Floor Statements

Offered By: Mr. Cotton

Amendment No. 2: At the end of the bill (before the short

title) insert the following:

Sec.__. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made

available by this Act may be used to transfer or release any

individual detained at United States Naval Station,

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to the individual's country of origin or

to any other foreign country.

Mr. Speaker, a couple of lessons I learned in the Army were you move to the sound of gunfire, and the most important step in the troop-leading procedures is to supervise the execution of your orders.

When Americans were fighting for their lives in Benghazi, Barack Obama did neither. He sent no Quick Reaction Force, and he didn't even stay in the Situation Room to supervise the execution of his orders. We expect more from lieutenants in the Army than our President gave us that night. For 2 years, he has covered up this failure of leadership by stonewalling. Not anymore. We will now get to the truth.

But what do our colleagues on the other side of the aisle say to this? They express great outrage at politicizing this matter. When I was leading troops in Iraq in 2006, men and women who were being shot at and blown up by al Qaeda, where was the outrage as they fund-raised endlessly off the Iraq war? Where was the outrage as they viciously attacked our commanders? Where was the outrage when they said that soldiers were war criminals? Where was the outrage when they said the war was lost? Where was the outrage when they said that only high school dropouts join the Army?

Forgive me if I don't join my Democratic colleagues in sharing their fake outrage. Four Americans lost their lives that night in Benghazi. They deserve justice, and the American people deserve the truth.

One other lesson I learned in the Army is we leave no man behind, and we will not leave these four men behind.

Mr. Speaker, today, I ask the Members of this House and all Americans to lift up Arkansas in their prayers as we recover from the storms that devastated much of central Arkansas on Sunday evening. Fifteen people lost their lives in these storms, and many more saw their homes and neighborhoods destroyed. The communities of Mayflower and Vilonia, vibrant, thriving towns, were particularly hard-hit.

I want to thank the first responders and all those on the ground in Arkansas who continue to assist with rescue and recovery operations. We are deeply grateful for your service.

I know my sorrow and grief for the devastation and loss of life is shared by all Arkansans and all Americans. We have a long road ahead of us, but Arkansans are a tough, hardworking people, and together we will come out stronger.

Mr. Speaker, today, I want to recognize Colonel Joseph Buche, who will retire next month after 30 years of commissioned service in the United States Army.

Colonel Buche was born and spent the first 12 years of his life in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he attended St. Joseph's Elementary School.

His father taught electrical engineering at the University of Arkansas, and Colonel Buche still remembers walking from his family's home down to Razorback Stadium to see President Nixon arrive for the 1969 Texas-Arkansas football game, also known as the game of the century. While it didn't end well for the Razorbacks, few Arkansans who were alive then have forgotten that day.

Following his father's death, Colonel Buche moved with his family to Wisconsin, where he received a 4-year Army ROTC scholarship from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

He was commissioned as an infantryman upon his graduation with a bachelor of science in 1984 and began what would become an exemplary career in the United States Army.

As a lieutenant and captain, Colonel Buche was a platoon leader and commanded four infantry platoon companies. Colonel Buche also served in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom, as well as with the Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery.

His military honors include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star with oakleaf cluster, two Combat Infantryman Badges, and the Ranger tab.

On a personal note, Colonel Buche was my commander while I was stationed at the Old Guard in Arlington National Cemetery in 2007 and 2008 and while I was deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 and 2009. He set the highest standard for leadership, professionalism, and duty for every Old Guard soldier.

Finally, I also want to thank his wife, C.J., and their two daughters, Megan and Shelby. Military families carry a heavy load, too, and they also sacrifice much for our country.

C.J., Megan, and Shelby endured many days without their loving husband and dad, all so he could stand guard on the front lines of freedom around the world on our behalf. We are grateful to them.

On behalf of the United States Congress and a grateful Nation, I want to thank Colonel Buche and his family for their service and wish him all the best in retirement.

Yesterday, I introduced the LOCAL Act, a bill allowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to restore joint management programs with local nonprofit organizations to construct, operate, and maintain recreational facilities at lakes and reservoirs across the country.

Despite years of successful operation, the Corps recently determined they lacked the authority to continue these joint management programs and are in the process of suspending all local partnerships.

Arkansans know better than anyone how to manage our lands, and cuts to the Corps' budget shouldn't dictate our ability to enjoy these facilities. For years, these partnerships have allowed local groups, like the Friends of Lake Ouachita, to successfully maintain recreational facilities across our State.

Arkansas is known as the Natural State. One of our greatest points of pride is access to public lands and water. The LOCAL Act will ensure that facilities like Lake Ouachita and Beaver Lake remain easily accessible to future generations.

Mr. Speaker, today I recognize Jeff Teague, president of the Teague Auto Group in El Dorado, Arkansas, who was recently named Time magazine's Auto Dealer of the Year. Awarded annually, this award recognizes the auto dealer who demonstrates exceptional business performance and distinguished community service.

Jeff and his father opened their first dealership as partners 33 years ago in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. Through hard work and determination, they built their dealership into a thriving family business.

