Steve Austria

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of James Lewis Baker. Jim Baker of Springfield, Ohio, was born June 18, 1945, and his life was dedicated to his family and neighbors. His acts of charity and goodwill made him well-known and loved in his local community and his energetic presence will be missed. A 1963 graduate of Northeastern High School, Jim served in the United States Air Force as an Air Policeman, conducting a tour in Vietnam and achieving the rank of sergeant. He received the Bronze Star for bravery as he was the first to respond in an emergency, saving the life of a fellow officer. After his service, Jim established his family in Springfield, Ohio, with his wife, Jean (Woolweaver) Baker, and two sons. He was a local area businessman and served as the traffic control officer for the Springfield Police Department until his retirement. Jim was an active and respected member of the community, known best for his hard work and willingness to help others. He received the Springfield Citizenship Award for heroically assisting police officers in capturing a suspect. Jim Baker, 64, had an enthusiasm for life that left an impression on each person he was encountered. He was a corner stone of the community and his life is an outstanding example of good citizenship. It is a privilege to honor his life today.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, this week marks a defining moment for this Congress and our Nation. With our national debt over $12 trillion and continuing to grow while government encroaches into every aspect of our lives, the American people have spoken out loudly against any government takeover of their health care. All we have to do is listen to our constituents. Yet this administration and this Democrat leadership continues to force a $1 trillion health care bill of Congress into law. This bill will increase the health care costs for millions of Americans who are satisfied with their current health care coverage. It will cut Medicare and reduces benefits for seniors, such as Medicare Advantage. It will raise taxes on families and small businesses. We all agree that our health care system can and should be improved. Unfortunately, Members of Congress are not listening to the American people, and that is that more government is not the answer. It is time to work together on a commonsense, step-by-step approach that will lower costs and make health care more affordable and accessible while keeping your doctor-patient relationship and choices.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor and remember Lt. Joseph M. McCafferty, for his outstanding service to the community of Lancaster and the state of Ohio. A 37-year veteran of the Lancaster Fire Department, he spent his life serving and ensuring the safety of others. Joseph graduated from Lancaster City Schools and then joined the Lancaster Fire Department on June 1, 1973. During his career, he worked not only as a firefighter, but also as a paramedic and an engineer. He was promoted to the position of lieutenant on November 7, 1983. An outstanding firefighter and 37-year veteran, Joseph was always willing to help and pass along his knowledge to new recruits. He also actively served the community, participating in ``Fill the Boot'' and the department's ``Toys for Kids'' program. He served as a Union officer and was a devoted family man who loved spending time with his grandchildren. For his many years of exemplary service to the community and dedication to the Lancaster Fire Department, I join the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in extending our deepest regrets to his wife; Vicki, children; Amy, Farah and Aaron and the many friends of Joseph M. McCafferty.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Major General Curtis M. Bedke, for his outstanding service to our nation on the occasion of his retirement from the United States Air Force. It is an honor to join the people of Ohio's 7th Congressional District in congratulating Major General Bedke upon his retirement as Commander of the Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. A 1977 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, he has served a distinguished career, piloting 78 aircraft in more than 4,300 flights. As Commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory, he led more than 10,000 employees and was responsible for managing the Air Force's science and technology program. Previously, General Bedke was Commander of the Air Force Flight Test Center at the Edwards Air Force Base in California. He also served in Operation Enduring Freedom as the Combined Forces Air Component Commander in Egypt in 2001 and as the U.S. Central Command's senior military representative to Pakistan in 2002. For his many years of service to our nation, I join the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in extending our best wishes upon his retirement and wish him ongoing success in all future endeavors.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. I thank the Congresswoman from Wyoming for her hard work here in Congress and for putting this freshman Special Order together this evening. I think it's a great opportunity for us, as new Members of Congress, to be able to give our points of view as to coming to Congress, as to what we're seeing and how we think we can do better in the future. I thank you for putting that together. As our class president, I think you would agree with me that we have a lot of talent that came in with this freshman class on both sides of the aisle. And I think most of us would probably say it's been very challenging, to say the least, our freshman year, sometimes very frustrating, but we're all committed to working very hard to represent our constituents, and that means listening to our constituents and understanding what they're talking about. And I think this week marks a defining moment for this Congress and our Nation. You know as we, as freshmen, finish our first year in Congress, our national debt continues to grow. It's now over $12 trillion as government encroaches into every aspect of our life. And I fear that this administration and this Congress, as they continue this outrageous spending and running up debt, that we're reaching a point of no return, and it will take another piece of our liberty with it. I served 10 years in the State legislature in Ohio before I came to Congress, and in Ohio, we were forced to balance our budget. That meant tough decisions sometimes. We were willing to make those tough