Floor Statements

I thank the gentleman from California for this time to speak about the importance of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act.

Mr. Garamendi was talking about the coast, the east coast and the west coast and the great coastlines of our Nation. I always like to tell folks out here that I represent the west coast of Illinois. I always get a strange look when I say that, and sometimes a chuckle. But I represent the western-most counties of Illinois, the river counties, reaching from Alton, Illinois, just north of St. Louis, all the way to Cairo, the very southern tip of Illinois. That piece of Illinois encompasses the great maritime highway that is the economic backbone of our inland agriculture industry, indeed, all of our inland industries.

Just north of my district, the Illinois River, which transits from the Mississippi up to the Great Lakes, flows into the Mississippi. Directly across from my district, the Missouri River feeds into the Mississippi; and then as you go downstream, the Mississippi and the Ohio converge at the very southern tip at Cairo, Illinois.

So we understand in southern Illinois the importance of these river systems. We understand the importance of port

authorities. Port authorities aren't just limited to Los Angeles and New York and the east coast and the west coast or the gulf coast, but they are very important to our inland maritime industry also.

Back when I served as the adjunct general or the commanding general of the Illinois National Guard, I had the unfortunate problem of dealing with floods on the Mississippi and on the Ohio. Back when I was a young officer, we had the terrible flood of 1993. We had the flood of 2008 and then the flood of 2011. And then just last winter, we had the terrible drought that wound up dropping the river levels in the Mississippi so low that it nearly stopped navigation on the river. So we need to work on this infrastructure for the three reasons that I ran for Congress. When I ran for Congress, I said I ran for jobs, jobs, and jobs. And that is what this is about.

When the rivers started drying up and when that drought hit and those barges couldn't transit the Mississippi and were having to go up and down the Mississippi with significantly lighter loads, it did several things to impact our economy. First, the barges couldn't transport nearly as much corn or as much soybeans; and at one point, the world's corn supply was down to less than 30 days, 30 days for the entire world. The world needed that corn from Illinois and from Iowa, the Dakotas and Missouri. That corn gets shipped on the Mississippi River and the Missouri River. When that river was drying up, that corn didn't flow.

Coming upstream is the oil that goes into the refineries at Wood River, Illinois, the steel that gets processed at the steel mills in Alton, Illinois, and Granite City, Illinois, and the fertilizer that goes on the fields throughout southern and central Illinois.

There are several provisions in this bill that have passed through the Senate that we think need to be added to the House bill that would help those navigation requirements on the Mississippi River.

Additionally, we have provisions in the bill that, as Mr. Garamendi talked about, would improve the levee system. The levee system is critical not only throughout my district, but, indeed, up and down the rivers because of the problems with flood insurance. I have families who have lived for generations in homes located near the Mississippi River and other contributory rivers who, because of the potential rise in flood insurance rates, will be unable to afford to pay the insurance and unable to sell their homes, to relocate as necessary. We need to improve those levees.

By the way, while we are improving those levees, what are we doing? We are putting people to work.

This bill is supported by multiple groups throughout our Nation. It is truly a bipartisan bill. It passed the House 417-3 and the Senate by a vote of 84-14. You can't get much more bipartisan than that.

Let's look at the supporters of this bill. Labor supports the bill because they understand the importance of these jobs, and they understand the importance of maritime industry along that river. The Chamber of Commerce supports this bill. The National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau, the Illinois Farm Bureau all support this bill because it is important to all of those industries and to all of those jobs. It is not just the local economy of southern Illinois. It is the regional economy, the national economy, and, indeed, even the world economy.

Remember when I was talking about when the world's corn supply was down to less than 30 days. If we can't ship corn from Illinois and Iowa and the Midwest and out to the world, we will have a very serious food problem.

The bill provides provisions for the Corps of Engineers to maintain navigation on the river, to improve the navigation aids that were virtually useless during the drought. Some of those navigation aids are simply lines painted on bridges. Those are navigation aids that date back to the 19th century, back to Mark Twain. Today I think we can do a little bit better than painting lines on bridge abutments to provide navigation aids for our maritime industry.

Additionally, the Corps, at this point, is restricted to working in the 300-foot congressionally mandated channels. So 300 feet going down the river the barges transit through is the only place the Corps is allowed to work. This bill would give the Corps more authorities to work outside that channel to ensure that we have safe navigation for those barges filled with oil and with fertilizer and other industrial materials.

