Kevin Brady

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The gentleman does make many relevant points, just not relevant accuracies. The truth of the matter is he claimed that the Democrats balanced the budget in 1994, but there was a $200 billion deficit in 1994. In fact, it was the Republican Congress that balanced the Federal budget for the first time after 40 years of Democrat leadership in Washington, D.C. The gentlewoman from New York claims that manufacturing jobs were lost under President Bush, but manufacturing losses began in 1998, 1999, and 2000 under President Clinton's administration. And while I agree with the gentlewoman that the $9 trillion debt is unconscionable, I will point out that in every budget that we passed in the 10 years that I have been here, Democrats voted against it because it was not spending enough. And the gentleman in front of me just said we haven't spent enough on Katrina, we haven't spent enough on education, we haven't spent enough on health care; yet they say we shouldn't be spending this much. And that $9 trillion debt, when I go onto their Web sites, when I look at the press releases on all the pork barrel projects, I brought home this highway fund, this university research, I brought home this special program, now, either they didn't support that spending or they are just claiming credit for that spending. You can't have it both ways. You can't be fiscally responsible. You are spending too much. No, you are spending too little, and I am taking credit for what you did. The fact of the matter is when we look at the Democratic budget, what we see is a massive tax rate, massive new spending, all in an effort, I think, to reclaim the title of the biggest government possible. I try to explain this to my taxpayers back home and my families, what does this budget mean to you? You look at an elderly couple in Texas with $40,000 income. That is where the husband and the wife is still working. Under the Democrat bill, this elderly couple in Texas, their tax bill would rise by $1,000 a year. That is a lot of money for a senior citizen and his wife. A family of four with $60,000 in earnings, that is maybe a firefighter and a secretary, this bill would increase their taxes by $1,800. A family of four, which probably is struggling already to make ends meet. For a single parent with two children and $30,000 in income, that is a single mom working in the local school district, under Republicans, at the end of the year she would get back almost $2,500. Under the Democrat tax increase bill, she would get $1,600 less. I know in Washington $1,600 doesn't seem like a lot, but when you are a single mom working at the local school district with two kids, that is a lot of clothes, that is a lot of car insurance, that is a lot of medical bills for young people. This budget hands these families a tax hit that, frankly, they can't afford. Taxes will rise, on the average, for 26 million small business owners by almost $4,000. That is a lot of payroll. That may be the only profit they make all year. Then, by eliminating the lowest tax bracket, you are going to take 5 million taxpayers in America who didn't have to pay taxes, we are going to hand them a tax bill and say we want to do this so we can spend more in Washington. So that we can try to balance the budget on the backs of hardworking families in America, we are going to spend more. What my Democrat friends have never figured out is, Washington has all the money it needs. It just doesn't have all the money it wants. It is time we know the difference. I am supporting the Republican alternative, which balances the budget without this massive tax increase. In fact, there is no tax increase at all. For the first time in many, many years, it does not spend the Social Security trust fund, which is just critical. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I look at our families in Texas, everything seems more expensive these days, whether it is getting your kids through school or paying medical bills or insurance or paying light bills; and it is tough enough for family budgets to stretch as it is. I just cannot imagine why we in Washington would hand our families another tax bill for $2,700 for Texas families and expect them to like it, especially since we can balance this budget without that tax increase. When I talk to our Texas seniors, the first thing they tell me is, please stop spending our Social Security money, quit spending the trust fund; that is our money. Yet, the Democrat budget spends that Social Security trust fund. The Republican budget for the first time in 40 years stops spending it, preserves it for Social Security. When I look at small businesses, who are the backbone of our country and really struggle to make payroll, I used to be a Chamber of Commerce manager. I know how hard it is to meet that payroll. And 26 million small business owners, we are going to hand them another tax bill of about $4,000 on top of what they struggle today? That is just asking too much, especially when we can balance the budget without those tax increases, without taking senior's Social Security, and do it the right way. That is why I respectfully disagree, strongly disagree with this bill and why we need to pass the Republican alternative. It makes much more sense for our families.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Chairman, on behalf of the ranking member of the Joint Economic Committee, Mr. Saxton, I yield myself as much time as I may consume. A couple of corrections here. Let me make the point that the American economy is still one of the strongest in the Nation, in the world, the largest economy in the world. We have had 42 straight months of job growth. We have created 7.6 million new jobs under President Bush. We have low unemployment. And this was all done as President Bush inherited a recession as he took office. I should make note that President Clinton inherited an expanding economy. President Bush inherited one that was slipping into recession. And you don't need to take my word for it. Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel Laureate and President's Clinton's own chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, observed the economy was slipping into recession even before President Bush took office. So let's talk about the facts. Let's talk about this budget. I actually think it is a healthy thing that we are arguing over how to balance the Federal budget. That is something that ought to be a goal of both parties. And, frankly, as a Republican, I am convinced one of the reasons we got fired from management of Congress is that we forgot to pursue a balanced budget. We forgot to limit spending. We forgot to try to look out for the American taxpayer. I oppose this Democratic budget because it increases the Federal deficit by billions of dollars next year. It continues to raid the Social Security trust fund, and it does include the largest tax increase in American history. And that is not only fiscally irresponsible, it means a staggering $2,700 tax increase for our average Texas family of four. Now, this budget will spend nearly $3 trillion next year, and we will impose almost $400 billion of tax increases to finance new Federal spending. If you look at what it does, it allows President Bush's tax relief to expire, bringing back the marriage penalty, bringing back the death tax, cutting the child tax credit in half, and raising the income capital gains and dividend tax rates. And their budget, closer to home, next year it also kills the State and local sales tax deduction, which I and others on both sides of the aisle worked so hard to restore. That State sales tax deduction saves Texas families $1 billion annually, and they will see a new tax increase shortly after this holiday season. And what is, I think, most absurd, I was listening to the chairman of the Budget Committee's discussion on shenanigans and I thought, I have not seen a bigger shenanigan in any budget in history than what is called the reserve account in the Democrat budget. What they say is, we will do tax relief for middle-class families, but we will pay for it with the reserve account. You ask, what is in the reserve account? And not a single dime, not a single dollar. It is as if someone said, here is a check for what I promise you, but the bank account is empty. I don't know if there will be money in it ever. I don't know how to put money in it. But, trust me, here is a check. Those reserve accounts are the biggest shenanigan. And after years of criticizing President Bush for not eliminating or at least reforming the alternative minimum tax, the Democrat budget doesn't allow for even 1 year of it, which means an additional 20 million Americans will be hit by this growing tax next year. I am backing an alternative budget, the Republican budget, that balances the budget in 5 years without a tax increase and ends the raid on the Social Security trust fund. It seems to me tonight we have probably as clear a choice as we have had in many years between the Democrat philosophy of balancing the budget and the Republican. The Democrat philosophy in this budget is, we will balance it, which is good for them. We balance it by increasing spending and increasing taxes on hardworking families. The Republicans approach is, we will balance it a different way, by limiting the spending and by keeping the tax relief that families need. And there has never been a clearer choice. And I think, too, I look at the promises that were made last campaign by our new majority. We are going to reduce the deficit. Yet, under this budget, the deficit will actually increase $36 billion in 1 year, $36 billion. That compass is headed the wrong direction. They said, we will stop spending the Social Security trust fund, but they spend all of it this year and in every year. And they say, we promise middle-class tax relief, but, instead, they provide tax increases on families and small businesses and single moms with children. In a moment I am going to go through some of those tax increases which, frankly, as expensive as life is these days for most families, I know our families in Texas can't quite handle that big a hit. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I know that good people disagree on this war, but, in my heart, this bill betrays our troops, ensures defeat and guarantees that when our fighting men and women come home to America, the terrorists will follow. This bill cannot stand on its merits, but is brought with promises of spinach and peanuts and pork. Not content to let our soldiers win this war, this bill instead substitutes a brilliant military strategy that gives our enemies this timetable: America will raise a white flag next year, but if you fight harder, we will quit sooner. Thank God General George Washington wasn't hamstrung with such brilliance. After the attacks of 9/11, I recall our enemies predicting America did not have the backbone or the will to persevere in this war. This bill proves them right. On Monday, we buried one of our heroes in our community, Private First Class Cory Kosters. As I witnessed the remarkable courage and faith of his family, as I watched his flag-draped coffin presented at the National Veterans Cemetery surrounded by his friends and airborne brothers saying their final good-bye, I promised myself I will not quit on our soldiers, I will not quit on their mission. I will not guarantee America's defeat, nor allow future generations of Americans to live in terror because we lack the courage and conviction of the greatest generations that preceded us.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, watching television late last night I was reminded of the vivid contrast between Congress and the war on terror. On the one channel I watched Members of the House theatrically debating this nonbinding, that means pretend, resolution, while the other channel showed an American chopper hit by a rocket- propelled grenade and billowing black smoke, falling in the death spiral to the ground, killing all American soldiers aboard. Tonight our soldiers face real bullets and real explosive devices; we debate a pretend resolution. I wish I could say this is merely a waste of time, but it is far more damaging than that. As Lincoln warned, a house divided itself cannot stand. Yet today our Congress stands divided for all the world to see. Our enemies are smiling and our soldiers are sick at heart. Don't take my word for it. Let me read you an e-mail I received this week from a decorated Army soldier who served in the gulf war and again in Iraq on this war on terror. He writes: ``The troops support the mission, support the President, and support the surge. We are moving the brigade out of here soon. I cannot be more adamant about the fact that partisan politics is hurting the mission and the morale. We want to win the war not the White House.'' I fear that some see that in the other order. The troops want to complete this mission. Congress wanted a change in the strategy, they got a change, now they don't want to support the change. That is exactly why Vietnam vets complained about politicians not allowing them to win. And this is not Vietnam all over again, but the politicians are making the same mistakes they did back then. Let the generals run the war; you guys handle immigration. Well, listening to this debate, perhaps we should just turn the running of the war over to Congress. Unbeknownst to America, apparently the most brilliant, articulate military strategists have to be here in Congress. But a word of caution to my fellow MacArthurs and Pattons. It is easy to run a war when you are 6,000 miles from Baghdad and hold a microphone for a gun. There can be only one Commander in Chief. The moment Congress begins interfering in battlefield decisions is the moment we are assured of losing