But more than a businessman, Jeff is also a dedicated member of the El Dorado community. He is involved with Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes and Family Ministries, the Main Street El Dorado Music Festival, Union County 4-H, the Salvation Army, the South Arkansas Historical Foundation, and the Boys and Girls Club of El Dorado.

I want to offer Jeff and his family my congratulations on this honor and thank him for all he does for the community of El Dorado.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the nearly 525 employees at Aerojet Rocketdyne's Camden, Arkansas, production facility and their upcoming achievement of the milestone shipment of their 2,000th PAC-3 Solid Rocket Motor and 400,000th PAC-3 Altitude Control Motor to Lockheed Martin and the United States Army.

Aerojet Rocketdyne is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile, space propulsion, and armaments markets. This most significant milestone will be commemorated with a celebration ceremony held in Camden, Arkansas, on Thursday, December 5, 2013.

The PAC-3 missile, powered by Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion, is a high velocity interceptor that defeats incoming targets by direct, body-to-body impact. The ``hit-to-kill'' PAC-3 missile is the world's most advanced, capable, and powerful terminal air defense missile, and when deployed in a Patriot battery, significantly increases the Patriot system's firepower. It is capable of defeating the entire threat of tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs), cruise missiles, and aircraft. One hundred percent effective in Operation Iraqi Freedom, the PAC-3 missile is a quantum leap ahead of any other air defense missile when it comes to the ability to protect the warfighter.

Since 1998, Aerojet Rocketdyne has manufactured the PAC-3 SRM and ACM rocket motors at its Camden facility. The PAC-3 rocket motors are a noteworthy element of Aerojet Rocketdyne's industry-leading tactical propulsion portfolio produced in Camden, generating significant employment opportunities for the area.

On the occasion of this milestone, I am proud to recognize the dedicated, hardworking employees of Aerojet Rocketdyne in Camden and their achievements so far. These Arkansans are working hard to ensure our men and women in uniform have the resources they need to carry out their missions effectively and quickly, and they deserve our sincere appreciation.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1742) to exclude from consideration as income under the United States Housing Act of 1937 payments of pension made under section 1521 of title 38, United States Code, to veterans who are in need of regular aid and attendance, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and submit extraneous material for the Record on H.R. 1742, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1742, the Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act of 2013, bipartisan legislation that ensures fairness in the housing assistance made available to our veterans who have borne the physical costs of service to the country.

First, H.R. 1742 amends current law to exempt expenses related to a veteran's in-home aid and attendance-care payments from qualifying as income when determining their eligibility and payments from HUD programs. The in-home aid and attendance-care benefit is an enhanced pension program provided by the VA to severely disabled wartime veterans who make less than $12,256 per year. These pensions are provided out of medical necessity and should not be considered disposable income. Including them in income calculations skews eligibility and wrongly reduces the housing assistance that would otherwise be available to thousands of disabled veterans.

The Vulnerable Veterans Housing Reform Act also improves the way utility allowances are calculated by instructing public housing authorities to base payments on family size--that is, the number of people benefiting from a payment--rather than the current standard of dwelling size. Using this approach ensures, for instance, a family of four living in a one-bedroom apartment will not receive less in utility allowance than a single individual living in a two-bedroom apartment. These housing reforms have broad support from State and local housing agencies, low-income housing advocates, and for-profit and nonprofit affordable housing providers.

Mr. Speaker, many of our current veterans assistance programs are flawed--they spend too much and they help too few. Fortunately, the CBO estimates the reforms in this bill will save almost $50 million over 5 years while helping thousands of veterans obtain the appropriate housing assistance.

Sadly, homelessness affects over 60,000 veterans nationwide and approximately 1,000 in my home State of Arkansas. These numbers are unacceptable. As a combat veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, I understand not only the difficulties faced while serving in the military, but also the struggles that too many encounter upon returning to civilian life--especially with a life-altering disability. These men and women have put their lives on the line for our country; we should be doing all we can to support them--not making it harder for them to obtain assistance.

I am grateful to my colleague and fellow veteran, Congressman Joe Heck, and the Financial Services Committee for their work on this legislation.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and our disabled veterans.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Nevada, Dr. Heck, the sponsor of this legislation, a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and soon to be brigadier general.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Delaware, as well as the gentleman from Nevada, and everybody in this institution that helps serve our veterans every single day.

I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I want to thank the chairman and the committee for their hard work on WRRDA, which I am pleased to support.

Mr. Chairman, I have offered an amendment that addresses an issue with the population growth projections of the 1958 Water Supply Act, which are outdated, and many local water districts are now forced to pay substantial principal and interest to the Federal Government on excess water supply.

My amendment allows the Corps and local water districts to collaborate on finding new markets for their excess water storage. Not only does this partnership allow for the best use of shared resources, it also saves the taxpayers millions of dollars.

Again, I want to thank the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, the chairman, and the ranking member for their hard work on this bill and for supporting my amendment.

I want to thank the gentleman from Alabama for the time.

Madam Speaker, yesterday, I introduced legislation that would ensure the Women, Infants and Children nutrition program remains funded during a government shutdown. Today, I'm very grateful to my colleagues for swift action to fund this important program.