The bill would also provide for a Greater Mississippi River Basin extreme weather management study. Today, we don't understand how the river system operates, and we don't treat it as a system. When you look at that map that Mr. Garamendi showed you of the river system, you see an entire system. You see the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Missouri, the Illinois. Those aren't separate entities. But today, in the law, we treat them as separate entities. The Missouri River is governed under completely different legislation than the Mississippi River is. And the Corps of Engineers, even if everybody agreed, couldn't release water from those Missouri River dams down into the Mississippi River to help the navigation because they didn't have the authorities to do so. That doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and I think we need a commonsense solution to that: we treat the entire system as it is, indeed, a system.

Another issue that we need to consider is the locks and dams. Many of those locks and dams are 70 years old. They are in need of maintenance. They are in need of improvement. Those locks and dams, many of them are only 600 feet, and for efficiencies they need to be 1,200 feet in order to get the barge tows through. That will do several things. It will help the economy by lessening shipping costs, by making the cost of transportation for that corn, for that fertilizer, for that oil that gets refined into gasoline, dropping those transportation costs, making it less expensive to process and to buy.

It would also be good for the environment, because by using bigger tows, you are burning less fuel to ship the same amount of goods. Shipping by barge in the inland waterways is by far the most fuel efficient method of transportation compared to either rail or trucking.

Clearly, for all of those reasons, we need to get this bill passed. We need it for my three issues: jobs, job, and jobs, for southern Illinois, for the region, for the Nation.

Thank you, Mr. Garamendi. Actually, I do.

I would like to point out that the Democratic motion to instruct conferees--as you pointed out, you serve on that conference committee-- passed on November 14 with bipartisan support. That motion encouraged the conferees to reauthorize an effective dam security program.

The goal here is to reduce risks to people, to life and property from dam failure. With the age of some of these dams and the aging infrastructure in place, the potential loss of life and limb and property is astronomical. By putting money into maintenance now, we are saving not only lives and property, but saving money downstream because we know that sooner or later, with the age of that infrastructure, that it is going to fail. That is one of the important things that the Democratic motion to instruct conferees did.

Additionally, Mr. Garamendi, I signed the bipartisan letter to the House leadership of both parties requesting a speedy conference report. We need to move this conference report. As you pointed out earlier, Mr. Garamendi, this has been waiting for 6 years. We can't afford to wait another 6 years. So we need a speedy conference report between the Senate and between the House so that we can merge that legislation, add the items that we believe are on the House bill that need to be part of that Senate bill and vice versa so that we can begin bringing these jobs back to America and bringing the use of these American products to our districts.

That letter emphasized the importance of WRRDA, not only to the district, but also the difficulties which it imposes on business and on labor and on the trades if this bill is not moved in a prompt manner.

One of the other important aspects of the bill for my particular district--you were talking about the Sacramento River. But one of the particular parts of bill that we want to see added that has passed the Senate establishes the Metro East Flood Risk Management Program. What we are talking about there is the urban industrial area in southwestern Illinois across from St. Louis, running all the way from Alton, down through east St. Louis, south to Columbia, Illinois.

It encompasses three counties, with a population of about 600,000 folks. So it is very significant. It includes oil refineries, steel mills, chemical plants, residential areas, and many of the bridges, both rail and passenger car, that transit the Mississippi there. So it is critical that we get this taken care of.

Thank you, Mr. Garamendi. I appreciate that.

You know, what we are really talking about here, Mr. Garamendi, it seems to me is, are we spending money, or are we investing in America?

I like to tell folks at home that when that roof starts getting old on your house, and you know those shingles need to be replaced, do you want to replace those shingles?

Do you want to put a new roof on that house before it starts to leak?

Yes, you want to do that because you are going to save the money then of the damage that is going to be caused when this roof does start to leak.

We are really talking about the same thing. We are talking about investing in America. We are talking about investing in our house, investing in our home, protecting that infrastructure, protecting that roof before it does begin to leak.

It is interesting you were talking about how money gets siphoned off, and this bill does change that. This bill would increase--you know, we have a special fund that is supposed to go to the maintenance of harbors and of ports, and this bill would increase the investments in improving our Nation's ports by increasing the percentage of the money that is collected each year through the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.