this war and that moment is dangerously near. I support this surge. If our military leaders and the Commander in Chief need these extra soldiers, I am behind them 110 percent. Am I certain the surge will work? No. But I am certain the consequences of failing in Iraq will ultimately cost us many more innocent lives and a much darker future, not just for Iraq but for my family and yours. In Iraq and Afghanistan we are in a battle of wills. Should America retreat, should we withdraw prematurely, we will not only cement our reputation as a Nation that talks big and acts boldly, but at the first sign of difficulty shows no will, no backbone, no strength to keep our word. The world saw our lack of will in Vietnam, they watched us run from Somalia, and today they see our backbone disintegrate over Iraq. They watched us for a quarter of a century, we wished away the terrorist attacks in Khobar, the USS Cole, and the first World Trade Center bombing. Finally it hit home and already some in Congress are flying the white flag. Think. Nations like Iraq and Afghanistan who oppose terrorism are faced with a choice. They can live with terrorists among them or live in a free society with the protection and the backing of the world's greatest democracy. That is us. With their lives and the future on the line who will they choose? Is it not sad that today the world has just about decided that America will not keep its word, America cannot be counted on? Terrorists know that while they can never hope to defeat our military on the battleground, they are assured if they just hold out, they can defeat us in Congress one opinion poll at a time. This is a test of wills, and whether we got here for the reason you agree with or not, it is a test. I believe we are here for the right reasons, and it is incredibly naive to believe that all of the terrorist organizations in the world were conveniently gathered in Afghanistan, like a Rotary Club. We are wrong to pursue terrorist safe havens other than those that harbored al Qaeda on the some wobbly theory we should not pursue drug cartels other than the ones we believe smuggled in the drug that destroyed your child. Due to technology and financing, terrorists are not limited to states and regions, and we have to pursue them. But whether or not you agree with how we got here, we are there in Iraq. And the nation of Iraq and our Nation have everything riding on the line. Eliminating Iraq as a safe haven for financing, training terrorist groups in the Middle East is a mission we must complete for our sake. Thomas Edison once observed many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. If we fail in Iraq, we sentence our children to a lifetime of fear, of fear of going to the mall safely, going to work each morning and returning home safely, the fear of going with friends to a sports stadium without being torn apart in an explosion. If we believe the price of war is high, wait until we endure the price of terror here in America. Our soldiers are giving their blood, what are we giving them? A resolution.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, on rollcall No. 57 on H. Res. 78, I am not recorded because I was absent due to illness. Had I been present, I would have voted ``nay.''

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Tony Houseman for his continued conservation efforts and his dedicated service to the Houston Safari Club. Tony has been a member of the Houston Safari Club for over twenty years and has served as the Club's Convention Chair in 1996 and the President from 1997-1998. He also has been awarded three distinguished awards from the Houston Safari Club with the 1998 Conservation Award, the 2005 Lifetime Service Award, and the 2007 Frank Green Award. His tireless leadership has had a positive impact in Texas and across our nation. When Tony and Ray Petty were asked by Congressman Jack Fields to help organize and start the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus, which I am a proud member, he never hesitated in saying yes. Every year, for ten straight years, they traveled to Washington D.C. to increase the membership and clout of the Caucus and help fight for the rights of the hunter and the hunting community. Now, the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus has one of the highest memberships and continues to advocate the interests of sportsmen. Tony also has taken a leadership role in too many projects to list, with notable ones being Operation Bright Lights and the Tony Houseman State Park and Wildlife Management Area. Operation Bright Lights raises funds and works with professional hunters to build schools and water wells in Tanzania, and recently he and his wife Gisela took a trip there and visited one of the newly built schools. For the state park, Tony donated 1,500 acres to conserve the Blue Elbow Swamp in South East Texas. This 3,300 acre conservation site on the Sabine River remains a magical place for wildlife. Madam Speaker, Tony Houseman is the consummate hunter and conservationist and a friend I deeply admire. Thank you for helping me honor him today.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I agree completely with our Democrat friends: we need to invest more in renewable energy. It is the right thing to do, and it is long overdue. But doing it by taxing American energy companies more for exploring and creating jobs here at home makes no sense. Let's be clear. This bill says, foreign oil and foreign jobs are good; American oil and American jobs are bad. And that is crazy. The new House leadership may believe it scores in political points to target Texas energy companies and refiners, many of whom are union workers. But our communities don't think it is so funny and our union workers don't think it is so funny. This bill punishes energy companies for doing the research that leads to successful wells. The old Tax Code had a perverse disincentive. If you failed in finding a successful well, you could write off expenses. If you are successful, though, we punished you for it. We changed that, because we think companies ought to do more research, not less, drill accurate wells, drill fewer of them, and have smaller footprints. This provision is an anti-research and an anti-environmental provision. This bill declares energy jobs in America aren't manufacturing jobs. Under this bill, we treat energy workers, including high-paying union workers, as foreign workers. We treat our people as foreign workers. And farmers are manufacturers under this bill. Cartoonists are manufacturers under this bill. But those who work on oil rigs and refineries in Texas are foreign workers, and we don't touch the foreign oil companies at all. Ladies and gentlemen, this bill will not lower gas prices one penny. It won't lessen our dependence on foreign oil one barrel. This bill does not strengthen our energy security. Just the opposite. It does not deserve our support.