decisions. And those 10 years in the State legislature, I think, were a good learning experience and a training ground for Congress, but I don't think anything could have prepared us for what we've seen these first 12 months in Congress. If you think back to when we were sworn in, and when the President came in after his inauguration, in his first sentence of his Executive order, President Obama stated, my administration is committed to creating an unprecedented level of openness in government. In November 2006, Speaker Pelosi pledged to lead the most honest and most open Congress in history. Yet, what we've seen in our first year is that, time and time again this congressional leadership has rammed through costly bills with devastating consequences for America's small businesses and working families that no Member of Congress, in many cases, has had an opportunity to even read, and I think that's outrageous as a freshman in Congress. If we put things in perspective, the first 4 or 5 months in Congress, we were faced with voting on the second half of the bailouts, the TARP bill, the $700 billion for the financial markets. We were asked to vote on a $400 billion omnibus bill that contained over 9,000 earmarks. We were asked to vote on a stimulus bill, a 1,073-page, nearly trillion dollar stimulus bill that was posted online at 10 p.m. the night before it came up for a vote and that not one Member of Congress had an opportunity to read before we voted on that, and I think that's unacceptable and outrageous. We should have an opportunity to read the bill before we vote on it. And that bill, as we found out, contained a tremendous amount of infusion of government spending, expansion of government. It wasn't targeted on helping small business create jobs, small businesses that can sustain those jobs over the long run. Then we moved into the month of June and we took up an energy policy known as the climate change bill or cap-and-trade bill. What we saw was at the very end, a 300-page amendment that was tacked on to a 1,200- page bill, which turned out to be a national energy tax bill at 3 a.m. in the morning that came up for a vote that, again, the Members of Congress didn't have an opportunity to read that amendment and fully understand what was in that bill before we voted on it. That's unacceptable, in my opinion. It was a bill that's not good for Midwest States like Ohio, that I represent, that have a lot of manufacturing in Ohio, and nearly 90 percent of our energy comes from coal. This bill, in my opinion, is going to cause unemployment and raise the cost of energy for Ohioans and Americans across this country. And during a time when we're going through a difficult economic time, that's not a good thing. This freshman class then came together, as you know, as the Congresswoman from Wyoming, as you know, because you participated in this, Congresswoman Lummis, and that was we had a press conference. We were upset about not having the opportunity to read this bill. And as a freshman class, we came before the national press, and we expressed our concerns about having an opportunity to read the bill before we vote on it and the importance of having that transparency, the importance of being able to let the American people know what we're voting on here in Congress. What we saw shortly after that--and we saw a number of people come to Congress the day before or a couple of days before we voted on the health care reform bill. What we saw, what was rolled out shortly after that press conference, was a 2,000-page health care reform bill that we spent days setting up a reading room to try to read through and understand what was in that bill and trying to get that message out to the American public. And what we found was it was a huge spending bill again, a $1 trillion health care reform bill that would raise premiums for many Americans to pay for that, would increase taxes by over $700 billion. Most of that burden is being put on small businesses to pay for the health care reform bill, when we should have been focused on lowering costs and making it more accessible, or more accessible to families and maintaining that doctor/patient relationship. So we can do better. And what has all this led to? It's led to a tremendous amount of debt. You know, we're now borrowing 50 cents on every dollar that we spend. And I have three teenage boys at home, and I didn't come to Congress to run up these types of debts. And what we are doing is we're further increasing our Nation's debt and placing an astronomical amount of debt and burden on the backs of our children and our grandchildren, and that's unacceptable. And what we're seeing as a result of this tremendous amount of spending, this runaway spending, this huge amount of debt, is we're seeing unemployment now reach the highest it's been in recent decades at over 10 percent, and that's unacceptable. It's time that this administration and this Congress understand that government spending alone is not going to turn this economy around. We need to be helping our small business. We need to stop government spending. We need to stop increasing our debt, and we need to be focused on helping those that create jobs across this country, the economic engine across this country, and that is our small businesses. We have it backwards. I think as a freshman class, you know, we meet on a regular basis, and one of the things that we've talked about is how we believe that Americans, that we in Congress should allow Americans, allow small businesses, the taxpayers, give their money back to them, give them an opportunity to spend it to invest it back in the economy and be able to create jobs and sustain jobs, but unfortunately, what's happening here is we've got it backwards. Congress is taking the American people's tax dollars, and government thinks that it knows how to spend those dollars better than the American people, and they've got it backwards. And unfortunately, what's happening is that this leadership in Congress is brokering deals behind closed doors or not listening to the American people and their constituents. And that message is very clear to me, and that is that more government is not the answer. And with that, I will yield back to the Congresswoman from Wyoming. And again, I thank you for having this Special Order tonight with our freshman class.