As you pointed out, it is unfortunate, but half of the money that is collected to maintain harbors gets siphoned off and spent on other things.

Now, I believe and you believe, we believe, and the folks who voted for this bill believe that we should spend that money for the purpose for which it is collected, and that is to maintain and improve our harbors and our ports.

Now, you know, some of the Democrats on the committee have said that the bill is a compromise. Some of the folks don't like the fewer environmental reviews. But, you know, we voted for it. We pushed it forward even though it was a compromise. And sometimes in this business, you have to give a little to get a little. And it is like I talk about at home. When you go buy that new pickup truck, the dealer wants one price, and you want another price, you have got to meet somewhere in the middle to get there.

Wonderful.

Well, you know, Mr. Garamendi, while you are working on that conference committee, I would really appreciate it if you could see fit to--and this goes back to the environmental piece a little bit.

The Senate bill includes the Middle Mississippi River Environmental Pilot Program, which gives the Army Corps of Engineers authority to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat along the Middle Mississippi River while they are undertaking navigation projects.

Right now, they are just constrained working on navigation. Well, doesn't it make a lot of sense, by the way, while you are working on navigation to also, when you can, improve the fish and the wildlife habitat.

In southern Illinois, fishing is a big sport. We have a lot of tourists come in. Hunting, goose hunting is a big sport and deer hunting. And if you can improve that wildlife habitat, it is going to help the environment as well as help our tourist economy in southern Illinois.

Now, that was part of the bill that I introduced, but it got stripped out before it passed the House. But it did pass the Senate. So as part of your conference, if you could help me out with that, I would really appreciate it.

I will just close out with saying, Mr. Garamendi, thank you for the time this evening. I think this has been a true team effort from manufacturers and business groups, labor unions, port authorities, and the Agriculture Committee.

You know, I sit on the Agriculture Committee, and the ag community knows how critical this legislation is for Illinois. And Congress needs to get things done for the American people, and no job is more important than keeping our economy strong right here at home.

Mr. Speaker, when I was elected to Congress, I pledged to my constituents I would come to Washington to be a problem-solver and offer solutions. In this spirit, I introduced the Biofuels Development Act. This legislation will create American jobs and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

The goal is simple: establish a $25 million pilot program for the Air Force to make competitive grants supporting research and development, education, and training to produce bio-based aviation fuel for use by the Air Force.

In addition, this initiative is paid for--I repeat, paid for--using unobligated funds from the Afghanistan Infrastructure Fund.

In southern Illinois, the potential for this approach is tremendous. My district is home to a vibrant agricultural economy, as well as Scott Air Force Base. If this legislation became law, a great partnership between those two communities would produce tremendous results, with a positive ripple effect throughout the local and national economy.

It is high time for this body to focus on rebuilding our economy, putting Americans back to work. I urge my colleagues to join me in support of this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Command Sergeant Major Howard O. Robinson, thanking him for his service and wishing him well as he retires from the Illinois National Guard.

CSM Robinson served as my senior enlisted advisor when I was Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. I presided at the Change of Responsibility Ceremony in 2011 and passed the sword to CSM Robinson as he became the 10th Command Sergeant Major of the Illinois National Guard. In this capacity he helps provide training for approximately 13,000 Illinois National Guardsmen.

CSM Robinson enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard in 1983 with the 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery in Chicago. In 2001 he was selected as the Senior Enlisted Adviser for the 2nd Battalion 123rd Field Artillery in Milan, Illinois. Over the next eight years, his assignments would include: Battalion Command Sergeant Major for the 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery in Chicago, Brigade Command Sergeant Major for the 404th Chemical Brigade based in Chicago and Army National Guard Land Component Senior Enlisted Adviser.

A 2006 graduate of the United States Army Sergeant Major Academy, CSM Robinson's military education also includes the Army's Primary Leadership Development Course, Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses, Tactical Information Operations Course and the Senior Enlisted Joint Professional Development Course. He served overseas in Germany, participating in a War Fighter Exercise and has participated in various training events throughout Europe.

CSM Robinson has received numerous awards and decorations during his service, including: Meritorious Service Medal (2nd award), Army Commendation Medal (4th Award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Army Reserve Component Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon (Numeral 4), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Training Ribbon, Long and Honorable Service Medal, Military Attendance Ribbon, State Active Duty Ribbon, and Louisiana Emergency Services Ribbon.