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 6, the ``Clean Energy Act of 2007.'' I agree with Democrats that we need to invest more in renewable energy, including new ways to fuel our cars. But by taxing American companies more for exploring and creating jobs here at home--and letting foreign oil companies off the hook--this bill says foreign oil and foreign jobs are good, American oil and American jobs are bad. That's just crazy. It's bad energy policy--with big costs. Costs to the consumer at the pump, to the refinery worker in the Gulf, and to the retiree whose pension depends on the strength of American industry. Don't be fooled--the special tax breaks they say the oil and gas industry gets aren't special at all. In 2004, at a time when manufacturing jobs were heading overseas by the thousands and we were increasingly worried about our foreign dependence on oil, Congress passed a bill that gave a tax incentive to all American manufacturers to get them to invest more here at home--including oil and gas producers. A year later, Congress passed the Energy Policy Act that the Democrats say provided huge tax breaks to ``big oil.'' But they got that wrong, too. According to the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, this bill imposed a net tax increase of nearly $300 million over the next decade. At the same time, we provided incentives for energy exploration in difficult terrains so that our country could take another step toward weaning ourselves off foreign oil. And we're seeing an important result from these policies: Jobs. The U.S. energy sector employs more than 1.8 million Americans, with good pay--up to $30 an hour on average, and often with union benefits. In Texas, energy independence is our economy's life blood. Over 35,000 people work in the oil and gas sector in the Houston area alone, and nearly a quarter of our nation's crude oil is refined along the Texas Gulf Coast. Drilling is at record levels and reserves of natural gas are growing. Production is holding steady. The cost of oil, which is historically volatile, is down. And while Democrats like to take a swat at record oil and gas profits, these same companies are putting those profits back into infrastructure and technology--often more than twice their profits in a year. Margins are actually much lower. But the damage inflicted by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to our exploration and refining capacity in the Gulf unmasked just how vulnerable our energy sector is. Plans are underway to strengthen that capacity--but that progress could be jeopardized if we place an undue tax burden on our refineries. In an area of the country that's still recovering from these disasters, why strip away even more jobs by taxing an industry that is helping supply thousands? What's even crazier is that House Democrats will now consider American energy workers, including oil rig and refinery workers, as foreign workers for tax purposes--just so they can raise taxes on U.S. companies. Under this bill, farmers, software designers, and even cartoonists are considered manufacturing workers, but Americans who go to work each day to supply energy for this nation are classified as foreign workers. Explain that. Democrats like to claim that we need this bill to lower gas and oil prices. I'm not sure who came up with that theory, but common sense tells me that if we put a strain on domestic manufacturers, that only serves to give a boost to foreign competition--and a boost to prices. At a time when some Americans are relying on Hugo Chavez to heat their homes this winter--we need to take a step back and clearly understand the consequences of our actions. Repealing these tax incentives would only serve to stifle domestic production of oil and gas, raise gas prices and home heating costs for Americans, send more jobs overseas, and increase our dependence on foreign sources of energy. The new House leadership may believe it scores them cheap political points to target Texas energy companies, many of whom employ union workers, but our communities don't think it's so funny. And at a time we need more U.S. energy and less foreign oil, it makes no sense at all. As I said before, I believe we should invest in the development of renewable energy and alternative fuels to protect our future and our children's future. But short-changing American jobs today isn't the way to do it.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am a member of the Ways and Means Committee, proud to have helped create the Medicare prescription plan; it is really helping a lot of our seniors in Texas, especially those who are very poor and have some of the most expensive illnesses. I think we can do more to improve the Medicare prescription drug plan, we ought to work better together; but I oppose directing the Federal Government to interfere with the successful Medicare prescription drug plan. If you look closely, this is a senior scam. I am warning my mom, who is on Medicare, that this is just another senior scam. It sounds fantastic, but when you read the fine print, you realize the only savings you get is, if you just restrict the drugs that she can get, you limit where she can go to get them, and every expert says this won't save a dime. Sure, I can save everyone in this room costs on their medicines. I am just going to, like the VA does, I will tell you, you can't have those medicines and you can't get them where you need them. Our seniors, my mom has a choice of 4,000 drugs, if she was in the VA, she would get a choice of a thousand, most of them generics. Now she has 55,000 pharmacies, hopefully she won't go to all of them; with VA, she would get to go to 300 of them. If she tried to find the drugs she needs, a one out of four chance she would find the one she really needs. The truth of the matter is that we ought to be working together to help improve Medicare. We ought not be trying to score political points. We ought to be helping seniors lower their drug costs. This is a scam; and I predict it will not ever become law because this scores political points rather than helping seniors with their medicines. Let's find a way we really can work together for our seniors.