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lieutenant General Terry L. Gabreski, for her outstanding service to our Nation on the occasion of her retirement. On behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I am honored to congratulate Lieutenant General Gabreski upon her retirement as Vice Commander of the Air Force Material Command at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Her dedicated service to the citizens of our Nation and our area is both admirable and commendable. Gabreski received her commission in 1974 upon her graduation from officer training school. Since that time, she has served as director of maintenance for the deputy chief of staff for installations and logistics at Headquarters, U.S. Air Force. Over the course of her distinguished career, she has also directed two aircraft maintenance units, served as a squadron maintenance supervisor in three units, commanded three maintenance squadrons and a logistics group, and twice served as a major air command director of logistics. Lieutenant General Gabreski will be retiring effective January 1, 2010. For her many years of service to our Nation, I join the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in extending our best wishes upon her retirement and wish her ongoing success in all future endeavors.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for offering this amendment, and I support this amendment. Conducting an inherently safer technology, IST, assessment will be costly, too costly for many of our small businesses to afford. I submitted a commonsense amendment to the Rules Committee that would have exempted small businesses from this new costly and burdensome requirement. I might add that it would not exempt them from the current law, but from these new costly and burdensome requirements. Unfortunately for our Nation's small businesses, the majority decided not to allow a vote on that commonsense amendment on the floor. Just to reiterate what the chairman said, over half of our facilities currently regulated under CFATS regulations that would now be regulated by these new costly assessments employing 50 or fewer employees. Mandating IST will be devastating for our small businesses.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, this week marks a defining moment for this Congress and our Nation. With an $11.9 trillion debt that continues to grow as government encroaches into every aspect of our lives, we're being asked to vote on a 1,990-page health care reform bill that has a nearly $1 trillion price tag, adding to the government's long-term deficit problem which will be passed on to our children and grandchildren. It includes a government option in which bureaucrats in Washington will decide what health care Americans may receive. It would increase the health care costs for millions of Americans who are satisfied with their current health care coverage. It cuts Medicare and reduces benefits for seniors, such as Medicare Advantage, and will raise taxes on families and small businesses. Mr. Speaker, we all agree that our health care system can be and should be improved; but, unfortunately, Members of Congress are not listening to the American people, and that is, more government is not the answer.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, this week marks a defining moment for this Congress and our Nation, with an $11.9 trillion national debt that continues to grow as government encroaches into every aspect of our lives. We're about to vote on a nearly 2,000-page bill. We've heard all the details of this bill. It will increase the health care premiums for millions of Americans who are happy with their current coverage. It will cost nearly $1 trillion, placing even more debt on our children and grandchildren. It will force businesses, large and small, to provide health care for their employees or pay fines to the government. It would unbelievably cut $170 billion from the Medicare Advantage Program to pay for this bill, putting nearly 10 million seniors enrolled in Medicare Advantage at risk of losing their health care coverage. In Ohio, there are nearly 500,000 seniors on Medicare Advantage and nearly 30,000 of them are in my district alone. Mr. Speaker, we all agree that our health care system can and should be improved. Unfortunately, Members of Congress are not listening to the American people, that more government is not the answer.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, while we celebrate Filipino American History Month in October, unfortunately the Philippines has been devastated by multiple typhoons in the past few weeks, and our thoughts and prayers are with the Filipino people. My father came to the United States from the Philippines to finish medical school. He became a U.S. citizen and lived the American dream. I am aware of at least two other Members of Filipino descent, and I am proud to be a first-generation Filipino American elected to Congress, which is why I cosponsored House Resolution 780 which recognizes Filipino American History Month. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the economic, cultural, social, and many other contributions of Filipino Americans. Our Nations have been brought together as partners by crucial events throughout history, and even though we are separated by an ocean, the two countries are connected by their long-standing relationship. Mr. Speaker, may the long-standing relationship between the Philippines and the United States remain strong.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, included in the Democrats' health plan are massive cuts to Medicare Advantage that could result in a loss of health care for millions of seniors. In my State of Ohio, this isn't good. Cuts to Medicare Advantage will have an exceptionally harmful impact to seniors in areas that I represent in Ohio, rural areas, forcing many seniors into a one-size- fits-all, government-run health care plan. The CBO also said the Democrats' health care plan will increase seniors' Medicare prescription drug premiums by 20 percent over the next decade. It is time that Congress listen to our constituents, listen to the American people, and have an open, bipartisan debate on health care reform.