Prior to his current position with the Illinois National Guard, CSM Robinson has enjoyed a career in healthcare administration and is currently pursuing his Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration at Governors State University.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring the distinguished career of Command Sergeant Major Howard O. Robinson, congratulating him on his retirement and wishing him well as he enters his next life chapter.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing the 10th Anniversary of Lindenwood University- Belleville.

While Lindenwood University-Belleville, at 10 years old, is a relative newcomer for institutions of higher learning, it is part of Lindenwood University which has a long history in the Midwest. Founded in 1827 in St. Charles, Missouri, Lindenwood University is the second oldest college west of the Mississippi River.

As a four-year liberal arts university with a rich tradition in the St. Louis metropolitan area, the administration of Lindenwood University began talks with city leaders in Belleville, Illinois around 2001, looking to expand the university to the east side of the Mississippi River. The Belleville High School District had recently moved the location of the Belleville West High School to another location, leaving an existing facility ready for use. Talks proved fruitful and Lindenwood University acquired the 22 acre tract of land for its Belleville campus in November of 2003.

The first classes for LU-Belleville were held in the Spring Quarter of 2004 for an incoming class of 52 students. Initially only offering evening classes, the first programs were a Master of Arts in Education and Education Administration.

Today, LU-Belleville has over 1,000 full-time students enrolled in a wide range of academic programs with hundreds more in graduate, continuing education and specialized programs. In its first decade, LU- Belleville has grown into a strong and vibrant institution that contributes much to the richness of Belleville and to the higher education choices of Southern Illinois.

This past spring, I had the high honor of addressing graduates at LU- Belleville's first commencement exercises. I quoted Lindenwood University's mission statement to provide programs ``leading to the development of the whole person-an educated, responsible citizen of a global community.'' In its first decade, LU-Belleville has done just that.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating the administration, faculty, staff and student body of Lindenwood University-Belleville on the occasion of their 10th Anniversary and wishing them continued success for many more years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 10th anniversary of Lindenwood University's campus in Belleville, Illinois.

On November 3, 2003, Lindenwood acquired the 22-acre site at the old Belleville West High School. Fifty-two students enrolled in evening classes that semester. In the decade since, Lindenwood University- Belleville has grown into a strong and vibrant institution that contributes much to the richness of Belleville and to the higher education choices of southern Illinois. Today, Lindenwood has over 1,000 full-time students enrolled in a wide range of academic programs, with hundreds more in graduate, continuing education, and specialized programs.

This past spring, I had the high honor of addressing graduates at Lindenwood's first commencement exercises. I quoted Lindenwood University's mission statement to provide programs ``leading to the development of the whole person--an educated, responsible citizen of a global community.''

In its first decade, Lindenwood has done just that. I congratulate Lindenwood University-Belleville on its 10th anniversary and wish the entire campus community much continued success.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring L. Goebel Patton on his 100th Birthday--tomorrow, October 24, and in recognizing his many

years of community service in Southern Illinois.

Considered by many as ``Mr. Southern Illinois,'' Goebel Patton has worn many hats in his 80+ years of service to the people in his region. Educator, administrator, board member, lodge member, church and community leader, mentor--While this is an impressive list, it does not encompass all the roles that Goebel Patton has filled in service to the people of Southern Illinois.

Goebel Patton began his career as an educator at Logan School in West Frankfort, Illinois in 1931, just prior to his 18th birthday. He served as principal of several area elementary and middle schools before serving as Principal and Superintendent at Frankfort Community High School from 1946-1960. Between 1960 and 1970, Patton put his years of experience in education to use as Director of Public and Professional Relations for the Illinois Education Association before returning to Southern Illinois as Superintendent of Frankfort Community School District No. 168, the school district that he was instrumental in forming, from 1970 to 1984.

A member of the Second Baptist Church in West Frankfort for over 75 years, Patton has had the same impact and influence in that congregation as in his community. He was instrumental in constructing two sanctuaries for the church and organized a weekly Men's Prayer Group in 1990.

Patton has served on virtually every community and charitable organization in Franklin County. The list includes: Lions Club, Masonic Lodge, Salvation Army, Franklin-Williamson Human Services, Egyptian Council, Boy Scouts, JALC Foundation, SIU Foundation and the American Cancer Society. As chairman of the fund raising committee, he helped raise $600,000 for an Aquatics and Activity Center in West Frankfort. A banquet room in the center was named in his honor.