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I think we are missing a historic opportunity to change the paradigm to really help workers get into a living wage for the long term. The fact is, an increase to $7.25 an hour will still leave a single mom with a child at or near poverty. And there is no doubt that a video store owner in Texas or anywhere else with five workers, when faced with a $25,000 increase in payroll and no chance they are going to rent that many more videos, are going to look at whether they can afford all those workers. Remembering well the minimum wage jobs I held when younger and also having worked hard to make a small business payroll, I think we need new thinking. America's goals should not be to raise the minimum wage; our goals should be to get workers off it and into good-paying jobs that you can raise a family on. So rather than recycle the same 60-year-old arguments, why don't we help workers break out of the minimum wage trap? Rather than raise the minimum wage, let employers create education debit cards where workers can take those debit cards to the local community college or the trade schools so they can get a real job. Let business and professions, whole industries contribute to those debit cards so we can train workers for the jobs of today which are crying for many American workers. And since Congress is eager to do this pay raise on someone else's dime, let small businesses deduct and receive credit those dollars, receive a tax credit for their education contributions above the current state of minimum wage. In effect, rather than a jobs bank, create a skills bank for workers in the 21st century. Give workers an opportunity to get out of a struggling job that leads nowhere and give businesses the skilled workers they need to compete and win against international competition. We have done it before with welfare. The Republican Congress and Democrat President worked together. We sent a strong signal we would no longer give up on workers, relegating them to a subsistence living generation after generation. We ought to do it again. I oppose this bill.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to this proposal. For the first time in more than a decade and in recent memory, the new House leadership, and this is hard to believe, is attempting to keep secret the votes of one of our most important committees, the Rules Committee. It determines which bills are sent to the House floor, for how long they may be debated, and what amendments the people's House will consider. It is a critical part of our democratic process. Hiding these votes from the public, cloaking this committee in secrecy where backroom deals are shielded from the American voter, is an outrageous and arrogant step backward from open and honest government. This is abuse of power that must be stopped. And, sadly, I will file a Freedom of Information Act request on every Rules Committee vote so that the American public can see what this committee is trying to hide. We ought to defeat this proposal

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Heather Montgomery upon her retirement as District Director for the Eighth Congressional District of Texas. I've had the privilege of working alongside Heather for many years as co-workers at the South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, as colleagues while she led the North Houston-Greenspoint Chamber of Commerce, and re-united again in 1998 in service to the constituents of the 8th Congressional District of Texas. Heather brought to my district offices her wealth of knowledge and experience from leading communities and helping small businesses, as mother of three children, a grandmother, and devoted leader and volunteer of many volunteer efforts in The Woodlands, Montgomery County and north Houston area. For the past nine years Heather has managed an extensive district staff, day to day operations of three offices, and served as direct extension of myself throughout the community. Heather always manages to find a personal connection with each of our constituents and the challenges they face. Extremely hard-working, painstakingly fair, exceedingly knowledgeable--these are qualities Heather has not only honed, but also put at the disposal of constituents. She is gracious at all times and simply a class act. Heather's retirement comes at a time when she and her husband Gary are the proud grandparents of nine grandchildren. I know her family is eager to have more of her time. In the years I have worked with Heather, I have come to know a civic minded leader and a woman of broad and varied interests which I hope she will pursue in the time afforded by retirement. Mr. Speaker, I know you join with me in saying ``thank you'' and ``job well done'' to Heather Montgomery for her years of loyal service to myself, but most of all, to the people of Southeast Texas whom she has served with distinction. She is one of my closest friends.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. First let me thank you, Chairman Thomas, for your years of hard work to provide real tax relief for families. Mr. Speaker, I know in Texas, in our region, our community, your leadership on restoring the State and local sales tax deduction, that saves our Texas families $1 billion a year that we do not have to send to Washington, that can stay in their pocketbooks, stay in our communities, creates jobs in our State. And I know that on behalf of seven States to whom that deduction is so important, you have saved us from a $5.5 billion tax increase, and we are grateful. In Washington we spend too much time debating what bills mean to each other and not enough about what bills mean to real families. Being able to deduct that sales tax is a real help for families, especially those who are starting out in life. Sales taxes add up so quickly. This bill helps families struggling to afford tuition for their college students. It helps teachers who have to go into their own pocketbook to pay for classroom supplies each year. I do not think they ought to ever have to do that, but when they do, at least let them write those expenses off. It helps American companies who are trying to compete against the rest of world afford the type of research it takes to keep jobs here in America. This allows people who are trying to get their first job off of welfare a chance to get some job openings they might not otherwise help. It allows seniors, like my mom, to see a doctor whom she knows and a doctor who knows her, because it does an important fix on the Medicare. And for States like Texas, with this new bill, we will get some revenues from leases off our shores that will help us rebuild our coastal wetlands and preserve our shores. This is a classic piece of legislation that helps so many people in America. And while you can talk a good game about tax relief for middle-class families, it is another thing to actually vote for it. I am proud to vote for this bill. This is going to help a lot of families. I encourage your support.