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the constituents of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District to recognize and honor Emily Thompson for the courage and selfless action she took to save the life of a fellow citizen. A senior at Kenton Ridge High School in Kenton, Ohio, Emily is a member of the volleyball team. While preparing for a match on Tuesday, October 13, 2009, a fellow teammate's grandfather suffered an apparent heart attack in the stands. Emily was quick to respond, using her first aid knowledge she learned as a lifeguard she effectively saved the gentleman's life. Emily deserves our recognition for her bravery, strength of character, and quick action to help when needed. She has shown true signs of leadership and responsibility far beyond her 17 years. Emily provided a great service both to our community and the family and loved ones of the gentleman she saved and for these reasons she deserves our gratitude and special thanks.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the constituents of Ohio's 7th Congressional District to congratulate and recognize Rachel Knaub on the extraordinary event of her 100th Birthday on October 4, 2009. Born in Greene County, Rachel has lived in Ohio her entire life. She has resided in many different communities in the state including, Pitchen, Clifton, Springfield, and Cedarville. Throughout her life, Rachel Knaub has been a proud farmer's wife. She spent 52 years happily married to her husband, Ralph, who passed away in 1992. Rachel is also a proud and active member in the 5th Lutheran Church. Reaching 100 years of age is truly a great and significant milestone and for that reason, Rachel deserves our congratulations.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize Ohio's Emancipation Day. On this day in 1862, following the battle of Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln issued a preliminary executive order, essentially setting a date for the emancipation of all slaves in rebellious states. Lincoln would go on to sign the final Emancipation Proclamation in January of 1863, thereby abolishing slavery altogether. My home state of Ohio has long acknowledged September 22nd as Emancipation Day, and therefore I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on this milestone in our nation's history. In addition, I would like to recognize Mr. Paul LaRue, a well- respected educator at Washington Court House High School and the efforts he and his students have made to educate the public about the importance of honoring this day. I will conclude with a quote from Ohio Congressman, James Ashley, who held office at the time the Emancipation Proclamation was issued: ``If slavery is wrong and criminal, as the great body of enlightened and Christian men admit, it is certainly our duty to abolish it.''

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Arlene Cook, for her commendable service to the State of Ohio and for earning the William L. Howard Award. This award is the highest a civilian can receive from Ohio's Fire Service, for outstanding service to the fire forces. As a private citizen, Arlene has dedicated the vast majority of her adult and professional life to the safety and security of the citizens of the 7th Congressional District and Ohio. Arlene has 24 years of State Service with 3 of those years in Florida and 21 in Ohio. Specifically, she spent 8 years with the former Arson Bureau, which is now the Fire and Explosion Investigation Bureau, and 13 years as the administrative assistant to the State Fire Marshal. She also serves as the Administrative Assistant to the State Fire Commission. Arlene has had a long and distinguished career with the Ohio State Fire Marshal's Office, and I congratulate her on receiving the William L. Howard Award, as well as thank her for her dedication to the safety of Ohioans. For these reasons, Arlene Cook deserves our gratitude and special thanks.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, I spent the last months listening to my constituents throughout all eight counties in my district in Ohio about health care. Whether talking to my health care advisory committee, meeting with senior citizens, listening to soccer moms on the soccer field, or hosting a live townhall meeting, I heard loud and clear the concerns of the citizens of my district. The American people are concerned about the proposed government-run option and the uncertainty of this bill. They want lower health care costs and are worried about being able to maintain their doctor-patient relationship. My father was a doctor, my mother was a nurse, and families across Ohio and our Nation deserve a health care system that maintains quality, lowers costs, and improves access. Mr. Speaker, it's time for Congress to listen to the American people and work together to provide real solutions for these issues.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the constituents of Ohio's 7th Congressional District to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Michael Horton and to recognize his numerous achievements. Michael was an active and engaged member of our local community with his service to our nation in the military, work at his animal hospital and spirit of community volunteerism. Michael Horton served our nation bravely as a colonel in the United States Air Force and he cared for the animals of our area for 28 years as the owner and president of the Fairborn Animal Hospital. He founded Fairbornites Restoring Our Greene Spaces (F.R.O.G.S.) and showed his dedication to our community as the host of ``Our Fairborn Heritage'' and ``Fairborn Plain and Simple'' on local television. Michael also volunteered with Fairborn Parks and Recreation, Fairborn Heritage Days, Fairborn Police Advisory Board and the Fairborn Education Foundation. My thoughts and prayers are with Michael's family and friends during this time of terrible loss.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, as I travel across my district, whether I'm talking to our good farmers, small business owners or manufacturers, what they're asking me is, What are you doing to bring back jobs to Ohio? What are you doing to save jobs? What are you doing to turn this economy around? Mr. Speaker, the stimulus bill certainly has not yet improved our economy. This chart next to me shows what the administration projected would happen with unemployment numbers as a result of the stimulus. And what's really happening, as you can see, the dark line is what would happen with the stimulus package; the light line without the stimulus package; and most importantly, this dotted line, which is what's really happening and that is skyrocketing unemployment. In Ohio our unemployment rate has reached 11.1 percent in June, the highest it's been in decades; and this is unacceptable. Now if we don't do this health care reform package correctly, it could hurt small businesses and may cost jobs. We're going in the wrong direction. Mr. Speaker, I ask you, Where are the jobs?