After his 98th birthday, Patton received a six year appointment to the Board of Trustees of a new private college being organized in West Frankfort. When asked about taking on such a lengthy commitment at his age, he repeated one of his favorite quotes for which he is famous in Southern Illinois--``Community service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.''

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in wishing L. Goebel Patton a Happy 100th Birthday and thanking him for a lifetime of community service.

Mr. Speaker, my wife had a call last night from one of her best friends. She was angry, disappointed, and frightened. Her husband is a civilian worker at Scott Air Force Base. His paycheck was one-half what it usually is. Their son is a community college student who just got laid off. Their daughter is disabled. They are my voters. They are my friends.

What do I tell them?

What do I tell the veterans whose disability claims aren't being processed?

What do I tell the laid-off prison guards in southern Illinois who will lose their food stamps?

What do I tell the retired mine workers who have lost their pensions in bankruptcy and now have to worry about their Social Security checks?

I can't tell them to call their Congressman. They already have.

I tell them, Call 202-225-6205, and tell the Speaker to put America and its government back to work.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

I am, in its current form.

Madam Speaker, the underlying bill pays Reservists and Guardsmen for weekend drills during this government shutdown, but it does nothing to pay the full-time support force. The vast majority of full-time Guardsmen and Reservists wear a uniform but are considered civil service technicians; thus, they're currently furloughed.

I spent nearly 37 years serving this great Nation's military; 32 years of those years were in the National Guard and the Reserve. As a young enlisted airman and later as a junior officer in the Army Guard, I certainly appreciated that paycheck for a weekend of duty. I, like many of the young troops serving today, needed that paycheck, kind of like the civilian employees at Scott Air Force Base need their paychecks or the Forest Service workers in the Shawnee National Forest need their paychecks or the clerks at the Social Security office in Carbondale, Illinois, need their paychecks.

The absolute utter cynicism of the underlying bill appalls me. As the only former general serving in Congress, I'm sponsoring this amendment to correct the underlying bill which only makes pawns of dedicated American Reservists and Guardsmen. The only thing that bill does is give the politicians who sponsored it and who vote for it a claim, while wrapping themselves in the flag, to say they're supporting the troops. It's as phony as putting a flag pin on your lapel and claiming that makes you a patriot.

The underlying bill is as phony as the bill I voted against Tuesday. That bill was falsely named ``Honoring Our Promise to America's Veterans Act.'' My father was a disabled veteran. He's buried in a national cemetery. My

brother is a combat disabled veteran. I'm a veteran. Between the three of us, we have accumulated a total of 65 years of military service to this Nation. I tell you, as a veteran, that bill is a disservice to veterans. It cut $6.1 billion from the VA budget, which was already passed by the House. It eliminated funding for VA construction. It eliminated funding for national cemeteries, that cemetery my father is buried in. It eliminated funding for medical and prosthetic research. That bill was a lie to America's veterans and America's voters.

I am sick of phony bills designed solely to create political ads. I and my constituents are sick of the messaging that makes bad policy out to be good politics. It is time to drive the moneychangers from the temple and to bring an end to this sanctimonious foolishness. Just as a soldier refuses to leave his or her battle buddies behind, I refuse to leave all of the people who proudly serve this great Nation behind.

Stop this charade. Have the moral courage to tell the truth to the American people. The amendment I offer today presents the continuing resolution, which has the Republican budget numbers in it. It would pay not just the part-time National Guard, not just the part-time Reservists, but the full-timers, too. It puts 70 percent of the CIA back to work. It puts the VA back to work. It puts our government back to work.

Let's not call this a continuing resolution. Let's call it what it is: Put Our Government Back to Work. I ask you to have the integrity to vote ``yes'' or ``no.'' If you're a patriot behind that American flag pin, have the guts to show it.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Point of Order

Yes, Madam Speaker, I would like to be heard on the point of order.

Madam Speaker, my motion to recommit would open up the entire Federal Government so that the part-time National Guard not only receives their pay, but also the full-time National Guard. They would receive all of their benefits. They would receive funds for the equipment to do their jobs. There would no longer be furloughs. Can the Chair explain why it is not germane to keep all of the needs of the National Guard open for public service instead of only their pay?