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take a minute to thank Chairman Shaw for his leadership, not only in opening markets around the world to American products and services, but his leadership over the years on key issues like Social Security and others. I think it is appropriate for Mr. Hayes to raise the issues of enforcement. If there is a common ground among Republicans and Democrats in this body, it is to strongly enforce free trade agreements and the benefits programs, and we, I know, can work together on that in this next session. I strongly support this bill. America is the world's largest consumer of goods. We are also the largest seller of goods. It gives us an opportunity to open new markets and the power also to help other countries be lifted out of poverty. This bill extends to our neighbors and friends in sub-Saharan Africa, Haiti, the Andean region of Latin America trade benefits to help stimulate economic growth and provide jobs for their people. It supports businesses and workers here in the United States by giving them a break on a necessary tariff so we are able to pass more of their dollars back to their employers and customers. It helps ensure American companies won't be left behind while our competitors overseas benefit from Vietnam's recent entry into the global trading system. As a Representative of the 8th District of Texas, I tell you we see billions of dollars of cargo and goods come into our State, as well as shipping. It creates tens of thousands of jobs. It is key to our livelihood. Under a long-standing bipartisan program, our Latin American neighbors Peru, Colombia, Bolivia and Ecuador currently receive trade benefits that have reached many, many thousands of jobs in the region, meaningful jobs. They offer an alternative to the drug trade and guerrilla warfare and contribute to the stabilization and economic growth in the region, all of which are in America's interests. We must continue the Andean program over the short term to encourage approval of already negotiated trade promotion agreements with Peru and Colombia that are critical to our region. I strongly support this measure.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I appreciate Congressman Marchant for his leadership on this issue. On Easter Sunday, 2004, Apache helicopter pilot, Army Chief Warrant Officer Wesley Lee Charles Fortenberry and his gunner answered a desperate call for help from a convoy of 29 Reservists trapped in an ambush with an estimated 300 Muslim extremists, pinned down in a mile- long kill zone in Baghdad, literally down to their last rounds of ammunition. Pilot Chuck Fortenberry and his gunner fought to save the lives of 29 soldiers, repeatedly silencing enemy guns and drawing fire to themselves. As one Reservist said, everywhere the Apache flew, the fire stopped. And when I heard the Apaches all I could think of was thank God, I am going to live. Well, an enemy rocket eventually silenced the 30 millimeter cannons and the life of Chuck Fortenberry. On that Easter Sunday, Chuck Fortenberry willingly gave his life to save the lives of many of his countrymen knowing he may never hold his loving wife again or see his three sons grow into men. He represents a new generation of hero, fighting for our security, and he is the latest in a long line of Tyler County veterans who answered the call to our Nation's defense. I want to make sure that future generations understand the freedoms they enjoy are paid for by the blood, sweat and tears of the families in Tyler County who raise their sons and their daughters to love and serve their country at any price. I am proud to author this legislation. I urge its support.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of a dear friend, Frank H. Bass from The Woodlands, TX who passed away after suffering a stroke on September 15, 2006. Mr. Bass was a true servant to society and left a lasting impression on all he encountered. Frank was proud to call The Woodlands his home since 1985 where he served in numerous positions throughout public, private, and corporate sectors. Before this he graduated from Mercer University where he received his undergraduate and Doctorate degrees and served valiantly in the United States Navy. After a lengthy career with Florida Power Corporation in St. Petersburg Florida, he came to Texas to serve as the Director of Legal Services for the Texas Municipal Power Agency. Following this, he served Montgomery County first as an Assistant County Attorney and then as the elected County Attorney for two 4-year terms. In 2001, Mr. Bass was appointed Associate Judge to hear cases relative to Children's Protective Services in several Texas counties. Judge Bass was truly a natural on the bench and was renowned for his kindness, fairness, compassion, even handedness, and his intolerance for those who mistreated children. Continuing in his serving nature, Judge Bass also served on the boards of The Woodlands Community Association and the Montgomery County Women's Center. Notably, he was also a founding member of the Town Center Improvement District. Judge Bass was an active leader in many areas of the community and his leadership, service, and the example he set will be missed by all. He is survived by his wife of 29 years Diane, and their four grown children Mark, Jeff, Marcia, and Michele. Mr. Speaker, Frank was a rare individual whom I will miss greatly. Thank you for helping me honor Judge Bass, one of the most kind-hearted individuals I know.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mark Chesnutt on this day September 6, 2006, his 43rd birthday. This outstanding country music star currently has 14 No. 1 hits, 23 top ten singles, four platinum albums, five gold records, and continually maintains a hefty live tour schedule. Born in Beaumont, TX, Mark got his start playing in honky-tonk bars throughout his hometown area singing alongside his father, Bob Chesnutt. His dad traveled often to Nashville and started taking Mark along at 17 where he was soon discovered by talent agents who recognized the vocal and authentic talents Mark possesses. Signed at 17 by MCA, Mark soon won the coveted Country Music Association's Horizon Award recognizing the industry's top new talent. At the awards ceremony, he was introduced by legendary country music star George Jones who remarked, ``This boy from Beaumont, Texas is the real deal.'' Throughout the 90's Mark's singles continued to light up the chart including some of the decade's most memorable up-tempo hits like ``Bubba Shot the Jukebox'' and ``Going Through the Big D.'' Also accelerating his rise to stardom were hits like the emotional ballads ``I'll Think of Something'' and ``I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.'' Mark's excellence continues today combining world-class vocals and awe-inspiring stage performances that leave crowds standing in ovation until they themselves are hoarse! Most remarkable of all, he stays true to his roots keeping the traditional country music style he was raised on in an ever-changing country music landscape. Mark Chesnutt is a true gift to Country Music and specifically the 8th District of Texas. Not only has he blessed us with musical hit after hit, he also has tirelessly given of his time and talent to assist east and southeast Texas in their recovery from the devastating effects of Hurricane Rita. Mark also has a wonderful marriage to Tracie Chesnutt with three beautiful children: Waylon, Casey, and Cameron. Mr. Speaker, thank you for helping me honor Mark Chesnutt, this America country music superstar, on his 43rd birthday.