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today on behalf of the constituents of Ohio's 7th Congressional District to express our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Olaju ``O.J.'' Green and to recognize the numerous achievements of this outstanding young man. O.J. was a not only an excellent student in the classroom, but was also a leader and standout athlete for Canal Winchester High School's Football Team. He was both dedicated and hardworking, leading his football team to qualify for the state playoffs. In addition to his successes in the classroom and on the football field, he was also a great artist. I met O.J. through his participation in the 7th Congressional District Art Show. His pencil drawing submitted for the art show was thought provoking and clearly showed his talent. It was an honor for me to meet this bright, well-rounded and articulate young man. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends during this time of terrible loss.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Mr. Speaker, the American people are hurting. Millions of Americans are out of work, and hundreds of thousands continue to lose their jobs each month. In my home State of Ohio, the unemployment rate reached 11.1 percent in June, the highest it has been in decades. According to the Columbus Dispatch, this adds up to an additional 33,000 jobs in Ohio that have been lost during the month of June, which is up from 8.8 percent in January 2009. The Dispatch article goes on to state that, over the course of the past year, 279,000 Ohioans have lost their jobs, including small businesses, farmers, as well as 134,000 manufacturing jobs. At the end of the day, I trust the American people and our small businesses, the taxpayers, to spend and to invest their own money as they see fit. That is what will get America back to work. Unfortunately, the other side of the aisle's economic policies have this backwards. The government continues to take Americans' tax dollars and to spend those dollars as they see fit. Not only is that inefficient and wasteful; it's just flat out wrong. Where are the jobs? It's time to get Ohio and Americans back to work now.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Lieutenant General John L. ``Jack'' Hudson, for his outstanding service to our nation on the occasion of his retirement. On behalf of the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District, I am honored to congratulate Lieutenant General Hudson upon his retirement as the Commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. His dedicated service to the citizens of our nation and our area is both admirable and commendable. Hudson received his commission in 1971 upon his graduation from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Since that time, he has served as a T-38 instructor pilot; an A-10 pilot, instructor pilot and flight examiner; and test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has also served as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. Most recently, Lieutenant General Hudson has served as the Commander of the Aeronautical Systems Center at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, a position from which he will retire in 2009. For his many years of service to our nation, I join the people of Ohio's Seventh Congressional District in extending our best wishes upon his retirement and wish him ongoing success in all future endeavors.

Mr. AUSTRIA

Mr. AUSTRIA. I thank Mr. McKeon for yielding. I appreciate you and Chairman Skelton for bringing this important bill to the floor. It does provide what we need for national security and for our men and women who are serving so selflessly in our Nation's defense, and I thank you both for your hard work on this bill. I was reading the committee report language that accompanies the bill regarding insourcing new and contracted-out functions. And I wanted to bring to your attention some very serious concerns small business owners in my district have raised in regard to this issue. Small business owners dealing in defense contracting are losing employees to the Federal Government. This practice apparently is becoming a trend in the defense contracting community, a trend that I find deeply troubling.

Mr. AUSTRIA. I certainly will be happy to yield.

Mr. AUSTRIA. Let me just say, in my view, that we should not be growing government during this economic crisis. In my opinion, it's already too big. But we certainly should not be increasing the Federal Government at the expense of small businesses, in this particular case, small defense contractors. It's simply not fair and it's not in the best interest of the taxpayer.

Mr. AUSTRIA. I would be happy to yield.