If we're paying our National Guard, but they can't do their jobs, what sense does that make? Are we asking our brave soldiers simply to sit at their desks? What kind of strange House is this that would force that situation on our brave men and women, the brave men and women that have been so remarkably addressed by the gentleman across the aisle?

Madam Speaker, if you rule this motion out of order, does that mean we will not have a chance to keep the entire Federal Government open today? Can the Chair please explain why we can't keep our part-time National Guard and the entire Federal Government open today?

Madam Speaker, I appeal the ruling of the Chair.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, ``Always Ready, Always There''--that's the motto of the National Guard. That motto's engraved on this commander's coin, my commander's coin that I carry with me wherever I go.

Before I came to Congress, I had the honor and the privilege and the responsibility, for 5 years, to exercise command over the Illinois Army and Air National Guard. I commanded 10,000 soldiers and 3,000 airmen. It was my responsibility to train them, equip them, and order them into war.

Most of them came back--34 of them did not, 19 of them during my command. I carry those names with me in my breast pocket--ranks, names, ages, hometowns, units of assignment, date of death.

What I don't carry are the two soldiers that I lost to suicide. I don't know why I don't have those names. I should have those names. They didn't come back either.

Most of those soldiers that I ordered to go to war came home. Those few didn't. Many of them came home wounded, some of those wounds not visible.

The first time a soldier under my command committed suicide, my staff came to me and said, General, are you going to go to the funeral? I said, Of course I'm going to the funeral. They said, Well, your predecessor didn't go to funerals for soldiers that committed suicide. I said, I do. We took them whole, sent them to war, and they came back broken. That's my responsibility. I go.

Congressman Jim McDermott earlier spoke about responsibility. He talked about how we in Congress and we as a Nation must take responsibility for these broken lives. I accept responsibility for what I've done. I accept responsibility for taking whole men and women and sending them to war. I take responsibility for those two soldiers who committed suicide under my command, under my watch. It's not an easy thing to do. But that's what you have to do as a soldier, because you're always ready and you're always there.

Illinois was very lucky. During my command we went several years without a single suicide, while other States were losing soldiers and airmen. And we were very proud of that. We thought we were doing a great job. And, of course, oh, it was because we were doing such a great job, and we drove it down to the lowest levels that it was okay to be stressed and it was okay to accept help and you should get help.

And those are all good things and they were the right things to do; but it wasn't all that we did, because I know those figures were a lie. I know those zero suicides were a lie, because we had soldiers who were drunk at 2 in the morning riding motorcycles who died. We had soldiers driving cars at 120 miles an hour 2 months after coming home from a deployment, and that was a suicide.

We must respond to that, and every soldier who comes home must take responsibility for another soldier so that we can save them.

Madam Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk.

Madam Speaker, I am opposed.

Madam Speaker, this is the final amendment to the bill, which will not kill the bill nor send it back to committee if adopted. If adopted, the bill will immediately proceed to final passage as amended.

Madam Speaker, we are 9 short days from the end of the fiscal year and 3 weeks from when we, as a Nation, can no longer pay our bills.

In 2011, congressional leaders changed the rules for the first time ever by debating whether the United States should voluntarily refuse to pay its bills. Congress ultimately raised the debt limit, but this partisan brinksmanship led to business uncertainty, a drop in consumer confidence, and the first ever downgrade of our Nation's AAA credit rating. Most importantly, it cost job growth.

I cannot believe that the full faith and credit of the United States would be threatened by this House. I cannot fathom how we can choose not to pay the bills we've already incurred.

As we stand here today, we're hurdling toward a government shutdown and once again facing default. I'm offering this amendment because the last thing we should be doing is threatening seniors with losing their Social Security and Medicare. Our troops, protecting us both domestically and overseas, shouldn't have to worry about whether they'll be paid. With this amendment, Social Security checks will be processed and mailed on time; Medicare and veterans benefits will not be cut nor delayed; our service men and women, serving around the world, will receive the pay they have earned. This amendment prohibits Social Security from being privatized and Medicare from being turned into a voucher program.

Madam Speaker, I represent 136,263 Social Security recipients and a thousand more veterans in southern Illinois. These are real people, not statistics. They're not only the retired; they are the disabled, widows, spouses, and children who look to us for leadership and depend upon us to do the right thing.