In Arkansas, WIC benefits 42,000 kids, 24,000 infants, and 2,000 moms. Fortunately, the Arkansas Department of Health reached an agreement earlier this week with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund the WIC program, though only on a week-to-week basis.

Moms and kids shouldn't suffer because Senate Democrats have shut down the government to protect their special perks and political allies, because that is what has happened here, Madam Speaker.

The House of Representatives, earlier this week, passed a continuing resolution that would fund the government, to include funding, in part, for ObamaCare; and we asked that the Senate Democrats only accept two simple principles: that the White House and Congress follow the same ObamaCare rules as the rest of America and that if Barack Obama is going to give big businesses a 1-year break from ObamaCare, then families and workers should get the same 1-year break.

But Senate Democrats refused to fund the government with those simple terms, the terms that Congress should follow the laws they impose on the American people, and that workers and family should get the same breaks as businesses.

Now, I know there's many important pieces of legislation in front of the Senate today. For instance, they earlier passed a resolution calling next week National Chess Week. Now, that's obviously an urgent matter for this country. But women and kids in need shouldn't be political pawns in the Senate's game.

So I say to the Senate, let's put aside partisanship and pass this legislation for the kids, just as we did earlier this week for the troops.

Regrettably, the government has shut down because of the stubborn party line votes of the Senate Democrats.

The House Republicans have acted reasonably and responsibly to act on two simple principles: the government should be funded, and the American people should get relief from ObamaCare. We have repeatedly made reasonable and responsible compromises. We couldn't repeal ObamaCare, so we offered to defund it. We offered to delay it for merely 1 year when the President has delayed so many parts of it himself, yet the Senate rejected every one of those compromises.

And now we have simply said, if ObamaCare is such an amazing success story, then the Members of Congress and Senators and their staffers should live under the laws they imposed on the American people. Yet that is not enough for the Senate Democrats. They would rather keep their special exemption from ObamaCare than keep the government open.

So when I'm asked, When will the government reopen? The answer is very simple: when the United States Senate puts the national interests ahead of their personal financial interests.

Mr. Speaker, no country that forgets its veterans can long endure, and that's why America has always celebrated and cherished our veterans' service.

George Washington, in his first days as President, demanded, in one of the most forceful requests he made to the Congress, that they honor our veterans.

Abraham Lincoln, who presided over our bloodiest war, dedicated two of his most beautiful speeches, the Gettysburg Address, and his second inaugural, in part or in full, to honoring our veterans.

This is something that has long united our parties on both sides of the aisle. The Democratic Party has many distinguished veterans, as does our party. That is why, today, we should continue this commitment.

We should ensure that the veterans who have been calling my office, who have been calling your offices, who've been calling all of our offices, don't have to face the kind of uncertainty and confusion that they do now because they aren't sure about what the Veterans Affairs Department can do for them.

We have our differences about ObamaCare, about funding levels, about many other matters. But let us, for our veterans, come together, as Abraham Lincoln said, and appeal to the better angels of our nature.

Uphold our veterans. Support and honor their service.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the heroic efforts of Specialist Fourth Class John Philip Baca of the United States Army.

Specialist Baca was a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, the ``First Team.'' His Medal of Honor was awarded for extraordinary bravery in action on February 10, 1970, in Vietnam. On that February day, a platoon from Specialist Baca's company came under enemy fire. Upon realizing his team could be of assistance, Specialist Baca jumped into action. He led his unit through enemy fire to a position within the patrol's defensive perimeter. But before they were able to attack, an enemy grenade was thrown directly into their unit. Specialist Baca covered the grenade with his helmet and fell on it, absorbing its blast. His quick action bravely saved eight of his fellow soldiers from death or serious injury.

It is for this brave act and his unwavering courage that I am proud to honor the actions of Specialist Fourth Class John Philip Baca.

Mr. Speaker, Hassan Rouhani is no moderate. He was a devoted follower of the 1979 revolutionary cabal in Iran. He led the 1999 crackdown on students in Iran. He's bragged about deceiving Western nuclear inspectors. He's called Israel a Zionist Satan. He's not even a President-elect because he was chosen in a sham democracy and a sham election.

Iran isn't looking for a chance to get to ``yes'' in negotiations. They are looking to give you a pretext to get to ``no'' on this legislation. Stand strong and vote ``yes'' to sanction Iran to stop their nuclear weapons capabilities.

Mr. Speaker, during a late-night series of votes yesterday on amendments to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act FY2014 (H.R. 2397), I intended to vote ``yes'' on the Fleming amendment (rollcall No. 392), but inadvertently voted ``no.'' Mr. Fleming's amendment prohibits funds from being used to appoint ``non-theistic'' military chaplains, which would contravene current DOD policy. As I witnessed firsthand in Iraq and Afghanistan, chaplains are essential to our Armed Forces and they minister to troops of all faiths--and none. I strongly support the spiritual role of our military chaplains and I'm pleased Mr. Fleming's amendment passed with bipartisan support.