'' on H. Res. 228.

Madam Speaker, as a member of the Education and Labor Committee, this morning I attended a bi-cameral

hearing on the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act.

In listening to testimony from various individuals today, it was impressed upon me that all of us involved are seeking the same goal: the best possible educational opportunities for our children.

Today, at a time when our Nation lags behind other countries in math and science testing and the Federal government has a larger role in education than ever before, this Congress must find a way to give our schools greater flexibility, reduce the bureaucracy involved in education and ensure these opportunities really are being given to our children.

In years past, Congress has attempted to solve problems in education by simply throwing piles of federal money into the education system.

The original purpose of No Child Left Behind was to return some education policymaking authority to the states.

Unfortunately, during the process of crafting, passing and enacting the legislation, No Child Left Behind took the form of a massive spending bill that increased the Federal government's presence in classrooms.

As the Detroit News stated in a December 22, 2006 editorial, ``What our federal legislators come up with in the Nation's capital doesn't always translate well into the classroom.''

The editorial continues, ``Michigan should have the flexibility to decide how and when to measure student progress.''

My daughter-in-law is a hard-working and talented teacher who has experienced firsthand the problems No Child Left Behind creates for teachers, parents and students.

As a classroom teacher forced to teach to the tests required by No Child Left Behind, she actually considered quitting because of the paperwork and restrictions imposed upon her. She struggled to have time to give individual attention to each of her ``special needs'' students.

Ironically, she obtained her teaching position due to her performance the year prior as a ``permanent'' substitute teacher in a classroom. Because she was not required to fill out all the forms and paperwork required by No Child Left Behind, she excelled, and the school offered her a permanent position.

In its origin, No Child Left Behind attempted to provide greater school choice and reduce Washington's involvement in education, but instead this expensive and largely unsuccessful legislation has broadened the scope of the Federal Government's role in education.

Enshrined in our Constitution is the 10th Amendment, which reads, ``The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States respectively, or to the people.''

Federal control of education is listed nowhere in the Constitution, and in accordance with the 10th Amendment, education should be the responsibility of State and local governments.

Because I believe each child's educational path should be determined by a child's parents, and not by the Federal Government, I am an original co-sponsor of the A-PLUS Act.

The A-PLUS Act would give States, teachers and parents the freedom and authority to determine what educational path a student should take.

As part of this legislation, States can opt out of Federal programs and State leaders decide how to use Federal education funds to improve student achievement.

We all are seeking the best possible educational opportunities for our children, and the way to achieve this is let States and local communities be accountable for academic achievement and educational reforms.

Madam Speaker, all of us in this Chamber agree, our recovering veterans deserve hospitals that are clean, secure and sanitary when they return home from the battlefield defending our great Nation in the name of liberty.

The recent findings at Walter Reed Army Medical Center are a grave breach of trust to those who shed blood on the battlefield fighting for our freedoms. This Congress must work with the administration to implement a comprehensive evaluation of conditions at Walter Reed and hold those in charge accountable for these deplorable conditions.

The bipartisan commission created by the President to determine whether similar problems exist at other military and VA hospitals is also a necessary and appropriate course of action. Going forward, we must ensure world-class standards and patient-centered efficiency for our veterans. Better oversight is clearly necessary to ensure military facilities exemplify our soldiers' honor and courage.

As hearings on the conditions at Walter Reed are held this week, this Congress must reaffirm its commitment to our wounded soldiers and veterans to ensure they are provided first class medical care.

Madam Speaker, it is clearly and cleverly entitled the ``Employee Free Choice Act,'' but we are about to consider a bill that strips away the very tool that protects the sanctity of a free and open society, the private ballot.

Private ballots ensure workers have elections without fraudulent interference, coercion, or intimidation. Confidence will be lost with a system that forces workers to publicly declare their intentions. The AFL-CIO recognized this hypocrisy by expressing support for secret ballots when workers are presented the opportunity to decertify a union. They have argued that private ballot elections ``provide the surest means for avoiding decisions which are the result of group pressures and not individual decisions.''

As a former union steelworker, I believe in the merits of unionization, when appropriate. I also believe that every American worker should have the right to choose freely and privately. Congress has a duty to defeat legislation that strips workers of this important right, and I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on H.R. 800.

Madam Speaker, the renowned author William Shakespeare once wrote, ``How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a weary world.''

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Alice Manning, an 87- year-old resident of Jackson, Michigan whose example has been a shining light to her community for over fifty years.

According to a February 21, 2007 article in the Jackson Citizen- Patriot, Manning took a first-aid course through the American Red Cross in March of 1956 and began volunteering with the organization.

To this day, the dedicated mother of two, grandmother of four and great-grandmother of four hasn't stopped.

Though she has never actually donated blood due to the Red Cross' weight requirement of 110 pounds, Alice has served the organization in various capacities for more than 50 years.

One blood donation can save up to three lives, and Alice has been an integral part of American Red Cross' efforts in the Jackson area.

So we thank Alice Manning for going above and beyond the call of duty by working to save lives in south-central Michigan through her service to the American Red Cross Blood Center.