Madam Speaker, our Nation is at a crossroads. This body was sent here by our constituents to govern. Instead, a determined few have turned the House of Representatives away from solving problems and are creating problems. We need to turn to the most important work of our great Nation today: creating jobs for those who want to work but can't find employment.

I hope my colleagues across the aisle will signal to the American people that they are ready to get about the serious business of governing. Join me to protect our seniors, our veterans, and our brave servicemen and -women. We cannot do less.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, during the 35 years I spent in the military, it was my privilege to lead the outstanding men and women in our Armed Forces. Many are still serving today. They served with honor and distinction, yet here we are talking about treating the lowest paid of them like second-class citizens, unworthy of basic assistance in these difficult times.

I was elected to Congress to represent everyone in the 12th Congressional District of Illinois. I represent the poorest county in the State of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, 100,000 people in my district, most of them children or seniors, live below the poverty line. My district has a higher proportion of veterans than any other district in this State.

I answer to Active Duty military and veterans who rely on SNAP benefits to make ends meet. They exist in my district and in every district represented in this House. Mr. Speaker, does anyone in this Chamber wish to tell them that in this hour of need, their country is turning its back on them? Who among us wants to decide which of these veterans deserve assistance and which do not? I know I don't.

According to the Census Bureau, about 7 percent of people who report prior military service also report receiving SNAP benefits. Census data indicates that some 1.5 million households with a veteran are receiving SNAP benefits.

The base pay of most recent enlistees, from corporals on down, is at or below the $23,050 poverty rate for a family of four. At military commissaries nationwide, nearly $88 million in SNAP benefits were redeemed. Stars and Stripes reported that in 2011, food stamp purchases at military commissaries tripled during the preceding 4 years.

Just last month, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reported that approximately 900,000 veterans currently receive food aid and that proposed cuts would impact around 170,000.

According to The Hill newspaper, more than $98 million in SNAP benefits were redeemed by veterans in 2012. The Huffington Post reports that in 2011, ``both Active Duty members and retirees, together, used more than $100 million in Federal food aid in the past year.''

Sixteen percent of SNAP recipients are disabled, many of them are veterans. SNAP benefits are already scheduled to go down. On November 1, families of three will lose $29 a month. Now, that doesn't sound like very much, but the daily per person per meal benefit will be less than $1.40.

Recently, one Illinois veteran was quoted, saying, ``I relocated, and the job I was supposed to get fell through. I lived off my savings but found myself needing to apply for emergency assistance to sustain until I found a job. I, like many others, was only receiving assistance for a time (5 months) but don't know what I would have done without it.''

They served us with honor and distinction, Mr. Speaker. Some are still serving. Now it is time for us to serve them with a measure of honor and distinction of our own. I urge my colleagues to reject these shameful proposals which would cut this basic level of assistance to deserving recipients who need it now more than ever.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Staff Sergeant Salvatore Augustine Giunta of the United States Army. Staff Sergeant Giunta was with the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team and was awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in action on October 25, 2007, in Afghanistan.

Staff Sergeant Giunta and his team were ambushed by heavy enemy fire. After sprinting for cover and returning fire, Staff Sergeant Giunta raced to his wounded squad leader to assist him. While disregarding the withering enemy fire, Staff Sergeant Giunta continued to assist the wounded and link up with men separated from his unit.

When he observed two insurgents carrying away one of his men, this staff sergeant charged their position, killing one enemy and wounding the other. He then carried his comrade away from the exposed position and began to administer first aid before his squad caught up to provide security.

It is for his extreme heroism and valor that I am proud to honor and remember the actions of Staff Sergeant Salvatore A. Giunta.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to ask my colleagues to join me in honoring Willie B. Nelson, District Deputy Grand Exalted Ruler for the Southern District of Illinois and Exalted Ruler of Hercules Lodge #90 in East St. Louis, of the Improved Benevolent Protective Order (I.B.P.O.) of Elks of the World.

Willie B. Nelson has been a pioneer who helped break down racial barriers in the local banking community. He worked as a custodian at the former Illini Federal Savings and Loan Association in East St. Louis at a time when management positions were not available to African-Americans. While working for the financial institution, which would later become Associated Bank, Nelson went to school at nights and took a number of financial training and internship programs. His determination and stellar performance succeeded in his appointment as Branch Manager for the bank. He would retire as Branch Manager after serving Associated Bank for 43 years.