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the leadership of Chairman Shaw as we try to open new markets around the world for American products and services. I strongly support this agreement with Oman. As you know, America is so open to other countries selling their products and goods into America, but oftentimes when we go around the world, we find that their markets are not so open. And so we try to open those markets through trade agreements to allow our farmers, our small businesses, our manufacturers, our banks, everyone, to sell our products around the world, and these trade agreements are succeeding in doing that. In each one that we have had, our sales in those countries have nearly doubled. So we are creating jobs here at home selling more products. This free trade agreement does the same thing. It is not huge, but for those who are selling to them, it is very important. Not only does this help America, but this is an important cog in our Middle East free trade agreement, which is key, because I think that a lot of unrest is caused when people don't have hope, when they don't have a chance to better themselves, when they don't have a high standard of living. The more we are able to create job opportunities and hope in the Middle East, I think the sooner we do that the safer we will have that region. This won't do it by itself, but everything helps move that peace process along. And I support it because Oman, while it may not be where we want it to be on labor yet, they have made tremendous progress in labor issues and in the rule of law and in a number of areas that we ought to be supporting as a country. Let me conclude with this. This agreement stands on itself, but there is more than that. I have a soft spot for countries that have come to the aid of our American soldiers. My baby brother has served in Iraq as an Army medic and is now a sergeant major and has just returned from his tour in Iraq. Recently I just attended two funerals of local soldiers who died defending us. When we have countries like Oman who allow our personnel to stop there, our aircraft to fly there and land there, when we have a country like this that houses our personnel, basically makes them safer while they are away from their families trying to defend our freedom, I think we ought to reward these countries. To me on national security when I see this intellectually dishonest argument about our port security, what I am afraid of is we have people who want to punish the countries that are helping our soldiers, punishing countries who are coming to help our men and women who are trying to fight for our freedom. We ought to be rewarding and thanking those countries. I support this agreement.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Madam Speaker, I appreciate, first, the leadership of Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Mr. Lantos on this important issue of leadership, not just this critical time, but throughout the years. Yes, I strongly support the resolution, but listening tonight I think there has been some odd debate. To suggest, as some did, that Israel and America have somehow conspired to encourage this attack on Israel as an excuse to invade or attack Iran, to me, is absurd. It is a dangerous claim, and at this important and critical time in history has no real place in this important debate on this floor in this Chamber in this democracy. We reaffirm America's support for the State of Israel. We support Israel's right to take appropriate action to defend itself not only in Israel, but in the territories of those who would threaten it in accordance with the international law. We condemn Hamas and Hezbollah for cynically exploiting civilian populations as shields, then locating their equipment and bases of operations in civilian areas. We recognize Israel's long-standing commitment to minimizing civilian loss. We demand the Governments of Iran and Syria to direct Hamas and Hezbollah to immediately and unconditionally release the Israeli soldiers which they hold captive. And we condemn the Governments of Iran and Syria for their continued support of Hezbollah and Hamas in these armed attacks against Israel. Make no mistake, an attack against Israel is an attack against the peace and security of America. Israel's fight is America's fight. America will stand with Israel.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when I first came to Congress, I had a family-owned nursery come sit down with me and explain to me the effect of the death tax, and two of the three children still worked in the nursery. What they showed me on paper was that because the tax, when their parents died, if they could take out enough life insurance on their parents, and if they could go back to the bank and borrow enough money, which, by the way, they spent years getting out of debt, but if they could borrow enough money, they might be able to keep their family nursery. Think about that. They were telling me if they could make enough money off their parents' death and borrow enough money, they might be able to keep their family nursery, might. The death tax is the wrong tax. It hits the wrong people at exactly the wrong time. It is the number one reason small businesses do not get handed down to the next generation. It is the main reason more and more family farmers and ranches get sold off to pay Uncle Sam for all the big spending programs we have here today. Permanent repeal of the death tax remains everyone's goal, my belief, on the Republican side of this Chamber. But any day I can free more family farms and ranches from the specter of the death tax, I am going to support it. Any day I can lower the death tax rate permanently on family groceries and family small businesses, I am strongly going to do that. Until full repeal occurs, I will strongly support lowering this tax. I support this bill.