In addition to his professional career, Willie B. Nelson has dedicated his life to service and leadership within his community. Since being initiated into the I.B.P.O. Elks of World in 1955, he has served in virtually every leadership position for that organization, including two times as Exalted Ruler, first from 1975 through 1990 and again from 2007 to the present. In addition to serving as District Deputy Director for the Southern District of Illinois, he also served for 15 consecutive years as State Director of the Illinois/Wisconsin States Association.

Willie B. Nelson has served in a leadership capacity on many other community organizations. He has served as President of the East St. Louis Chamber of Commerce, the Leadership Council of Southwestern Illinois, Target 2000, the Katherine Dunham Museum and the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation. He has also served as a Commissioner on the Board of the Illinois Housing Department. His leadership service extends to his church as well where he serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Interim Finance Director for the Greater Faith Christian Church in Centreville, Illinois.

Willie B. Nelson has been a devoted family man as well. His wife and two of his children have gone on to their heavenly reward but he is still blessed with the presence of his loving daughter, Lavonda Nelson, along with numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in celebrating the life of community service of Willie B. Nelson and wishing him the very best in the future.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to bad public policy. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I state my strong opposition to the leadership's drive to split a comprehensive farm bill. It destroys the bipartisan work of the committee. It destroys a coalition that has worked for our Nation for generations.

The Ag Committee did our work. We didn't agree on everything, but we achieved a compromise bill that was brought to the floor. I voted to keep this process moving and to get a bill signed into law.

I am stunned that so many in the majority party could not support the bill after the draconian nutrition cuts they insisted upon.

In representing southern Illinois, I represent the two groups that need comprehensive legislation the most: our agriculture community and the 100,000 citizens out of 700,000 citizens who live in poverty in southern Illinois.

This approach puts both groups in jeopardy. I cannot support that. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

I urge the House leadership to get serious, to stop playing foolish games with our farm economy and with our working poor.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2383, a compromise measure to name an extraordinary structure in honor of extraordinary heroes.

Today, I'm proud to join my colleagues in bridging a great divide-- not the aisle here in the House dividing Democrats from Republicans, but a divide that is sometimes even wider, the mighty Mississippi River between Illinois and Missouri.

Today, in the spirit of compromise, we come together to honor people we hold dear and to recognize the values that make them special to us in both Illinois and Missouri, regardless of our politics or which side of the river we call home.

For millions of baseball fans in mid-America, Stan Musial is a hero. Stan spent a career accumulating Major League records and World Series rings while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. But he was much more than one of the best baseball players to have ever played the game. No, to us in the region, he epitomized what it meant to be a resident of mid-America. He worked hard; he achieved success with humility; he was always a gentleman.

In a time when society too often glorifies all that is loud, showy and brash, Stan was the opposite. Quiet and humble, he was the textbook of integrity in all that he did.

Stan the Man was a hero for another reason. That's because he wore only two uniforms: one for the baseball team he loved and one for the country he loved. I'm proud to support this bill today because it recognizes not only Stan Musial, but all of our Nation's veterans.

As a veteran of two of our Nation's Armed Forces, this is a commitment that is very personal to me. I represent Scott Air Force Base, just 15 minutes from the new bridge, and I'm proud to represent a district that has one of the highest percentages of veterans in the United States.

The people of southern Illinois have answered each and every time our country has called. The service and the sacrifice of our veterans and their families can't be taken for granted, nor can their service be remembered only 1 or 2 days a year. Our Nation remains a beacon of freedom and liberty because of that dedication and sacrifice.

So today, I'm proud to rise in support of this measure to designate the new Interstate 70 bridge linking East St. Louis, Illinois, to St. Louis, Missouri, the ``Stan Musial Veterans Memorial Bridge.''

On my way to Washington, D.C., today I passed this new bridge still under construction. The bridge cables were gleaming in the sunlight. I looked out and saw dozens of my constituents hard at work on this structure. It's a much-needed infrastructure investment for our region and the country, a partnership between our States and the Federal Government. It's my hope that every traveler who crosses over this striking structure will not only read the name of that bridge, but will remember the values we honor with that name: hard work, integrity, humility, service and sacrifice. These are fitting ideals for all of us. And they are a fitting reason to name this bridge in honor of Stan Musial and in honor of all our veterans.