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the families of East Texas, especially those with loved ones serving overseas, I strongly support this resolution. Despite what the national media portray, the inconvenient truth is this: Terrorists have been attacking America freely for more than two decades. We should have learned we cannot push America's security forward by retreating from terrorism. We cannot strengthen the world by weakening our resolve, and we cannot support our troops by belittling them at every turn. It is clear to all but perhaps us that the terrorists' strategy is not to defeat America in Iraq. They cannot do that. Their strategy is to defeat America in America. They are counting on the American public to lose its will and for Washington politicians to undermine the morale and support of our troops overseas. The truth is if America quits, if America turns back now, no nation, no community will be safe from terrorism again. Terrorists will learn that they can wait us out one public opinion poll at a time. And the next time America is attacked, the next time innocent people die and we vow justice, who will believe us then? Who will support us then? I stand with the President. We must persist in Iraq and Afghanistan until these nations are no longer safe havens for terrorism. We have ``taken the hill'' against the terrorists. Too many Americans have sacrificed their lives for us to give it back now. Americans like Chief Warrant Officer Chuck Fortenberry of Woodville, Lance Corporal Shane Goodman of Orange, Staff Sergeant Christopher Everett of Huntsville, Specialist Michael Weger of Spring, and Specialist Hoby Bradfield of The Woodlands, among many. Our troops have proven they will not quit. The question is will we? Our troops know what is at stake. The question is do we? Let us not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Let us put aside our partisan politics and unite until terrorism is truly and soundly defeated.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this measure, not only because it provides important support for our troops overseas, but dramatically accelerates the security of our border here in America. As importantly, because of the leadership of Chairman Lewis, because of the leadership here in the House, this bill also includes critical help for people and families and communities in east and southeast Texas devastated by Hurricane Rita. This measure provides much needed help to fund the Katrina students who are in our schools, provides much needed help to reimburse our local governments at the same rate as Louisiana, which will save our taxpayers and our smaller counties tens of millions of very important dollars. Finally, it provides help to rebuild the homes and roofs and communities in south and east Texas devastated by Rita. Most people don't know, we had almost 75,000 homes damaged or destroyed. Many of them have temporary roofs today. Ten percent of our evacuees have not yet returned due to Hurricane Rita. Thanks to the leadership of Chairman Lewis, and subcommittee chairs, Mr. Knollenberg, Mr. Rogers and Mr. Young, of the support of people like my colleagues in east Texas, Congressmen Poe and Gohmert, freshman legislators who have done a tremendous job representing their district, the House leadership and our Texas appropriators, thanks to all of them, our families and communities in east Texas are going to get the help that they sorely need, truly deserve, and we are all very grateful. Again, on behalf of the families and residents of east Texas, I want to thank our appropriations leaders for their help. This is good news this day for east Texas and southeast Texas.

Mr. BRADY of Texas

Mr. BRADY of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor June Kenyon upon her retirement from my district office staff. Beginning in 1997 when I first took office, June Kenyon brought to the field office in Humble, Texas her wealth of knowledge and experience gleaned from working for my predecessor, the Honorable Jack Fields. Not only did June sign on as Office Manager but took on the role of Head of Casework to help constituents. I was blessed to have June's expertise and long record of commitment to constituents in helping me confront the challenges of being a newly elected Congressman. For the next 9 years, June excelled at her roles and increased her knowledge of the inner workings of Federal agencies to the point that some even invited her to brief their staffs on the intricacies of casework with Congressional offices. June's command of the system and successful resolution of thousands of cases are a tribute to her professionalism and relentlessness in serving the residents of the 8th Congressional District. Extremely hard-working, painstakingly fair, exceedingly knowledgeable--these are qualities June has not only honed but put at the disposal of constituents as she advocates for them and resolves difficult issues. But it was in the challenges faced by our constituents in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita this past fall that June's abilities shown brightly as she led the efforts to resolve quickly and systematically over 1,000 claims for expedited assistance from FEMA. Working long hours, interfacing with local officials and aid agencies, June contributed significantly to the ability of Southeast Texans to survive the aftermath of this devastating storm and begin the recovery process. While June has always been a diligent staffer, the last 18 months have created personal challenges for her, including a long commute to Conroe after redistricting led to closing the Humble office. The redistricting also meant serving a different and larger geographic area. June did not miss a beat in adapting to the new conditions, including participating in the Mobile Office taking caseworkers to constituents in the small towns of East Texas. In the years I have worked with June, I have come to know a committed Republican activist and a woman of broad and varied interests which I hope she will pursue in the time afforded by retirement. From her native New York, June brought with her to the Houston area, a distinctive Long Island accent and a deep-seated love of music. Although she has yet to sing for our staff, June has shared with us reminiscences as varied as singing classical music at Carnegie Hall and the blues at unnamed, smoke-filled venues. A lover of opera, she has long been a subscriber to the Houston Grand Opera and Opera in the Heights. Mr. Speaker, I know you join with me in saying ``thank you'' and ``job well done'' to June Kenyon for her years of loyal service to Congressman Jack Fields and myself, but most of all to the people of Southeast Texas whom she has served with distinction.